I don't have any negative feelings about our decision to buy a place in TV, but then, we are not here in the hot summer months. When we were considering where we wanted to spend our winters, escaping the Upstate NY weather, I wasn't sure this area would be warm enough for me. My folks retired to Bonita Springs (between Naples and Ft. Myers) and many times I noticed that during the colder snaps, it might be 15 degrees cooler here than there.
We chose TV for the typical reason: The "Lifestyle"...access to the rec centers, golf, pickle, and plenty of people around to enjoy those things with. I didn't care if the courses weren't in condition to rival the more expensive private clubs. I'd rather have people to meet. I have belonged to private clubs, and so did my folks, and what I always found was that once members had their small groups of friends, they tended to not be inclusive to strangers. Just the opposite here. I have more people asking me to join their groups than I have time to play.
As for the weather, what surprised me was how much I like it, except for the few times when it's really cold AND really windy. Bonita Springs was more tropical, but I find many cooler days here remind me of wonderful Autumn weather up north, the glorious Indian Summer days, of relative warmth and no humidity and gentle breezes. In that regard, the weather was pretty much what I expected, but my enjoyment of that weather exceeds my expectations.
Other than a few TOTV sourpusses, everyone I encounter is cheerful and friendly. Well, I have met a couple of grouchy golf starters, and one grouchy, rude rec center employee, out of dozens and dozens, that's a small percent and easily dismissed.
We've had kids and grandkids visit, and it's amazed me repeatedly how much fun young people have in a place built for old people. So that also has exceeded my expectations.
Actually, the traffic is less onerous than I expected. But then, I've spent time in the Naples/Ft. Myers corridor and that's very busy. By comparison, TV is a dream.
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