north or south of 466
 

I've seen discussions where there seems to be some emphasis on the desirability of location described as either being north or south of 466.
what is this about? can you explain the pros and cons of being in one over the other?

When you first enter the Villages from Hwy 301 (through Oxford or Wildwood) Co rd 466 is the road that your travel.

On the North Side is many of the commercial businesses,restaurants, Banks etc.
In this area you are located close to the two existing town squares.

In the last few years the dynamic growth has been to the south.
A third town square Brownwood is being built to the south of the Villages. This new twon square is planned to open in October.

I would choose south of 466 because they enforce deed restrictions which we are used to and lends itself to a more even look. Most homes north of 466 do look great but some have a little too many "things" in yards in my opinion.

North
easy access to the two towns for entertainment, restaurants, shops etc.
established communities of mixed age

South
better access to more Rec centers (especially for swimming)
homes still under warranty

North of 466 are around 15 community swimming pools and south has more.

Two of the best country club restaurants are north - Lopez and Glenview.

Brownwood is going to be hard to get to from north of 466 in a golf cart - about 45 minute drive at least. Brownwood is going to be easy access for the people in Wildwood and the trailer parks by Wildwood. Good or bad?

Deed restrictions are enforced north of 466 too. They just contain different restrictions.

What is the implication in this statement? What particular trailer parks?

If golfing is an issue:

South has Championship courses
Havana 27
cane Garden 27
Mallory 27
Bonifay 18 soon to have 27
Arnold Palmer (27 holes Central to both areas)

North:
Orange blossom 18
Terra del sol 18
NancyLopez 27
Hacienda Hills 27
Glenbrook 27
(& Palmer)

when you request tee time you specify North or south of 466

fyi
 

Make sure to note if they are saying 466 or 466a also really very confusing at first.

466 runs through the middle of town as it is now.

466a is pretty much southernmost as the building is right now. Brownwood will be at the southernmost point, but NO homes are really close to Brownwood town center right now.

OP: You could touch a nerve of some people when you say North of 466 or South of 466Its really a matter of personal preference as each has its advantages The disadvantages are in the eyes of the beholder. Other Posts have listed some pros and cons of each. If you want to build a new home its south of 466A.

find the house you like north or south you will be happy

as I had posted before, we just got back from our week lifestyle visit. We deliberately visited most of the pools and rec centers. We talked to numerous people. We drove around all over.
It really is what you like and what you can afford. We played cards with one man who had lived in Orange Blossom for years and loved all of his neighbors and didn't want to ever move. We met a youngish couple who had bought a house in a very old section because he had been laid off sooner than expected and they found something they liked and it was much cheaper. Some people insisted building in the new area was the way to go, to meet people closer to our own age and getting all the bumpouts and features they want and they are lucky enough to afford it.

But you know what? When I visited quilt guilds, and played cards and we talked to people about activities and swam all over no one cared where you lived. If your house is worth 75,000 or 1 million you still can go to the same clubs and groups.

Each area has it's pros and cons, age of homes, proximity to services, near clubs or activities you might want to partake in, and price of homes. You need to decide your own priorities.

North of 466 has been turned over to the owners by the developers and control their own destiny and governing. The best golf during the drought was north of 466. Closer to everything, more established, mature.

Now it's not a "North vs South" thing.....we fund a dream home north so that's where we are.....

wasn't there a war between the north and south
:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

We were South of 466A this week looking at lots and our sales lady pointed out a new golf course being built named Evans something. I believe she said it is a new championship course

Evans Prairrie Opening October 15th

I have been out of The Villages for a month now. Is this something new, that one has to request a course "north or south" of 466? I have never seen that when using the tee time system.

North

Most pre-owned homes might have little or no bond.

South

New construction will have a bond.

Yup. The BEST VILLAGE IS.....
 

I had to smile when I heard one of my neighbors explain to a brand new neighbor that our village was the nicest, had the easiest access to shopping and other amenities, the friendliest people, the prettiest most well planned homes, the best overall ambiance... and that most people wished they lived in our village.

