Northern Section of TV
 

I was looking on-line at some lovely patio villas in the northern part of TV. I prefer to be more centrally located or near Spanish Springs.

I was wondering if people feel this section of TV is too far by golf cart from Spanish Springs and the other parts of TV. Are their advantages to being in this section as opposed to other area's?

Spanish Springs is in the northern part of The Villages.

Some of the oldest areas are north of Spanish Springs (Orange Blossom, Country Club) But they are very VERY close.

You are pretty close to shopping, doctors and restaurants near Spanish Springs....AND if you are near or SOUTH of Lake Sumter Landing.

Not any bad spots that I know of.

Location
 

We reside in a Patio Villa in the"northern"area of the Villages and have no problem accessing any area of the Villages.For example 15-20 min. by golf cart to either square.

I think you mean north of El Camino Real in Marion County. That is an area that I will choose not to purchase in. I have driven that area and it is lovely, and I am sure there is good reason to live there, but I would choose not to be that far removed from the center of TV. My preference would be a village close to CR 466 as they are close to both town squares, shopping, etc. I particularly like the villages east of Buena Vista and just north of CR 466, as they are old enough that the bonds are low or paid off in many cases. Fortunately, not everyone is interested in the same thing so there is demand for all the villages.

Depends on what you are looking for. We live in the Marion County end and absolutely love it. 20 minutes to Spanish Springs or Lake Sumter is close enough for me and away from the hustle-bustle. Publix, Walgreen's and some restaurants are about a mile away. Since we are not "town square kind of people" except when relatives come in, this suits our lifestyle. If you want more action, you might want to live closer to the squares. At this age, I've had my share of action and enjoy the peace and quiet of this end of The Villages!

What about Brownwood??

Brownwood? Depends on where one's located. From Buena Vista and Rt. 446A it's about 2.5 miles to the future Town Square. (See on map)
(Note: You can place your mouse pointer on the maps "A" marker and drag it to another location in TV to get the mileage from that point to the future Town Square)

The area near Lopez CC is a very pretty area, but, for us, it is too far from SS. We like being close to SS, shopping, medical offices, and restaurants, all by golf cart. Nice as you get older.

As I said in another post, the fact that you asked about the distance, you may not be happy so far away. Don't just think it will be ok, but get a cart and drive to SS several time and be sure.

We bought a nice home, in a nice Village (as they all are), but, as we were slowly moving into it, I realized that I wanted to be really close to SS. We sold the house without really living there.

There are some nice villas near SS.

If I was looking for a Patio Villa North of 466, I would search for something in the Village of de La Vista. This Village is about 10 minutes from SS or LSL and convenient to most things. Is is a little older so mature landscaping and some decent buys on Patio Villas.

:agree::agree:

Renting in Chatham
 

In July I will be renting for one week in Chatham just south of Nancy Lopez CC. If I'm looking a the TV map correctly, the rental is only about 1 mile from the Publix at Mulberry Grove Plaza. I would like to rent again in the fall for a week, and then I think I will choose a rental further south near 466. Since it will be several years until I can contemplate buying in TV, renting in different villages may be a good way to see which part of TV I would ultimately want to buy in. Maybe next year I will rent in Pennecamp or Buttonwood to see what the newer villages are like to live in. Convenience to shopping would definitely be important to me. I think I would also like to live within about 2 or 3 miles from one of the squares. By the time I will be able to buy the new square at Brownwood Paddock will be finished.

Sounds like a good plan. There won't be many places that are more than 3-4 miles from one of the squares.

I have lived in Marion county since 2001. I am very happy out here. I have my necessary shopping - grocery, liquor, pharmacy, bank, gas station and a few eateries. I am maybe 3 miles to SS and 4 miles to LSL based on my GPS readings to the two TooJays in the area.

It is about a 20 minute cart ride to either square and a 10 minute ride to Summertrace.

There are always resales between here and the squares.

We used to go to activities at SS 4-5 nights a week. Now it is maybe twice a month. We still travel to SS quite a bit for lunch and shopping. My doctors are in the SS area and in the LSL area. I like morning appointments so I can partake of the various breakfast specials in both squares.

Anywhere in TV is great.

Get a map and a compass and draw a 3 or 4 or 5 mile circle from the places you want to be close to and see where the circles overlap and look in that area. You should find something.

Z

Here's what we do. We take the center of LSL then add the address of what is for sale that we are considering and put it on Google maps. That will tell you how far it is to the square or anything else. Once you put in the address of the house and the square address you can drag the mouse to a new location and see how far that is.
Now remember these are car times and milage so you need to add a few more minutes and miles due to carts going 20 instead of the 35 or so on the highway. Also, cart paths are not as a direct route as the streets are.

Hope that helps, it sure has helped us.

aj

Just noting that in Google map directions you can click on a bicycle icon (top of left frame) to show travel time in that mode instead of by car. I'd venture a guess that the actual travel time by golf cart may lie midway between the two figures.
http://www.toocutebabygifts.com/imag...golfcart-S.jpg But then again I'm not a professional golf cart driver and can't be sure!

Good point that I missed - Thanks for adding that info...

aj

I like your idea of the Village de La Vista. I think this would be a perfect section for me as it is centrally located between LSL and SS. I would initially like to be close to the squares.

As time goes on, maybe I'll be one those people who moves. I hope the move is going to be one and done as I don't like moving.

Be careful where you choose. The commute can be exhausting. Why spend 20 minutes windshield time sitting next to your loved one or golf companion when you can do it in 2 minutes. Come on, there is not bad location in The Villages. Some of the best times and the best conversations are in the golf cart.

