Still happy to be here
Bought 10 yrs ago, starting our 7th season as seasonal residents - we are Florida residents but spend 4-1/2 months or so in Ohio in the summer.
Like a lot of people, we wish the Villages had maxed out at 100,000 or less like we were all told, but still think there's no other place with so much to do for so little. I disagree with the poster who said it costs a lot to entertain yourself here. We spend much less day to day here than we do in Ohio.
We are too tired to go out and spend much as we play pickle ball (free here, have to buy balls temporary nets in Ohio in summer - pay rec center fee in winter), go to rehearsals (husband is a musician) in a golf cart, play duplicate bridge for $3 (it just went up from $2) whereas at duplicate bridge centers in Ohio it is $8/game. Social bridge and other card games are either free or $1 with a chance to win a few bucks. Pools are free, as are tons of exercise classes and things like water polo. And of course, there are the executive golf courses - free if you walk, very reasonable trail fee if you take your golf cart.
Groceries are more expensive here than in the Midwest, but probably not the northeast or west.
Lots of free interest groups and charities to volunteer in. Movies a little cheaper than most places, and lots of entertainment options are either free or not particularly expensive. More to do here than anywhere we have heard of. Every time we visit relatives in Ft. Myers (and we don't like to go often because of the traffic and because there's not that much to do), we meet people who are in process of moving here!
It's not for everyone, though. If you are not a joiner and a doer, you might not be happy here, or if you need to be near the water. We just do a long weekend or occasional visit to a beach area - for us, fun to visit, but wouldn't want to live there.
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