LOUD MUSIC GUY lived on one side of Barbara Hill's condo and Casanova on the other. Their shared walls, and her patience, grew thin. So two years ago, seeking to save her sanity -- and without blowing her budget -- the aerospace worker started looking for a better-constructed living space larger than the 900-square-foot

Harbor City condominium she'd occupied for five years, one that would provide a view and cool breezes, close to her Northrop Grumman job in El Segundo. Late last year she finally found what she was looking for in what was marketed as a 55-plus "active adults" development in Torrance. Parkview Court, developed by West Los Angeles-based builder West Millennium Homes, is a Cape Cod-style complex located across from 44-acre Charles H. Wilson Park. It's not your grandparents' senior housing.

"You would never know it's for people 55 and older," said Hill, 56, of the building that houses her new 1,260-square-foot, two-bedroom upstairs corner unit. It features granite kitchen countertops, a large walk-in closet and category-five wiring for computers, cable, phones and home electronics. There is retail nearby and a view of the park, all of which she got in January for $464,000. Hill is part of the growing population of midlife homeowners who have settled in or will move to age-restricted communities. The National Assn. of Home Builders' 50+ Housing Council estimated that in 2007 about 40% of new units occupied by those 55 years and older would be in age-restricted communities or ones designed to appeal to seniors.

One-third of existing single-family home sales would be in 55-plus developments. Many buyers in this age group say they prefer developments close to their social and family ties. Boomers, who don't see themselves aging in the same way their parents are, view the old retirement lifestyle of far-flung golf communities as "living in the middle of the desert, literally and figuratively, in terms of their cultural, social and political needs," said UCLA instructor Karen Lee, who specializes in gerontological social work. So surrounding themselves, in their 50s, with those who share similar challenges and interests, Lee said, helps them build a stronger sense of longtime emotional security than they believe they would achieve in their 70s."Many boomers tease about wanting to move in together with their friends at some point," recapturing the commune era of the '60s, Lee said.

"The 55-plus communities are the closest most of us come to that communal experience."Urban amenitiesHill, the single aerospace worker, said she didn't feel "remotely ready" for the prototypical senior housing arrangement of longtime developments such as Laguna Woods Village in Orange County (formerly Leisure World). The average age of residents at that 2,100-acre complex is 78 and for those moving in today, 70.