Happiness in Retirement

[Funinthesun]

It is pretty much a given that most retired people in TV are very happy. My question is, would you be just as happy and content if you were retired and living in a different location, such as your last place of residence before moving to TV? How big of a part has TV played in you having satisfaction in your retirement years? Had you just as soon to continue working if you could not live in TV? Thanks, Fun

[villagegolfer]

I will be celebrating a year here in The Villages in two weeks. We are supposed to go back up north to our last residence in November. The people who bought our home are dear friends and they came down here for 10 days and loved The Villages. I am not looking forward to going back north. Oh I will love visiting our friends but it will be cold and dreary up there and my heart will be here.

We have found our permanent home, and it is here.

[GTTPF]

My wife and I have been retired for 3 years in NJ and can't wait to move into TV in Dec. NJ has a lot to offer but it's not Disney for adults as is TV. We've been looking at places to retire for the last 15 years. This year I found it in TV and am moving the day of closing in TV. Good bye snow LOL!:a040:

[GeorgeT]

It is pretty much a given that most retired people in TV are very happy. My question is, would you be just as happy and content if you were retired and living in a different location, such as your last place of residence before moving to TV? How big of a part has TV played in you having satisfaction in your retirement years? Had you just as soon to continue working if you could not live in TV? Thanks, Fun

HELL NO to question #1.

Very, Very big to question #2.

I would have had to for lack of other things to do to question #3.

[VillagesFlorida]

It is pretty much a given that most retired people in TV are very happy. My question is, would you be just as happy and content if you were retired and living in a different location, such as your last place of residence before moving to TV? How big of a part has TV played in you having satisfaction in your retirement years? Had you just as soon to continue working if you could not live in TV? Thanks, Fun

I can not even imagine living the past 13 years up north! We would have "enjoyed" high heating oil bills, paying a state income tax, paying a high excise tax on vehicle registrations, shoveling snow, a good six months of mostly cold, gray days and probably many more years of work so that we could "enjoy" all of the above. We never looked seriously at any other retirement communities because we saw The Villages first. We knew on our first visit that nothing could ever top this place. Spanish Springs Town Square wasn't even completed when we moved here and we had no idea of what was to come as far as future development. But, there was already much more here than we saw in any other over-55 communities that we looked at. There are not enough words to describe how big a role The Villages has played in our happiness in retirement. Just today, riding through the many areas on our way to play golf, I still marveled at what I saw. No matter which way I turned my head there were such beautiful vistas. I could never have predicted how happy I would be in these later years of my life. Yes, I love going back up north to see my family and friends but entering The Villages property, upon my return, never fails to bring happiness to my heart. It's "Home" and I wouldn't want "Home" to be any other place on the planet.

[graciegirl]

I am a person that dreaded the idea that my husband might want to live in Florida after retirement. I still am NOT crazy about the rest of Florida. It is just too...touristy and BRIGHT and artificial in many ways. One of the things I dislike is the lack of zoning restrictions so that often you see five or six nicely kept houses and than a car up on blocks in a weedy yard.

I LOVE The Villages. It is an arty place, a musical place, a happening place. There are close to 90,000 life stories to hear and wonderful things to do every waking hour. I have begun an art education that I never had time for. I am playing golf and bridge and even learning Mah-jong.

I love outfitting our new home and can't wait to welcome guests and enjoy watching the sun set from our lanai.

I absolutely love being in the company of people that have reached their prime and are witty, disarming and busy all day. I have learned so much and feel such affection from these wonderful new friends.

Oh yes. I love it here. If Sweetie would only stop working too.

[ladydoc]

We were retired for 13 years before we came to TV. We were lucky enough to be able to retire in our 50s. I loved some things about our mountain in New Mexico, but I was so isolated that I longed for other people and green and flowers. We bought a house here the second day of our first visit and moved here 2 months ago. We love it here, especially me. We are blessed with the most wonderful neighbors you could ever want...supportive, giving, helpful. I have done more here in the last 3 months than I did in 3 years in NM. I am closer to a few of the girls on the block the I was with people I knew for 10 years. I think almost eveyone here knows how lucky they are to be able to live here....you will see when you come!

[Bill-n-Brillo]

.........One of the things I dislike is the lack of zoning restrictions so that often you see five or six nicely kept houses and then a car up on blocks in a weedy yard. ......

You must've driven by our place.................. :shocked:

:1rotfl:

Bill :wave:

[CarGuys]

Other than the Fall Colors in upstate NY and the High Peak Adirondacks! The best part when we finally get retired next July is stopping at the NY PA border and giving the un popular salute to all the Heating Bills Snow Taxes and Dark Skys. Did I mention taxes more taxes and then Tax on the Tax.

[QUOTE=VillagesFlorida;401192]I can not even imagine living the past 13 years up north! We would have "enjoyed" high heating oil bills, paying a state income tax, paying a high excise tax on vehicle registrations, shoveling snow, a good six months of mostly cold, gray days and probably many more years of work so that we could "enjoy" all of the above.

[kittylecroix]

For all the same reasons you mentioned, especially TAXES, we voted with our feet and left NYS (Binghamton, Tully, Syracuse)and found this wonderful spot two years ago.

[eweissenbach]

I look forward to getting relocated (albeit as a snowflake) to TV in the near future. I think we will be "happier" in TV, but not necessarily more "contented". Contentment comes from within, and I for one am very content with life in general. Happiness seems to me to come from outside onesself - in other words happiness is a response to what you are doing and what is going on around you. With all the activities and like-minded people to interact with in TV, it seems to me that my happiness level would increase dramatically. My retirement for the last 3 years has been very enjoyable, but we live on a lake in rural northwest missouri which is rather isolated, especially in the off-season, and would welcome the stimulating environment that is TV on a more regular basis. By the way, if I fail to sell my house right away I will still be contented, but if we sell I will be happy - make sense?

[Reefer]

It is pretty much a given that most retired people in TV are very happy. My question is, would you be just as happy and content if you were retired and living in a different location, such as your last place of residence before moving to TV? How big of a part has TV played in you having satisfaction in your retirement years? Had you just as soon to continue working if you could not live in TV? Thanks, Fun

I am enjoying this post. We live in Wisconsin and have somewhere between 4-6 years before retirement. My wife has three relatives that now live in TV and keep inviting us to take a look at it. Next year we plan to do a tour (wife turns 55) and check it all out.
While on a bike ride today (beautiful day for Wisconsin today) we talked about how we could enjoy biking year round if we retired in The Villages. I agree with the other posters, just to get away from the shoveling, cold, long dark nights, and really about sux or seven months of cold would be worth it to me to retire down there. It's good to read what others have to say. So, hope some day to be down there but just have to get to that retirement age. Does't hurt to do some dreaming in the mean time.