My parents are moving to a retirement community of sorts north of Orlando. It's unexpected because my mom has always seemed irrationally attached to Northeast Ohio (I wasn't much better at one time), but it makes perfect sense.
First my aunt and uncle decided to go down there, in part because of a mid-life system shock in the form of prostate cancer, and partly because they love Florida and it makes sense. After my mom and step-dad went down for a bit, they too felt at ease, and that it was an obvious way to go. They've got enough equity in their house to nearly eliminate long-term debt entirely, and as a nurse, there's plenty of work for my mom.
It sounds pretty fabulous. It's essentially a town made for people winding down. It has everything you need, and you can get around in a golf cart. They have restaurants, clubs, stores, their own hospital, etc. It's like a town for the 55+ crowd. Each household pays a fee of like $110 a month that goes toward all of the various amenities and entertainment offered. The houses are fairly inexpensive too.
I'm happy they're doing it. Makes a load of sense to me.