Money Magazine article on 25 best places to retire

[SNOK]

Also, 20 healthiest places to retire. TV not even mentioned. Wonder why!
Here's the link. http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/moneymag/0909/gallery.bpretire_top25.moneymag/index.html

[Taj44]

I had read the article previously and wondered the same thing. I think the key might be their phrase in describing these communities as "the best bang for the buck". I know Port Charlotte, which was one of the places mentioned, offers tremendous deals on homes, and many are on or near the water. For the price, I think you get a lot more house down there as opposed to here. I personally think the homes here in The Villages, for the size lots we have and lack of privacy, are a little pricey. We make up for it with the amenities and activites, but I don't think you can put TV in a "bang for the buck" type of category. Just my opinion.

[BobKat1]

I tend to agree with Taj44. If a list weighed ammenities higher, then TV would no doubt rate high, but cost of living, bang for the buck etc. are necessarily not strong points of TV. Like anything, it's a matter of choice and preferred lifestyle.

[downeaster]

Also, 20 healthiest places to retire. TV not even mentioned. Wonder why!
Here's the link. http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/moneymag/0909/gallery.bpretire_top25.moneymag/index.html

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. The article said the picks were made by Money Magazine editors.
I looked at all 25 and found none very appealing to me. In fact Miami is in the mix. A few days ago Miami was listed as in the three worst cities to live (Orlando was there too). I don't know how it could have that distinction and be desirable for retirees.
The best place to retire is the place you feel is best.

[katezbox]

downeaster,

I was thinking the same thing as you about Miami. I couldn't find the criteria the editors were using.

Savannah is also listed. And while I think it is a beautiful city and great vacation destination, it has a lot of crime and low income areas sadly distort the cost of a home.

The list also states what the income tax rate is - but not the sales or property tax rate. How a location in California could get in there is beyond me. Their income tax is over 10% and sales tax is the highest in the country.

Providence also has a high sales and income tax.

I agree that the amount of home you get in TV is less than elsewhere.

I also note that the article did not select any other "retirement" community, such as Sun City, AZ.

[krys]

Also, 20 healthiest places to retire. TV not even mentioned. Wonder why!
Here's the link. http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/moneymag/0909/gallery.bpretire_top25.moneymag/index.html
I can't imagine wanting to retire to a place like Stevens Point, Wisconsin where the boast is - we get 40 inches of snow a year! :yuck:

[RVRoadie]

I doubt that they even consider TV a real city. They certainly aren't going to pick Lady Lake or Leesburg. It's their loss.

[ijusluvit]

Port Charlotte is #1.
Glad I don't live in a place where housing values are "50% of what they were in 2005".
I wonder if folks who've lived in Port Charlotte for longer than 4 years feel flattered or insulted by the article.

[Skip]

Reason why you don't see The Villages listed in "Money" magazine or "Where To Retire" magazine is that our developer won't advertise in those publications. "Where To Retire" is just a big advertisement for all the communities that place ads in their periodical. I'm sure "Money" and "Where" have asked The Villages (very well known to perspective retirees) many times to place ads and they just say no.

Same goes for The Daily Sun. You see "news" stories about different businesses (on Villages property). But those "stories" are only about stores that advertise in The Daily Sun on a regular basis. Don't advertise = never a mention in the local paper.

Skip

[Number 6]

The Villages did advertise in Where to Retire. I know that when I used to subscribe, they had full page ads. As we moved here, I don't read it too much anymore.

[Skip]

The Villages did advertise in Where to Retire. I know that when I used to subscribe, they had full page ads. As we moved here, I don't read it too much anymore.

OK. Then I stand corrected. I subscribed to it for a few years and never saw The Villages mentioned (stories or ads). Even in back issues. I stopped subscribing a few years ago, so I didn't see the ad you spoke of. I would think you would get a big bang for your buck there too.

In any case, that's usually the way things work. If you advertise, you get publicity and exposure. If you don't, not a peep.

(It's sort of like the "political process". If you donate to me, I do things for you.)

