The Villages, Florida

[JanetRose]

I still have about 10 years to retire but sent for a DVD for The Villages. I'm watching the video now - is it as nice as it seems?

 

[horseshowmom]

Yes, I think it is. My parents live further south than that, but they have some friends who left the area where they are and moved up to the Villages. Mother and Daddy have actually looked at a few houses there (they bid on one, the owner gave a verbal acceptance, but then backed out). They really like it and said their friends have been very well satisfied there.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

Funny you should say that. My mom and her bf were just there this past week visiting friends. She couldn't stop raving about how nice it is. She loved it!

 

[loveysbydesign]

My fil's brother lives there and loves it. my in-laws drove there from WDW this past Nov. to visit them and said ti was nice but they wouldn't want to live there!

 

[Art 1]

The few people that I know who live there really like living there.

 

[JanetRose]

I haven't looked at the booklet yet - is it a gated community? Do you own your own house there? There seems to be a lot of activities there on a daily basis to include free golf - it has got to be a lot of money!

 

[trip]

My fil's brother lives there and loves it. my in-laws drove there from WDW this past Nov. to visit them and said ti was nice but they wouldn't want to live there!

Did they say why?

 

[C.Ann]

It's right up the road from where my sister lives in Florida, and I've been there many, many times.. I love it everything about it - including their hospital - where I had to take my sister when she had a heart attack while I was visiting her.. Excellent care and really classy accomodations..

I know quite a few people who live there.. My Dson-in-law's boss lives there part time and his parents live there full time.. Not one single person has ever uttered a bad word about The Villages.. Were it not for leaving my family here in NY - and health issues that would make it impossible for me to live in Florida on a permanent basis - (and I had the money, of course), I would move there in a heart beat.. Not too many places I would say that about..

We also have a DISer here that lives in The Villages and if he sees this, I'm sure he can give you a lot more info..

 

[webprinter]

How funny! DH and I are in the same spot as you and ordered the DVD. We visited the Villages last summer while staying at WDW to see if it is as nice as the DVD. We thought it was very very nice but much larger than it seems. We drove forever to some of the houses. And yes, you do own your own house with a very small lot in most cases. We are still ordering retirement information (to dream) from all over FL, NC,SC and TN. The Villages was nice but very very hot and very very large. We also don't know if we want to be tied down to paying a monthly fee for free golf when we are no longer able to golf (if that happens).

 

[Buckalew11]

GeorgeG is our Diser who lives in The Villages. I think he really likes living there. Lucky you, I'd like to spend a few months a year in FL and the rest here in TN.

 

[GeorgeG]

We've been here over five years and love it, except that it can get colder than you might think during the winter.

The DVD is impressive, but doesn't even come close to everything that we have here. Yes, there's that much!

We're currently at about 80,000 and building. I believe there willl be about another 40-50,000 by the time they're done building out what I understand is close to 40 sq. miles (very close to the size of WDW). You'd be surprised how many people who live here do not play golf, even though we all have golf carts as second cars. There are about 50 golf courses, lots of tennis and pickleball, three softball complexes and hundreds of clubs. If there isn't a club for your particular interest they will help you organize one. We're an hour from WDW from where we are and most of the new construction is even closer to the turnpike.

The best thing would be to visit and see for yourself. They have special rental properties for people to stay for a week while they check everything out.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

One strong reputation it has in Florida is that if your political leanings are not toward the Republican Party you will not enjoy being there.

 

[okeydokey]

I may be wrong, nut the STD rate for the Villages is said to be the highest in the state, and among the highest in the nation.

 

[jbcheerchick93]

My grandparents live there 6ish months out of the year, they think its too hot in the summer time They absolutely love it there and i love going to visit them. Yes the place is HUGE but thats what all the golf carts are for! In one trip over easter i went to the pool 4 days, movie theater, bowling, out to the town square, and there was just so much to do.

 

[lemondog]

My parents are currently on a 2-week tour of various retirement communities in Florida. They have 6 on their list, I believe. They went to the Villages first, and so far nothing else has come close. They absolutely loved it. Neither plays golf, but my dad's most favorite pastime in the world is driving his darn golf cart, and he is a republican, so he should fit right in!

I really do think they are going to end up at The Villages. They will live there approx. Nov-March and be up here at their lakehouse (another community where everyone drives golf carts, ha!) April - Halloween.

 

[GeorgeG]

One strong reputation it has in Florida is that if your political leanings are not toward the Republican Party you will not enjoy being there.

That is sort of true, but not to the point a democrat or liberal would not enjoy it here. Yes, the developer has quite a bit of control over what political guests are invited to speak and/or sign books here and they are almost always republican, but the residential areas are divided into Community Development Districts (CDDs) and are run by elected residents. We have plenty of democrats and we all get along quite well.

 

[GeorgeG]

I may be wrong, nut the STD rate for the Villages is said to be the highest in the state, and among the highest in the nation.

Not true. Several years ago The Villages was mentioned as an example in an article about an increase of STDs among older folks in general, countrywide. The local doctor who provided some misleading information is no longer practicing and long gone. A much less published follow-up article polled local doctors who said that while there is some occurance of STDs in The Villages, there was nothing to indicate it was no more than anywhere else.

We are advertised as "Florida's friendliest hometown." Sometimes the folks here can be very friendly, but I wouldn't be too concerned about the STD rumor.

 

[DMRick]

We've visited The Villages a few times. The first time we visited it we loved it..the last time, it had just gotten too busy for us. It's a city, and I think it's bigger (in people) than the city I live in. The houses are very close, but I see that in a lot of the retirement areas. I did like the older part more than the newer part. It was also pretty expensive for us. They sure did have a lot going on, and those who do live there seem to love it and all the activities. We have two sets of friends living there in the winter. The Villages offered a place for us to stay over for a few days, during the last visit, but it was just too busy for us....the town square was like Disney on a holiday...very crowded. But they did have a car show going on, so that may be why.
We have also visited here: http://www.solivita.com/ and loved it, but not enough to leave the great Northeast..yet.

 

[Shmily1]

I'm only 42 but I've been there and thought it was absolutely wonderful! I would definitely live there.

 

[GeorgeG]

We've visited The Villages a few times. The first time we visited it we loved it..the last time, it had just gotten too busy for us. It's a city, and I think it's bigger (in people) than the city I live in. The houses are very close, but I see that in a lot of the retirement areas. I did like the older part more than the newer part. It was also pretty expensive for us. They sure did have a lot going on, and those who do live there seem to love it and all the activities. We have two sets of friends living there in the winter. The Villages offered a place for us to stay over for a few days, during the last visit, but it was just too busy for us....the town square was like Disney on a holiday...very crowded. But they did have a car show going on, so that may be why.
We have also visited here: http://www.solivita.com/ and loved it, but not enough to leave the great Northeast..yet.

We have a lot more people during snowbird season, which equates to tourist season in the coastal areas. We don't get as bad as the coastal areas, though, and May through September is a lot less crowded. It's a lot warmer then, but it all balances out. There are quite a few special events through the year that pull in crowds in the town squares.