The Best Independent Living Communities in Chatham County, NC

"I went to the Reserve at Mills Farm yesterday. It's a very nice, clean facility, the staff is warm and friendly. The workout center is well equipped and the surroundings are very nice looking, there are trees and so forth. It's nice because it's an age in place type facility, independent living, assisted living, and then the memory care facility. I discovered that they have activity coordinators at all three sections, so it's not one activities coordinator, which I think is good because they can kind of specialize in their own area. Those three different categories have three different needs. The dining facility looked very nice. I think there are at least two public dining facilities and at least one private dining facility so that if you had a family get-together, you could utilize the private dining space. I cannot comment on the costs, that was one of the factors that were not immediately available yesterday, and I cannot comment on the rooms themselves or what's available there. I think there are about 75 to 80 percent filled right now, which means there's still about a 20 percent open capacity. As I mentioned, it's a relatively new facility, so they're still accepting residents. I think the town itself, Apex, is a nice town within North Carolina."

"I was living in Brier Pointe Retirement Community. It's very comparable to the one I'm currently in. They're very, very good. I liked everything. The staff was great, but the food, not so much. The accommodations were super good. The people were great. The residents were great. It was a good place to live. They had washer and dryer and a microwave. There weren't quite as many outdoor spaces, but they had a table and chairs and an umbrella to keep the sun off of you."

"I like Jordan Oaks because I know this part of town. It's close to the VA hospital. The staff was very nice. We ate with them at a lunch meal. It was nice, it was fine. From walking through one time, it's just not the place that I wanted to be. "

"My parents are on a waiting list for Woodland Terrace. It's very nice, 20 years old, friendly, and not too big, which my mother liked. The setting was very nice in a neighborhood with mature landscaping, and the apartments were bigger than some of the newer places we have seen. The staff was very nice. They had a pool, gym, and physical therapy office on site. The pool was especially nice and covered in a glass enclosure, so it seemed like you’re outside, and yet it was heated and air-conditioned which was important to my dad."

"Twin Rivers Independent Senior Community was very nicely set up. There was an elevator in the building, so my sister wouldn't have to worry about walking upstairs. The place was excellent. In fact, I would live there myself. The lady who assisted us was very nice and explained things and how we would go about getting my sister in. The food smelled good, and the dining area was nice and clean. "

"The lady at Village Lake Inn was very informative and nice. The only thing was you could only use a walker and not a wheelchair because they said a wheelchair would occupy a big space in their hallway. They had the list of activities weekly, and they could choose which activities to participate in. The dining area was nice, and they had a variety of food choices every day. They had a salon inside, and there's a hairdresser that comes in during certain times. "

"Galloway Ridge is a continuing care retirement community located in rural Pittsboro, NC, about 20 miles from Raleigh. The Assisted Living accommodations are kept in excellent condition both materially as cleanliness. The facility is about 10 years old and it has become a showplace for other facilities to emulate. Dining is done "in-house" and is excellent. Staff and residents work and live together as a family. Galloway Ridge's Assisted Living is highly recommended for seniors. "

"My friend is in Carolina Spring Senior Apartments. They have income-based apartments. They are very responsive and very caring people. The apartment is very nice and very well maintained. They have activities. They have an exercise room, a large screen TV room, and a gathering room. They have bingo nights. Every single resident there that we talked to was very friendly and happy with the place, which was a very good sign. They also have a vehicle or a bus that will take you to the grocery store. There is free transportation from Chapel Hill to there. In other words, there's some kind of a free bus line, and they have free transportation, which is very nice. They have community people that come in and bring a whole bunch of food; it is some kind of a food drive. They don't have meals prepared there. It is a nice low-income housing place, and water is included. Every floor has a laundry room, which is coin operated."

"My parents lived at Carolina Meadows for many years. It was the best retirement decision that they could have made. They lived in a large Villa for years, and then transitioned to the Fairways and finally, to the Pines. The environment was perfect for them. The other residents were similar to my parents: successful in business, worldly and very social. The atmosphere was very friendly; not stuffy at all. The food was outstanding. For years, I would meet my parents every Thursday there for lunch, and it was a real treat. The food was that good. Many family holiday meals were enjoyed at the dining room. Their Villa was perfect for them. Spacious, it was a high-quality build, and maintenance was always friendly and very responsive whenever something needed attention or fixing. I think that the best and most impressive part of Carolina Meadows is the staff. As they aged and depended on the staff more at each transition, my parents received amazing care. My sister and I became more involved as time went by. We made many unannounced visits, and at no time did we ever observe anything but excellent care for Mom and Dad. If you are on the fence about committing to this place, just do it! Like my parents, I think that you will discover that it will be the best retirement decision that you can make. "

"Parkview Retirement Village is very clean, it smells very good, and the people working there are friendly. I got to meet the owner, and she was extremely nice and helpful. My aunt has a very nice, clean room. She was always clean herself. The meals were delicious, and I couldn't find any fault with it. "

"My mother-in-law is in The Cedars. The real positive thing about it is that the people who purchase the apartments own them. Overall, upfront that's a big investment. There is a monthly fee, and it is fairly high. I forget the exact amount, but it's between $1,000 and $2,000 a month. In fact, it may be higher than that because it includes the meals. They have buses and so forth to take them. They have all sorts of activities. They have a very nice pool and a gym. There are multiple buildings, and it is a really nice place. The food is excellent, and it is kind of like a restaurant. There are social activities if somebody wants to. They have all kinds of events for the people to be involved in. "

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"Azalea Estates Gracious Retirement Living is a beautiful, new, and very appealing facility with interesting floor plans and appealing amenities. They do a three-meal-per-day, table-service meal provision, and they have an absolutely beautiful library. This is located in a university community, and many of the residents there are former professors or come from an academic or learning profession, so the library is particularly nice. They have a movie theater with real movie seats, which is kind of cool. Almost all of the living units have access to a private outdoor space, like a balcony or a walk-out patio. In some cases, the larger units have extremely large patios or balconies. I came without an appointment, and they accommodated me because I was on a short schedule. The staff couldn't have been nicer. She was very personable, very patient, and very enthusiastic about the facility. We did a meet and greet with a few of the other staff members who were out in the corridors doing their jobs, and they seemed pleasant. The facility is beautiful. It's brand new, so there's no wear and tear, and there's no smell issues or anything of that nature. It's a smoke-free facility, so that's a big plus."

"My lease just expired at Overture Chapel Hill. I've been there about 11 months. I love the location of it. I love the facility, the layout of the facility, and the way the apartments are designed. It was a nice place to live. It was a good-sized apartment and it had one and a half baths. It was brand new with hardwood floors. It was very nice. The staff was very friendly, and they got along well with all the residents. They have a fitness center, game areas, and a movie theater. They have an exercise room where you could go for classes like Taichi and other types of classes. They didn't serve full meals and only had continental breakfast morning. The food was great. The dining area was kept very clean. It was very nice and large with lots of windows and lots of light coming in."