Where do you tell people you live?
 

I was born and raised right here in Lake county which means I know how much locals don’t like Villagers. Also, how much they take advantage of them. I say I live in Leesburg if I’m local or Orlando if I’m traveling. Where do you tell people you live?

The Villages.

When traveling, how do you know people don’t like TV?

Similar to telling someone where I grew up, I start general and then get specific if they are familiar with the area. Usually:

Central Florida - about an hour from Orlando or Tampa - near Gainesville - the Villages - north of 44 near Brownwood

The villages

The Villages.

Travel a lot and when we say TV, see a lot raised eyebrows and the usual questions about STD's, swinger parties etc. When asked where this information came from they will respond by saying so and so told me. Now say Central Florida

Because they've said so. (At least in one tiny village in SW France...)

On a Facebook group for our last cruise, I stated that we were from TV. I had a couple of people respond that they didn’t want to meet us. When I asked why all I got was crickets. I still say we are from TV.

In the moment!

I did know that a few locals do not like Villagers. But I am unclear as to who is taking advantage of WHO?

I tell people I live in The Villages when I am away from this lovely place. MOST people who live here think it is a really nice retirement area and think that there may be several hundred people living here.

Locals who don't like us often bring up that we cut down "their trees" and "took" their unspoiled vistas. I secretly think that they are jealous they don't live here.......and to be fair.....about ten years ago, almost anyone could afford the price of an entry level home. Now the prices have gone up so much on our homes that it has made everyone who lives here a nice little nest egg.

I find a lot of people are jealous of those who have something they do not and do not realize that we all have the same challenges and heartaches and losses and illnesses. It just is that a lot of people do not realize early on that no matter how little money they earn, they should always try to save some of it, to protect them against terrible disasters and unthought of awfulness. Most of us are still very, very careful with money and always will be. Old habits die hard.

I say to the locals who don't like Villagers that someone else would have built here next to us and this I am sure of. Someone else would NOT have done as good a job as the Morse Family.

It is such a wonderful place to live now as I grow quite old, just as it was when I could be dancing at the squares every night. I am so grateful for all of the people I have met here who have become treasured friends.

Locals only have themselves blame, they sold land, no land, no villages, and no development. But, they just couldn’t pass up $$$$$$$.

I always say "Central Iowa" near Commetsberg. I am not permitted to disclose true address or I lose my protection and subsidy.

The galactic consultant will be pleased to hear this, agent Iesnes. 👽

When I was on a vacation recently I said I live in The Villages, which was immediately followed up with their inquiry if there were a lot of swingers living there. They were from a small town in Indiana and that was the only information they knew about TV. It’s hard to believe that the legend remains so many years after it’s been debunked but that’s likely why you didn’t get any further contact.

Really, we need to come up with a better story. "Actually, that is a cover story so people won't discover it is actually a relocation settlement for aliens from several planets in the gamma quadrant. Some do have long arms, but they don't swing. They, I mean 'we', walk like human earthlings".
What do you think? Can we pull it off? 🫠👽👹🤖

Oh yes, that was definitely the reason, I was hoping to get a dialogue going to try and educate these people. In the end, it was their loss not ours.

I proudly tell people here in Florida that I live in The Villages. Outside of Florida, where most people have not heard of The Villages, I just say I’m from Florida. If someone asks where in Florida, then I’ll narrow it down to Central Florida near Orlando.

I am surprised at the number of people that have heard of The Villages, when outside Florida, I tell them that is where I live.

I say The Villages with immense pride. When anyone asks how I deal with the hurricanes, I tell them TV has such phenomenal water management, we have less damage than the counties surrounding us, and in other states. And by the time I get through detailing all the reasons, they want me to shut up, or they’re looking around to buy a house.

I say Wildwood (truth) and they ask where in is that in Texas :-)

I'm in the Lady Lake part of The Villages, so I always just say Lady Lake, and say it's about an hour North of Orlando if anyone inquires further. I never volunteer that I live in The Villages, I do think there are some bad perceptions of it.

