[ChicagoNative]

We'd been snow-birding on the gulf coast in St. Pete since 2010, but got a bad case of “hurricane fatigue” after Irma so we decided to explore inland options. I have a cousin in the Villages, and we did the lifestyle preview in 2017. We were dead-set on moving there after that, but just for the proverbial s.h.its & giggles, decided to investigate what was outside the bubble. That fluky decision was the best thing we did, and we closed on a beautiful new home in a beautiful community in January of 2018. Everyone was new at around the same time, which I think helps when trying to build new friendships. A whole lot of our neighbors are former Villagers, and we are not an age-restricted community. Even though we are now the old people, I like seeing families and kids.

We are absolutely thrilled with our community, home, neighbors, activities, and amenities. While we are technically not the Villages, we share a border with them on 2 sides and can take advantage of the squares whenever we want and don’t have a bond or cdd. Granted, the Villages lifestyle is what drew us to this area to begin with, but we don’t golf and the clubs and activities in our community are fine for us. (who really needs 2000 clubs, anyway?!)
We’re not the least bit jealous of anyone who lives in the Villages and we have zero regrets that we did not move inside. For those who do live there and love it, more power to you.

We are fortunate enough to keep a home in Chicago for the summer, and I don’t see stopping that anytime soon. As nice as the Villages area is, the Florida summer heat is oppressive, and we need to escape that and the suburban sameness of the whole area for some city grit, good restaurants, and urban culture. It’s pretty sweet to be able to have both. Different strokes.