Any California Transplants I can talk to?
 

Hi all, I am highly considering moving to the Villages from San Diego, CA in the next year or two. I have so many questions I would love to talk to some of you who have made the move from CA especially San Diego...like how to you cope with the weather and do you acclimate to it? Also what about the bugs? When I vacationed in Florida several years ago, my legs were eaten up! Lastly, call me crazy, but I would like to garden and have a private yard, but so far not crazy about the cottages/locations I see online. I would like to be close to one of the "hubs" and also the activities and need a 2 bed+ den or 3 bed. Thanks! I look forward to meeting you!

Your best bet would be to rent a home for a month in the summer and all of your questions would be answered as well as you'll have lots of time to look at various models, you can probably plant a garden in the Veranda models but not sure if it's allowed or not.

I’m a CA transplant, from San Marcos as a matter of fact so not too far from SD. It will take a bit of adjustment on your part to the differences in climate conditions. It’s different from the low humidity levels, Santa Anas, temperature inversions and the extreme heat that can rear it’s nasty self. It’s humid, but you learn to make adjustments. You may spend a little less time outdoors from May to Sept/Oct. Outside time during that period would be better in the mornings or later in the day. Buildings and autos are air conditioned and there are plenty of indoor activities that are fun. My daughter-in-law, a FL native always reminded me that you have air conditioning everywhere here. I didn’t find days of 109-112 degrees particularly comfortable in So. CA. You adjust, make adjustments and live. Bugs, well, The Villages sprays for mosquitos. Haven’t noticed what you experienced here, but it does happen in some locations. It does take a little bit of time to acclimate and after 13 years, I still don’t like the heat...but I didn’t like the heat in SD county either. As Ted Leitner use to say, “It’s a dry heat, but so is my oven,”. ,,lolol. One thing I found interesting, the winter cold is colder than the winter cold in San Marcos... so glad I kept warm coats we had from winter visits to other parts of the country.

Gardening, well, you could consider gardening in large containers. If it’s important to you that you have an actual garden, and you need a fenced yard for that, continue to look....some might meet your needs when you actually see them.

I love it here and always have....heat, humidity, rain and all!

This this enough backyard for your garden?

https://image.thevillages.com/api/photo/512491.jpg

This is a 3 BR 2 BA Masonry Courtyard Villa for sale for $379K. It has a fenced backyard. It's about 100 yards from the Eisenhower Rec Center and about a 1/4 mile from Brownwood Square, the third and newest square opened in 2013.

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Homefinder - The Villages(R) Homes and Villas for Sale

Eisenhower Rec Center

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Brownwood Square

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The Veranda Models have a much larger fenced in yard.

I currently live in Oregon. Have been researching for the past 6 months, and will be visiting at end of August to experience first hand the heat, humidity, and storms. Will also be looking for a home to buy.

Have a few friends here who were born and raised in Florida and Louisiana. Also have talked to many who lived in Central Florida all their lives. The common answer to my question of getting use to the climate - everyone replies you just don’t. You learn to deal with it.

Thanks to AC, I guess we can live anywhere, and plan our daily schedule accordingly.

Surprised to see that homes are selling briskly. We’ve concentrated our search in the area between Sumter Landing and Brownwood.

Our previous visits have convinced us this is the place we will retire to.

Comparing Florida’s weather to California’s.....

Well, it’s like going to the Mojave desert in the summer months and stand outside there for about an hour....then dump a 10 gallon bucket of hot water over your head!!! :faint:

I have enjoyed a home in Corona Del Mar, CA for almost 30 years but have owned property in central Florida (Lakeland), lived in the desert southwest and midwest and on the east coast from the mid-Atlantic area south to Key Biscayne. If you live in San Diego and are relatively near the ocean you enjoy what most folks consider to be the best weather and climate in the world. Moving anywhere in the USA from there would be an adjustment unless it was up the coast up to about Santa Barbara.

In my experience the midwest, south and east coast suffer hot and humid summers. The chief difference from place to place is in how long they last. In central Florida that hot and humid summer can last 6 months or more and the winters can be a bit chilly, at least for what I expected for Florida - it is not like Miami. Many central Floridians I have known escape the long hot humid summers by getting away to second homes in cooler places, such as in the mountains of North Carolina. In SD people rarely encounter mosquitos or even many flies and rarely would need to spray toxic pesticides all around. One can eat outside morning to night without being pestered by flies or mosquitos. TV is very clean and relatively bug free compared to its surrounding areas probably due to maintaining an insecticide spraying program. SD does not experience much lightning. TV lies within Florida's "Lightning Alley" which experiences the third most lightning strikes of anywhere in the world. Is Florida really the lightning capital of the world? - Orlando Sentinel

When was the last time SD experienced a hurricane? Prepare yourself for those and occasional tornado threats. Tornadoes*a real nightmare to Florida retirees - CNN.com

Although you will no longer need to worry about earthquakes sinkholes can pop up anywhere, anytime. 'Enough is Enough': Sinkhole still causing headaches in The...

All that being said life in TV is enjoyed by most of the residents as there is so much for seniors to do and one can live very inexpensively compared to SD. Gas is not currently $4.00/gal; happy hours drinks run about $3.00 - truly unbelievable to Californians!

Also Florida does not tax personal income. CA's current top rate is 13.3% I believe.

What I discovered is that most residents who are not Florida natives from elsewhere in the state are "weather refugees" from "up north" wherever that may be so the weather is wonderful to them compared to the harsh winters they escape.

Carmel, on the Monterey Peninsula, S.F. bay area, Marin County here..Central Florida humidity, nothing compared to N.Y.C., Wash D.C. summers..Easy to get climatized, in Central, Fl.. I think, you would love the balmy nights, as it would remind you of San Diego, Coronado...No concerns about mud slides, earthquakes, and home invasions...Nightly Entertainment, events, appointments, shopping, and cruising the highly scenic manicured landscaping in your golf cart, one imminently feels at home, and at peace.. You prolly, with all the conveniences would not second guess your decision.. And if you do, selling your house takes very little effort, and time...In closing, I would have to say that down sizing, The Villages, is the "biggest bang" for your money in the U.S., IMHO...

San Diego vs. The Villages
 

Just remember that this "village" actually grows to almost 150000 during the popular months. Not much of a village to me but a large city.

There is no possibility of morning surfing and afternoon snow skiing during the winter in TV.

I was born and raised in So. California. Best weather in the world. It used to be the best of everything, the land of milk and honey. We bought our home in TV three years ago. We feel it’s the best decision we could have made. Each “village” is very much like the neighborhoods in So Cal when we were young. The PEOPLE are, almost without exception, good, helpful, polite, and friendly. It’s a bit longer drive to the beach but the water is so much warmer. Come and see for yourself. I think you will want to stay. Oh, there is one major problem, no “In n Out”. If I could open one here I wouldn’t be able to spend all the money I’d make.

Spent a week in Vegas earlier this year and ate there 5 nights out of 7. (I was lucky that hubby was busy playing poker as he is more of an "el Pollo Loco" kind of guy.)

A few years ago they spread to Texas. Hope springs eternal that they will make it to Florida before I die. :)

kathy