By Alan Suderman
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

When Catherine Pollard moved to Eagle’s Trace two years ago, she’d hadn’t seen what her new apartment looked like.

“All I had was the blueprint,” Pollard says. “I had to use my imagination.”

Now Pollard opens her home to prospective residents who tour the community, so that they can see firsthand what living at Eagle’s Trace is like. She says she’s happy to show off her new home and tell people how happy she is living there.

“I love it here so much,” Pollard says. “I was very apprehensive in the beginning, wondering if I would make friends. But here people seem to want to make friends and be part of your life.”

High demand
It’s the sense of community and lifestyle that draws more people to Eagle’s Trace, says Pamela Burgeson, director of marketing and sales. “With dozens of clubs to join, and amenities like a bank, hair salon, and fitness center on-site, there are plenty of occasions for interaction with your neighbors,” she says.

“Now with our first neighborhood complete, we’ve seen a revival of what it’s like to live in a small town,” she adds.

Eagle’s Trace first opened its doors to Pollard and a handful of other new residents back in October 2005. Now the community has grown to  370 residents, with about 260 prospective residents waiting on the Priority List. Burgeson says the number keeps growing every day.

“The word is getting out about how wonderful the lifestyle is at Eagle’s Trace,” she says.

Like Pollard, Bryon and Jo Stark were among the first residents to move to Eagle’s Trace and they are eager to welcome new neighbors.

Stark is no stranger to moving, having been in the oil business and lived  everywhere, from Bangkok to New York. But he says he enjoys Eagle’s Trace so much that he has no plans to live anywhere else. “Having lived in different retirement communities, we can say that Erickson is the best,” Stark says.