View Full Version : After moving to Florida did it meet your expectations ?
rustyp
03-31-2022, 04:58 PM
A tough decision for most - after moving to Florida did it meet your expectations ?
PLEASE ONLY POSITIVE RESPONSES ALLOWED.
asianthree
03-31-2022, 05:03 PM
Moving to Florida or moving to TV?
rustyp
03-31-2022, 05:22 PM
Moving to Florida or moving to TV?
It's posted in the non villages discussion !
manaboutown
03-31-2022, 05:24 PM
I expected more of a South Florida Miami Vice vibe. Miami Vice - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami_Vice)
But I found Central Florida to be vastly different.
Michael G.
03-31-2022, 05:28 PM
Our son and daughter-in-law moved to Florida from Charolette N.C about the time my wife and I both retired in Wisconsin.
We spent the first 6 months renting, put a bid on a house in the same area, returned back home and came back to Florida
two months later.
We never even thought about moving here until then.
Stu from NYC
03-31-2022, 05:51 PM
Yes It did.
Did expect warmer temps though
Bogie Shooter
03-31-2022, 05:53 PM
A tough decision for most - after moving to Florida did it meet your expectations ?
PLEASE ONLY POSITIVE RESPONSES ALLOWED.
If I said no, would that be a negative response? Or, what is your definition of a positive response? Or……….
Mleeja
03-31-2022, 05:59 PM
We have been if Florida almost 7 years. Our previous trips before moving were to the “tourist destination”. Since relocating here, we have ventured out to other areas. Have enjoyed 90% of it.
rustyp
03-31-2022, 06:00 PM
if i said no, would that be a negative response? Or, what is your definition of a positive response? Or……….
yes
coralway
03-31-2022, 06:23 PM
what is the purpose of asking, if you only want positive responses?
Nucky
03-31-2022, 06:36 PM
Living in The Villages is much better than I had ever expected. I investigated the weather, as far as Hurricanes were involved. However, the one thing I did miss was that it gets cold here in winter. Colder than I expected. When we go to visit family down around Miami I literally get on the driveway and kiss the Tarmac when we get back home safely. I love it here. For us, there is no other place to be in Florida. If we ever had to leave it would be back to N.J. God Forbid!!!!
Stu from NYC
03-31-2022, 06:52 PM
yes
Unless of course you really meant to say no or vice versa.
manaboutown
03-31-2022, 07:08 PM
Yes It did.
Did expect warmer temps though
A long time friend in her 70s who has lived in Miami and The Keys all her life told me that not only is it colder in the winter in Central Florida than in South Florida it is hotter in the summer. That surprised me. She told me they get cooling breezes off the Atlantic which help in the summer.
Chi-Town
03-31-2022, 07:25 PM
Florida was my second choice but that's in the past. 12 years now.
Regrets, I've had a few, but too few to mention.
Calisport
03-31-2022, 08:22 PM
Yes. Living in California all my life fall, winter, spring always tended to be chilly off and on so don't miss it at all. Florida has a minimum of really chilly days. If Baja California was in the USA, I would maybe move down outside of Cabo.
BigSteph
03-31-2022, 09:07 PM
I positively didn't know that it could be cool as often as it has been in January and February.
I positively didn't know that CENTRAL FLORIDA had as much abject poverty as it does -- I had always visited touristy areas and while I saw poverty, I figured it was part of the mix of any large city -- Orlando, Miami, Tampa, St. Pete, Jacksonville, Daytona, etc.
I positively didn't know about the "wet" season and the "dry" season -- both of which have proven true in my 1 year here.
Lastly, I positively didn't know that the wages for work done in Central Florida were 33% - 50% lower than the same work performed in another state (East Coast). This was a complete shock and completely my error to have not researched.
OrangeBlossomBaby
03-31-2022, 10:28 PM
I got pretty much exactly what I expected.
ithos
04-01-2022, 04:19 AM
What is with these threads that only solicit responses from people who agree with the OP?
If there are mentally disturbed people who regret moving to Florida, I would be most interested to read their opinion. :icon_wink:
Jimmay
04-01-2022, 04:47 AM
You’re asking for peoples opinion but you only what positive responses?
Susan1717
04-01-2022, 04:52 AM
I would never live anywhere now but Florida. I love the warmth and also love the humidity. Both work perfect with my wellness program. Im a water and boating person so enjoy ft lauderdale up to Jupiter but The Villages was also a lovely place to live, especially if you’re a golfer.
midiwiz
04-01-2022, 05:18 AM
You’re asking for peoples opinion but you only what positive responses?
isn't that the only way it's allegedly supposed to work in the 'friendliest" place in the world?? (cough cough cough) over compensate liberal qualities for the better good?
MidWestIA
04-01-2022, 05:26 AM
I stopped by The Villages after a conference and was overwhelmed by all the things to do. But living here everyday is the same the way I have done it but that may be more like missing a work life and having a purpose
Cher1119
04-01-2022, 05:33 AM
You’re asking for peoples opinion but you only what positive responses?
My thought also.
Serendipatti
04-01-2022, 05:56 AM
Why even ask a question like that if you only want to hear positive responses?
Freeda
04-01-2022, 06:05 AM
Yes. We moved.here full time in 2007. For the first few months I felt at times "what am I doing here??" After that, I started asking myself "what on earth took me so long to move to Florida?!" The Villages became hone, and I would never live anywhere else..
Black Beauty
04-01-2022, 06:12 AM
We spent 11 years wintering in Mexico...paradise, but we got stolen from 3 times. Then we came back to the good old USA looking for paradise. The first year we spent in 5 different locations in Florida, settling in TV. No regrets, lots to do...been here 4 years now!
Suzay
04-01-2022, 06:17 AM
It beats shoveling snow and sitting in the house all winter long .
BlackhawksFan
04-01-2022, 06:21 AM
A tough decision for most - after moving to Florida did it meet your expectations ?
PLEASE ONLY POSITIVE RESPONSES ALLOWED.
If you want only positive responses doesn't that defeat the purpose of your question?
No it didn't. I'm looking to move out.
Sorry I was honest.
Bethwill
04-01-2022, 06:30 AM
Absolutely
JMintzer
04-01-2022, 06:31 AM
What is with these threads that only solicit responses from people who agree with the OP?
If there are mentally disturbed people who regret moving to Florida, I would be most interested to read their opinion. :icon_wink:
Then start a thread asking if moving to FL DIDN'T live up to your expectations...
I'm sure you'll have plenty of mentally disturbed people posing there... :icon_wink:
DaleDivine
04-01-2022, 06:59 AM
Living in The Villages is much better than I had ever expected. I investigated the weather, as far as Hurricanes were involved. However, the one thing I did miss was that it gets cold here in winter. Colder than I expected. When we go to visit family down around Miami I literally get on the driveway and kiss the Tarmac when we get back home safely. I love it here. For us, there is no other place to be in Florida. If we ever had to leave it would be back to N.J. God Forbid!!!!
I'm a golfer so, there is no other place for golfing like The Villages.
:coolsmiley::coolsmiley:
davem4616
04-01-2022, 07:01 AM
A long time friend in her 70s who has lived in Miami and The Keys all her life told me that not only is it colder in the winter in Central Florida than in South Florida it is hotter in the summer. That surprised me. She told me they get cooling breezes off the Atlantic which help in the summer.
