After they raise their family and everything, they want the Shore life, so they move here. It's not unusual. Look around and you'll see older people strolling along the boardwalk in Ventnor, riding their bicycles along the sidewalks in Avalon, fishing off the Margate pier. From their beach houses, they walk to the libraries, post offices, stores, restaurants and senior centers - lots of senior centers, where bingo and card games are constantly in progress. They find companionship at all these places, and among friends and neighbors who also have summered here for years.
Independence is important.
The needs of some elderly already are stressing services provided by Shore towns. The county Meals on Wheels program delivers three times as many meals today as it did 10 years ago - serving 200 people a day, with dozens more on a waiting list. The demand for van transportation has been so great that Spencer's office has had to prioritize, giving rides for doctor visits but turning down requests to attend cultural events it used to honor. For much of her life, McNally had lived with her husband and three children in Marlton, more than 60 miles west, in a four-bedroom house. They spent summer vacations in rented houses at Sea Isle City and Ocean City.