This article is sponsored by Panorama.
If 50 is the new 30, then Panorama, which is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year, is still the new kid on the block.
At 50, Panorama combines the strength, stability and security of five decades of meeting the needs of its residents, while still encompassing the energy, enthusiasm and innovation of youth.
Here’s what you may – or may not – know about Panorama at 50. It looks like many streets in small town America. Landscaped and well-kept lawns set off ranch style houses of many types. We know it’s a retirement community only because all of the mailboxes look the same and signs with the names of the residents can be seen from the streets. But the houses are all different. That’s Panorama at 50.
On the shores of Chambers Lake sit many larger houses with big windows and a view of the lake. All the main species of birds, and the occasional otter, make looking out the windows a daily occurrence. Interspersed among the houses are Eastern style brick four plexes and duplexes, making the view of the lake available to all. That’s Panorama at 50.
On the main campus, single family homes in the Northwest style sit among towering Douglas-firs and large rhododendrons. The landscaping of the homes is as good as you can find on the golf course. Oh – wait – it is a golf course. Or it was once. When Panorama opened in 1963, it was built on the site of a golf course. The landscaping of that golf course has been encompassed within the community. That’s Panorama at 50.
There are many things you won’t see at most retirement communities. There’s the new aquatic and fitness center with its horizon pool that is used by more than 60% of Panorama’s residents. They swim and exercise early in the morning to get their day started. Or the even newer auditorium, with seating for 200 and with a state of the art sound system. It’s the home of touring speakers, visiting professors and Panorama’s own performing groups. That’s Panorama at 50.
Panorama has its own doggy park, its own closed circuit television studio where residents of Panorama produce their own shows. It has a sizeable computer lab, a hobby shop, a pool room, two woodshops, a metals shop, community gardens with large, individual plots for avid gardeners, a quilting room and other rooms full of activities. 50 years provided the time to create the State’s largest “residential arboretum” with more than 1,200 different species of trees, shrubs or flowers making the 140 acres truly park-like. That’s Panorama at 50.
Did we tell you, that even though it’s one of the oldest Continuing Care Retirement Communities on the West Coast, it’s constantly evolving and changing, to meet the needs of those who call this place home. It started from the mind of Moe Loveless, a local businessman, who together with some investors had just purchased the Mt. View Golf Course. He felt it was the perfect location for a retirement community. After talking with Margaret Whyte, the executive secretary of the Washington State Council on Aging, Mr. Loveless expressed an interest in the new concept of retirement living.
The houses would be built with active retirees in mind, then called A Freedom Home, with no steps, wider doors, low light switches, and other amenities.
The first residents, Mr. and Mrs. Roy McGandy, moved to Panorama in November 1963.
There followed over the years hundreds of other residents wanting to live an active and fruitful life. Panorama changed with the times, building new additions, expanding living options, constructing an assisted living facility and a state of the art Convalescent and Rehabilitation Center.
Panorama’s management has five decades of experience in providing the latest in retirement concepts, with the enthusiasm and energy of youth.
Panorama, at 50 is still the new kid on the block.