I concur
Our first Florida home was on a canal in Ft Lauderdale beautiful weather 365 days a year...always a breeze, palm trees galore
the traffic is horrible down there though, and once the iguana's started eating my tomato plants I said, "let's go a little further north."
The Village's lifestyle what made central Florida livable for us
sdm1222
04-01-2022, 07:03 AM
A tough decision for most - after moving to Florida did it meet your expectations ?
PLEASE ONLY POSITIVE RESPONSES ALLOWED.
"pollyannaish"
mkjelenbaas
04-01-2022, 07:16 AM
A tough decision for most - after moving to Florida did it meet your expectations ?
PLEASE ONLY POSITIVE RESPONSES ALLOWED.
Does that mean if we don’t like the move we can say so? In other words you only want one side of the conversation! That is rather ODD!
airstreamingypsy
04-01-2022, 07:19 AM
Oooooh, you're not going to like this answer. I used to love it, but seeing all these crazy new laws, and watching Florida turn into Alabama.... am thinking not so much.
airstreamingypsy
04-01-2022, 07:21 AM
I concur
Our first Florida home was on a canal in Ft Lauderdale beautiful weather 365 days a year...always a breeze, palm trees galore
the traffic is horrible down there though, and once the iguana's started eating my tomato plants I said, "let's go a little further north."
The Village's lifestyle what made central Florida livable for us
.....and now the traffic is horrible here.
Petersweeney
04-01-2022, 07:26 AM
Op …. Are you the one who works at the internet and took away the dislike buttons?
merrymini
04-01-2022, 07:48 AM
Do you get paid for posting questions like this?
PersonOfInterest
04-01-2022, 07:51 AM
A tough decision for most - after moving to Florida did it meet your expectations ?
PLEASE ONLY POSITIVE RESPONSES ALLOWED.
Why ask the question if you only want Positive Response?
TravisandAngie
04-01-2022, 07:55 AM
Absolutely YES. We love it here and feel so blessed to be in Florida.
MiniCooper
04-01-2022, 07:57 AM
Love being in Florida. Very few surprises and fun no longer visiting as a tourist.
sallyg
04-01-2022, 08:02 AM
What's your favorite color? Only answer if it's blue.
sallyg
04-01-2022, 08:03 AM
Why ask the question if you only want Positive Response?
Exactly.
ThirdOfFive
04-01-2022, 08:07 AM
A tough decision for most - after moving to Florida did it meet your expectations ?
PLEASE ONLY POSITIVE RESPONSES ALLOWED.
It is more complicated than that. Florida is not one comprehensive thing...the Panhandle for example is as different from West Palm Beach or Jupiter as night is from day. Likewise the difference between Miami and The Villages. They could be in two different countries insofar as their differences go. I realize that can be said, to a degree anyway, for most states: when you're in Minnesota for example no matter which part you are in, you KNOW you are in Minnesota. Here, you can be in Havana in the morning and NYC in the afternoon. The only (relative) constant is the weather.
We had been to Florida quite often before our move here so the reality pretty much jived with our expectations, and in a nutshell we couldn't be happier. The Villages lifestyle is in my opinion ideal for people in our situation (no maintenance demands, lots of free time and the money to enjoy it) and there's just something about palm trees and blooming azalea plants that is conducive to a feeling of overall well-being. And those differences, in my opinion, are a tremendous positive as well. You don't have to drive far to experience the REAL Florida (at least what it was before all the geezers flooded in). We have some friends about 20 miles out of town in a VERY rural part of the state, and the laid-back lifestyle and friendly people is something to be valued when we experience it.
Of course there are negatives. For instance the medical care is overall not the best when compared to that which I believe many if not most of us enjoyed before moving here. But rather than fret about that I make it a point to live as healthy as I can, and in nearly two years now I haven't had so much as a sniffle.
Yeah. My expectations have been met. Exceeded, actually.
PugMom
04-01-2022, 08:16 AM
coming from a small state, the size of fl overwhelmed me @ 1st. other than that we should've moved here years ago.
toeser
04-01-2022, 08:27 AM
A tough decision for most - after moving to Florida did it meet your expectations ?
PLEASE ONLY POSITIVE RESPONSES ALLOWED.
You really are not gathering much useful information by asking for only positive responses.
dhdallas
04-01-2022, 08:32 AM
I am only here in The Villages because my wife insisted. This is not her opinion; she loves every little thing about it. For me though other than the warm winter weather, it sucks. Driving anywhere is a pain. Way too much traffic and it will continue to get worse as they are continuing non stop developing. Homes are crammed together & you can hear everything from next door, conversations, dishes clanking, dogs barking - it can be as noisy as living in an apartment building. Hope you don’t mind nosey neighbors either.
Those near the Florida Turnpike or busy Morse Blvd have 24-7 traffic noise. The really unlucky people live near a pickleball court. Pickleball is played with a paddle and a hard plastic wiffle-type ball on a badminton-size court with a tennis net. The sound of a paddle striking a pickleball is similar to a ping-pong game amplified. All day long - bonk, bonk, bonk, bonk. I heard the CIA is replacing waterboarding with audio tapes of pickleball games to make enemy suspects talk. A couple of hours listening to pickleball and they would give up their own mothers!
Heavy golf cart traffic is ridiculous and dangerous. I ride my bike on the cart paths and it is scary. Read the ‘Villages-News.com’ online newspaper for all the latest drunk cart driving accidents and the real unvarnished truth about what goes on here. Recently there has been a number of drivers with their full-size vehicles inadvertently on the cart paths. Stupidity & senility go hand-in-hand whether driving a full-size vehicle or toy car (aka golf cart) in The Villages.
Many of the ridiculously expensive golf carts are pimped out with these godawful conversion kits to look like Hummers, Jeeps, Rolls Royces, etc. Then here in the land of sunshine, they fully enclose the carts with heat & AC. It was in the mid-70’s the other day, not a cloud in the sky, and most of the golf carts I passed had their doors closed & people even had on winter clothes. Back home I used to drive my Jeep Wrangler from May to the end of October with the doors and top removed. I just don’t get it!
The swimming pools are all heated too. I mean it is 90 degrees in the shade and you need a heated pool? It must have something to do with poor blood circulation in old people.
Leesburg, Florida is next door to The Villages and has more crime than seems possible for such a small town with only 20k residents. I used to think that Erie, PA was like the Wild West when it came to drive-bys, shootings, drug crime, and robberies. All those crimes and more are rampant in Leesburg and make Erie look like a peace & love commune!
Don’t make the mistake of thinking there isn’t any crime within The Villages. Just because people get old doesn’t necessarily mean they are all now honest upstanding citizens! Stalking, sex crimes, road rage, vandalism, theft, gun crime, assaults, alcohol & drug related incidents are in the local news regularly. A 76 year old man was arrested for strangling his female partner over an argument involving their cats! A woman was arrested for throwing rocks at a child, hitting the kid 5 times. You can’t make this stuff up...it is nuts!
