Florida vs Carolinas

[wwdgd]

I am very interested in retiring to the Villages. My wife on the other hand has an aversion to Florida. She would like to explore the Carolina's. I am interested in the social aspects of the villages, the golf cart lifestyle and the warm weather. She enjoys the mountains for hiking and exploring and despises hot/humid weather.

I assume many of you explored other options before moving the villages. Can you recommend some places for us to check out that we both may like. Thanks.

[jebartle]

We lived in Western North Carolina for 27 years and loved it BUT we moved to the Villages 9 years ago and could not be happier. Yes, summers are warm, but I can remember MANY days in the mountains that reached high 90's, the Villages on the other hand has SO MANY activities, it is hard to make room for everything on your calendar. I suggest you rent for a month in the summer, if you are planning on making this your permanent home, see how you like it. We think we have died and gone to Golf heaven.

[Taltarzac725]

I have some friends who have lived here in the Villages for quite some time and long to move to the mountains of North Carolina. They have had a place picked out for a long time.

The Villages is not for everyone.

I like the weather and the way the days run together because of how easy the life here is compared to anywhere else I have lived.

The mountains though as something I miss often as I grew up surrounded by them in Reno, Nevada and also went to get a MA at the University of Denver. I would go into the mountains surrounding Denver as often as my schedule allowed.

[looneycat]

If it is any help, i had a total aversion to the idea of living in florida until visiting the villages, it took 1 day to decide I would like living here. we are far enough north to experience cool winters with nights in the 40s and days in the upper 60s to low 70s. the carolinas have their share of hot humid summer weather.

[Edjkoz]

We thought about the Carolinas but two things changed our minds. One is that they still get cold winter weathers no two the Villages has a more active lifestyle which we very much enjoy.

[billethkid]

Do both.
I know easy to say, but many do.
Over time I will make a bet that more and more time will wind up being spent here in TV.

I know of many folks who initially did not want to give up what they loved about back home or some other special place (like the Carolina mountains)....and after a year or two decide to part with one of the properties.....most chose to call TV home.

There are a lot of nice and some nicer places, but NONE, in my humble opinion with the every day life style of TV.

Just observe the thousands who come here to vacation each year.....and we live here!!!!

[blueeagle65]

We moved to TV from Durham, NC. We chose to come down for two weeks at the end of July before we decided, to see if the worst of the summer would be too extreme. Before coming down I was mowing our yard and being eaten by skeeters and sweating profusely. The time we spent here in our rental were nice and peaceful and it seemed as though we always experienced a gentle breeze with NO skeeters. In almost 12 years, Zero mosquito bites in TV! Oh yeah - we had ice storms in NC which totally sucked. Snow is one thing, but ice shuts down Everything! If you have a hobby or interest you will find it here - get a Thursday Daily Sun and check out the recreation section. Good luck w/ your decision. Oh yeah - my wife was against coming down - until she saw TV.

[JerryLBell]

My wife and I currently live near Raleigh, NC and thought we'd retire to North or South Carolina. We've looked at communities around Raleigh and Charlotte and down into the Myrtle Beach area. We saw a lot of nice but small and pretty quiet retirement communities. Friends told us about The Villages and we visited the next time we were down. We were blown away but then we're very activity-oriented. When we're on vacations, we want something to do every day. We don't know how to lay around a pool or on a beach while reading and having fancy drinks. So we wanted a retirement community that would be full of activities. Prior to visiting The Villages, our standards were set by Sun City West, where my mother-in-law lived. We wanted at least that but not in a desert area (we actually like some humidity). After visiting The Villages and several other active retirement communities in Florida (which seems to have a corner on that market), we decided there is just nowhere like The Villages and ended up buying this spring. We aren't living there yet (can't retire for another year or two) but we are hugely looking forward to the lifestyle there. Will the summers be hot? You bet, but I don't think they'll be much worse than around here (which seemed horrendously hot when we moved here from Michigan 16 year ago, but we quickly adjusted). Will there be mountains? Not in Florida, that's for sure. Will it get cold? Probably a bit on occasion, but none of the snow and ice that blueeagle65 mentioned that we definitely get here (though it's a tiny fraction of what we had in Michigan). I am done with snow and ice. Is The Villages for everyone? No, but I think we're the kind of people it is for. Whether you are or not is entirely up to you. You might want to try the "lifestyle preview" visit and see for yourselves. You might come to love what The Villages has to offer or you might come to totally appreciate your wife's desire to live in the hills of the Carolinas.

