Staying Put, in a Mobile Home

NAVIGATING the rocky shoals of retirement housing can be unappealing when the available options have names like active adult, continuing care and assisted living.

But here at a place called Someday, on a breezy ridge overlooking this tiny Putnam County village, about 35 couples ages 55 and older have discovered a more unusual and distinctly more affordable retirement option.

June and Henry Offermann are two residents of this age-restricted trailer park, with each of its homes set on a tiny lot with a miniature front yard. This time of year, the first sprouts of spring are pushing through the ground in many of the gardens, lending an air of individuality to the otherwise boxlike residences.

Many people at Someday (formerly known as Mac’s Trailer Park) hope to spend the rest of their lives relishing the peace and quiet that the setting affords. They say they enjoy being part of a like-minded group whose members often get together on one another’s porches for barbecues and socializing, but who can also repair to the privacy of their own living rooms.

What is more, they say, the price is right. Two-bedroom manufactured homes at Someday cost less than $80,000, and the monthly rent on each 3,000-square-foot parcel is about $400.