Demand for age-restricted communities will continue growing rapidly during the next decade because of demographics, said Gregg Logan, managing director of RCLCO, a real estate consulting firm in Orlando, Fla. Mr. Logan said that the number of people aged 60 to 75 would increase to 56 million in 2025, from 46 million now. People in their late 60s are particularly likely to buy a home in an age-restricted community.

While many older residents prefer restricted neighborhoods for privacy and quiet, developers have been forced to offer features that are suitable for increasingly active customers who want more variety. “Today people do not want a geezer ghetto,” said Margaret Wylde, president of ProMatura Group, a market research firm in Oxford, Miss., that specializes in older consumers. “Buyers want an active environment with walking trails and easy access to amenities outside the community.”

Del Webb, a construction company, has long been a leader in developing new forms of retirement communities. In 1960, the company opened Sun City near Phoenix, which offered an 850-square-foot home for $8,500. The company’s founder, Del E. Webb, sought to build an entire community for retirees that would provide shopping along with shuffleboard. The project was a smashing success. According to the company, 100,000 visitors toured the development on its opening weekend, and the project sold 1,300 homes the first year. Sun City eventually grew to 46,000 residents.

Over the years, Del Webb — which is now a unit of PulteGroup — built a series of Sun Belt retirement communities, constantly adding features, including indoor walking tracks and the latest exercise equipment. But by the late 1990s, the developer began to notice that many customers preferred retiring within driving distance of their hometowns where they could see relatives or enjoy cultural opportunities. As a result, developers began building communities outside the Sun Belt. In recent years, Del Webb has built age-restricted projects near Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland and Boston. “Our residents want to be close to their doctors and family members,” said Valerie Dolenga, a Del Webb spokeswoman “About 50 percent continue to work at least part time.”

Roger Waller, 57, recently sold his 4,000-square-foot home to move to a nearby 1,670-square-foot condo in Potomac Green, a Del Webb project in Ashburn, Va., about 30 miles from Washington. Condo prices in the development range from about $189,000 to more than $356,000. Mr. Waller, a dispatcher for the Arlington County 911 system, plans to stay in his apartment when he retires. He pays about $300 a month to the development’s homeowners association, which takes care of lawn mowing and other maintenance. “When I owned a house, I did yard work and remodeling,” Mr. Waller said. “Now I will be able to retire and not worry about chores.”