If you are a fan of plastic artificial stuff in general, The Villages is the place for you. There are currently 3 imitation Western, Spanish, and Seaside themed town squares with overpriced shops, boutiques, restaurants, and markets. There are even ‘pretend’ Country Clubs where you can go and hang out while you make-believe you are a member of an elite club.
The Villages is a “gated community”. Not really though. There are gates but they are just to slow you down as the cart paths & village entrances intersect at that point. You do not need any ID or passcode to enter. Some of the entry gates actually have people manning them but it is just for show. There are no guards to enforce strict entry rules. The gates get knocked down all the time by idiot drivers. The “gated community” term is a marketing tool and to make residents feel privileged & entitled.
The Villages has strict rules regarding what you can and cannot do with your property such as lawn ornaments, landscaping, etc. However, the rules are only enforced if there is a complaint which pits neighbor versus neighbor. So much for “Florida’s Friendliest Hometown”. Even then, they cannot enforce anything. They just send you letters and fines you can ignore forever. I want to get a black lawn jockey for my front yard!
The Villages is a marvel of overpriced cookie-cutter homes arranged in “villages” that remind me of a Twilight Zone episode in which a couple woke up in this picture perfect town only to find out everything in it was fake and they were in a giant being’s terrarium. The Villages is like ‘The Stepford Wives’ meet ‘Pleasantville’ in ‘The Twilight Zone’. The place is as strange and unnatural as it gets.
The Villages has been described as an adult playground, a land-locked cruise ship, and a Disney World for adults. I always thought a person should age with some semblance of dignity but reverting back to their childhood is a common theme here. Playing games all day, driving toy cars, wearing silly hats & clothes, they are an embarrassment to senior citizens in general. When someone back home asks me where I live in Florida, I just say between Orlando & Ocala, never The Villages.
Get outside TV and this central part of Florida is pretty darn ugly. Swamps, brush & scrubs, ugly trees, trashy homes, dumpy house trailers with plenty of crime & drugs to go around. I carry a legally concealed handgun pretty much everywhere I go.
If you like alligators, The Villages has more alligators than we have stray cats up north. They wander across golf courses, backyards and trails. The alligators don’t seem bothered by humans. Coincidentally the neighborhoods are inexplicably free of any stray cats.
I am more critical of The Villages than most because I don’t play golf, I don’t like games or clubs, I don’t like to socialize, I don’t like pools, I don’t like replicas and would much rather be around animals than people. I’ve been here for 2 winters and haven’t needed or would even use an ID card for anything they offer.
I prefer solitary pursuits; cycling, hunting, fishing, kayaking, reading, television, sitting on a beach, etc. Any natural setting by an ocean, forest, river, or lake is my cup of tea. I live in a small lakeside community at home in PA. The homes are all quaint & unique. The people are genuine and the setting although developed retains a natural look and feel.
As I said before, I am not your typical resident. The stranger asks, “Where is it you live?” Somewhere between Orlando and Ocala :-)
June P
04-01-2022, 08:32 AM
A tough decision for most - after moving to Florida did it meet your expectations ?
PLEASE ONLY POSITIVE RESPONSES ALLOWED.
I feel very fortunate that I am able to live in Florida (I came from snowy, chilly Upstate New York). I visit NY in the summer (yes, it is nice there then) so I can appreciate my life here.
Hifred
04-01-2022, 08:49 AM
What is not to like about Florida?????
1) Substandard Health Care - Think needing surgery on a Caribbean Island with doctor who went to school at the West Indies School of Medicine only worse...in the West Indies they don't treat covid with Ivermectin (animal De-Wormer).
2) White Nationalist groups Natzi's marching in Orlando
3) The removal of our duly elected representatives Miller and Search from their office by the governor.
But Florida has beautiful beaches, love the variety of birds, and lots of sun shine.
But we Love the Villages!!!!!!
We enjoy all the activities, it is clean, we love the comfort and security we have found living here. The Villages is a wonderful place to live only we wish it was not such a politically "charged" environment and there was better health care. I am from an area where people were not attacked for their political beliefs. Here if you are not a TRU.... prepared to be harassed and ridiculed by those who want you to think like them and don't respect individual differences.
ASA89
04-01-2022, 08:50 AM
A tough decision for most - after moving to Florida did it meet your expectations ?
PLEASE ONLY POSITIVE RESPONSES ALLOWED.
If only positive responses are allowed, why not ask what people like about relocating to Florida? Not everyone feels positively about their relocation.
ThirdOfFive
04-01-2022, 08:51 AM
I am only here in The Villages because my wife insisted. This is not her opinion; she loves every little thing about it. For me though other than the warm winter weather, it sucks. Driving anywhere is a pain. Way too much traffic and it will continue to get worse as they are continuing non stop developing. Homes are crammed together & you can hear everything from next door, conversations, dishes clanking, dogs barking - it can be as noisy as living in an apartment building. Hope you don’t mind nosey neighbors either.
Those near the Florida Turnpike or busy Morse Blvd have 24-7 traffic noise. The really unlucky people live near a pickleball court. Pickleball is played with a paddle and a hard plastic wiffle-type ball on a badminton-size court with a tennis net. The sound of a paddle striking a pickleball is similar to a ping-pong game amplified. All day long - bonk, bonk, bonk, bonk. I heard the CIA is replacing waterboarding with audio tapes of pickleball games to make enemy suspects talk. A couple of hours listening to pickleball and they would give up their own mothers!
Heavy golf cart traffic is ridiculous and dangerous. I ride my bike on the cart paths and it is scary. Read the ‘Villages-News.com’ online newspaper for all the latest drunk cart driving accidents and the real unvarnished truth about what goes on here. Recently there has been a number of drivers with their full-size vehicles inadvertently on the cart paths. Stupidity & senility go hand-in-hand whether driving a full-size vehicle or toy car (aka golf cart) in The Villages.
Many of the ridiculously expensive golf carts are pimped out with these godawful conversion kits to look like Hummers, Jeeps, Rolls Royces, etc. Then here in the land of sunshine, they fully enclose the carts with heat & AC. It was in the mid-70’s the other day, not a cloud in the sky, and most of the golf carts I passed had their doors closed & people even had on winter clothes. Back home I used to drive my Jeep Wrangler from May to the end of October with the doors and top removed. I just don’t get it!
The swimming pools are all heated too. I mean it is 90 degrees in the shade and you need a heated pool? It must have something to do with poor blood circulation in old people.
Leesburg, Florida is next door to The Villages and has more crime than seems possible for such a small town with only 20k residents. I used to think that Erie, PA was like the Wild West when it came to drive-bys, shootings, drug crime, and robberies. All those crimes and more are rampant in Leesburg and make Erie look like a peace & love commune!
Don’t make the mistake of thinking there isn’t any crime within The Villages. Just because people get old doesn’t necessarily mean they are all now honest upstanding citizens! Stalking, sex crimes, road rage, vandalism, theft, gun crime, assaults, alcohol & drug related incidents are in the local news regularly. A 76 year old man was arrested for strangling his female partner over an argument involving their cats! A woman was arrested for throwing rocks at a child, hitting the kid 5 times. You can’t make this stuff up...it is nuts!
If you are a fan of plastic artificial stuff in general, The Villages is the place for you. There are currently 3 imitation Western, Spanish, and Seaside themed town squares with overpriced shops, boutiques, restaurants, and markets. There are even ‘pretend’ Country Clubs where you can go and hang out while you make-believe you are a member of an elite club.
