The Best Independent Living Communities in Durham County, NC

"The staff at Abbotswood at Stonehenge seemed like they care. The ones that I talked to seemed to have a passion for caring for their people. They had long-term employees and they recognized them with pictures on the walls and stuff. It was clean and it looked like they had some good activities."

"Capital Oaks was great. They even have a Koi pond inside. I really liked it. The apartments he showed me were really nice and big. Brett was very knowledgeable, explaining things very well. I liked him. I also met Rachel and Stephanie in the dining hall. Everybody just seemed nice and friendly. The food was great. They had pork potato soup and it was delicious. It was on top of my list."

"I am living in a new facility called Inspire Briar Chapel. It's beautiful inside. I saw the model room, and I immediately liked what I saw. My interaction with the staff is wonderful. They're very friendly, warm, and very informative. The residents that I've seen so far are very friendly, too. They have made me feel welcome. I'm in a one-bedroom apartment. It has a full kitchen. It's like 925 square feet. They also have different floor plans to offer, but I'm not sure if it's one- or two-bedrooms. There are all kinds of activities and amenities. There's a saltwater pool in the middle. The staff is excellent. They don't serve meals every day. Once in a while, we can have breakfast. Every so often, they'll have some food. Like this afternoon at 2:00, they'll have some kind of a spread. I've read through the schedule of activities, and it's a busy schedule. They're also reasonable compared to other places. This is a lot cheaper. It is a new facility, it's not an old one that has been revamped, so the value for money is excellent."

"Whispering Pines Gracious Retirement Living was nice. Everything is included in one price. The food's very nice. The staff was also very nice. They gave me a proper tour and I enjoyed it. They had one bedroom, two bedrooms, and studios. They had quite a number of activities and of course, they all had gyms. They take some trips if you want to go to close facilities like grocery stores."

"My parents have been living at IVR for almost two years! The apartment is huge! The building is bright and updated. I like the vintage feel it's also kept. The staff is helpful and kind, and they communicate well with the families. The PT/OT staff are great! The aide service Colin’s team provides is amazing and Colin and Mag’s are great at communicating with the family. Food could be better, less salt and fried foods. Buts the location is fantastic! Its about the kindness and communication that's so important when choosing a home for a love one."

"We toured the Reserve at Mills Farm. The person who showed us around was very charming and knowledgeable. We told her what we were looking for, and then she gave us a tour of the facility. She sent us home with some paperwork, information, and maybe floor plans. She did take us to a unit. The ceilings were tall. It was lovely. All their units have a patio, which we'd be very interested in for a little outdoor space. The patio is small. It's just enough for two chairs, but enough to sit there and have coffee in the morning. She showed us all around, like a game room, dining rooms, outdoor spaces, and common areas."

"I visited StoneRidge Gracious Retirement Living, and I liked it very much. One of the big pluses is that the managers live there. I met the manager and his wife, and both were very nice and very helpful. They explained a lot to me. They are in the process of renovating a lot of things, and that is a minus for me, right now, because I am not sure what the place is going to look like. The cleanliness was pretty good, though. The only objection I had was that they are redoing things. Some of the carpeting was not that good, but they are going to replace it eventually. The other thing is that the rooms I saw did not have a balcony. They have a 1-bedroom apartment that is slightly bigger than the others. I saw a studio apartment there, too. It was okay, but I'd rather have the 1-bedroom one. Their prices were about the same as the other facility I visited."

"We chose Woodland Terrace for ourselves. It is away from the very busy streets, so it's very quiet. It's just 2 blocks from Trader Joe's and all those places where I buy fruits. To me, the location was great. We only have 180 residents. We have a pond with a walking trail and ducks on it. The people here are extremely friendly. I just came back from a friendship committee where I am a volunteer. There are a few things that I would personally want different. But to me, the things that were of high concern were the heated pool, the walking space, the fact that it's not too big, and the freedom we have in this community. We have breakfast. You just get bacon and eggs and other choices. By 11:30, we have lunch. If you want dinner, you pay an additional $200. We cannot eat two of these meals. It's impossible. We eat fruit in the evenings and that's good. They offer the activities that I need and they have good facilities here."

"I visited Brookdale North Raleigh. I tasted their food, and it was a 5. Everything was a five. The staff was excellent. The front desk was excellent. They have a very nice structure and a very nice outside area. We spoke to several residents, and they were very happy. They were one of the best ones."

"I will be moving into Atria Oakridge. It's friendly and clean. They provide meals and they clean your apartment. The bedrooms are a little small, but they have a den, and the apartment I was looking at had a screened-in porch you could go out on and sit and enjoy the fresh air. I liked that about it. They have activities. They have video bowling, poker night, and other social events. All the staff I have met are very friendly and I met some of the residents and developed a friendship with one person. He's friendly and we talked a lot. They're the best place I looked at and I looked at several places."

"Cambridge Village of Apex was very clean, very modern, and very helpful. All our questions were answered. They were very transparent. The residents were very, very happy. Their rooms were gorgeous. The grounds were gorgeous, too. Everything about it was very nice and very new. We didn't interact with a lot of the general staff, but the young lady who took us around, the front desk, and then a couple of the folks there were very nice and very helpful."

"I've been here 4 months, made good friends and love the active activities. Everyone is friendly and helpful. I am really enjoying my time here. I'm close to two of my sons and see them often."

"All of the physical features are great...so are the meals. However, many of the Independent Living options that my wife and I visited shared these attributes. We have lived here 13 months now. What I now realize is that what I like best is the sense of community. It is something you can not directly see as you tour various options. I think here at Atria Cary, the sense of community is nurtured by all of the engage life activities and the open seating for meals. It feels like everyone is a friend. We exchange stories and many laughs at meals. We share and develop new interest at so many activities. Another "not-directly-observable" attribute is the management team effort to listen to feedback and suggestions from residents. They schedule regular feedback meetings for each of the directors to listen to comments and report back results of earlier suggestions. So, Atria Cary is an evolving community meeting ever-changing resident needs."

"I toured the independent living community of Jordan Oaks in Cary. So far, I liked it better than anywhere else. The people and staff seemed very nice. I met the manager there, and he was very good and very helpful in making me understand what was included and not included in the price. The location is very close to a lot of my doctors, so that is a very big plus. It was very close to town, toward Cary, and it was very easy to get from there to Fuquay-Varina. Everything seems to be quite clean. The place was very well-kept and neat. The structure was very nice. I also like that they have a library. It was small, but they had it. They have an exercise room, too. The apartments were just kind of what I was looking for. I'm looking for a 1-bedroom, and I thought the bathroom and closet spaces were very good. They had some amenities that were included in the price, which I like. Overall, I liked it very much."