The Best Independent Living Communities in York County, SC

"My sister-in-law will move into Park Pointe Village. I liked the dining there, the saltwater pool, and all their activities. We have a small studio, and we're waiting for a larger room to open up. The staff was down to earth, very pleasant, and had a great sense of humor. The food was excellent, and there were lots of choices, and all the people were very friendly."

"I chose to live at Highland Park Mill Senior Center because it was close to the doctor's offices and to everything else since it was in town. The facility is a good size and the rooms were decent in size as well. They got different activities like bingo on Thursday nights. There was no dining area since it was an independent living facility. The staff were very helpful and nice to us. It would be better if they lowered the rent. But I would still recommend others to stay here. "

"We've chosen Traditions at Fort Mill. I liked their location and the size of their apartments. The staff was very professional, very helpful, and very polite. We're going into a two-bedroom apartment that's 1,400 square feet. They don't serve meals. They don't have a dining area. It's just a regular apartment for seniors over 55. It's for active people. They have a swimming pool and a bocce ball court."

"We visited Highpoint at Fort Mill. It was an open house so they had lots of food, which was good. It's a beautiful facility, very pretty. The apartments are very nice, but there's no outdoor space. We asked about walking on trails, and they said there's only a walking club and they walk on the sidewalks around the place. To be fair, it's only a year old. They're building across the street, probably stores and stuff like that, so the people who live there will be able to get out and shop on foot, and maybe they will have some outdoor spaces in the future. There was a tiny little two-chair thing out the front but it overlooks the parking lot. It just wasn't anything you wanted to do. I wouldn't be adverse to going back there and seeing it again, because the facilities and the apartments have this open feeling. The apartments were beautiful, very light and bright and I liked that. We saw independent living but they have graduated care if you need it. If you don't, you can spend the rest of your days in independent living. They also have cottages there which I think are not as pretty as the apartments, but I think there's hope for that in the future. I wouldn't go there now, but I would go back because it was pretty and bright. There was an outdoor patio where they had happy hours every night. They did not have a lot of activities yet. They have two movies a day, and the movie theater is beautiful. They had some exercise classes every morning, but I was looking for craft groups, book clubs, and discussion groups. I was looking for a community. That's very important as you get older. They had so much food. We only tasted a little bit but whatever we had was delicious. It looked wonderful and the people there looked happy. You pay one month's rent which is very reasonable. It's like an apartment that you pay month to month, which means if they don't fulfill their end of the bargain, you can just leave."

"There was nothing I didn't like about Ambriant at Avondale. Everything was great. It had a very nice movie theater, and the facility was just recently built. The staff who assisted me with the tour was very informative, very helpful, and accommodating."

"We were more interested in Sun City; they had just about everything. They have a golf course, indoor tennis, a big indoor gym, a big indoor swimming pool, and an outside pool as well. They have lakes where you can canoe or kayak, and they have bowling on the green. It was only 10 minutes from my daughter’s house. "

"At Balmore at Ballantyne, you pay for your own electricity, but the water and trash are included with your rent. They have amenities like a community room and they have a fitness area. Other than that, you're pretty much on your own and in your apartment. I like that it's in my price range. The building is secure. I will get a card or something to scan. They have laundry facilities in the building. It's also close to a grocery store. So, I look forward to living there. The conversation I had with the staff was great. They sent me the application online. We filled it out that night and went the next day. I took that, plus everything else that I needed with me. I got on the list and once I'm approved, I got a unit. The unit I am getting is nice. It's not huge, but it's big enough for one person. It's brand new."

"Chambers Point at Ayrsley is a very friendly community and they have a very nice property manager. The process of moving my mom in was easy and it's very affordable. Their staff is wonderful. It is also very clean. The upkeep is wonderful and the grounds are beautiful. They have activities for the seniors, and they vary every week or every two weeks. They had a bingo night and painting. So, they are a really good community."