The Villages is a “gated community”. Not really though. There are gates but they are just to slow you down as the cart paths & village entrances intersect at that point. You do not need any ID or passcode to enter. Some of the entry gates actually have people manning them but it is just for show. There are no guards to enforce strict entry rules. The gates get knocked down all the time by idiot drivers. The “gated community” term is a marketing tool and to make residents feel privileged & entitled.
The Villages has strict rules regarding what you can and cannot do with your property such as lawn ornaments, landscaping, etc. However, the rules are only enforced if there is a complaint which pits neighbor versus neighbor. So much for “Florida’s Friendliest Hometown”. Even then, they cannot enforce anything. They just send you letters and fines you can ignore forever. I want to get a black lawn jockey for my front yard!
The Villages is a marvel of overpriced cookie-cutter homes arranged in “villages” that remind me of a Twilight Zone episode in which a couple woke up in this picture perfect town only to find out everything in it was fake and they were in a giant being’s terrarium. The Villages is like ‘The Stepford Wives’ meet ‘Pleasantville’ in ‘The Twilight Zone’. The place is as strange and unnatural as it gets.
The Villages has been described as an adult playground, a land-locked cruise ship, and a Disney World for adults. I always thought a person should age with some semblance of dignity but reverting back to their childhood is a common theme here. Playing games all day, driving toy cars, wearing silly hats & clothes, they are an embarrassment to senior citizens in general. When someone back home asks me where I live in Florida, I just say between Orlando & Ocala, never The Villages.
Get outside TV and this central part of Florida is pretty darn ugly. Swamps, brush & scrubs, ugly trees, trashy homes, dumpy house trailers with plenty of crime & drugs to go around. I carry a legally concealed handgun pretty much everywhere I go.
If you like alligators, The Villages has more alligators than we have stray cats up north. They wander across golf courses, backyards and trails. The alligators don’t seem bothered by humans. Coincidentally the neighborhoods are inexplicably free of any stray cats.
I am more critical of The Villages than most because I don’t play golf, I don’t like games or clubs, I don’t like to socialize, I don’t like pools, I don’t like replicas and would much rather be around animals than people. I’ve been here for 2 winters and haven’t needed or would even use an ID card for anything they offer.
I prefer solitary pursuits; cycling, hunting, fishing, kayaking, reading, television, sitting on a beach, etc. Any natural setting by an ocean, forest, river, or lake is my cup of tea. I live in a small lakeside community at home in PA. The homes are all quaint & unique. The people are genuine and the setting although developed retains a natural look and feel.
As I said before, I am not your typical resident. The stranger asks, “Where is it you live?” Somewhere between Orlando and Ocala :-)
Wow!
Like mom used to say whenever I started complaining; "you'd b~tch if you were hung with a new rope".
Everything is relative, I guess. People who look for negatives will find them. But I left a lot more negatives back in Minnesota than I've encountered here in The Villages.
ribil
04-01-2022, 08:59 AM
A tough decision for most - after moving to Florida did it meet your expectations ?
PLEASE ONLY POSITIVE RESPONSES ALLOWED.
Why would you ask that, then require ONLY positive responses?? You should have just asked what you like about moving to Florida!
My answer is no, which obviously begs another question.
Pamelah
04-01-2022, 09:13 AM
If I said no, would that be a negative response? Or, what is your definition of a positive response? Or……….
You are correct Bogie. The way the question is worded begs for a “”yes” or “no” answer and “no” is a negative! Question should have been written differently to get all positive responses.
BumpaOompa
04-01-2022, 09:15 AM
Do you like this post? ONLY NEGATIVE RESPONSES ALLOWED!!
Pamelah
04-01-2022, 09:16 AM
I positively didn't know that it could be cool as often as it has been in January and February.
I positively didn't know that CENTRAL FLORIDA had as much abject poverty as it does -- I had always visited touristy areas and while I saw poverty, I figured it was part of the mix of any large city -- Orlando, Miami, Tampa, St. Pete, Jacksonville, Daytona, etc.
I positively didn't know about the "wet" season and the "dry" season -- both of which have proven true in my 1 year here.
Lastly, I positively didn't know that the wages for work done in Central Florida were 33% - 50% lower than the same work performed in another state (East Coast). This was a complete shock and completely my error to have not researched.
We’ll worded responses BigSteph!
Bogie Shooter
04-01-2022, 09:17 AM
I am only here in The Villages because my wife insisted. This is not her opinion; she loves every little thing about it. For me though other than the warm winter weather, it sucks. Driving anywhere is a pain. Way too much traffic and it will continue to get worse as they are continuing non stop developing. Homes are crammed together & you can hear everything from next door, conversations, dishes clanking, dogs barking - it can be as noisy as living in an apartment building. Hope you don’t mind nosey neighbors either.
Those near the Florida Turnpike or busy Morse Blvd have 24-7 traffic noise. The really unlucky people live near a pickleball court. Pickleball is played with a paddle and a hard plastic wiffle-type ball on a badminton-size court with a tennis net. The sound of a paddle striking a pickleball is similar to a ping-pong game amplified. All day long - bonk, bonk, bonk, bonk. I heard the CIA is replacing waterboarding with audio tapes of pickleball games to make enemy suspects talk. A couple of hours listening to pickleball and they would give up their own mothers!
Heavy golf cart traffic is ridiculous and dangerous. I ride my bike on the cart paths and it is scary. Read the ‘Villages-News.com’ online newspaper for all the latest drunk cart driving accidents and the real unvarnished truth about what goes on here. Recently there has been a number of drivers with their full-size vehicles inadvertently on the cart paths. Stupidity & senility go hand-in-hand whether driving a full-size vehicle or toy car (aka golf cart) in The Villages.
Many of the ridiculously expensive golf carts are pimped out with these godawful conversion kits to look like Hummers, Jeeps, Rolls Royces, etc. Then here in the land of sunshine, they fully enclose the carts with heat & AC. It was in the mid-70’s the other day, not a cloud in the sky, and most of the golf carts I passed had their doors closed & people even had on winter clothes. Back home I used to drive my Jeep Wrangler from May to the end of October with the doors and top removed. I just don’t get it!
The swimming pools are all heated too. I mean it is 90 degrees in the shade and you need a heated pool? It must have something to do with poor blood circulation in old people.
Leesburg, Florida is next door to The Villages and has more crime than seems possible for such a small town with only 20k residents. I used to think that Erie, PA was like the Wild West when it came to drive-bys, shootings, drug crime, and robberies. All those crimes and more are rampant in Leesburg and make Erie look like a peace & love commune!
Don’t make the mistake of thinking there isn’t any crime within The Villages. Just because people get old doesn’t necessarily mean they are all now honest upstanding citizens! Stalking, sex crimes, road rage, vandalism, theft, gun crime, assaults, alcohol & drug related incidents are in the local news regularly. A 76 year old man was arrested for strangling his female partner over an argument involving their cats! A woman was arrested for throwing rocks at a child, hitting the kid 5 times. You can’t make this stuff up...it is nuts!
