Thanks, CCK. Thinking about quality of life during retirement was the main reason we bought in SoWal. We wanted a community that had mixed ages, families (not only retirees) and good schools, uncrowded beautiful beaches (the white sand that doesn't get hot when walking on it and the emerald color of the water are bonuses), good weather all year round (in other words, livable during the summer and warm enough during the winter) though we'll probably stay up north in the summers and keep renting the cottages out during peak season, not too crowded yet enough people around to keep things interesting, no high-rises/McDonald's, a beautiful environment (even with all the building that has gone on, there still are limits and green space around and lots of parks), no pressure to dress fancy even when going out to dinner, a sense of small-town community, plenty of good restaurants, interesting shops, access to art/music/theater -- in other words, a beautiful not-to-crowded place with good people - and lots to do and no pressure to do it.
The only reason I don't want time to speed up so that we can retire and move to SoWal is that it would mean that our kids would be growing up too fast and I'll miss them when they move out
So, we'll enjoy the best of both worlds right now -- a bustling family life in the north and vacationing together in SoWal.