The Best Independent Living Communities in Collin County, TX

"My sister and I went to Sunrise of Plano. It was beautiful. It was very nice and very spacious. They have a lot of areas, like a hair salon and a place to watch movies, so it's very nice. The people were very nice, but not a lot of them speak Spanish. The common areas were very nice, spacious, and clean."

"We toured the independent living facility of Atria Canyon Creek in Plano, and it was very pretty. It has a ton of trees and greenery, it was very clean, and the staff was very helpful and friendly. I didn't see many of the residents there, but the person who gave the tour was very nice. She gave us all the information we wanted. When we asked about something else that she wasn't necessarily prepared for, like they didn't ask me over the phone, so I asked while I was there, she was just able to show me a different apartment that we liked, and she was able to do that seamlessly without it being a problem, so she was knowledgeable. She was super sweet, too. A resident asked her for help, and she went in and helped. They have a beauty salon, and they have some physical therapy. If you want to have it, they can come on-site, and they have a place for that. They also offer transportation within 10 miles."

"Apartments are very nice and safe. Residents are very friendly and look out for each other. All the staff are delightful to be around."

"I liked Parkview very much. There were people all over doing things. Their swimming pool was absolutely outstanding. They had a beauty salon and a lot of activities. Different people taught classes on odd things, which is terrific because that's interesting. They served all three meals but breakfast is always available, and then you choose either lunch or dinner. The place is lovely and I saw three different apartments, most of which had decks. The food was delicious."

"I've been here at The Wellington at Arapaho for two months now. I like everything. The people are so friendly, the food is good, entertainment is OK, and nobody bothers you. You got a stove, a refrigerator, and a toilet when you move in. You get three meals a day, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They have a pool table, they have choirs, bingo, poker a couple of days a week, entertainment on Fridays, and karaoke on Fridays. They have a library and a garden run by Maggie. The staff has been very helpful, very kind, and polite. The wait staff and the chef are good. The people that take care of the apartments are real nice. I haven't had bad food yet. They're constantly cleaning. We have two ministers here. I couldn't get this much out of living by myself in an apartment complex. I don't have to worry about cooking and cleaning. We have laundry rooms. You can do your own laundry or you can have one of the staff cleaners do your laundry for you. I'm kind of shy when I got here. I didn't know anybody and I don't make friends well, but in the two months I've been here I've made quite a few friends. They're very polite. I have no arguments yet but there are more women than there are men. You wear a wristband in case you need help. You push your button and they come to your aid. A lot of people have pets, and they walk them."

"I chose The El Dorado for myself because of the location. I liked how it's laid out. The atmosphere suits me quite well. The rooms are very nicely sized. The studios are big. I felt like I belonged there. The dining area is very much like an upscale restaurant."

"We really loved it but it was just a little bit more expensive and a little bit farther away from home. The people were amazing. Since there were no COVID restrictions, we were able to interact a little bit more. We got to go out into their garden area and see the raised beds that the residents were taking care of. We really, really liked that. The apartments had a living area that you furnish yourself. They were wired for cable and internet. Then you have a stove and a fridge in the kitchen. All the other stuff is there for you, and then there are spots where you could put a full washer and dryer. There are built-in seats in the showers, and they are very well setup. The lady that took us around was so fun and so sweet. She was one of the best tour guides I think I ever had anywhere. The facility was a little bit newer and nicer. It was built like a full circle. If residents would like to do indoor exercise, they can actually do that. Each lap is a quarter mile. They can do a couple of laps inside, where it is air conditioned. They are not outside in the elements with allergens. I thought that was pretty cool. I definitely love their courtyard as well."

"Pioneer Ridge Gracious Retirement Living is very nice looking and upscale. The staff is friendly and helpful. My main problem is trying to get out of bed on my own which they assist me with. The food I have had was good. They have a full slate of activities and twice a week they have shopping outings. They also have some exercise classes and some organized field trips."

"Atria Carrollton was just as nice as the other place, but the location was good because it's near to where I'm living now and it's convenient. The staff was friendly and detail-oriented. They offered food, but I didn't try it. This facility was probably the largest out of all the ones that we looked at."

"We loved Briarview and if we could afford it, that's where I would put my mother. It is private pay. It's an assisted living place where most of the clients will move over to the memory care facility afterward. It was very nice. We sat and chatted with Janice for over an hour and a half. I knew that if we had the money, I think my mother would love it. We saw the floor plans, but we didn't sit down and eat the food. We talked to a couple of people. They just loved it there. My mother would have to be in memory care. My very first impression of the staff was outstanding. It didn't smell like a place that was trying to hide anything. That would be where I would want to stay if it were me and that's where I would like for my mother to stay if we have the money. It would cost us anywhere from $5000 to $9000 a month to put her there and we don't have that money and they're only private pay. That's the downside. You first go in, they make you feel welcome. We talked to another gentleman whose parents had been there for a while. The staff seemed happy to see their clients. The memory care is on the opposite side of the grounds and it's a locked facility. I liked it. What I saw was great."

"I toured The Reserve at North Dallas. The apartments were very new, with huge closets and big rooms. The kitchen was very nice with some granite countertops. They had some good choices of food. And if you didn't like what they were serving, they had other food available for you that you could get, kind of what they always have. The outside was nice. The places, community rooms, and community spaces looked nice, along with all the activities they provided, and there were lots of choices. The staff who gave the tour was very nice, had lots of great information, was very friendly, and took the time. The residents were nice. Some of them were sharing their stories and what they liked about them. So, that was good too."

"We toured Emerson On Harvest Hill. It was very nice. The location was good. The staff was very friendly, and so were the people staying there. We did have lunch, and the lunch was pretty good. The facility seemed clean. I have no complaints about it. It was a very nice tour, and the person who gave the tour was very friendly, showed us everything that we were interested in, and answered all our questions to our satisfaction. The dining area was nicely set up. We sat down, and they brought the food to us. It was nicely laid out. The staff was very nice, and got the food on time."

"The bedrooms at Emerson at Rosemeade Park were just too small. The community was nice and clean and everybody working there was very engaging. The only problem we found was the bedrooms were too tiny for the furniture that my sibling needed to put into the apartment. Other than that, the place was beautiful. It was very well kept up. The dining area was very clean and it seemed that the people are very engaging."

"Lakeview at Josey Ranch was extremely comfortable. It was built there with the senior residents in mind. All the furniture in the foyer when you entered was comfortable. The staff was on duty 24-hours a day, which was wonderful. We had a large lake behind it. As far as the scenery and everything, it was wonderful. It was right close to a couple of pharmacies and the location was wonderful. It was a nice place. They had five elevators. It was a larger place. The staff is almost perfect. They had people answering the phone and some of them were more conscious than others. They would leave the phone sometimes, but overall it was excellent service. The manager was very nice and conscientious of the needs of the residents. The maintenance people were on top of it. The food was excellent. They had three different meals prepared for just that day. You had different things you could order from the left side or the right side of the menu. Every Sunday they had a buffet style. They had about 12 of the stainless steel covered items lined up for you to get things from the buffet. The food was always very delicious. They had people serving you like a restaurant. They had tablecloths on the tables. They had ice cream for dessert. The common areas were very comfortable. We could go and visit each other. The mailboxes were to the left of the dining hall. They have the little humps in the door that your scooter or your walker could have trouble getting over. The activities were not very often. Other than entertaining, you could go play games and things if you wanted to. I did exercise four times a week and did yoga four times a week, and I loved that. It's worth it, for the value, for the staff, the facility itself, and the comfort. When you walk in the building you get a comfortable feeling."