A life of leisure, from gimlets by the pool to canasta in the clubhouse, is attracting senior citizens to the nation's first large scale retirement community. Leisure World has approximately 9,000 residents, composing more than a third of Seal Beach's population of 24,157.

Safety, affordability, location, recreational and social opportunities, an on-site medical center and maintenance are the draw. Everything is taken care of including your landscaping, your roads and even your appliances. Monthly service fees average about $300 a unit, which fund a $33 million budget.

Leisure World spans 533 acres. There are 6,608 cooperative apartments and condominiums, five clubhouses, an Olympic swimming pool, a nine-hole golf course and an internal transportation system. There's so much to do with few opportunities to be lonely because there are over 200 clubs and organizations of numerous interests.

Los Alamitos Medical Center provides 24-hour care through Leisure World Health Care Center, which boasts a full-service pharmacy, a clinical laboratory and access to several medical specialties.

One-bedroom units in Seal Beach Leisure World currently sell from $75,000 and two-bedroom units from $105,000 to $450,000. The monthly home owners is approximately $300. The owner is a shareholder in the housing corporation, with a share of stock and the right to occupy an apartment.

Leisure World also has 126 units of condominiums starting at $350,000, where the owner has a deed and can have a mortgage and an undivided interest in the assets.