I said to her.."You do realize that every person in every village feels exactly the way you do about their village?" She looked at me like I was goofy.:shrug:

we chose north of 466 - matter of fact, all the way to the historic section! we love the larger lot sizes and the mature landscaping - our homes do not look the same as if they came from a cookie cutter. and as for the "things" in the yards - we find them amusing! you sometimes have to wonder what the owner was thinking, but after all, it is just one of the other elements that add to the character of our neighborhoods! and it is what we were used to up north. we also have a golf cart bridge to get us to "the other side" - the only one of its kind in florida, i believe!

we have no traffic or challenging roadways like morse and buena vista blvds, odell circle, stillwater trail, etc - so we have few motor vehicle accidents. travel on foot of by bike and golf cart is a breeze. we have lovely lakes and sports facilities and we are home to the villages original recreation center! the historic side even enjoys its own doggie park! and we have a brick and mortar post office to boot with routine daily business hours.

many of us live in manufactured houses, often mistakenly called moblie homes even though there is nothing mobile about them! as some of the units became worse for the wear, they have been replaced by site built homes. but the fact that we are the historic side means that purchases in our villages do not hit you with a bond payment. our infrastructure has bbeen paid up for years, so now we just pay to maintain it rather than build it!

and that's what is special about the villages - there is a style and an ambiance for everyone! we all believe we live in the best village - and we do - because not one is better than the other - each is the best it can be! - and our neighbors make it so! ;)

after folks have toured south of 466 and south of 466a, they owe it to themselves to visit north of 466 and the historic side so that they can see where the villages really began.

Picking a Championship course north of 466 is an option. Picking a course south of 466 is another option. Picking individual courses anywhere in The Villages gives you lots of other options. You are not required to pick courses just north of 466 or courses just south of 466.

If I were to choose the perfect place to live in the Villages, it would be somewhere in the vicinity of Lake Sumter Landing. Only because it is centrally located.
I think that while all the different villages may be a bit different, other then the price of the homes, they are all pretty much equal as far as quality of life goes.

Nicely put! :agree:

That settles it, I'm looking north of 466! :laugh:

Could you please describe to me just where the "Historic Area " is? We will be living in Briar meadow. Is that included?

Thanks!

You ARE goofy, my dear, but in the very sweetest way! :girlneener::girlneener::girlneener:

It is everything east of 441/27. Briar Meadow is far to the northwest.

SS (North of 466) has 2 hour happy hours; LSL (South of 466) has 1 hour happy hours.


That should settle it.


.

One thing that became apparent to me this past winter (which was mild) was that in a mild winter, the St. Augustine grass that is used north of 466 stays green through the winter, whereas the zoysia (used south of 466) will be brown from approx. late December through approx. February. There may be other pros/cons of one grass type or the other, but I must admit to being jealous of the green grass up north. I believe that in a hard winter it doesn't matter - everything goes brown.

Other advantages of north are that Katie Bells, Church on the Square and the Savannah Center are all up north. Also, both bowling alleys are in Spanish Springs (although there were rumors of Brownwood having a bowling center as well.)

When you are booking tee times the champion ship course selection is North or South of 466. You certainly can choose or request any course that you want. That is the diversity of the Villages. Some may prefer some courses close to their home. If (for example) you live in Sanibel , You certainly can go to Nancy Lopez or Glenbrook but perhaps you may prefer closer courses.

sending you a pm

That will now be the area with lots & lots of real estate signs; in the yard, hanging from trees,painted on garage door windows ets. ...............see Daily Sun August 9, 2012

Its All About The Neighborhood
 

Amenities abound here in The Villages whether you live north or south of 466 and eventually that will be the situation south of 466a. I believe the single greatess factor is your neighborhood. My wife and I are very fortunate to have located in a neighborhood where people respect your privacy but are also very community oriented. They are an active group generating so much activity within the neighborhood year around. It is their friendship we cherish most

Executive Golf
 

Since nobody has mentioned this one, I guess my wife is right and I'm pretty weird, but...

The biggest thing that "sold" me on TV was "free golf for life" (on the executive courses). One thing that figured prominently into our decision of where to buy was proximity to executive golf courses. If you buy a map and color in all the executive Courses, you will see a big ring of 13 courses between Lake Sumter Landing and 466a. We found a place in that ring and we now have 13 different courses within 2 miles (and 4 courses within about 1/2 mile). If you plan on playing a lot of executive golf, that might be important to you, too...:gc:

Where you decide to live is a personal choice and we can all list our reasons for selecting the location we did or are considering....Just be aware, homes built before 2002 were built to different hurricane standards and that is something you should pay atention to. This has not been a factor recently but its not a matter of "if"...only "when" it hits. When your house was built will also effect your homeowners insurance premiums and your options in selecting a homeowners insurance provider.

thanks for the replies. I wasn't suggesting either part was better--just wondered if there was a difference. I was there this week and went all over. I will say that I actually liked the north section very much....the mature landscaping was very appealing. However, the central location I was staying in was an obvious location advantage. I can see how living anywhere would be good and as you said you have access anywhere.

Excellent post!

The Villages in the Historic Area are Silver Lake, Orange Blossom Gardens and Country Club Hills.

Wonder how many yard ornaments are in those three villages?

I love all about those villages but that.It would be so much prettier if they had the restrictions we have.