A close second?
 

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Renting a house in Bonita Springs for the month of July. Have lived here in TV for 7 years.
Thinking of GL Homes Valencia Bonita.
Like it here but checking options.

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My wife and I checked several other communities before deciding on The Villages. Most were very nice in their own way, but none of them afforded the sheer variety and quality of activities that are available here. Since we were looking for a VERY active retirement, this was definitely the place for us.

If you're looking primarily for activities as the main draw, we couldn't find anybody even remotely close. If you're looking primarily for nice houses at comparable (or even a bit cheaper) prices, there are many retirement communities in the north central Florida area.

If you're looking primarily for weather, well we ALL share the same weather here in Florida!

If you're looking for friendly people, you'll probably find them at any of the communities as we're all in the same boat - retired and enjoying it!

If you're looking for nearby great medical facilities, there are probably retirement communities nearer to Orlando, Florida or Jacksonville that might meet your needs. However, none of them are all that far from The Villages and we've got a pretty large selection of good (or even very good) facilities drawn to the area by the sheer number of senior patients/customers here.

If you're looking for fine dining, The Villages may be a little shy on that but the selection of decent (if not exactly fine) dining is huge compared to most other communities.

If you're looking for great shopping, you may be better off trying to find some place close to Orlando, Florida or Jacksonville. Remember that retirement communities tend to be built where land is cheap and that means retail support from surrounding communities tends to be very thing for most. Again, The Villages size has gone a long way to attract businesses that other communities simply cannot.

If you're looking for proximity to theme parks (hey, it's Florida after all!), The Villages is a little over an hour from Disney, SeaWorld, Universal, Busch Gardens, etc. Close enough to go down for a few hours on an annual pass and get home without exhausting yourself and far enough to not be surrounded by the traffic. But then, so are several other communities.

Good luck on finding the right community for you!

GL (which stands for Good Luck) builds good to almost top quality homes. I visited their Valencia Bay development on the east coast a while back. Their Boca Bridges development looks fantastic on their website.

There is also Plantation Bay over by Ormond Beach.

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Are you in Sun City in Summerlin by any chance?

I am certain there are many wonderful choices among the many retirement communities in Florida and elsewhere. None of them is likely to meet all the needs of every individual or couple. in making a case for The Villages I would point out that no other 55+ community is even close to the scale of TV. There has to be a reason that so many people have chosen this community over so many others. Now, the other side of that coin could be, perhaps the size has become a negative for some people. It has not adversely affected me in the least, but I can listen to that argument with some level of understanding. I am a golfer and the golf here is pretty good, quite accessible, and relatively inexpensive. Most other retirement communities offer far less golfing options, if any, and more expensive fees. You can live on or close to the beach elsewhere, but generally the golf is relatively expensive and less available. I like the beach, but frankly, I don't need to be at the beach every day. From TV we can get to a day at the beach within two hours on the gulf or the Atlantic and that scratches that itch for me every 2-4 weeks. Everyone has different needs, desires, passions, and turn-offs so many choices are available to cater to those differences. Hopefully you will find the closest to perfect place for you. Have fun on your lifestyle preview!

If you desire to live near the coast, you should come in February to see if you can tolerate the traffic. Five lanes each side, sometimes total gridlock just to go out to dinner or supermarket. Here, all I need is a golf cart.

We have friends who have a place in Ponte Verde. While their home was nice (huge actually) the activities there weren't as plentiful as here in The Villages. They have to drive "out of their bubble" for shopping, doctoring etc. NOT as convenient as we have it here. I think they said 5 miles minimum, depending on what they were going for. Further for other reasons. Yes, it's close to beaches but with that they get more "weather" effects than we do here as well. If you golf---they don't have a golf course but the professional course is near-by. The pool is a water-park shared with Nocatee and families. When we visited it seemed they only had one rec. center too. While the houses were nice the amenities wouldn't appeal to us. It's different strokes for different folks...but you can't beat The Villages!!!

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Central Fl is a good Fl location in terms of hurricanes. Take a look at Ocala and On Top if The World.

Why the Exaggeration?
 

Not true.

I lived in the greater Ft. Lauderdale area for many years and Federal Highway, the main north/south thoroughfare always moved as does A1A by the coast.

Traffic? Of course. But gridlocks are few and far between.

I grew up in St. Petersburg and when my dad retired in 1984 they moved 60 miles north to Spring Hill, Florida. A new retirement community at the time, Timber Pines. That Hernando County community is long completed but about 3 miles south a sister community was built, Heritage Pines, which is in Pasco County so they list Hudson as the town even though it's next to Spring Hill.

Heritage Pines is built out, but is much newer, completely gated with a real security gate and all the amenities you would really need. For shopping and eating out, US Hwy 19 is right out side your door. Just below Hudson is Tarpon Springs, Dunedin, Clearwater and St. Petersburg. The prettiest beaches in the world and only about 45 minutes to Tampa for professional sports and airport.

Heritage Pines Florida | Hudson, FL Retirement Communities | 55places

You'll find great prices, this home is currently on the market for $196K

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Homesowners association

Heritage Pines Country Club - Hudson, FL - Home

Golf Course

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