[kittygilchrist]

Darn, I thought this thread was about football....

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

I consider everything north of the FL/GA state line to be part of "The Frozen Tundra".

One of the few things about The Villages that I would change is that I'd move is about 200 miles south so the winters aren't so severe.

[golfing eagles]

My wife and I currently live near Raleigh, NC and thought we'd retire to North or South Carolina. We've looked at communities around Raleigh and Charlotte and down into the Myrtle Beach area. We saw a lot of nice but small and pretty quiet retirement communities. Friends told us about The Villages and we visited the next time we were down. We were blown away but then we're very activity-oriented. When we're on vacations, we want something to do every day. We don't know how to lay around a pool or on a beach while reading and having fancy drinks. So we wanted a retirement community that would be full of activities. Prior to visiting The Villages, our standards were set by Sun City West, where my mother-in-law lived. We wanted at least that but not in a desert area (we actually like some humidity). After visiting The Villages and several other active retirement communities in Florida (which seems to have a corner on that market), we decided there is just nowhere like The Villages and ended up buying this spring. We aren't living there yet (can't retire for another year or two) but we are hugely looking forward to the lifestyle there. Will the summers be hot? You bet, but I don't think they'll be much worse than around here (which seemed horrendously hot when we moved here from Michigan 16 year ago, but we quickly adjusted). Will there be mountains? Not in Florida, that's for sure. Will it get cold? Probably a bit on occasion, but none of the snow and ice that blueeagle65 mentioned that we definitely get here (though it's a tiny fraction of what we had in Michigan). I am done with snow and ice. Is The Villages for everyone? No, but I think we're the kind of people it is for. Whether you are or not is entirely up to you. You might want to try the "lifestyle preview" visit and see for yourselves. You might come to love what The Villages has to offer or you might come to totally appreciate your wife's desire to live in the hills of the Carolinas.

I can't agree more. My son lives just outside Raleigh/Durham, and we stop for a few days when we drive down from NY. In the summer, NC was brutal---same temp as TV, same humidity, and NO breeze, and plenty of mosquitos. Next day in TV, I could sit on my lanai with the fans on and the breeze and be relatively comfortable. In February, the temps were 35-40 in NC, some days 45. Was playing golf in short sleeves the next day here. I'll take TV climate over EASTERN NC any day. I know it is cooler in western NC, but that is true in the winter as well.

[rjm1cc]

I think you want to list the attributes of the Villages and then start hunting for communities that have similar attributes. I think you will need to set the community size to be at least 7,500 to get a good mix of activities. Then you need close shopping and medical facilities. That should limit your search to just a few options.
If you can Fl in the winter and SC mountains in the summer.

[Shimpy]

When getting ready to retire I researched northwest Georgia, NC, SC, and Tennessee knowing I wanted to get out of S. Florida. NC had the highest taxes and Florida seemed the best. I then visited The Villages and came to the conclusion that although I loved the mountains, what would I do there compared to living in The Villages?
I made the right choice moving here.

[John_W]

State Income Tax

Florida = 0%
N. Carolina = 7%
S. Carolina = 7%

Top 50 cities to be hit by a hurricane, North Carolina cities occupy #1, #2 and #5. Florida's highest ranking is Boca Raton at #9 and Miami at #11, South Carolina Myrtle Beach is #18. North Central Florida includes The Villages, Ocala, Gainesville and Orlando are not in the top 50.

We had looked at Myrtle Beach twice, we stayed a week each time, went to some shows, walked the boardwalk and looked at many homes. Housing was very affordable, a lot of activities and golf courses are numerous. However, everywhere we went was families and children galore. I have nothing against children, but I much prefer being in a community of 55+. It's like we're in high school again, everyone is the same age or thereabouts, even when going to the movies or the restaurants.

