The Best Communities in Washington County, MN

Located in Lake Elmo, Minnesota, The Villas at StoryPoint Lake Elmo is a 55+ Independent Living community offering maintenance-free apartment homes and single-level patio homes. The community consists of 60 residences, including a 42-unit apartment building and 18 patio townhomes. Apartment options include one-bedroom, one-bedroom with den, two-bedroom, and two-bedroom with den layouts, while patio homes offer two- and three-bedroom options. Residents enjoy chef-prepared dining, fitness opportunities, housekeeping, maintenance-free living, social activities, and outdoor recreation. Community amenities include walking paths, gardens, a fitness center, game courts for pickleball, horseshoes and bocce ball, outdoor grills, a fire pit, gathering areas, and access to shared amenities at the nearby Arbor Glen community. A special feature is the choice between modern apartments and private, single-level patio homes, some with private entrances and attached garages. The community is designed for adults 55 and older who want to enjoy an active lifestyle without the responsibilities of lawn care, snow removal, and home maintenance. Nearby attractions include Lake Elmo's parks and trails, local shopping and dining, the Lake Elmo Public Library, and nearby Stillwater. The community is also conveniently located near outdoor recreation and the broader Twin Cities area.

"I chose Abiitan Mill City because of the neighborhood. My very first apartment in Minneapolis was right there. I raised my daughter there. Our favorite restaurant for our family is there. We have many friends there. They're welcoming to cats. There's a whole floor where a kitty can play and be on leash with others. It's easy for my friends to get to. It is not spacious. These apartments are dinky. The staff was very welcoming. They showed the library, the gym, the auditorium, the restaurants, several versions of the apartments, the open floors, the garden floors, and the patios. I like the design, too. It's very modern, not suburban, but the parking is so expensive, and I might have to give up my car. It's sparkling clean. My friends did have dinner there and they said it was very good."

"Keystone Place at LaValle Fields was really nice and clean. The people were friendly and seemed like they really cared about the folks who lived there. "

"My mother lived at Oakridge Place. The price was good. You have a choice of doing a full meal plan, one meal a day, or two meals a day. They had wonderful staff there. We visited there. I thought that I was going to be able to have a meal there, but I didn't get to. I was a little late, and they were in the middle of their lunch. If you don't like what's on their menu for the day, you can do an ala carte menu. They could have said, 'Well, we can get you a sandwich quick' since people were still eating in the dining room. They could have done that. I think the staff either forgot or had to continue with the tour because I was late, and she had other things going on. The staff was wonderful. I visited this place two weeks ago, and the person who did the tour was Heather. She is new to that place, but she's very good and helpful. They had a couple of apartments that they were fixing up. After someone leaves a place like that, they thoroughly have to go through it and clean it. Heather did a great job. I was pleased with it. It didn't make a difference that I didn't get a lunch, but I think if they tell you you're going to get lunch, you should get a sandwich or something. They have a lot of activities for the residents. They had a lot of people coming in to sing. Sometimes, during the meal, they had light piano music going on and a lady was playing. It's not a place that I wanted, but it would be a great place for the right person. They were very efficient with everything. The dining room was very clean. The hallways were very clean and kept up well. They had a lot of activities. From experience with my mom being there, they have activities that are geared towards older people like bingo, putting puzzles together, and music. They have a van where they'll take you to the bank or they'll take you where you need to go. My mom was there during COVID the whole time and it doesn't bother her too much because she wasn't used to going out much anyway because she's blind and couldn't see. She had those books where they listened to the books. Those are provided by the Foundation for the Blind and that was her enjoyment for activity. There are good things for the people to do there. Overall (and I based it on what my mother was able to do), they were very efficient with that. They had therapies that would come in if your doctor agreed that you needed that. They had bingo, music, therapy, exercise, and some other types of games."

"Copperfield Hill was very friendly and clean, and everything was really nice and good. The only thing that bothers me was when we were eating, I don’t know if something was wrong with the pans from the fryers as it smelled like they needed to have their fryers cleaned. Otherwise, it was fine. They had things go on for them all the time, and they would take them to different places. There was a room that was like open in the afternoon; it looked like a little bar, and you could bring in a beer. They could play cards in the afternoon, bring bands in, and a whole calendar of different things. If you are a Veteran, they would pay for the move and pick you up; I thought that was very nice. "

"I liked Havenwood of Richfield really well. I just didn't like it being on the other side of the river from me. The rooms were quite spacious, but the kitchens were probably a third of what the apartment was. For a one-bedroom apartment, it is kind of ridiculous to have the kitchen be so huge when they're providing two meals a day. I just felt that they could have had more living space. The living room/dining area was tiny. There was no living space. It's all kitchen. Everything was clean, neat, and well-organized. The staff was very friendly. Their social activities director's dad lived there. I think that's a pretty awesome statement that the staff would want or have their family members living there."

"I visited. We had a good tour, and it was very nice. I liked the layout, the common areas for the people, and the apartments. They had a washer and dryer in a small area right off the kitchen, and the 2-bedroom had decent sized bedrooms. The staff was very good, very nice, and very informative. The dining area was very nice and very open."

"We chose Covenant Living of Golden Valley. We liked how happy everyone was, the involvement of people in the community, and the interactions that people had with each other. The residents were just interactive, happy, and welcoming. It just depends which room you get. Some have laundry, some don't, and it depends on the size of the room. But one thing about them, there's a buy-in option, but you can redecorate your room how you want it before you move in."

"It is good. The staff is cordial, helpful, friendly, and accommodating. My mother has a very nice corner room and it has a lot of windows, so it seems bigger. She likes it. The food is good and the dining area is like a restaurant. They have happy hour, card nights, exercises, and trips. It's a very nice facility. They have a bus that takes a loop around the Edina area and connects them free of charge to doctors, dentists, Target, shopping, and a movie theater. It runs daily."

"The rooms are older and small. The care is moderately good. The biggest complaint is that we purchased new comfortable clothing for him and within a week all but one item we purchased “disappeared” never to be seen again. They also “lost” a sweatshirt that was very dear to him. It is obvious that they randomly distribute clothing to other patients as we often arrived and he was wearing items that were not his own. I would be very wary of this place."

"My mother is in Ecumen Seasons, and the staff there seems to be cooperative. The rooms seem to be fine. The only thing I want them to have is a microwave oven. They have activities, like baking parties. They have a rec room where she can play cards with her friends and make new friends. They have a dining room also. "

"I toured. It was new and updated, and it was very nice. We saw the studio room and it was nice and updated, but it was a little bit small. The dining area was nice, spacious, new, and updated. It was more like a restaurant. It had a bar area, and they do happy hours there, and then it had a seating area. We saw bingo going on and some residents were meeting in the lobby with their loved ones. The staff was very friendly. It didn't have as much outdoor space as I would have hoped, but they had it beautifully maintained. It was definitely in a more industrial area."

"We visited Havenwood of Burnsville and looked at their independent living. I loved the floor plan that they showed me. Their dining area looked really nice. I have arthritis, so it's hard for me to get into a tub to take a shower, so I really liked the walk-in shower that they have. They had a lot of activities there, too. I need a lot of those because that helps pass the time. If you move in as an independent living resident and then need assisted living, they have this plan where you don't have to move. Even if you need assisted living, you can still stay in your independent living apartment, and I like that. The facility is very clean and nice. They also provide meals for their residents."

"I liked it very much; it was very nice. I felt good about the place, but it didn’t appeal for my needs. The staff that accommodated me was really wonderful. The dining area was nice, and I liked it. The room that I saw was nice and clean, but small."