Newbie here. Age question.
 

If you have or had the chance to move to TV at 55 would you?
The wife and I are looking for active living, warm weather and all the benefits I have read about TV. Our friends love it there and we are going to visit this winter.
The wife is 8 years younger than I.
I am not retired, I work from home and its part time at best at this phase in my life. Semi retirement in TV at 55 is an option.
Knowing what you know now would you have moved there sooner vs when you did?
If you have a spouse in a similar situation is it a challenge for her being in her mid 40s?
Thanks in advance. This site has got me excited for our visit!

My wife is in her mid 40s and loves it here!

I am 53, work full time from home, and live here full time now. You would not be alone, there are plenty of others. I call it "pre-tirement". The most common answer I get when I ask people if they would do anything differently with respect to coming to TV's - "I wish I had done it sooner".

CJmesk,

I'm only 52 (my wife is 49) and we came on our lifestyle visit in September with an older couple who are friends of ours. We had the best time and really didn't have time to do a lot of things. When we first got there I asked my wife, "do you think there will be enough to do here".....boy, was I wrong, we went non-stop for the next 4 days and I never even had a chance to golf. This place is fantastic and I never felt too young or even noticed that it's an older population because everyone is so active. My only question is how it works if you're coming down before you're 55. Can you still participate in the softball, clubs, and pickleball leagues, etc. if you aren't 55 yet?

I have met so many people in your age group lately! Some have retired from occupations that give them a pension they can live on. Others work from home, part time or full time. They all profess to love it here! As more and more people are able to work remotely, I think we will see younger and younger people coming here. There is a very active "South of 60" club in The Villages, and you will likely find many compadres there. Good luck!

I have seen a pickleball group who plays later in the day because they work.

Yes to all of the above. There is even 1 club (at least) that is exclusive to people under 60. There are several different softball leagues and a few are age restricted - 55 and up, 68+, etc. But the recreational and neighborhood leagues are at least 50 and up or maybe even 40 and up.

My husband is almost 80 and still works from home as a consultant who is considered a full employee of a national company. He does it on his own terms.

We would not have left the area where both are grandchildren were living with their parents when we were 55. We enjoyed being with them so much, that we waited until the youngest went off to college. Our kids felt like EVERYONE left them when we left.... sniff.

Everyone's life is different. I enjoy so many things about The Villages, the climate, the chance to develop a desire to paint and draw more, a new and different golf life, exposure to others who have had slightly different lives and tastes that are geographic and cultural. The opportunity to be in a completely new environment, with less stress.

I used to rail against people who moved here and said that they wanted to live closer to and among only "the younger old". I was hurt by the aspersion that we older ones were not fun or interesting, but now as I have gotten older I can see that may be wise. Illness and age does slow us down physically and being "up to things" depends a lot on how we feel physically on certain days.

Please do be kind younger ones. It appears that all these surprises lay in wait for all of us.

I am glad we live in The Villages. We have found so many folks to love and who love us. (Still room for more, and for us, age is NOT a factor)

Thanks everyone, this message board is not only helpful but if the culture at TV is like this board I cant wait to get out there.

We retired “early” at ages 58 and 55. When we were younger, age made little difference in developing relationships and now that we are a bit older age makes little difference. It makes sense that you will generally find younger age Villagers in the new Villages where the new houses are being built. One of the many pluses of The Villages is the interesting people you meet from different backgrounds and experiences. You can continue to learn and develop new interests and skills here in The Villages. Finally, you can be as busy as you want to be or not...

I would have moved here in my 30s if I could have,

My wife and I moved here when we were both 53 after realizing there was little advantage to staying in our previous location and could continue our working lives here just as well as our previous address with just a little longer commute. Moving here at the time may have been a little on impulse and a little on dissatisfaction with our previous community (what little of a "community" it was) and what it offered for social activities, what it wasn't was a mistake.

From the social aspect, our most important consideration in moving, The Villages has far exceeded any expectations we had. There is a different mindset here, people just don't come home, stay in their houses, and watch TV or browse social media, people here are more interactive with each other, there is a very strong (self)motivation to be active and meet other people which has such positive affects on both the individual and the community.

In a very short time after moving to The Villages our opinions of what retirement was, is, and can be changed dramatically. The old notions of retirement being sitting on the front porch and watching the world go by, or camped out in front of the TV watching game shows and talk shows, or playing cards or chess all afternoon were very quickly dispelled. They has been quickly replaced with physically and mentally active lifestyle that a linked and up-to-date calendar between out phones is beyond a nicety for my wife and I, it is essential if we want to do anything together or some days even see each other. Even while were were working we were actively involved (to the extent work allowed) with our new friends, no, a better word is family, here in The Villages. It made retirement not the end goal of working our entire adult lives, but the goal and adventure of what the future has to offer.

