I am truly happy being here in The Villages. We are part-timers here spending 6-7 months here, all winter, then again 2 times for a month in June/July and October/November. This is a vacation for us. We have a CYV so there is minimal maintenance here so that we can enjoy other activities.
Love the golf cart rides and explorations. This year my wife and I took golf lessons and we are enjoying the game. So far so good!! No smashed windows or torn lanai screens
We are physically active more here than back in Connecticut! We walk more for exercise and to get healthier, interact with our neighbors more, meet new friends, joined a couple of clubs and basically smile almost 100% of the time we are awake!! People in general are frendlier than any other place we have visited.
Yes, we have to put up with some of the typical irritations that previous posters stated, with lines at restaurants, increased traffic, etc. etc. etc. This is no different than in any resort community that has seasonal people come in for a period of time, Cape Cod, Block Island during the summer months to name 2 that I am familiar with.
This year, more than last year, my wife and I have noticed an increase in aggressive and rude behavior, in driving cars and golf carts, (what's the rush?? This is a retirement community!!!), people barking like dogs at others they deemed were doing something wrong. This group of people in my opinion, is a very small percent of the population. I am not suggesting that it is caused by snobirds or frogs because there are no visible or distinguishing marks or tatoos to tell them apart.
We are in the process of getting our CT home ready for sale and hope to be fulltimers here as soon as possible. Till then, we are enjoying the best of both worlds, enjoying the absolutely beautiful weather that Florida and The Villages have and also enjoying the New England summers as well.