If you are a fan of plastic artificial stuff in general, The Villages is the place for you. There are currently 3 imitation Western, Spanish, and Seaside themed town squares with overpriced shops, boutiques, restaurants, and markets. There are even ‘pretend’ Country Clubs where you can go and hang out while you make-believe you are a member of an elite club.
The Villages is a “gated community”. Not really though. There are gates but they are just to slow you down as the cart paths & village entrances intersect at that point. You do not need any ID or passcode to enter. Some of the entry gates actually have people manning them but it is just for show. There are no guards to enforce strict entry rules. The gates get knocked down all the time by idiot drivers. The “gated community” term is a marketing tool and to make residents feel privileged & entitled.
The Villages has strict rules regarding what you can and cannot do with your property such as lawn ornaments, landscaping, etc. However, the rules are only enforced if there is a complaint which pits neighbor versus neighbor. So much for “Florida’s Friendliest Hometown”. Even then, they cannot enforce anything. They just send you letters and fines you can ignore forever. I want to get a black lawn jockey for my front yard!
The Villages is a marvel of overpriced cookie-cutter homes arranged in “villages” that remind me of a Twilight Zone episode in which a couple woke up in this picture perfect town only to find out everything in it was fake and they were in a giant being’s terrarium. The Villages is like ‘The Stepford Wives’ meet ‘Pleasantville’ in ‘The Twilight Zone’. The place is as strange and unnatural as it gets.
The Villages has been described as an adult playground, a land-locked cruise ship, and a Disney World for adults. I always thought a person should age with some semblance of dignity but reverting back to their childhood is a common theme here. Playing games all day, driving toy cars, wearing silly hats & clothes, they are an embarrassment to senior citizens in general. When someone back home asks me where I live in Florida, I just say between Orlando & Ocala, never The Villages.
Get outside TV and this central part of Florida is pretty darn ugly. Swamps, brush & scrubs, ugly trees, trashy homes, dumpy house trailers with plenty of crime & drugs to go around. I carry a legally concealed handgun pretty much everywhere I go.
If you like alligators, The Villages has more alligators than we have stray cats up north. They wander across golf courses, backyards and trails. The alligators don’t seem bothered by humans. Coincidentally the neighborhoods are inexplicably free of any stray cats.
I am more critical of The Villages than most because I don’t play golf, I don’t like games or clubs, I don’t like to socialize, I don’t like pools, I don’t like replicas and would much rather be around animals than people. I’ve been here for 2 winters and haven’t needed or would even use an ID card for anything they offer.
I prefer solitary pursuits; cycling, hunting, fishing, kayaking, reading, television, sitting on a beach, etc. Any natural setting by an ocean, forest, river, or lake is my cup of tea. I live in a small lakeside community at home in PA. The homes are all quaint & unique. The people are genuine and the setting although developed retains a natural look and feel.
As I said before, I am not your typical resident. The stranger asks, “Where is it you live?” Somewhere between Orlando and Ocala :-)
Waste of time………..
36Aday
04-01-2022, 09:19 AM
God Bless and Protect the great state of Florida and Governor DeSantis 🙏
TomPerry
04-01-2022, 09:22 AM
I am only here in The Villages because my wife insisted. This is not her opinion; she loves every little thing about it. For me though other than the warm winter weather, it sucks. Driving anywhere is a pain. Way too much traffic and it will continue to get worse as they are continuing non stop developing. Homes are crammed together & you can hear everything from next door, conversations, dishes clanking, dogs barking - it can be as noisy as living in an apartment building. Hope you don’t mind nosey neighbors either.
Those near the Florida Turnpike or busy Morse Blvd have 24-7 traffic noise. The really unlucky people live near a pickleball court. Pickleball is played with a paddle and a hard plastic wiffle-type ball on a badminton-size court with a tennis net. The sound of a paddle striking a pickleball is similar to a ping-pong game amplified. All day long - bonk, bonk, bonk, bonk. I heard the CIA is replacing waterboarding with audio tapes of pickleball games to make enemy suspects talk. A couple of hours listening to pickleball and they would give up their own mothers!
Heavy golf cart traffic is ridiculous and dangerous. I ride my bike on the cart paths and it is scary. Read the ‘Villages-News.com’ online newspaper for all the latest drunk cart driving accidents and the real unvarnished truth about what goes on here. Recently there has been a number of drivers with their full-size vehicles inadvertently on the cart paths. Stupidity & senility go hand-in-hand whether driving a full-size vehicle or toy car (aka golf cart) in The Villages.
Many of the ridiculously expensive golf carts are pimped out with these godawful conversion kits to look like Hummers, Jeeps, Rolls Royces, etc. Then here in the land of sunshine, they fully enclose the carts with heat & AC. It was in the mid-70’s the other day, not a cloud in the sky, and most of the golf carts I passed had their doors closed & people even had on winter clothes. Back home I used to drive my Jeep Wrangler from May to the end of October with the doors and top removed. I just don’t get it!
The swimming pools are all heated too. I mean it is 90 degrees in the shade and you need a heated pool? It must have something to do with poor blood circulation in old people.
Leesburg, Florida is next door to The Villages and has more crime than seems possible for such a small town with only 20k residents. I used to think that Erie, PA was like the Wild West when it came to drive-bys, shootings, drug crime, and robberies. All those crimes and more are rampant in Leesburg and make Erie look like a peace & love commune!
Don’t make the mistake of thinking there isn’t any crime within The Villages. Just because people get old doesn’t necessarily mean they are all now honest upstanding citizens! Stalking, sex crimes, road rage, vandalism, theft, gun crime, assaults, alcohol & drug related incidents are in the local news regularly. A 76 year old man was arrested for strangling his female partner over an argument involving their cats! A woman was arrested for throwing rocks at a child, hitting the kid 5 times. You can’t make this stuff up...it is nuts!
If you are a fan of plastic artificial stuff in general, The Villages is the place for you. There are currently 3 imitation Western, Spanish, and Seaside themed town squares with overpriced shops, boutiques, restaurants, and markets. There are even ‘pretend’ Country Clubs where you can go and hang out while you make-believe you are a member of an elite club.
The Villages is a “gated community”. Not really though. There are gates but they are just to slow you down as the cart paths & village entrances intersect at that point. You do not need any ID or passcode to enter. Some of the entry gates actually have people manning them but it is just for show. There are no guards to enforce strict entry rules. The gates get knocked down all the time by idiot drivers. The “gated community” term is a marketing tool and to make residents feel privileged & entitled.
The Villages has strict rules regarding what you can and cannot do with your property such as lawn ornaments, landscaping, etc. However, the rules are only enforced if there is a complaint which pits neighbor versus neighbor. So much for “Florida’s Friendliest Hometown”. Even then, they cannot enforce anything. They just send you letters and fines you can ignore forever. I want to get a black lawn jockey for my front yard!
The Villages is a marvel of overpriced cookie-cutter homes arranged in “villages” that remind me of a Twilight Zone episode in which a couple woke up in this picture perfect town only to find out everything in it was fake and they were in a giant being’s terrarium. The Villages is like ‘The Stepford Wives’ meet ‘Pleasantville’ in ‘The Twilight Zone’. The place is as strange and unnatural as it gets.