"I had a nice visit at Brightmore. It was a very nice, smaller place. I thought seriously about it, but then I opted for another place. The staff was very pleasant. I saw a couple of the apartments that were almost what I wanted. They had one opening up in a month, but it was too fast for me because I have a home to sell. They had a pool, a gym, and trips that they take all of the time. It’s very much like the other places I've seen. They have a number of good facilities and activities, and it’s very new, so it’s just like moving into a new building. "

"The Bungalows at Indian Land was not in a high rise. It's one floor and it has a garage. It's a rental and not a buy in. So, it's just what we would need. The apartments were very nice. It's two bedrooms and two baths. They're large and they have plantation shutters. They have a restaurant that you can go to if you want, but you have to pay for that. The place was very clean. I liked it a lot. It's neat, tidy, and we could take our dogs."

"I liked The Cypress of Charlotte. It was a little more modern and the lady kind of explained all the activities better. They had an indoor pool. She also explained the meal plan and how that works and we liked the fact that it was a place that you purchased versus a rental. The facility was great. The unit that we saw was small, but they had some larger places (once they became available) that we thought would be good. Everything looked nice. It was a little newer. The lady was very friendly and seemed knowledgeable about the properties. She'd been there for several years. The other staff that we interacted with as we were doing the tour were nice."

"We went to Waltonwood Providence. It is about 3-year-old new. Everything is really nice, new, clean, and pretty. It is impressionable. The rooms are very nice and are basically about the same size. They also offer lots of activities for the residents. They have beauty parlor, painting, art classes, and wine tasting. They have a place to go if you want to attend a church activity on Sundays and they also have a library."

"After one year of visiting senior living facilities in the Charlotte area, I chose The Barclay at SouthPark. Why? *It is fresh, modern, and welcoming. *Everything, such as dining, exercise, swimming, spa, creative rooms, and parking is all under one roof which is so convenient especially during bad weather. *The staff is extremely friendly and helpful. My move to The Barclay was seamless. *There is valet service, 24/7 concierge and security service. I feel so safe! *Food service for lunch and dinner is exceptional and wait staff are well trained. *Above all, is the sense of community you have among the residents. For me, that was just what I needed since becoming a widow...to feel a sense of belonging, to wake up each morning and exit your apartment greeting one another, dining with each other during mealtime, having a glass of wine in the evening with one another, enjoying activities like karaoke, dancing at a party to a DJ, donating to a special fund raiser for the employees and cheering them as they receive their gifts, wrapping gifts for charitable organizations, and so on. In other words, it is like FAMILY. You choose to participate in areas that interest you. *It is independent, senior living here at The Barclay, but I call it FREEDOM LIVING. You are free from ownership, from stuff, from maintenance, cooking, cleaning, and planning. It is all done for you! There used to be a stigma on senior living; "that you go there to die." But no, here at The Barclay, you come here to live!!! Live with joy surrounded by like-minded, age adjacent, friendly individuals who support one another with love, prayers and open arms."

"We found Carmel Hills for Mom. It has been a very good experience, primarily because I am now close enough to visit her every day. They are able, with the hoyer lift, to get her out of bed and into a geri chair, so she isn't just lying around the bed all day. They have worked with us to try to figure out what is best suited for her in this setting and this situation. We've needed to puree her food, and they're willing to work with us. I've been very pleased. She seems to be settling in and the staff has worked hard to try to learn how to pronounce her name, so she can respond to the correct pronunciation, and I appreciate that. Carmel Hills is an older facility, and the part of the facility that she's currently in is more of the hospital style facility with a nurse's desk. There are three halls that are pretty short, and they don't have a lot of people there. She has a roommate, and her room looks somewhat like a hospital room, but they have a bathroom to themselves. You can decorate it, and I've been really impressed with how some people have decorated theirs. She moved from memory care to this facility, which is not all memory care, but it is for people who need 24/7 care, so it's still a locked facility. She has to have assistance with everything. There's a number of people in the facility who are still ambulatory and active, and so I will see them in the gathering room, and they're doing some activities. The activity person actually goes into Mom's room and sets aside time to try to engage her to do some hand exercises. Mom is in the end stages of Alzheimer's, and sometimes she is nonresponsive at all, and that person always plays music to Mom. They work so hard to try to figure out what will work for her. I've fed her a number of times myself and the food looked pretty good to me. They're in the process of renovating right now. I have seen her engage with the rest of the community. The pricing compared to others is very good. We could not have put her in the place if they did not have the current price that they have. Compared to everybody else in the community, they're at least $3,000 cheaper."