[Muncle]

What you might have seen was a letter I wrote to them in '03. I'd been here for a real quick visit (1 day, just to look) in the summer of "03 but was still wide open in my choice of retirement spots. I subscribed to "Where to Retire" in my search for locations. I'd not seen anything about TV in the mag but liked their articles and info. I wrote:

"I've been looking into The Villages in Florida and am impressed with its layout, homes, amenities, and prices. It seems ideal, especially for a single retiree. Unfortunately, I've always been somewhat prejudiced against Florida flatness, summer heat, humidity, and bugs. Is there anything comparable farther north, specifically in the North Carolina or Virginia foothills."

Their reply:

"The Villages is unique -- more than a planned community, it's a town and a booming one. It covers about 20.000 acres, has 36,000 residents now and plans up to 50,000 homes. It has nearlyanyhing you would want in the way of recreation and services, including a regional medical center, church, restaurants, shops, groceries, and other stores. here are 10 recreation centers and another one on the way, and 18 golf courses with three more coming soon. Many residents navigate the area in their golf carts. Homes start at about $90,000 and go up above $500,000. Information: . . . "

"Few, if any, retirement communities approximate this in size, none in the mountains of North Carolina or Virginia. . . . "
The reply then went on to discuss a couple of the regular advertisers in the Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee mountains, smaller developmens like Wintergreen, Asheville, and Rarity.

That's the only mention of TV I've ever seen in the mag. For my part, obviously I got over my Florida phobias.