The Villages has been described as an adult playground, a land-locked cruise ship, and a Disney World for adults. I always thought a person should age with some semblance of dignity but reverting back to their childhood is a common theme here. Playing games all day, driving toy cars, wearing silly hats & clothes, they are an embarrassment to senior citizens in general. When someone back home asks me where I live in Florida, I just say between Orlando & Ocala, never The Villages.
Get outside TV and this central part of Florida is pretty darn ugly. Swamps, brush & scrubs, ugly trees, trashy homes, dumpy house trailers with plenty of crime & drugs to go around. I carry a legally concealed handgun pretty much everywhere I go.
If you like alligators, The Villages has more alligators than we have stray cats up north. They wander across golf courses, backyards and trails. The alligators don’t seem bothered by humans. Coincidentally the neighborhoods are inexplicably free of any stray cats.
I am more critical of The Villages than most because I don’t play golf, I don’t like games or clubs, I don’t like to socialize, I don’t like pools, I don’t like replicas and would much rather be around animals than people. I’ve been here for 2 winters and haven’t needed or would even use an ID card for anything they offer.
I prefer solitary pursuits; cycling, hunting, fishing, kayaking, reading, television, sitting on a beach, etc. Any natural setting by an ocean, forest, river, or lake is my cup of tea. I live in a small lakeside community at home in PA. The homes are all quaint & unique. The people are genuine and the setting although developed retains a natural look and feel.
As I said before, I am not your typical resident. The stranger asks, “Where is it you live?” Somewhere between Orlando and Ocala :-)
What The Hell is your wife doing with you??? She should have dumped you years ago!!!
Westie Man
04-01-2022, 09:33 AM
Hey you kids get off my lawn :(:(:mad:
MrFlorida
04-01-2022, 09:48 AM
As a long time Florida resident, I would not live any place else...
bjp1673
04-01-2022, 10:31 AM
what is the purpose of asking, if you only want positive responses?
Exactly…
JMintzer
04-01-2022, 10:36 AM
Why would you ask that, then require ONLY positive responses?? You should have just asked what you like about moving to Florida!
My answer is no, which obviously begs another question.
Require?
Asking "please" is a requirement? Okay... If you say so...
JMintzer
04-01-2022, 10:38 AM
As I said before, I am not your typical resident.
Understatement of the year...:ohdear::ohdear::ohdear:
Reynoka
04-01-2022, 11:59 AM
So you found Florida to be exactly what you expected it to be.
asianthree
04-01-2022, 12:01 PM
I am here 6-8 months of the year. Spouse is full time, and would not live anywhere but a southern state with no Snow.
I love season change. Miss the spring, Fall, and SNOW. So am I happy in Florida, NO, due to no seasonal change. However, YES, because my spouse is here.
sdm1222
04-01-2022, 01:45 PM
I am only here in The Villages because my wife insisted. This is not her opinion; she loves every little thing about it. For me though other than the warm winter weather, it sucks. Driving anywhere is a pain. Way too much traffic and it will continue to get worse as they are continuing non stop developing. Homes are crammed together & you can hear everything from next door, conversations, dishes clanking, dogs barking - it can be as noisy as living in an apartment building. Hope you don’t mind nosey neighbors either.
Those near the Florida Turnpike or busy Morse Blvd have 24-7 traffic noise. The really unlucky people live near a pickleball court. Pickleball is played with a paddle and a hard plastic wiffle-type ball on a badminton-size court with a tennis net. The sound of a paddle striking a pickleball is similar to a ping-pong game amplified. All day long - bonk, bonk, bonk, bonk. I heard the CIA is replacing waterboarding with audio tapes of pickleball games to make enemy suspects talk. A couple of hours listening to pickleball and they would give up their own mothers!
Heavy golf cart traffic is ridiculous and dangerous. I ride my bike on the cart paths and it is scary. Read the ‘Villages-News.com’ online newspaper for all the latest drunk cart driving accidents and the real unvarnished truth about what goes on here. Recently there has been a number of drivers with their full-size vehicles inadvertently on the cart paths. Stupidity & senility go hand-in-hand whether driving a full-size vehicle or toy car (aka golf cart) in The Villages.
Many of the ridiculously expensive golf carts are pimped out with these godawful conversion kits to look like Hummers, Jeeps, Rolls Royces, etc. Then here in the land of sunshine, they fully enclose the carts with heat & AC. It was in the mid-70’s the other day, not a cloud in the sky, and most of the golf carts I passed had their doors closed & people even had on winter clothes. Back home I used to drive my Jeep Wrangler from May to the end of October with the doors and top removed. I just don’t get it!
The swimming pools are all heated too. I mean it is 90 degrees in the shade and you need a heated pool? It must have something to do with poor blood circulation in old people.
Leesburg, Florida is next door to The Villages and has more crime than seems possible for such a small town with only 20k residents. I used to think that Erie, PA was like the Wild West when it came to drive-bys, shootings, drug crime, and robberies. All those crimes and more are rampant in Leesburg and make Erie look like a peace & love commune!
Don’t make the mistake of thinking there isn’t any crime within The Villages. Just because people get old doesn’t necessarily mean they are all now honest upstanding citizens! Stalking, sex crimes, road rage, vandalism, theft, gun crime, assaults, alcohol & drug related incidents are in the local news regularly. A 76 year old man was arrested for strangling his female partner over an argument involving their cats! A woman was arrested for throwing rocks at a child, hitting the kid 5 times. You can’t make this stuff up...it is nuts!
If you are a fan of plastic artificial stuff in general, The Villages is the place for you. There are currently 3 imitation Western, Spanish, and Seaside themed town squares with overpriced shops, boutiques, restaurants, and markets. There are even ‘pretend’ Country Clubs where you can go and hang out while you make-believe you are a member of an elite club.
The Villages is a “gated community”. Not really though. There are gates but they are just to slow you down as the cart paths & village entrances intersect at that point. You do not need any ID or passcode to enter. Some of the entry gates actually have people manning them but it is just for show. There are no guards to enforce strict entry rules. The gates get knocked down all the time by idiot drivers. The “gated community” term is a marketing tool and to make residents feel privileged & entitled.
The Villages has strict rules regarding what you can and cannot do with your property such as lawn ornaments, landscaping, etc. However, the rules are only enforced if there is a complaint which pits neighbor versus neighbor. So much for “Florida’s Friendliest Hometown”. Even then, they cannot enforce anything. They just send you letters and fines you can ignore forever. I want to get a black lawn jockey for my front yard!
The Villages is a marvel of overpriced cookie-cutter homes arranged in “villages” that remind me of a Twilight Zone episode in which a couple woke up in this picture perfect town only to find out everything in it was fake and they were in a giant being’s terrarium. The Villages is like ‘The Stepford Wives’ meet ‘Pleasantville’ in ‘The Twilight Zone’. The place is as strange and unnatural as it gets.
The Villages has been described as an adult playground, a land-locked cruise ship, and a Disney World for adults. I always thought a person should age with some semblance of dignity but reverting back to their childhood is a common theme here. Playing games all day, driving toy cars, wearing silly hats & clothes, they are an embarrassment to senior citizens in general. When someone back home asks me where I live in Florida, I just say between Orlando & Ocala, never The Villages.
