[Midge538]

The Villages growth: The Villages booming growth — good or bad? - OrlandoSentinel.com

[villages07]

Byline is Lauren Ritchie who has long professed her disdain for the Villages developer and really doesn't seem to have much good to say about the Villages overall.

No real new info in this article ... Not sure what point she's trying to make other than piggybacking on the Blechman/Leisureville theme of retired folks checking out of "regular" society. Ho-hum.

Thanks for posting the link...I probably would not have otherwise seen it.

[senior citizen]

...

[Mikeod]

Another piece of "journalism" from Lauren Ritchie. I think these are timed to catch the newer residents of TV. I suspect there will be another one in about 18 months. This one is so rife with inaccuracies and obvious bias that is speaks ill of the Sentinel.

Yes Ms. Ritchie. We get it. You don't like the Morse family. You don't like TV. I'm beginning to think you don't like the residents, either, since you paint us as deserters from our previous home towns. And we are so stupid as to believe the "history" of the town squares as depicted on the buildings and signs.

And don't mention the creation of job opportunities for people in TV and surrounding towns that weren't there before, nor the tax revenue. Nor the incredible number of volunteers and charities the residents support in the surrounding area. While we are no longer in our previous locations, many of us have transferred our community support activities to our new towns (use of plural is intentional since we are active in places other than TV itself).

[Skybo]

Good post Mike! You should post that in the comments section under the article.

[jblum315]

Lauren Ritchie despises TV, always has, always will
That said, how does she come up with the population figure "97,000"?
And "several town squares"? We have two, the third isn't built yet.
At the very least, newspaper reporters should strive for accuracy.

[Taltarzac725]

As to some of the points made in Lauren Ritchie's Orlando Sentinel article:

I have not met many of the party animals Ms. Ritchie seems to talk about in her article. Many of the Villagers also seem to be involved in politics. The Republicans in the Villages seem the most visible but from what I have read on TOTV there are also quite a lot of Democrats here.

And, I frequently see grandparents with visiting kids. They do seem to like it when they finally put them on their way home though as I expect they get tired out after various trips here and there.

I did look for that card that was supposedly thrown up into the ceiling at the Old Mill Playhouse by the magician. That was until the ticket taker mentioned that if you go through that door you will see it. He meant the Exit door. I just continued on to the movie I was about to see.

I also remember that The Villages Daily Sun --that media controlled by the developers' iron hand-- actually had an article about me and my attempts to help survivors/victims of crimes back around 2007. This was written by Mr. Gary Corsair about my efforts to get a link to the FL Victim Services Directory within the websites of the Villages' area libraries. http://myfloridalegal.com/directory

So, Villagers are trying to do something to improve the lives of people in their new community as well as the surrounding ones with a little help from The Villages Daily Sun. The public library websites I tried to improve were in Lake/Sumter/Marion Counties which covers quite a bit more than just the Villages.

[Bill-n-Brillo]

Originally Posted by Skybo

Good post Mike! You should post that in the comments section under the article.

Absolutely, Mike!

Bill

[RichieB]

Originally Posted by jblum315

Lauren Ritchie despises TV, always has, always will
That said, how does she come up with the population figure "97,000"?
And "several town squares"? We have two, the third isn't built yet.
At the very least, newspaper reporters should strive for accuracy.

As the late Yankee Stadium public address announcer Bob Sheppard often said ".....clear, concise and correct."

[CarGuys]

Originally Posted by senior citizen

Thanks Midge....appreciate the link as I haven't read the Orlando Sentinel in awhile.

Personally I didn't see the Disney World "atmosphere" she mentions.

Also, hopefully it will never turn into a social experiment as she imagines.

I really doubt if the main reason people move there is to eliminate children from their lives. If any do exist who cannot experience the joy that children bring , then they will be mighty upset when the Villagers' grandchildren all visit. Ours all said they will come as often as they can.

My personal opinion is that after 50 or 60 + years of blizzards, snow gets pretty "old" after awhile. Ditto for multi storied homes when steps just become a hassle carrying everything up and down constantly......not to mention outdoor maintenance........we no sooner put away all the outdoor furniture and other junk then it is time to put it all back outside again.

Ditto for the snowblower, etc. and calcium chloride, rock salt, etc.

It's things like that.....or lack thereof, that make a move to THE VILLAGES tempting......plus the lovely homes and neat surroundings. My husband noticed immediately how smooth the roads were........we came back north to our typical pot holes.

Someone should tell this to Lauren Ritchie.

Plus, I doubt truly if every single person who moves to TV is a party animal.
I think that "spin" is put out there so that it doesn't get thought of as an old fogie community. We had aunts and uncles who retired to central Florida and lived to very ripe old ages, leaving the snow and extra workload behind up north. They led quiet comfortable lives as most seniors do.

We met several couples at the airport, both coming and returning, who bought below TV in Leesburg and just loved their quiet living at the Plantation but said they would visit TV "now and then" but not too often.

Yes, I will agree with Lauren Ritchie, that everyone we met in person was friendly.......so TV does deserve that tribute.

I agree. After visiting here we thought we died and went to Heaven after Syracuse NY. The smile on my Ruthie's face made me leap.
I just wish people would quit telling us how miserable were going to be. One couple sold everything and moved to Buffalo to be next to their grandbabies. Now he keeps asking for our address! LOL
This mild winter up here brought out the " Why move it beautiful here now comments?
But we both know that lake effect snow is coming back. Ice Age Returns! The new movie.

[BobKat1]

I found it interesting reading. Don't agree with much of it. One persons perspective. It will be interesting to see what kind of comments/replies she receives.

[senior citizen]

...

[jane032657]

I wrote to Lauren and told her my views. She said I made some good points and asked if she could use them in an article she is writing next week. I said yes. I have never read anything by her before, but read the link today provided here.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by jane032657

I wrote to Lauren and told her my views. She said I made some good points and asked if she could use them in an article she is writing next week. I said yes. I have never read anything by her before, but read the link today provided here.

do a search on Lauren Ritchie, you can read all her opinions. And then you may want to tell some more of your views.

[Midge538]

Originally Posted by jane032657

I wrote to Lauren and told her my views. She said I made some good points and asked if she could use them in an article she is writing next week. I said yes. I have never read anything by her before, but read the link today provided here.

She directly asked for responses so it would be in our interest to respond and: agree, disagree, clarify, or offer our own thoughts on what we enjoy (or have concerns about) here in The Villages. (Maybe she is getting ready to retire : - ).