About Hoschton's Village At Deaton Creek

Gwinnett Daily Post wrote a small article today about the Squillance family and how more and more people are deciding to make the move to a "active" adult community. While these are popular in Florida there are very few communities like this in the Metro Atlanta area. The most popular community, Village At Deaton Creek, is not only the most popular Active Adult Community, but it's the most popular, best selling community in Georgia, period.

"It was very, very easy for me (to leave)," Squillace said. "It was more difficult for my wife."

So he and his wife Elayne sold their home in the Connemara subdivision in Snellville and moved to Hoschton. There, they settled in The Village At Deaton Creek, a subdivision for senior lifestyles, leaving behind the home in which they resided for more than 20 years and put three kids through Brookwood High School.

Their friends at Connemara threw them a going away party and joked about how far away they were moving. But it's a trek more and more people their age are making. As the population ages - the Atlanta Regional Commission's Lifelong Communities Study says that by 2030, 20 to 23 percent of the metro area's population will be over age 60 - those people are also becoming more active. And moving to places where others are active as well.

Squillace is 66 and says, "I've never been as busy as I am since I retired. It's actually not a joke. People have asked me to do things and I haven't had time."

This is not your father's retirement. Squillace stays busy with projects, trips, children and grandchildren. But he also stays active with bocce, senior tennis, bowling and trivia. Then there's softball. A self-professed softball fanatic, Squillace is not just a player in his league (a pitcher, of course) - he's the commissioner. And the league isn't just some pick-up deal. The teams are sponsored - just like you'd see in little league. "It's great," Squillace said of the softball. "It's people the same age getting out and still having fun. It's done socially as much as competitively. But it is competitive."

I grabbed this off a press release but it's true. If you've ever been to the Village at Deaton Creek in Hoschton, GA, you'll know why people are flocking there.

Pulte Homes (NYSE: PHM) is pleased to announce that Metrostudy has named the Village at Deaton Creek by Del Webb Metro Atlanta's top selling community for 2007 in its fourth quarter report for 2007. Metrostudy is a housing market research firm that is the leading provider of real estate and related market information in the country. Metrostudy provides primary and secondary market information to the housing and related industries nationwide.

Del Webb attributes its successful year to three key factors - the reputation as the nation's leader in active adult lifestyle communities for more than 47 years, the large base of baby boomer households in Atlanta, and the community's entire $10 million amenity package being fully functional.

Atlanta is in line with national trends that point to baby boomers as the fastest growing population and household segments. According to the US Census Bureau, there are over 530,000 households in the Atlanta market that are 55 and over. That is nearly 30% of all households in the Atlanta area. "We see a majority of our customers coming from the Atlanta area. Baby Boomers are one of the largest groups in the market, and they have significant buying power," says Cooper. This group also represents the largest growing segment in the market - by 2011, it will account for nearly 700,000 households. In fact, one in five metro Atlanta residents will be 60 or older by 2030.

The 35,000 square foot Club at Deaton Creek amenity center opened its doors in the summer of 2007, and the final phase of Village at Deaton Creek's amenities opened on schedule in December, just a year from the first homeowners moving in. Cooper notes, "The lifestyle is in full swing, so customers can envision themselves living in the community." Situated in Hoschton, near Chateau Élan, Village at Deaton Creek offers a full-time lifestyle director, 35,000 square foot clubhouse, miles of walking trails, a tennis complex, bocce ball courts, a dog park, and softball.

Cooper adds, "Being only 40 miles north of Atlanta, we offer our customers the opportunity to downsize and stay close to their family and friends, plus immediate access to a highly social and highly amenitized lifestyle."