Get outside TV and this central part of Florida is pretty darn ugly. Swamps, brush & scrubs, ugly trees, trashy homes, dumpy house trailers with plenty of crime & drugs to go around. I carry a legally concealed handgun pretty much everywhere I go.
If you like alligators, The Villages has more alligators than we have stray cats up north. They wander across golf courses, backyards and trails. The alligators don’t seem bothered by humans. Coincidentally the neighborhoods are inexplicably free of any stray cats.
I am more critical of The Villages than most because I don’t play golf, I don’t like games or clubs, I don’t like to socialize, I don’t like pools, I don’t like replicas and would much rather be around animals than people. I’ve been here for 2 winters and haven’t needed or would even use an ID card for anything they offer.
I prefer solitary pursuits; cycling, hunting, fishing, kayaking, reading, television, sitting on a beach, etc. Any natural setting by an ocean, forest, river, or lake is my cup of tea. I live in a small lakeside community at home in PA. The homes are all quaint & unique. The people are genuine and the setting although developed retains a natural look and feel.
As I said before, I am not your typical resident. The stranger asks, “Where is it you live?” Somewhere between Orlando and Ocala :-)
And don't forget about the Healthcare. You won't find the best healthcare or best doctors here. Many Doctors have been arrested, read the news.
Beth.f
04-01-2022, 01:49 PM
A tough decision for most - after moving to Florida did it meet your expectations ?
PLEASE ONLY POSITIVE RESPONSES ALLOWED.
We love it here. Coming from NY this is heaven. No traffic, no fuss and so easy to get around. Everywhere you go in TV, it is just beautiful and serene. What more can we ask for. There is so much to do, or not, depending on what you want. Life is good.
Bogie Shooter
04-01-2022, 02:00 PM
And don't forget about the Healthcare. You won't find the best healthcare or best doctors here. Many Doctors have been arrested, read the news.
Arrested Dr’s……details please.
rustyp
04-01-2022, 03:24 PM
A tough decision for most - after moving to Florida did it meet your expectations ?
PLEASE ONLY POSITIVE RESPONSES ALLOWED.
:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:
Did you really take it seriously ? It made no sense. Was very entertaining to watch how different personalities dealt with it.
APRIL FOOLS
FYI Florida totally met my expectations but they were extremely low which is a positive.
donfey
04-01-2022, 03:25 PM
A tough decision for most - after moving to Florida did it meet your expectations ?
PLEASE ONLY POSITIVE RESPONSES ALLOWED.
YES, in every way and then some.
daspiva
04-01-2022, 03:58 PM
I expected more of a South Florida Miami Vice vibe. Miami Vice - Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami_Vice)
But I found Central Florida to be vastly different.
I think that The Villages area, as fast as it's growing will be like South Florida within the next 5 or 10 years.
tedquick
04-01-2022, 04:05 PM
My move to The Villages was better than I expected and better than I heard! I have nothing negative to say about my move.
Curtisbwp
04-01-2022, 04:44 PM
YES in every way.
JimmyO3
04-01-2022, 04:45 PM
Moved here 15 months ago after a 5 day Lifestyle visit and have had absolutely no regrets to date.
brfree1411@aol.com
04-01-2022, 04:56 PM
I grew up in Tampa and thought the rest of Central Florida would have the same breezes so I was surprised it doesn't. I am very happy in The Villages, been here 18 months & my husband & I really enjoy living here. I do wish it was a little cooler but other than that I am perfectly happy.
ronda
04-01-2022, 06:27 PM
Living in The Villages is much better than I had ever expected. I investigated the weather, as far as Hurricanes were involved. However, the one thing I did miss was that it gets cold here in winter. Colder than I expected. When we go to visit family down around Miami I literally get on the driveway and kiss the Tarmac when we get back home safely. I love it here. For us, there is no other place to be in Florida. If we ever had to leave it would be back to N.J. God Forbid!!!!
From NJ you say. What exit?
sdm1222
04-01-2022, 06:35 PM
Arrested Dr’s……details please.
Do you read the newspapers or just TOTV?
kcrazorbackfan
04-01-2022, 07:08 PM
A tough decision for most - after moving to Florida did it meet your expectations ?
PLEASE ONLY POSITIVE RESPONSES ALLOWED.
Met and exceeded! We miss being close to the kids but we don’t miss the cold winters and the tornadoes during the warm months of Kansas City.
Velvet
04-01-2022, 07:33 PM
This is my place (for the last few years) it was my aunt’s and uncle’s, it was my parent’s. No surprises. It is home.
Bonanza
04-01-2022, 10:13 PM
A tough decision for most - after moving to Florida did it meet your expectations ?
PLEASE ONLY POSITIVE RESPONSES ALLOWED.
It's posted in the non villages discussion !
I find your thread and other comment offensive! Your mention that it was posted in the "non villages discussion" to someone is sarcastic and unnecessary. Most people do NOT have expectations regarding moving here other than the weather perhaps and the things they have heard and read about regarding TV.
No one moved here because the health care and doctors are first class.
No one moved here because the road improvements have kept up with the area's growth.
No one moved here because the developer has the commissioners in the palm of their hand.
No one moved here because of the quality of the homes built.
No one moved here because there are CD districts versus HOAs.
No one moved here because of the trolls who would sooner diss you and report you for something, than smile and say hello to you.
Yes, there's more and the "more" is ongoing.
Your thread has not created harmony because TV is not and will never be Florida's Friendliest Hometown.
rustyp
04-02-2022, 05:51 AM
I find your thread and other comment offensive! Your mention that it was posted in the "non villages discussion" to someone is sarcastic and unnecessary. Most people do NOT have expectations regarding moving here other than the weather perhaps and the things they have heard and read about regarding TV.
No one moved here because the health care and doctors are first class.
No one moved here because the road improvements have kept up with the area's growth.
No one moved here because the developer has the commissioners in the palm of their hand.
No one moved here because of the quality of the homes built.
No one moved here because there are CD districts versus HOAs.
No one moved here because of the trolls who would sooner diss you and report you for something, than smile and say hello to you.
Yes, there's more and the "more" is ongoing.
Your thread has not created harmony because TV is not and will never be Florida's Friendliest Hometown.
Now I'm perplexed. Why did you move here ? Ah great idea for another "just curious" thread. :clap2:
JMintzer
04-02-2022, 09:06 AM
I find your thread and other comment offensive! Your mention that it was posted in the "non villages discussion" to someone is sarcastic and unnecessary. Most people do NOT have expectations regarding moving here other than the weather perhaps and the things they have heard and read about regarding TV.
No one moved here because the health care and doctors are first class.
No one moved here because the road improvements have kept up with the area's growth.
No one moved here because the developer has the commissioners in the palm of their hand.
No one moved here because of the quality of the homes built.
No one moved here because there are CD districts versus HOAs.
No one moved here because of the trolls who would sooner diss you and report you for something, than smile and say hello to you.
Yes, there's more and the "more" is ongoing.
Your thread has not created harmony because TV is not and will never be Florida's Friendliest Hometown.
Well, this post most certainly won't create harmony... :ohdear:
ThirdOfFive
04-02-2022, 09:34 AM
Well, this post most certainly won't create harmony... :ohdear:
The Villages is what the villagers want it to be.