Second that!!

Yeah......I've received some of my best verbal beat-downs in the golf cart: "Where in the #*@% are you going, Bill?" "You missed that turn AGAIN, you moron!!" etc., etc. :1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl: Just kiddin' - Sandy never gets upset with me.......well, almost never!

Certainly a different pace to our lives when we're in TV. Can't wait til we get to the point of being able to spend more time there!!

Bill :wave:

For the veterans of TV -- do you attend activities at SS and LSL less often the longer you live in TV as ZCaveman does?

But what about "making out" in the golf carts?

Where do we go to watch the submarine races?:gc:

yes.

Submarine Downs? http://i689.photobucket.com/albums/v...Laughing-2.gif

This is only my fourth winter, but I would say "Definitely less often!!"

As a newbie or when you're vacationing, you think you'll spend every night at either LSL or SS!! Initially, we thought that! Because the Squares are such vibrant "happening" places. However, the longer you live in TV, the more you'll enjoy your home, and probably spend less time at the Squares. We go there when we have visitors, or perhaps once a week for dinner or shopping. It takes us 12 minutes by Golf Cart.

We live just south of CR 466 in a central location, near Southern Trace Plaza. We can access shopping easily by golf cart in 5 minutes; and we do so several times a week ... The Library, Publix, Bealls, Walmart, Giovannis. Bonefish Grill, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Crispers, Buffalo Ridge, two Vet clinics, etc., etc. We are also five minutes from the private dog park called Doggie Doo Run Run. And since Lolli Pop demands to go there daily, that is important for us!

When we are down, we also go to the squares less often than at first. I'm glad they are there, and I enjoy going, but once, maybe twice a week is about right.

For us, it's more convenient to live near shopping, rec. center with a gym, favorite golf courses and nice quiet places to walk and bicycle. We also enjoy the Springdale fitness trail and dog park.

This makes our Springdale (north side) location an excellent fit for us. Honestly though, I think everywhere in TV has it's good points.

I will tell you what is wrong with the south side.

PTurner doesn't live there.:(

For friends of Gracie and P half the distance between them is the best location. :smiley:

I live in a patio villa in Merry Oak Villas just inside the Calumet Grove gate. I absolutely love my neighborhood and location. With the new golf cart paths, riding down to the square is so nice and I am near the Publix shopping center and VA facility. I have been here for 8 years and am so happy I chose this neighborhood. Right now there are some great 2 bedroom, 2 bath villas in here for sale. I know you wouldn't be sorry. The streets in here are Charlesfort, Palownia, and Ellerslie Ct - that's what you would see in the listings.

I love that idea, dear Friend!

Everyone loves their Village and their Community. Isn't that wonderful? There is no one great Village, and no bad ones either.

Just got back from a visit yesterday! We were in Central Florida for 7 days and spent some time in The Villages. We drove around the neighborhoods, checked out the country clubs and golf club houses..also peeked into a couple of neighborhood rec centers. One of the things both my husband and I were wondering about is how much time a Villager spends in the squares once they have lived in The Villages for awhile. Sounds like once that novelty has worn out, the less you go. That is what we were thinking also. To me, that means finding a house close to the squares is not as important as one might think. Possibly, a home centrally located to a couple of golf courses would work for us. We really gained some useful info on this trip and can't wait to go down again!
By the way...we ate at Glenview, Havanna and Mallory and have no complaints about any of them. Would frequent them all for sure!:)

Many people feel that proximity to Publix, medical buildings and department stores is important. For swimmers, proximity to the adult pool would probably be a big plus. For us, with two dogs, it is important for us to be close to the dog park, Doggie Doo Run Run, because we go there at least once a day. I think that most people initially think they'll be bopping every night at the town squares. After four years, I'd guess we visit the squares once a week.

Before I bought my home in Woodbury, I took a whole day and drove, by car and golf cart, from one end of TV to the other. It really opened my eyes as to how central everything is. I suggest you give it a try.

It is a lovely drive. The grass is greening now and the flowers are blooming. People are out walking, some with dogs. People are clustering together on driveways.

Peace is in The Villages, and fun and friendship and pretty yards...:highfive:

I just love this place.:thumbup:

I'm so happy we are finally getting some rain. I can hear the grass and the palm trees sighing with relief today. A drive around TV makes you realize what a beautiful, perfect, litter-free Paradise we have.

After ten years - once every two weeks on market nights.



.

We live full time in The Villages, near Sumter Landing Square, and find that the night time entertainment is not a draw for us. But we do feel we made the right choice with our location because, as you said, we are centrally located within a 10 minute golf cart ride to about 5 golf courses: Cane, Mallory, Havana, Palmer and Tierra; we also love being close to Sumter Square because of the grocery shopping, variety of stores, restaurants, and movie theater. Its so much easier to find parking in a golf cart as opposed to a car. We're handy to grocery shopping at either Sweet Bay or Publix. We absolutely love the convenience of being close to everything. All in all, I think location adds to the value of one's home.

I agree with NITAKK
 

We are in exactly the same position as nitakk. I totally agree with everything that was said . With the improved cart paths from CR42 all the way to Spanish Springs and down Buena Vista to CR466 driving is a pleasure.
It is nice to have the option of either enjoying the peace and quiet that the north brings or take in the action with only a 20 minute cart ride down wonderfully wide paths. Also, I can cut the time in half with my scooter.
We love it up here.