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Live the Life You Love at Magnolia Trace Retirement Community

1 Clubhouse Avenue SW, Huntsville, AL 35802 Get Directions

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Named One of the 50 Best Places to Retire.
Right in the Heart of Dixieland.

Magnolia Trace is Huntsville’s only continuing care retirement community, offering independent living, on-site health services, and Acts Life Care financial protection, all on one campus in one of the South’s most celebrated cities.

Kiplinger put Huntsville on the map for retirees. Southern Living called it one of the most affordable retirement destinations in the South. Neither came as a surprise to anyone already living here.

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Beverly Cheney resident Magnolia Trace resident

"I have time not just to enjoy my life, but to discover new things I didn't even know that I loved!"

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Eugenia Graves Magnolia Trace

"I love the sense of community, it's like a small town. It's so meaningful and comforting to live in a place full of people who are so kind."

An older woman in a red long-sleeve shirt and white cap stands on a tennis court holding a tennis racket, smiling at the camera.
A dining area with wooden tables and chairs, a dark wood bar counter, pendant lights, and a view into a lounge with armchairs and plants.
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Active Adult Living Community

Good Mornings. Full Days. The Kind of Life You Earned.

Magnolia Trace attracts people who are not ready to slow down, and most residents will tell you they are busier here than they ever expected to be.

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Home of the U.S. Space and Rocket and Much More

Huntsville has plenty to do right outside your door. The U.S. Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville Botanical Garden, and Huntsville Museum of Art are all nearby, along with a dining and entertainment scene that keeps growing without losing its Southern feel.

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Tennis and Fitness

Tennis courts, a fitness center, wellness classes, and individual health plans designed to keep you strong and active as long as possible.

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Chef-Prepared Dining, Every Day

Restaurant-style meals served daily in a setting warm enough to linger over. Dinner here feels like a night out without ever leaving home.

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Lifelong Learning

Classes, workshops, and programs that give you something genuinely worth looking forward to every week.

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Pet-Friendly, Because of Course

Magnolia Trace welcomes your pets. Southern hospitality extends to the whole family.

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Travel to 27 Other Acts Campuses

Residency here includes travel privileges to Acts communities across the East Coast, from the Carolinas to Florida, when the mood strikes.

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A City That's Easy on Your Budget

Huntsville's cost of living runs 8% below the national average. Alabama doesn't tax Social Security benefits and keeps property taxes low, which means more of your retirement income stays yours.

How Acts Retirement-Life Communities is Different

50 +
Years of Not-for-Profit Excellence
96 %
Resident Satisfaction
A-
Fitch Rating
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See Magnolia Trace for Yourself.

A member of our team can walk you through the community, answer every question, and help you figure out if this is the right move, on your timeline and without pressure.

Schedule a Tour

Floor Plans

Classic Southern Architecture. Interiors That Feel Like Home From Day One.

Choose from one-and two-bedroom senior apartments or generously sized carriage homes, each featuring full kitchens, walk-in closets, and finishes that match the setting.

Moving here is handled through the LivNow Relocation partnership, making the transition as smooth as the life that follows it.

View Floor Plans

Floor plan of a one-bedroom apartment with a kitchen, dining room, living room, master bedroom, walk-in closet, and bathroom. Dimensions are labeled for each room.
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Pricing

Predictable Costs for the Rest of Your Life, No Matter What Changes.

The entrance fee is not an added cost. It is a prepayment on future healthcare at today’s rates, locking in access to assisted living, skilled nursing, and memory care before they are ever needed.

Residents average 39 to 41 percent in tax deductions on fees as a prepaid medical expense. And if savings are ever outlived through no fault of your own, the Acts Samaritan Fund ensures you are never asked to leave.

View Full Pricing Details

Talk to a Life Care Consultant

Health Services

Whatever Comes Next, the Care Is Already Here.

Every level of support is available on campus, delivered with loving-kindness, so the people who live here never have to leave, and the people who love them never have to worry.

Get the Care You Need

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Assisted Living

Warm, dignified support with daily activities, right here on campus, without ever having to leave the community you know.

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Skilled Nursing Care

Federally rated 5-star skilled nursing care, with licensed professionals available around the clock.

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Memory Care

Specialized, compassionate support for those living with Alzheimer’s or dementia, built around safety, familiar faces, and daily connection

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Rehabilitation Therapy

Licensed physical, occupational, and speech therapists on campus so recovery never requires leaving home.

FAQS

Questions About Retiring in Huntsville. Answered.

Magnolia Trace is Huntsville’s only life plan community, meaning independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing, and memory care are all available on one campus. A change in health needs never means a change in home.

Absolutely. Huntsville has quietly become one of the most appealing retirement destinations in the South, and the recognition is starting to catch up. U.S. News and World Report ranked it #8 on its 2025 Best Places to Retire list. Here’s why that tracks:

  • Affordable living. Huntsville’s cost of living is 8% below the national average, so your retirement income goes further here than in most places.
  • Retirement-friendly taxes. Alabama doesn’t tax Social Security benefits and keeps property taxes low.
  • Mild climate. Warm summers, gentle winters, and plenty of days worth getting outside for.
  • Things to do. The U.S. Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville Botanical Garden, Huntsville Museum of Art, and a dining scene that keeps expanding without losing its character.
  • A growing retiree community. More than 18% of Alabama residents are 65 or older, making it one of the most retirement-established states in the country.
  • Military-friendly. Redstone Arsenal offers exclusive amenities and services for retired service members and their families.

Through the Acts Samaritan Fund, residents who exhaust their personal savings through no fault of their own are not asked to leave. Financial support is available. That is what it means to choose a not-for-profit community that stands behind its commitment.

A continuing care retirement community offers the full continuum of care on one campus, from independent living through skilled nursing. Assisted living is a single level of care. At a CCRC like Magnolia Trace, you move in while healthy and independent, and every level of care you might ever need is already in place. No searching for a new facility when things change.

Roughly 37 percent of Huntsville’s population is over the age of 45. So unsurprisingly, the city has plenty of services catering to those who may be thinking about retiring or are already retired.

See our list below for additional senior care resources serving Huntsville:

News & Resources

Retirement in Huntsville, AL Made Simple

Recent property news, helpful resources, financial guides, and expert advice to help you make the most informed decision possible.

Recent Magnolia Trace News

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Your Best Years in Huntsville Are Waiting.

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