Augusta is not only home to The Masters Tournament. It's also a city with dozens of low cost assisted living facilities and enough cultural amenities and senior activities to keep you busy for years to come.

The Georgia Department of Community Health (GDCH) is responsible for licensing, regulating, and inspecting the state's senior living communities. These facilities fall under what the GDCH calls personal care homes, which are defined as "any dwelling that provides or arranges housing, food service, and one or more personal services [activities or daily living such as eating, bathing, grooming, and dressing] for two or more adults who are not related to the owner or administrator by blood or marriage." Go to the gov/00/channel_title/0,2094,31446711_144097918,00.html">GDCH to find inspection reports on all licensed Augusta assisted living facilities, nursing homes, etc.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Augusta's overall cost of living is equal to the national average. It's in long-term care where Augusta really shines. For example, a private, one-bedroom in an Augusta assisted living facility averages $2,400 a month, according to a recent Genworth Financial survey on long-term care. The national average is $3,261. A private room in a nursing home averages $173 a day on--a semi-private averages $158. These averages are about 19% below national averages for nursing homes.

The Brigham Senior Adult Center in Augusta is a place where seniors can socialize, exercise and philosophize. Here's a sample week of activities at the center: Tai Chi, line dance, nutrition education, bingo, computer classes, genealogy, jewelry making, card club, basic Spanish, and others. Some of Augusta's attractions include the Augusta Riverwalk; the Augusta Canal with its bike and pedestrian path; the 1,100-acre Phinizy Swamp Nature Park with its wetlands, boardwalks and bird watching; Boyhood Home of President Woodrow Wilson; Lucy Craft Museum of Black History; the historic Imperial Theater; Sacred Heart Cultural Center and the Morris Museum of Art.

For even more Augusta assisted living facilities, go to the bottom and click on "expand the list." You'll get 90 of the closest listings in the area. If you have further questions, send us an email using the form at the top.