Southwest Louisiana: A Perfect Place to Retire
If you’re looking for great place to spend your golden years, it may be time to consider the many great retirement communities in Lake Charles and Southwest Louisiana. This region is an ideal place for senior citizens, as the season offers a mild climate, an affordable cost of living, diverse cuisine, good doctors, outdoor recreation access and organized social activities.
In fact, unbiased.com ranks Lake Charles among the 5 Best Cities to Retire in Louisiana, and worldatlas.com lists Jennings among the 7 Top-Ranked Towns in Louisiana for Retirees.
The region has several highly rated retirement communities. For example, The Villages of Imperial Pointe opened in 2023 for residents aged 62 and older, and the 129-unit apartment complex is fully occupied.
Another good option in Lake Charles is The Verandah Retirement Community, with 80 independent living apartments, 20 independent living cottages and 40 assisted living apartments. Meanwhile, Villa Maria Retirement Center features independent living with studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments, and the new Morningside at Gerstner is expected to open in 2025.
Plenty of Retirement Communities in Lake Charles
Brookdale Lake Charles offers assisted living and memory care facilities on one campus, and Sage Oak of Lake Charles also has assisted living and memory care in a boutique-style campus consisting of five spacious homes.
The Villas of Lake Charles is a gated apartment community for those aged 55 and over, and The Gardens Assisted Living prides itself on rehabilitating patients and providing services such as physician house calls.
Another retirement development planned for Lake Charles is Capstone at the Oaks, a 120-unit affordable housing apartment complex to accommodate seniors 62 and older with lower incomes. Capstone is scheduled to open in 2025 and was developed by the Banyan Foundation of Birmingham.
“We are a nonprofit charitable organization that develops and provides quality affordable housing primarily in the Southeast for those in need,” says Bailey Coats, Banyan Foundation spokesperson.
Capstone at the Oaks features one- and two-bedroom units. The Banyan Foundation is also planning to develop an affordable housing complex in nearby DeRidder. “That particular project will be a nice 40-unit facility,” Coats says. “Construction in DeRidder is scheduled to start in mid-2025.”
Outstanding Options in Sulphur and Jennings
Lake Charles isn’t the only Southwest Louisiana community that offers top-notch retirement choices. Sulphur Retirement Community in Sulphur is an affordable apartment community for moderate- to low-income seniors, and it provides a convenient location to nearby restaurants, shopping centers, churches and West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital.
In Jennings, the Jeff Davis Living Center features both a nursing home and a rehabilitation center, and many of the staff members have been there for 20-plus years. Also in Jennings is Westminster Homes, which features 40 affordable apartment units for seniors aged 62 and up, and Camelot Brookside, a nursing home that offers short-term and long-term stays along with rehabilitation resources.