“First, as a bit of background:
I am 64 and Sandy is 62. We have been married for 42 years and have one child, an adult son named Jason, who lives in Indianapolis. We have been fully retired since the end of 2001. My career was spent in the pharmaceutical industry, 30 years of which were with Eli Lilly and Company, primarily in various management positions.

“We are from Indiana. During my career, we were fortunate to have lived in California, Oklahoma, Indiana, Connecticut, North Carolina (Chapel Hill), and Florida. As a result, we have had the opportunity to travel through and explore all of the U.S.

“In 2003, we began to think about looking around for either a second home ‘up North’ to escape the Florida summers, or a move to a different location for a complete reinvention of our lifestyle.

“Late in the summer of 2004, after evacuating for three of the four hurricanes, we ended up in the mountain area of western North Carolina looking at property. Our Asheville-based realtor recommended that we take a look in Hendersonville because he thought this area would satisfy our stated needs (golf, lots of restaurants, excellent health care, good shopping, close proximity to two airports, and the benefits of a beautiful small-town atmosphere.) Champion Hills seemed like the ‘perfect fit.’

“We were extremely impressed! The golf course is magnificent, the clubhouse is beautiful, the landscaping throughout the Champion Hills property is spectacular, and views in all directions are inspiring.

“Well, it has only been two years since we made the decision to uproot to this little bit of heaven in the Carolina mountains. We have since had many opportunities to meet and interact with the most impressive aspect of Champion Hills…the members and employees. Universally, these are some of the nicest people we have ever met.

“All we heard, and continue to hear today is that ‘you will love it here,’ and ‘this is the best decision we ever made.’”

Mike and Sandy Tower