We were fortunate and my wife was able to retire 2 years after moving here and I was able to retire 2 years later. Today marks 6 months since I retired, I've only looked back a few times on the decision, mainly to ask myself why I didn't do this sooner. Do we miss the people we used to work with, sure we do, you can't help it being human; live moves on.

If you're able to move yourself away from your family, old friends, and old neighborhood without regrets or longing for constant and everyday contact with your "old" life, The Villages can be and is a great place to be.

Is The Villages perfect? Far from it, just read some of the many threads on this and other web sites and you'll see it has its issues. But, it is what you make of it and most of us here have made quite happy and fulfilling retirement lives being here.

People don't come to The Villages to retire and die, they come here to LIVE AND ENJOY LIFE.

So beautifully stated!

Goldwingnut thank you. Great post and exactly what we want in life, live and stay active. As you know sometimes family and friends will squash your plans because they either are afraid to do it or they simply don't want put themselves out there. I have always been the outcast of the family because I am willing to take risks, and that has allowed me to have a great life.
Our big move was to leave CA after 53 years. We started this plan last year when we bought a small condo in TN (Nashville area). That is where we live now. But after traveling between CA and TN last winter and now this winter it is too cold for us. So we bought a Class A Coach and plan on traveling 6 months out of the year if we like it.
We also are looking for a place to call home, warm air and active living (TV). So we are headed your way in our coach in a few weeks. We have friends who live there and they are the main reason we found TV.
I have always said" I want to go into the grave sliding headfirst with scares and dirt all over me."
I can't wait to hang there for a few weeks and get a feel of the culture, it sounds amazing!
Big unknown plans for wife and I and some say we are crazy, but at least that keeps me from going insane.

Well put GWN! The key to the "Villages Lifestyle" is activity. Virtually everyone is "out and about" on a regular basis, whether in organized activities, dancing at the squares, going to the pools, going to open houses, playing golf, pickleball, bocce ball, etc. etc. or just walking the neighborhood or cruising in the golf cart. Being out in the community literally forces one to socialize and communicate with other like minded people, which keeps you engaged and energized. We live about half the year in the Kansas City area, where we are within ten minutes of our three grown children and their spouses and six of our grandchildren, as well as my wife's 92 yr. old mother and her sister. That keeps us here through the holidays, which we thoroughly enjoy, but also begins to feel confining. As the weather turns cold it becomes more challenging to get out and stay active and we find ourselves longing for the nice weather and activities we enjoy in TV. We love the time we have here with family, but we are anxious for January and getting back to our Villages home. Whether you are in TV full or part time, I believe you will find it exhilarating and the younger you start the more time you will have to enjoy it. I have no doubt that we would have felt at home and excited to have settled here in our early fifties - in fact when in TV we feel like we're in our fifties, instead of our 70s.

This board is amazing!

This place has to be one of the best places on earth......as I told my wife after we moved here Its like living in Hollywood, without Hollywood type of money. Wished we had been here 20 years ago.

Great business idea
 

Fake IDs proving you are over 55?

A bar where they demand seniors prove they are old enough to drink?

It is a real kick in the butt when the zit faced kid in McDonalds just assumes you want the senior coffee.

SERIOUSLY. just be sure you have medical insurance. You need to be 65 to get medicare. You will find that healthcare insurance will cost you about 20,000 a year.

I am under 60, and in general it’s pretty good. When joining activities you tend to find your level, which doesn’t correspond to age all that much.

I did play in a pickle ball league, and there was some discussion about someone joining who was under 50. I think they left him in the league as a sub. But if you are lining up for pickleball, or playing in private groups, age really doesn’t come into play.

There is a concern on health care. The Villages Health, which is the health organization with the most offices in the villages, will take Blue Cross and other insurances only if the patient is under 65. Once they are over 65 and qualify for Medicare they need to either go to United Healthcare or pick a doctor outside the Villages Health system. For couples who are not the same age but on the same health insurance this means once one hits 65 only one may use the Villages Health system while the other cannot until both reach 65.

Other than the health care issue, most disadvantages to be under 65 are minor. I get tired of hearing the 50s and 60s music at the squares, though they are adding in bands that play 80s and 90s music. The neighbors tend to tease me about my age. If I’m not careful in my local shopping I do end up dressing like my mother.

Oh, and pack your patience, but that really goes for all new residences of the Villages. People are retired here. Some are just not in a hurry. They might be driving a bit slower than you’d like to drive or chatting a bit long with the check out clerks at the grocery store, but they have the time, and they earned it.

