ANDERSON — When it came time for Ken and Noma McClure to downsize, they found their ideal place in Scatterfield Village, a nook of recently built homes just east of Columbus Avenue and 42nd Street.
"We lived in a big four-bedroom house," Noma said as she and Ken joined with neighbors at the Forest Terrace home of Judy and Jerry Alexander. Noma said their old house required a lot of upkeep that included mowing a big yard.
"My husband is legally blind and he did a corduroy yard," Noma quipped to the laughs of her neighbors.
"That's how I got out of mowing," Ken deadpanned to more laughter.
Mowing and other general nuisances of home ownership are not a concern for residents on Forest Terrace, Lawrence Way, Burton Place Court and Hamilton Place Court. Those streets make up the tidy planned-unit development of single-story contemporary brick homes that were built in the 1990s.
The maintenance-free lifestyle was an easy sell for Sallye Highsmith.
"I am a widow," she said. "I feel very safe here. The neighborhood watches out for each other."
Jerry Alexander said the neighborhood is similar to a condominium development, except residents own the land and their home. There are bylaws and covenants that regulate what an owner may do with their property, and an association takes care of the lawns, streets and major home maintenance.
But the rules aren't terribly stringent, he said. Otherwise, the Alexanders' fire hydrant painted like a Dalmatian could be an issue.
"We inherited that," Judy Alexander said. "I like it."
Her husband Jerry said that one of the assets of the neighborhood is that it's close to so much — "shopping, gambling, and a road to leave town."
Though the homes in Scatterfield Village are similar, Judy Alexander said the community is diverse, divided about half and half between single people and couples.
"It's a very pleasant place to live," said June Allen. "Everybody seems to get along 99 percent of the time."
That 1 percent of the time might have to do with people who cut through lawns at the end of Burton Place Court and Hamilton Place Court to gain entry to Pulaski Park, which lies just north of Scatterfield Village.
The neighbors said they plan to post signs in an effort to discourage people from using the private property as a footpath.
http://www.theheraldbulletin.com/local/local_story_186203045.html
They make it sound nice but Anderson or Indiana don't seem like any place to retire any more.
They make it sound nice but Anderson or Indiana don't seem like any place to retire any more.
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Why?
That would have been my question. It's not that different from most cities in the US. We just know more about it, because we live here.
I guess it all depends on your perspective. My son hates it here, says the weather is terrible, nothing to do, etc. As far as retirement goes, it seems to me there is a lot to keep you busy if you want to be busy. There are golf courses and if you don't like the ones in Anderson there are some very nice ones in Indy, Mainstage Theatre, the Paramount, movie theatres, lots of opportunities to volunteer, places to eat, and even more opportunities for entertainment if you are willing to drive to Indy. There are lots of doctors, two pretty good hospitals, and a level one trauma center in Indy. The one big gripe I have is there is very little retail here except for the big discount stores, you have to drive to Indy or Muncie to buy decent maerial or any kind of different clothing.