Thanks for correcting me.

Skip

[macgolfnut]

Number6, it had to be a while ago that TV advertised in 'Where To Retire.' I have had a subscription since 2005 and have never seen an ad or a mention of TV. Having visited a lot of retirement communities before moving here, it is really obvious that they totally base their top 100 communities on who advertises in their magazine. None of the communities that we visited that were on their top 100 came close to being as nice as our wonderful home. As far as getting a bang for your buck, we love our house and yes, there are lovely houses in other communities, but do you really move to a place like this for just the house or is it the total experience? No other place we have ever seen has so much to do and so many opportunities to follow your dreams and interests. It's amazing to me how many houses are sold here with a minimum of advertising. Word of mouth is very powerful and says a lot about the quality of our community.

[Number 6]

I first heard of The Villages via Where to Retire. That was, however, in the distant past - 2002. Shows you how long we were looking before we chose The Villages.

[RCT]

I have to totally disagree with the statement that we don't get the bang for the buck. In these economic times especially, I think we have a tremendous bang for our buck here. 135 dollars a month for the amenities here? It's a helluva bargain. Many people in other areas have had to cut back on memberships to country clubs, pool memberships, etc. And, I find the prices at the clubs, and other food establishments, to be very reasonable. Golf costs are also very reasonable. Also, I happen to live in Spanish Springs villas townhomes, 2500 sq ft, and paid 285,000. Where we moved from, Boca Raton, even in this market, is a great price. So, I guess it depends on where you moved from. Also, I do know some people complain about small lots. Our property is taken care of in our monthly association fee, but who really wants a big yard when you retire, regardless if you are taking care of it yourself, OR having someone else do it? Even with someone else doing it, you know there is still stuff you have to do. I guess some people enjoy that, but not me, not at this point.

[JUREK]

I first heard of The Villages via Where to Retire. That was, however, in the distant past - 2002. Shows you how long we were looking before we chose The Villages.

I still get Where to Retire and Villages does advertize about twice a year. I have visited a few of the communities that Where to Retire did put in their best communities and they don't remotely compare to TV. There is a bias in their selection for sure. I don't understand it for sure.

[Muncle]

This is something I posted last year in a previous discussion of the mag:

What you might have seen was a letter I wrote to them in '03. I'd been here for a real quick visit (1 day, just to look) in the summer of "03 but was still wide open in my choice of retirement spots. I subscribed to "Where to Retire" in my search for locations. I'd not seen anything about TV in the mag but liked their articles and info. I wrote:

"I've been looking into The Villages in Florida and am impressed with its layout, homes, amenities, and prices. It seems ideal, especially for a single retiree. Unfortunately, I've always been somewhat prejudiced against Florida flatness, summer heat, humidity, and bugs. Is there anything comparable farther north, specifically in the North Carolina or Virginia foothills."

Their reply:

"The Villages is unique -- more than a planned community, it's a town and a booming one. It covers about 20.000 acres, has 36,000 residents now and plans up to 50,000 homes. It has nearlyanyhing you would want in the way of recreation and services, including a regional medical center, church, restaurants, shops, groceries, and other stores. here are 10 recreation centers and another one on the way, and 18 golf courses with three more coming soon. Many residents navigate the area in their golf carts. Homes start at about $90,000 and go up above $500,000. Information: . . . "

"Few, if any, retirement communities approximate this in size, none in the mountains of North Carolina or Virginia. . . . "
The reply then went on to discuss a couple of the regular advertisers in the Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee mountains, smaller developmens like Wintergreen, Asheville, and Rarity.

That's the only mention of TV I've ever seen in the mag. For my part, obviously I got over my Florida phobias.

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/showthread.php?p=110500&highlight=Where+to+retire#post110500




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[downeaster]

Muncle wrote: "For my part, obviously I got over my Florida phobias."

I had one of those as well. It took me about five minutes to get over it and have never looked back in over thirty years. Moving to The Villages was icing on the cake.