Leisure World, Seal Beach, California
Encyclopedia
Leisure World is a gated
retirement community
located in Seal Beach
, Orange County, California
.
Construction on the approximately one square mile (2.5 km²) community was begun in 1960 with the first residents moving in on June 6, 1962. This was the first major planned retirement community of its type in the U.S. Today, Leisure World has 9,000 mostly older, retired residents.
The Leisure World in Seal Beach was developed by Ross W. Cortese's development company, the Rossmoor Corporation, which also developed the nearby community of Rossmoor
. The same company developed several other Leisure World
s around the United States, and started, but did not complete the Rossmoor
gated retirement community in Walnut Creek, California
.
The community has three guarded gates with a private security department that provides traffic enforcement, patrol service and gate control 24 hours a day. Housing consists of one and two bedroom apartments as well as condominium
s. Recreation opportunities include a swimming pool and heated pool, a 9-hole 3-par golf course, a well-equipped weight room, 6 clubhouses, woodworking and art studios, a sewing room, lawn bowling courts, horseshoe pits, shuffleboard courts, ping-pong tables, pool tables and other amenities. There are also numerous planned activities for the residents, including regular dances with lessons. There is a very large number of clubs and organizations as well as religious groups that meet in Leisure World.
The main entrance gate at Golden Rain is for invited visitors without passes. The other entrance gates are only for residents with windshield decals or having resident identification and for visitors with passes.
The community is divided into areas called Mutuals. Each Mutual has an elected board of directors. Each Mutual can have their own rules, regulations and policies of occupancy.
In general, the Mutuals adopt similar rules and regulations. There are a few exceptions, with each Mutual. Mutual 17 has 3 story buildings operating as condominiums. Mutual 15 has mostly two story buildings with two bedroom units. Mutuals 1 through 16 are one story buildings. Mutuals 1 through 16 operate as individual General Law Corporations. Ownership of the units are in Shares in the Corporation.
Mutuals maintain the original exterior of the buildings and original appliances and plumbing. Changes and or alterations to the apartment are maintained by the resident.
The exterior landscaping are maintained by the Mutuals, although the resident has the option of maintaining their own landscaping.
Residents also have access to medical doctors at an on-site outpatient health center with a pharmacy, round-the-clock nurses and other services. However, residents who do not voluntarily participate with the clinic or social services are not subject to welfare checks or other supervision and medical intervention by Leisure World.
Gated community
In its modern form, a gated community is a form of residential community or housing estate containing strictly-controlled entrances for pedestrians, bicycles, and automobiles, and often characterized by a closed perimeter of walls and fences. Gated communities usually consist of small residential...
retirement community
Retirement community
A retirement community, or active adult community, is a very broad, generic term that covers many varieties of housing for retirees and seniors - especially designed or geared for people who no longer work, or restricted to those over a certain age . It differs from a retirement home which is a...
located in Seal Beach
Seal Beach, California
-Neighborhoods:Seal Beach encompasses the Leisure World retirement gated community with roughly 9,000 residents. This was the first major planned retirement community of its type in the U.S...
, Orange County, California
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...
.
Construction on the approximately one square mile (2.5 km²) community was begun in 1960 with the first residents moving in on June 6, 1962. This was the first major planned retirement community of its type in the U.S. Today, Leisure World has 9,000 mostly older, retired residents.
The Leisure World in Seal Beach was developed by Ross W. Cortese's development company, the Rossmoor Corporation, which also developed the nearby community of Rossmoor
Rossmoor, California
Rossmoor is an affluent planned census-designated place located in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 census, the CDP had a total population of 10,244, down from 10,298 at the 2000 census...
. The same company developed several other Leisure World
Leisure World
Leisure World is the name of several retirement communities:* Leisure World, Arizona* Leisure World, Seal Beach, California* Laguna Woods Village, Laguna Woods, California, formerly known as Leisure World* Leisure World, Rossmoor, Maryland...
s around the United States, and started, but did not complete the Rossmoor
Rossmoor, Walnut Creek, California
Rossmoor is a gated community in Walnut Creek, California, with a population of about 9200. It was one of the first "active adult" communities for residents 55 years or older in the San Francisco Bay Area.- History :...
gated retirement community in Walnut Creek, California
Walnut Creek, California
Walnut Creek is an incorporated city located east of the city of Oakland. It lies in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. While not as large as neighboring Concord, Walnut Creek serves as the business and entertainment hub for the neighboring cities within central Contra Costa...
.
The community has three guarded gates with a private security department that provides traffic enforcement, patrol service and gate control 24 hours a day. Housing consists of one and two bedroom apartments as well as condominium
Condominium
A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...
s. Recreation opportunities include a swimming pool and heated pool, a 9-hole 3-par golf course, a well-equipped weight room, 6 clubhouses, woodworking and art studios, a sewing room, lawn bowling courts, horseshoe pits, shuffleboard courts, ping-pong tables, pool tables and other amenities. There are also numerous planned activities for the residents, including regular dances with lessons. There is a very large number of clubs and organizations as well as religious groups that meet in Leisure World.
The main entrance gate at Golden Rain is for invited visitors without passes. The other entrance gates are only for residents with windshield decals or having resident identification and for visitors with passes.
The community is divided into areas called Mutuals. Each Mutual has an elected board of directors. Each Mutual can have their own rules, regulations and policies of occupancy.
In general, the Mutuals adopt similar rules and regulations. There are a few exceptions, with each Mutual. Mutual 17 has 3 story buildings operating as condominiums. Mutual 15 has mostly two story buildings with two bedroom units. Mutuals 1 through 16 are one story buildings. Mutuals 1 through 16 operate as individual General Law Corporations. Ownership of the units are in Shares in the Corporation.
Mutuals maintain the original exterior of the buildings and original appliances and plumbing. Changes and or alterations to the apartment are maintained by the resident.
The exterior landscaping are maintained by the Mutuals, although the resident has the option of maintaining their own landscaping.
Residents also have access to medical doctors at an on-site outpatient health center with a pharmacy, round-the-clock nurses and other services. However, residents who do not voluntarily participate with the clinic or social services are not subject to welfare checks or other supervision and medical intervention by Leisure World.