Thankfully, to the overwhelming majority of us, the glass is (far more than) half full.
patfla06
04-02-2022, 01:51 PM
A long time friend in her 70s who has lived in Miami and The Keys all her life told me that not only is it colder in the winter in Central Florida than in South Florida it is hotter in the summer. That surprised me. She told me they get cooling breezes off the Atlantic which help in the summer.
You are so right!
Our Son & his family moved from NYC to Miami.
Warmer ( much!) in Winter & cooler in Summer.
HOWEVER, Sun is much stronger and more HUMID.
Life as I know it
04-03-2022, 06:12 AM
Best thing we ever did. Coming from the North we lost three-to four months of the year. hating the snow and ice and have our friends cancel our plans because of the weather. Here we live and have fun all year…..shopping in the morning, a little nap in the afternoon and back out in the evening. Works great for us.
ThirdOfFive
04-03-2022, 06:48 AM
Best thing we ever did. Coming from the North we lost three-to four months of the year. hating the snow and ice and have our friends cancel our plans because of the weather. Here we live and have fun all year…..shopping in the morning, a little nap in the afternoon and back out in the evening. Works great for us.
Ain't it the truth!
My wife and I moved here going on two years ago. Just yesterday we were talking about the things about living in Minnesota that we don't miss (and that a many native Floridians have no clue about. Here are a few.
1. Snow shovels.
2. Warming up the car in the morning before leaving for work.
3. Scraping snow and ice off the car when it is -10 out there.
4. Ruinously high taxes.
5. Watching as our deck gets progressively buried by snow over the winter.
6. Not buying a vehicle unless it has four-wheel drive or AWD.
7. Applying for anything at the license bureau and then waiting for 3 months for it to come in the mail.
8. Snail-slow internet (unless you sign a contract for 2 years at $120 a month).
9. The weather dictating your travel plans.
10. Cabin fever.
None of those, plus a lot more, here in TV.
tophcfa
04-03-2022, 09:06 AM
We expected to have lots of fun and have not been disappointed: )
TommyT
04-03-2022, 12:44 PM
I'm positive it was too H O T !!!
I'm positive it was too H U M I D !!!
I'm positive all the people were rude, pushy and nasty !!!!
:popcorn: :boxing2: :shocked:
Bill14564
04-03-2022, 12:53 PM
I'm positive it was too H O T !!!
I'm positive it was too H U M I D !!!
I'm positive all the people were rude, pushy and nasty !!!!
:popcorn: :boxing2: :shocked:
It must be all about perspective. I came from MD where it is just as hot and just as humid (if not more). Rude, pushy, nasty people? I encountered a lot in MD and the northeast in general but very few down here - maybe I've just developed a higher tolerance.
patfla06
04-05-2022, 01:28 AM
I think that The Villages area, as fast as it's growing will be like South Florida within the next 5 or 10 years.
It will take a lot longer for T.V. to get as busy as South Florida!
Flyers999
04-05-2022, 09:59 AM
Ain't it the truth!
My wife and I moved here going on two years ago. Just yesterday we were talking about the things about living in Minnesota that we don't miss (and that a many native Floridians have no clue about. Here are a few.
1. Snow shovels.
2. Warming up the car in the morning before leaving for work.
3. Scraping snow and ice off the car when it is -10 out there.
4. Ruinously high taxes.
5. Watching as our deck gets progressively buried by snow over the winter.
6. Not buying a vehicle unless it has four-wheel drive or AWD.
7. Applying for anything at the license bureau and then waiting for 3 months for it to come in the mail.
8. Snail-slow internet (unless you sign a contract for 2 years at $120 a month).
9. The weather dictating your travel plans.
10. Cabin fever.
None of those, plus a lot more, here in TV.
Haha. Good ones.
As far as meeting my expectations, yes! Although I visited every year for five years before we moved here, so I knew what to expect. Good and bad.
The only thing that took me, was just how hot the summers are. I had never been to FL outside of Jan-Apr. The last three summers have affected my health. I've been going to an array of doctors but they haven't found anything yet. My wife likes the heat but for me , I feel great in the fall and winter, but lousy everytime else.
Fredster
04-05-2022, 02:55 PM
.....and now the traffic is horrible here.
I get a laugh everytime I see a post on how terrible
the traffic is in TV.
I grew up in Chicago and dealt with real horrible traffic there,
and in its surrounding suburbs for years
before moving here!
And by the way, even though it’s not perfect,
I love living here
Professor
04-06-2022, 02:54 PM
It exceeded ours...but we had been planning a move to Florida for at least 10 years before it ever became a reality. We like it so well we bought a second home (condo actually) on the ocean and use it as a vacation place when we want to boat and enjoy some sun with a beach.
Michael G.
04-06-2022, 04:26 PM
Lastly, I positively didn't know that the wages for work done in Central Florida were 33% - 50% lower than the same work performed in another state (East Coast). This was a complete shock and completely my error to have not researched.
For the reason TV is taken over by people the northeast states.
They all came down here with fat wallets and living down here now on Florida's homestead.
Love2Swim
04-06-2022, 07:28 PM
We love all the activities in The Villages. The state of Florida, not so much. Not crazy about the politics, racism, and the summers are brutal, so we leave and travel to cooler climates to escape the heat.
Laker14
04-09-2022, 06:22 AM
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.
JMintzer
04-09-2022, 07:02 AM
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.
https://media2.giphy.com/media/3o6Zt7g9nH1nFGeBcQ/giphy.gif
Except for the weather part. Yes, it's hot and humid in the Summer. You know where else it's hot and humid in the Summer? Back home in the DC area...
Since we bought out home, we've been in TV in June, July AND August. No major difference than up in the DC area... Maybe just more afternoon showers... Big whoop...
Topspinmo
04-09-2022, 08:52 AM
A tough decision for most - after moving to Florida did it meet your expectations ?
PLEASE ONLY POSITIVE RESPONSES ALLOWED.
Nope.
Michael G.
04-09-2022, 12:15 PM
If you hate it here or love it here you got to remember as you age things change.
I lived 75 years in Wisconsin making a living, raising a family, experiencing the snow,
and doing what all the things people do up there, complain about the weather.
I had 6 boats, did lots of fishing.
Had two snowmobiles, cross country skiing, owned a ice fishing shack.
Own two Goldwing motorcycles and triked one.
Had season tickets to all the Packer games.
Now I'm 80 years old leaving all these things behind including those winters.
My family lives here in Florida, so I suppose there isn't to many choices left.
Besides, at this age this will be "God's waiting room for me".
Cheers!
Laker14
04-09-2022, 02:22 PM
If you hate it here or love it here you got to remember as you age things change.
I lived 75 years in Wisconsin making a living, raising a family, experiencing the snow,
and doing what all the things people do up there, complain about the weather.
I had 6 boats, did lots of fishing.
Had two snowmobiles, cross country skiing, owned a ice fishing shack.
Own two Goldwing motorcycles and triked one.
Had season tickets to all the Packer games.
Now I'm 80 years old leaving all these things behind including those winters.
My family lives here in Florida, so I suppose there isn't to many choices left.
Besides, at this age this will be "God's waiting room for me".
Cheers!
I hope you have a nice long, comfortable wait in the waiting room before they call you in for your appointment.
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