[Laker14]

I am enjoying my first snowbird winter in TV this winter. I have found 99.9% of the people I've run into to be very friendly. I've played quite a bit of golf as a single player, playing with 3 strangers who may or may not know each other. In every case the other players have been very friendly, and very enjoyable to play with, regardless of their skill level.
My wife and I were walking by the pickleball courts. She is learning to play as a rank beginner, and wanted to watch. Two ladies came by and encouraged her to play. She has been going to beginners meet-ups and classes and says everyone has been great. On several occasions she's gone by herself to work on her serves, and every time she's done this, total strangers, all better players than she is, have offered to hit with her, and help her. Some have included her in their games, even though they were considerably better than she is.
I have had more conversations with strangers here than I can count, all friendly, all eager to tell their stories and listen to mine.

I have seen a few instances of drivers getting impatient, and honking needlessly, but not very many. Maybe 2 or 3 times in a month.

So I'd say it's a very friendly place. It's as if everyone is having a good time here. Imagine that.

[Rapscallion St Croix]

Originally Posted by Chi33

Is it a sales tool and false or the truth?

Examples of either please.

All I see lately is angry. Snowbirds, roundabouts, noise... where is the good to balance it and even go over the top.

It is not a sales pitch because the sales pitch only claims TV to be Florida's Friendliest Home Town.

As to the validity of the claim. It would be virtually impossible to quantify and rank towns by their friendliness. Surveys are unreliable. One survey ranked TV as the most dangerous place to trick or treat in America because of the lack of children living here.

[stroch609@gmail.com]

My parents moved here 15 years ago, and unfortunately times have really changed. “The Freindliest Town” is no longer true. My spouse and I laugh every time we see the signs or read it. The Villages has many stuck up, snobbish, one sided grumpy and mean residents.

[dewilson58]

Originally Posted by stroch609@gmail.com

My parents moved here 15 years ago, and unfortunately times have really changed. “The Freindliest Town” is no longer true. My spouse and I laugh every time we see the signs or read it. The Villages has many stuck up, snobbish, one sided grumpy and mean residents.

I maybe stuck up, but I can spell.

[billethkid]

Originally Posted by stroch609@gmail.com

My parents moved here 15 years ago, and unfortunately times have really changed. “The Freindliest Town” is no longer true. My spouse and I laugh every time we see the signs or read it. The Villages has many stuck up, snobbish, one sided grumpy and mean residents.

Once again talking about the few. There will always be a few that always get the attention and discussion. The few bad apples are presented as if they represent the general condition.

THEY DO NOT!!!!!

There are 95% plus of us who would tell a different story.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by stroch609@gmail.com

My parents moved here 15 years ago, and unfortunately times have really changed. “The Freindliest Town” is no longer true. My spouse and I laugh every time we see the signs or read it. The Villages has many stuck up, snobbish, one sided grumpy and mean residents.

I don't agree.

[BK001]

Originally Posted by stroch609@gmail.com

My parents moved here 15 years ago, and unfortunately times have really changed. “The Freindliest Town” is no longer true. My spouse and I laugh every time we see the signs or read it. The Villages has many stuck up, snobbish, one sided grumpy and mean residents.

Wow -- I wonder where they are since we have not run across any of them -- not one, single, solitary person who fits the above description.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by stroch609@gmail.com

My parents moved here 15 years ago, and unfortunately times have really changed. “The Freindliest Town” is no longer true. My spouse and I laugh every time we see the signs or read it. The Villages has many stuck up, snobbish, one sided grumpy and mean residents.

We been here 16 years and I do not see things as you do.

Originally Posted by spring_chicken

I just had to go back and read that post again.
There is not one single, solitary person in the villages who is rude!
Wow.

No one she has met.

Originally Posted by spring_chicken

You must not pay attention because it happens right here on this message board a dozen times a day. Check out the poster who is so proud of all of her deleted posts.
Out in public, it happens every day. Every day EVERYWHERE!
There are rude people EVERYWHERE! People are better served to recognize them and try to make their day better than follow orders and drink koolaid.

I have found that if you are nice to people they are generally nice to you... and if they are not then ignore is a wonderful tool.

[billethkid]

Originally Posted by Bogie Shooter

We been here 16 years and I do not see things as you do.

Ditto...16 years as well!

[vintageogauge]

Originally Posted by Brawnwy123

Hi, after 3 years, we get the picture and it is not pretty AT ALL. So, private email me here, and maybe we can chat on the phone, but the site will not let us be negative of their "GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH?" We are shopping elsewhere for now and will lose a bundle on our place.
Brawney123. Do a private message on here, try it, it may go thru.

Why would you lose a bundle on your place. If you bought it new there is now way you will lose a bundle. If you overpaid for a re-sale maybe so but there are not too many homes being sold that realizes the owner a "bundle" loss. We bought in Fenney in the very beginning with less than 30 homes sold down here and everyone we know or run into is very friendly except that guy with his gun at the dog park. I believe our home has appreciated in value significantly since our purchase however that is not why we bought it.

[tophcfa]

Like any place in this world, wherever you go there are always some unhappy/unfriendly/angry people, it is unavoidable. However, our observation has been that in the Villages those unhappy people are fewer and further in-between than any other place we have ever experienced (except for possibly the great tiny Caribbean Island of St. John, where just about everyone is on "island time", which is a very happy place. Sure, everyone is entitled to an occasional bad day, but if you are active and enjoy everything the Villages has to offer, it is hard to have many bad days. If you want to experience friendly, try pulling over on the side of a multi-modal path and open up the seat of your golf cart like it's broken down. Within a very short time, multiple people will stop and ask if everything is OK, if you need any help, or if they can do anything for you. It is amazing! We find that one problem we have with the Villages is that sometimes people are actually too friendly. Sometimes we have a free hour or so to go out in our front yard to work on the garden and tidy things up and find that we never get more than a few minutes to actually work. Everyone that walks by the house wants to stop and chat and make friends. Other times I go to a sports pool to swim as many laps as possible during the short times allocated for lap swimming and find that I can't get in many laps because everyone wants to chat and make friends. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining about this, having people being overly friendly is a great problem to have. Like others have said, the Villages is not for everyone. But there is a reason why it is the largest 55+ retirement community of it's kind in the world and they can keep selling new homes as fast as they can be built. This would not happen in a community filled with angry and unhappy residents.

[Bogie Shooter]

That sums it up very well.

[EdFNJ]

Originally Posted by dewilson58

And I am sooooooooooooooooo happy my sister would not like it here.

Unfortunately mine did.