I am new to the villages but have not seen any negative reactions toward me by locals. Quite the contrary. Since many in the area are in services or trades, I feel seen as a valuable new customer.

As to people you encounter while traveling, I find most people have heard of the villages. A few people may look down on the villages because it’s so affordable, but by and large I think the impressions are favorable. The swinger stories that captured public imagination a couple of years ago, I think most people realize are far fetched. It’s an easy and funny subject for jokes though and will live on for that reason indefinitely.

But where do I tell people I live? I still say my home state of Tennessee since we still own property there and are still splitting time. It’s hard to sever those ties.

After so many negative responses when we mentioned TV, we just started to respond that we live in "Central Fl." As for locals not liking us...everywhere I've ever lived, the locals didn't care for those that moved to the area and added to traffic and building.

You’d think after this many years (decades), and with how HUGE the Villages has become, we’d now be considered the locals. I’m just wondering who these “locals” are who look down on us with such disdain? Personally, hubby and I say we’re retired in Central FL one hour north of Disney World (since we are Disney fans/passholders). The convo doesn’t usually go beyond that, but if it does we happily say The Villages.

Ever think that some locals have a bad impression of TV because of how some villager treated them?

Granted a few villagers don't speak for most, but it can sometimes only take one bad experience.

The Villages. It's about an hour north of Orlando.

My wife and I spent over 20 years overwintering in The Villages.
If, in our travels outside the bubble, we were asked where we were staying, we always said The Villages.
We said we chose the place, because of all the wife swapping, debauchery, swinging parties, and the preponderance of gourmet restaurants!

I just say I would violate my Witness Protection agreement and jeopardize my family if I revealed that

Wasn't the gamma quadrant run by the Dominion, which would make us shape shifting liquid life forms that have to spend x number of hours in a bucket every day to regenerate???????

If I get the STDs and swingers question I just deal with it. I tell them, "No, it's an old rumor, but I understand some porn sites are still spreading that false information. So, where did you read about that?"

Years ago,when first moved in I was doing home visits as a nurse.I was advised when I got my tags not to put any identifier on them so people wouldn't know where I lived. I was also told if asked just side step or say Ocala area. Now the moment I uttered hello the pt and family knew I was a northern transplant.I understood the advice I was offered was becaithere was tremendous anger towards The Villages growing and usurping the beautiful farm land. I thought how silly progress is economic growth. Fast forward 20 plus years..I fully understand the disappointment and anger. So I just acknowledge I am a long time northern transplant living in a very unique part of central Florida. Many people ask The Villages?Depending where i will say yes.And it is a very interesting world!

Their loss!
Your Gain!

The Villages.

We both will say The Villages. But sometimes we'll add "we're originally from SW Indiana".

Central Florida is what I say which is good enough

Don't quite follow. Who takes advantage of who?

I have no hesitancy to tell people I live in The Villages. When I get a negative response I ask what they found objectionable during their visit. Of course, I've never come across anyone who has actually been here so they have to, typically with some sheepishness, admit that they'd never actually been here, so their opinions are based upon stories they'd heard or read.
I then invite them to have a serious discussion with me about the reality of TV, the good, the bad, the in-between...most people are really very interested to hear what it's really about, or at least, the opinion of one person who actually spends significant time here.

I live in The Villages, and if someone does not like that, they can deprive themselves of friendships and business opportunities.

Locally I say I'm from the villages. For people outside the state, I say the villages, which is about an hour north of Orlando.

I've been here about a year and a half and I have not personally experienced any hostility from the locals when I tell them where I'm from. I think a lot of that depends on how you treat them. It's usually reciprocal.

If they ask me about swingers I tell them that was based on bogus information that was picked up by the media.

As Sir Winston Churchill once observed, "a lie can make it halfway around the world before the truth can get its pants on."