[SALYBOW]

Originally Posted by HereComestheSun

Since there is the 80/20 rule, it would seem there should be at least about 10,000 people (and at max. 20,000) under 55 aged people living in The Villages.

I am in the process of buying a house there. While I think The Villages is clearly a wonderful place for people to retire to, I happen to be an anomaly among "the norm" (or am I?) in that I am 46 yrs old (not 55 yrs plus), will be buying and moving in alone, and not retired - instead will be looking for employment - hopefully something either in my career field or an interesting new career transition.

Having said that, I am interested in knowing whether those in a slightly younger age demographic (40-55 yrs old and NOT retired) could please describe their experience of making friends and meeting others who are less than 55 years old within the Villages. I am not prejudiced against people who are 55 plus. However, I am not at that point in my life. I've tried with little success to see if I could figure this out by various searches on the internet, but being that it is a retirement community, it is of course very heard to find much out about the other 20% who live there (the 80/20 rule).

One of the main reasons I chose The Villages is because it will be a nice opportunity to be geographically closer to my mother who lives there, since thousands of miles have separated us for most of my adult life. I just hope I won't have much trouble also finding some of my own peers!

The other day I was sitting next to a woman who was 52. All she did was complain about there being so many older people here and all the activites were aimed at older people. NEWS FLAsh!!! tHIS IS A 55+ COMMUNITY AND THAT IS CLEARLY STATED.
The reson for the 80/20 rule is it keeps TV out of a different tax situation that would have costed the developer more. I strongly doubt that 20% of the people are under 55. Many of the younger ones here came with spouses who are older.
As for getting gainful employment, that is not a very viable option. The jobs around here are all minimum wage jobs and they work hard to keep it that way.
I have a friend who is old enough to live here and she lives alone. She does not find it a very welcoming community for single ladies because every one thinks she might be out for their husband. She would not be,
Maybe some of the younger people would say something different but I would advise you to either change your expectations, or rethink your purchase. Actually, there are some people who resent the younger folk because they are sometimes more attractive and can play sports better. They feel it should be a community that is 55+ as advertised. Personally, I don't care, it is what it is. If it was only closer to my family and friends it would be perfect, but then, it would not be Florida.