55+ Communities in Savannah, Georgia: The Honest Roster
Search “Savannah 55+ communities” and the big directories will show you a dozen names and a count north of twenty. That number is misleading. Most of what gets tagged “55+” in metro Savannah is either an all-ages golf community that markets to retirees, or age-targeted villaswith no deed restriction at all. Here is the part nobody else will tell you plainly.
What “age-restricted” actually means here
An age-restricted community is deed-restricted under federal housing rules: at least 80% of homes must have a resident 55 or older, and the restriction is enforceable and permanent. An age-targetedcommunity is simply marketed to older buyers — single-level villas, low-maintenance yards — but anyone of any age can buy. The difference matters for resale, for the neighbors you’ll actually have, and for whether the “55+ lifestyle” you’re paying for is guaranteed or just a brochure promise.
The genuine age-restricted option
Del Webb Savannah at Heartwood — Richmond Hill (Bryan County)
Gated, deed-restricted 55+, ~700 homes planned across 310 acres along the Jericho River. Del Webb/Pulte broke ground in 2024; pricing opened from the $400,000s. Eleven single-level floor plans, a 15,000+ sq ft amenity center, full-time lifestyle director, and — unusually for a new build — a St. Joseph’s/Candler medical campus planned inside the master plan. This is the real thing, and it’s the only one of its kind and size in the metro.
See the true cost of ownership, 7 things nobody tells you, or how it compares to a Pooler villa.
The “55+” communities that aren’t deed-restricted
These are real, often excellent places to live. They are not age-restricted, and we won’t pretend otherwise.
| Community | Area / County | What it actually is |
|---|---|---|
| The Landings on Skidaway Island | Skidaway / Chatham | ~4,400-home all-ages private golf & country-club community. Retiree-heavy, not age-restricted. |
| Westbrook Villas at Savannah Quarters | Pooler / Chatham | D.R. Horton villas inside an all-ages master golf community. Age-targeted, not restricted. |
| The Fairways at Savannah Quarters | Pooler / Chatham | Epcon courtyard villas; listed as an all-ages community. Age-targeted. |
| Savannah Quarters / Habersham / Southbridge | Pooler & Savannah / Chatham | All-ages master-planned golf communities marketed to retirees. |
Full breakdown, with why each classification matters for your money: Savannah age-restricted vs. age-targeted.
The two-county tax split that decides your bill
Del Webb Heartwood sits in Bryan County (Richmond Hill). The Pooler and Savannah options sit in Chatham County. They are different tax worlds, and the most valuable homestead protection in the region — Chatham’s Stephens-Day exemption — doesn’t even apply in Bryan.
- Bryan County property tax guide — where Del Webb is.
- Chatham County property tax + Stephens-Day — the freeze, the school-tax carve-out, and the reset-on-sale trap.
- Georgia retirement income tax — why most retirees here owe the state $0.
- Coastal Georgia insurance reality — the cost that can erase the tax win.
When you’re ready, the total cost comparison puts price, taxes, HOA, and insurance into one annual number — the only comparison that actually means anything on the coast.
Get the real numbers for your situation