Ridgecrest - Mount Airy, NC

My wife and I have been here for 2.5 years. Honestly, we only looked at RidgeCrest. It was close. We knew that there was no buy in. We just figured that once we were ready to retire, we would move to RidgeCrest. We decided that it was time to move when we started having to pay people to help maintain our house. It suits us very well. We are involved with all kinds of things. We exercise and go swimming. I was the President of the Resident Council for 2 years. There are a lot of activities- always something for going on. We no longer have to pay property taxes, maintain the house or yard cook or clean the house. We are down to one car as that is all we need. There is one thing that we should warn you about. The food is so good that you can easily put on weight. Good thing we have the wellness classes. When we moved here, there was a guest villa. We miss having that space for family and visiting friends as it was one of the benefits that mattered to us when we were moving. Come and check out RidgeCrest! Take advantage of the Lunch and Learn. You get a free meal. I advise you to talk with members.

I have been here for three years and I love it - absolutely love it! I joke that they are going to have to pry me out of here with my fingernails dragging. I came from Miami, after serving for 44 years as a high school teacher. My requirements for a retirement community were that is was quiet, clean and safe. I looked at hundreds of communities all over Florida and up along the east coast. I wanted to leave Florida to get away from the hurricane season. Georgia was also out due to its similar climate. South Carolina and North Carolina became my primary search areas and with a proximity to family. I was also looking for excellent medical facilities which drew me to Winston-Salem. RidgeCrest was in the top running. I visited 3 times and wanted to be sure that this would be the right place for me. I wanted one move- period. I have actually gotten well-er since being here. I am very happy and have made many friends. I am involved as much as I physically can be. I cook a lot and provide fresh baked goods to the other members at RidgeCrest. My advice is don’t wait, enjoy all that retirement has to offer while you can. There is something for everyone. I am thrilled that I made this decision while still in my 60s. There are activities for all wellness levels.

My wife and I left the area for my office with the State Health Program. Then after retiring, we moved back and worked a farm. We then decided to travel the world. We rented an apartment splitting our time here at RidgeCrest for 6 months and then 6 months in Florida. We then found we were spending 4 months packing and unpacking. We decided to buy a house in Florida where we stayed until we were looking for a retirement community. After looking in Florida, we decided to look back at RidgeCrest and were pleased to see that many of the same staff were still working. They remembered us and were extremely helpful in the move back to RidgeCrest. There is a saying that you can’t go home again but as I was a local from birth, it feels as though I am home. My wife served as the President of Resident’s Council and I am on the Board of Directors. I participate in the chair yoga when I can. I usually exercise everyday either here or at a local gym. We are involved in many of the activities. Last week, I gave a presentation on our trip to Greece. Thank goodness that we are not as busy here as we were in Florida but we are still busy. We had to maintain our home in Florida which we do not have to do here. We have been able to say goodbye to the little stresses in life. Our criteria for a retirement community was three-fold with good healthcare that is accessible and of high quality, compatible community where we could enjoy the other members and they enjoy us, Recreation was important. We found all three here. The hospital is only 3 miles away and is certified. There are 3 medical schools accessible in less than 2 hours. The sub specialties are all covered. This is my hometown, born and raised. I am happy to be back as I know a lot of people.