The Terraces of Boise is attracting seniors from all over the nation as it positions itself as the ultimate retirement destination. Bob Weibel relocated to Boise after living in the Bahamas, one of many locations where he lived on sprawling beaches near the shipyards at which he worked. He never visited Idaho before scheduling his tour of The Terraces of Boise. His wife was conducting internet research and discovered that Boise was an ideal place for retirement because of the drier climate. It was listed by Forbes magazine as one of the top 25 places to retire in 2015. Since his move, he has become very involved at the community and even teaches line dancing to fellow residents. Even though Bob is a world traveler, he said Boise is the place that spoke to him for this next chapter of his life.

“It’s different for me, as I have always lived near water and worked on ships for most of my life,” said Weibel. “My wife and I traveled all over the world; New York City, Maryland, Maine, Boston, Seattle, Australia, Helsinki, Finland, Alabama, New Orleans and the Bahamas. I majored in naval architecture and marine engineering, which is essentially ship design. It was fascinating work. I tried to retire, but got back in when the chief of operations called about the opportunity in the Bahamas. After living in the muggy climate of the Bahamas my wife was ready for a climate change, so she started researching places we could go visit that might have more desirable weather and places that do not have many natural disasters. However, after she booked her flight and scheduled the tour, it was discovered that she had a brain tumor. She had surgery and was paralyzed on her left side afterward. Then she passed a few months later. I decided to go on the trip anyways. During this visit I learned that a CCRC is a community where you can get every level of care you might need as you age, and with that knowledge I decided to visit some other prospective communities. I visited a few more in Boise, Seattle, Boston and Florida, but I kept coming back to The Terraces of Boise. The deciding factors for me were the cost, the design of the architecture, the community and the climate. I feel at home here.”

When asked about the difficulty of moving all of his belongings from the Bahamas to Boise, Weibel acknowledged that he and his wife had already gifted, donated or sold many of their items in preparation for their move to the Bahamas. He said it was a breeze moving to Idaho. He enjoys the lifestyle and the friends he has made. He particularly likes coordinating instructions for line dancing lessons which he and Emily Waag, life enrichment coordinator of The Terraces of Boise, provide for those who wish to learn. He and his wife taught line dancing for 25 years, so he pulls from his notes and shows Waag the steps and what music to pair them with, as she is the one who leads the boot scootin’ line dance classes. Weibel said it has been very easy to meet people living at the community and estimates that he knows 50 of the 150 who live there.

“It’s been an interesting and fun retirement so far,” said Weibel. “I didn’t plan on getting two massages a week, but it’s been a really nice perk. I eat half of my meals here, and eat out or prepare my meals at home the rest of the time. I started day trading at home to keep active as well. Much of my family lives in Seattle, so I visit them from time to time and we go on family trips too. We recently went to Maui, and that was beautiful and relaxing. I was surprised to find out that several other people moved here from out of state as well, from places like Massachusetts, California, Montana, Oregon and Nebraska just to name a few. After spending my childhood in New Jersey then traveling to shipyards all over the world designing ships, I didn’t think I’d be retiring in Boise, yet here I am, and I love it.”

“It is amazing to hear how many people migrated to our campus from other parts of the country,” said Jud Severns, executive director of The Terraces of Boise. “We are delighted to see that so many people consider us their retirement destination. We understand that being a CCRC, delivering hospitality culture and being in a location that is close to family are important community attributes. We pride ourselves on delivering on our promises to our residents and strive to make sure their retirement is enhanced through life at The Terraces of Boise.”