Hubby and I moved here at 57. That was almost 9 years ago. We love it here. One of my closest friends is an active 89 year old, my other friends range from 59-75....Age is a state of mind. You'll be surprised by how a younger person can seem old and an older person can seem young. Ignore age and just get to know people.

Excellent advice.

I have no clue how I got to be this age. I am 29 in my thinking, about 12 in my humor and I have body parts that think the rest of me is 200.

Thanks for all the advice.

I moved here at age 61 and that was to young. This place is fine if your 65-70 years old but these people are old and it can be depressing after awhile at your young age of 55 and late 40’s.

We moved here 18 years ago. My husband was 60, I was 42. Plenty of activities for everyone. We love it! I would do it again in a heartbeat!

age is a state of mind
 

I was 54 and my husband 57 when we first came to the Villages. We were amazed by the energy and the vitality of the people who lived here compared with many of the 55 plus communities we had toured. We bought here for the lifestyle and have never regretted our decision. My husband has 80 year olds on his softball team that can put him to shame!

She will be sort of young compared to the rest of us😎

That would seem understandable. However, my experience is quite the opposite - it seems most here drive like they are in a great big hurry. That's likely because they spent the better part of their lives being that way and old habits are hard to break - but many times you just can't drive fast enough to stay out of everyone else's way, including on the golf cart trails.

I retired at age 50 in the villages and loved every minute of it so far,plenty of people that age already here.

Considering TV move also
 

I'm 59 and my wife is 55. We're on our way down from California in a few weeks in hopes of taking the plunge. We've done the lifestyle visit and have friends who love TV. We both work from home and don't think for a minute we'll be out of place.

I moved here last year at 56. I’m having a ball. There’s so much to do. I would recommend a life style visit or rent for awhile.

I echo Gracigirl's replay. I'm 81 and work PT out of my home. Unfortunately my wife has become ill but with all the friends we have, she'll never be alone. We've been here 21 years and have seen the growth. I took up golf for the first time at 63 yr's old. If we had moved here earlier and I took up golf, I'd probably be a better golfer. Come on down, at your ages, who know what you'll accomplish.

I would not have moved here at 55. I was enjoying my college teaching too much and the young people I came in contact with every day. I felt it kept me young mentally and physically. Only after having a surprising heart bypass at the age of 62 did I decide to retire and live a less stressful life. Moving to The Villages gave me that, but after 13 years here, I find that I still long for snow at Christmas and more frequent contact with my children and grandchildren up north. I've found the summers here brutal, so be sure you like excessive heat and humidity before moving to Florida. In fact, before deciding to move, you might consider renting here for a summer to make sure you can take the heat. Wish I had done that. If I had it to do over, I would be a snowbird so I could enjoy the best of both worlds. The decision whether to move here permanently is a very personal one. Think it over carefully from all angles.

Age Question
 

I have met many Villagers that are still in their 40s. One of them is my neighbor - her husband is 50. They have non-stop fun. Literally.

I am an opposite snow bird. I live in TV from June through December and go home to Wisconsin for the winter. We bought when I was 44 (that was six years ago).

I like sharing time in both places. I find TV not terribly diverse and I miss interacting with a wider variety of people (both in color and politically) so our 50/50 split works for us. I plan on retiring completely at age 55 or 57 so for now, this works. Best of luck whatever you decide.

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I retire in April at 56, we just closed on our house last month, and will move after selling our house up north in a few months we have been there during July and August, it wasn't any worse temperature/humidity wise then where we live currently.

I think you will get out of the community what you put into it.

In reading this thread I am impressed and pleased to see the relatively large number of responses by people with less than ten total posts. I am happy that there is a thread that encourages response from people who rarely or never post on TOTV. Welcome to all of you whether you are regular lurkers, or total newbies!

Yes I would and did.
2 years ago was 55 and my wife 47.
We love it and I moved my business about 10 miles from here and if I worked from my house I would have moved sooner

We purchased when we were 57yrs having spent 10yrs looking for the non- existant "catch".
Wish we had done it sooner.
We have lived in the Villages watching it grow for 18yrs now, still love it !!!!

Hello, we placed a deposit on our land on hubby’s 55th birthday. I am 4 years younger. We built within a year but were not here full time for 5 years. We were both working full time so weren’t even snowbirds - snowflakes for 4 years. The more you furnish & personalize your home, the stronger the draw. People will tell you that you’re too young to live in the villages - shrug it off! The villages is so much bigger now that it’s becoming like any other development: it can be clique but how you deal with that is up to you. We have no regrets: love walking, biking and going to the gym. We also have our own pool now: no regrets!

It isn't becoming like any other development. The Villages is unique and wonderful and does not allow small children or pink flamingoes or cars up on blocks.;)