From the air

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5536/11377174463_6741b235ef_b.jpg

From the ground

https://scontent-mia1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/v/t1.0-9/10155792_10153720786657506_4658598527951178784_n.j pg?oh=f55a9d10902722ed92a96492b5424198&oe=56B67BDA

[Chatbrat]

NC has an income tax, they have personal property tax & they have very restrictive and expensive liquor sales. But they have snow & cooler summers in the mountains.

[rubicon]

wwdgd:

It is a very difficult decision and one my wife and I had approached back in 1999 by visiting prospective retirement communities. We moved here in 2006

I am sure you considered cost of living, weather taxes lifestyle , living loved ones behind etc.

After our long search we loved Charleston South Carolina best.. the lifestyle , homes etc. However it has a higher cost of living in every aspect.

We nixed Florida because it in many areas communities do not develop well that is until we visited The Villages. Its not perfect and winters while not long can be cold. In our view it is an oasis in Central Florida, catastrophic weather is rare and taxes are lower.

finally before deciding don't restrict your thinking to now project out scenarios 5 10-15-20 years out . We did that when deciding what house to buy and what we wanted to spend etc . You also need to consider what affect your decisions may have on your offspring, etc

We have friends who have reached that stage in their lives where their focus is on assisted living needs. they do not want to bother the kids about liquidating and so sell everything and move to nearby communities
Indeed a sensible and loving thing to do


Personal Best Regards:

[cuzg8tor]

The wife and I live the best of both worlds - we live in The Villages during the winter months and in Conneste Falls, Brevard , NC (30 miles south of Ashville at 3200 feet elevation) during the summer. We love both communities equally - apparently so do other Villagers who have recently bought summer mountain homes in Connestee. In fact we just bought another home there this month. We are renovating it and it will be available for purchase in a couple of months if interested. Again, for us it works best to have a foot in the Villages with all its social life and the other foot in the mountains with its natural beauty and nature. Check out Connestee Falls community in Brevard, NC.

[njbchbum]

Where do you not find heat and humidity? My sister recently moved to Del Webb's in Bluffton, SC. They drive their golf carts, have their social clubs, play their golf, drink and dine locally and can easily avoid or enjoy a quick trip to Hilton Head Island for more golf than you can shake a club at, lots of shopping [outlets, too], and the whale/dolphin watching from the beaches is neat. The area may not have mountains but it does have some of the most beautiful nature preserves with trails your wife could ever enjoy! And who would complain about being 30 mins from all that Savanah has to offer; and its major airport if you can't use the HHI airport for travel? Even that coastal area enjoys a change of seasons! Hubs and I are very happy to visit that area when we travel North after a wonderful winter in our Villages snowbird nest! [PS - It's where you can find many halfbacks living...you know...the folks who moved half way back home to be closer to the kids and grandkids! ;)]

[Chatbrat]

If you decide to buy in NC-do not buy anything in Fairfield Harbour--totally corrupt POA

[Carpe Diem]

Our favorite thing about the Villages is not the lifestyle, but the people we've met. Every day I meet someone new on a golf course, at a store, or at the Square. We bought a villa during the week of our first visit. One night we sat in the Sumter gazebo considering the plusses and minuses and making such a rash decision. We concluded, "These are the type of people we want to hang out with from here on out."

Also, being at the Villages is like being in college again.

Moving here in Aug 2018. Can't wait.

[Fraugoofy]

I consider everything north of the FL/GA state line to be part of "The Frozen Tundra".

One of the few things about The Villages that I would change is that I'd move is about 200 miles south so the winters aren't so severe.
The only frozen tundra I know is right in the heart of Green Bay: Lambeau Field!!

[wwdgd]

Thank you for all the replies. I can tell from the replies that everyone has a passion for the villages. I knew when I asked on this forum that the replies would reflect the thoughts of people that already chose to live here. :)