We visited for a day back in 2014, and only saw the route Google Maps gave us as we visited my aunt. Didn't really know much about The Villages then. We were on our way to Disneyworld.
We visited for a few days in February 2019 when we attended a surprise 80th birthday party for my aunt/godmother. We explored, and that brief visit opened our eyes.
For the next few months, we researched possible places to retire to. Oregon has been great for us over the last 44 years, but we wanted to be closer to family, better weather, and retirement activities. We visited/researched a few in the PacNW. AZ, NV, GA, TN, SC, and NC. Even researched other locations in FL.
There's a reason most retirement publications never mention The Villages -- almost none can even compare to the choices.
So...we visited in August 2019 with the intention to buy. We thought we wanted to locate between 466 and 466A. We looked at 40+ homes in that area. A friend asked why we didn't consider the new areas south of 44. Back in February, south of 44 didn't really appeal to us. A lot changed in just 6 months. We ended up buying a new designer home in Marsh Bend, near Edna's, Cattail, and the Pitch&Putt.
The first post echos our experience, and we can't wait until we are full time. We closed in September, spent 2 weeks setting up the house in October, and a few days after Thanksgiving. We are so happy. Our only thing negative to report is excavating 44 years worth of "stuff" at our Oregon home to figure out what else to move down to Florida.
We've been so happy to meet some of our new neighbors during our brief visits, and hope to meet even more in the coming months.
Someday, we might even be able to participate in the many activities we've heard about! <smile and a wink>
Thank you for summarizing your experiences. We fully agree!
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