[logdog]

We lived 12 years near the Florida coast. 3 major hurricanes (cat 4 & 5) plus very high insurance premiums drove us away.

[gomoho]

We always vacationed in coastal Florida and were sure one day we would retire there. Believe it or not, my husbands last job transfer was to Jacksonville Florida. We couldn't believe how lucky we were to be transferred to were we wanted to retire. Well we had a wonderful home directly across the street from the ocean and learned as a previous poster mentioned - you can only walk the beach so many times. The ocean goes in and the ocean goes out and while it is wonderful on vacation, just didn't offer enough for us as a retired lifestyle. Took us almost 10 years of travelling, but we finally ended up in TV and are very happy with our decision. Don't miss the ocean, but I do miss the desert and mountains out west, but that is a whole nother story!

[ssmith]

I NEVER, NEVER thought we would want to live in Florida ever!!!! My in-laws moved to Florida near a cost about 30years ago and we hated coming to visit them.

Went to the TV to check it out on a day trip due to a storm on the beach....and we were hooked. You see I get bored in just 3 days on the Beach...I do love it but my husband just chills there. He never wants to do anything. While we are in TV he has much more energy and becomes a different person just driving a golf cart to get around!!!

So for us it is because the Villages is in Central Florida but we have since learned of the advantages of lesser insurance costs etc.

[njbchbum]

bought in the villages because the seller accepted an offer we never thought she would!

seriously, because of the lifestyle that the villages offers. i figured since tv has its own polo club/fields - this is the kind of community i could grow accustomed to! however, if the villages was coastal rather than central, polo club or not, we probably would not have bought a house here.

my permanent residence is but one mile from the ocean at the jersey shore, so we have all of the ocean, coastline, tourists, and change of seasons that anyone could want. but we also have hurricanes - irene and sandy of late. central florida also maintains the change of seasons that we grew up with and are used to and enjoy - and it has all of that without snow and without the likelihood of severe damage from hurricanes.

although we are snowflakes now, if the opportunity ever presents itself, i will not hesitate to become a permanent florida/villages resident.

[simpkinp]

I lived on the coast for 17 years because I worked at Kennedy Space Center. In 2004 I was evacuated every three weeks for 3 months, suffered $14000 in damages to my home, and many more than insurance would pay, plus downed trees and hotel costs in safer areas . Bless you Hilton for taking such good care of us, without price gouging. In fact, they had a special "evacuee" rate of only $59 per night, can you believe that? Plus they ignored the no pets policy, provided a special area for walking dogs, ignored my wailing cat, and had a special security guard patrolling the parking lot all day and night. That is why I am a loyal Hilton customer. Sorry for digressing, but the decision was made there and then, get inland. I will never live coastal again.

[Lbmb24101]

What Barefoot and Golf Tinker say, ditto for us.
Plus
We chose TV because of the golf cart way of transportation provided by The Morses

We almost retired to Isle Of Palms ( near Charleston, SC) because we love the ocean
We have dear friends there too
But they pay 8,000 a yr in flood insurance and then , besides the beach, what else does one do?

[villagerjack]

Originally Posted by senior citizen

For the past 48 years we have vacationed each year on both coasts of Florida; the east coast up and down.........as well as the gulf coast, ditto. We explored it all.

The only time we went to central Florida was every April school vacation to take the kids to Disney World for a week.......for about 15 years; saw it grow from the very beginning to basically what it is today.

Each time we moved to Florida, we moved to both the east coast and the gulf coast.

However, we were very very pleasantly surprised by the rolling hills and the "green" of north central Florida where The Villages is located.

We hadn't seen that part of central Florida since 1965 when we were on the Florida Turnpike heading to Miami Beach and to us, the terrain seemed to look like Africa. It has changed, for sure.

Central Florida is a well kept little secret...........a jewel of a place.

We've lived on the beach. A bit scary when a big black storm is approaching and they tell you not to go near the windows......amazing to watch it come in from either the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico.......

However, as far as beaches go.........Sanibel Island and Captiva Island over the causeway from Fort Myers (where the airport is) is still a fave.
Unspoiled the last we saw it...........great seashells. The condos there are now untouchable in price.

Love Sanibel Captive but not RED TIDE.

[NotGolfer]

Originally Posted by memason

I chose central Florida because the Morse family did....Simple as that.

That would be us as well! Thank you Morse family! B/4 we knew what T.V. was about we thought the Sarasota area was a nice place---that was b/4 the 3 hurricanes came through and desimated a lot of that coast. When we first visited here, spoke with a sales-person we found out that while there are hurricanes the central part of the state is "relatively" safer. We haven't really experienced a hurricane in the nearly 4 years we've lived here...just the resulting winds of one on the east side of the state last year, which weren't all that bad for us. We love it here being full-time residents!

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by villagerjack

Love Sanibel Captive but not RED TIDE.

We never experienced the Red Tide bacteria on Sanibel or Captiva.
But, we would just rent a condo on the beach for a week or two at the most.

When we bought our Venice, Florida beachfront condo......we wondered why the realtor , an elderly gentleman (we were only 49 at the time) was wearing a surgical mask all the time (he said he had bronchitis)........well, we soon developed a feeling like "pepper in our throats" and began coughing all the time.........found out from other residents and tourists that VENICE has always had the RED TIDE..........after we returned to Vermont , I read up on the problem.........the funny thing is we would visit there for years before we bought.......and only once did we experience a bad case of that bacteria. My husband thought he picked something up on the airplane.......he felt like he was strangling with phlegm in his throat.........I won't describe it as I don't want to gross people out.

[jblum315]

I have lived in Ft. Lauderdale and Miami. Didn't like either one and went through one terrifying hurricane. And central Florida is now the only part of Florida that is affordable on a fixed income.

[coconutmama]

We had been boaters for 35+ years in Massachusetts and my husband really wanted to move to one of the coasts of FL for retirement. We were looking at condos in Deerfield Beach/Ft Lauderdale, North Fort Myers (where many friends have chosen homes) & the Keys for years (before and after the real estate bubble). Finally bought in TV after visiting a friend who lives in the village of St Charles, & we never looked back.

Why? So we don't have to worry about hurricanes much, can experience a change of seasons (even though it is a bit colder than we thought it would be), can save on insurance & also have so much more to do. A golf cart community is great fun too! We can visit the coast anytime we get withdrawals, but have ultimately decided that the ocean communities are a "nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there". Plus, as mentioned by others, TV is overall a better bang for the buck on a retirees income.

We only bought a year ago, but it was a great decision for us.

[DougB]

We have a house on the east coast in Melbourne because of the ocean and the Indian River and one here in Central Florida because that is where The Villages is.

[graciegirl]

We here in The Villages are "all that and a bag of chips". Now people who used to live in the "ritzy" parts of Florida like Boca and West Palm are moving here.

But...they can't be "ritzy" here. We Villagers love the mixture of all kinds of folks. We have a little something for everyone if you ask me. We live like millionaries but don't act like millionaires. Most of us anyway.

[coconutmama]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

We here in The Villages are "all that and a bag of chips". Now people who used to live in the "ritzy" parts of Florida like Boca and West Palm are moving here.

But...they can't be "ritzy" here. We Villagers love the mixture of all kinds of folks. We have a little something for everyone if you ask me. We live like millionaries but don't act like millionaires. Most of us anyway.

Good point about the mix of people here. I also forgot to mention that the crime rate is a lot lower here than in many parts of FL.

[jerseyvillager]

Lived on the beach for nine years. Destroyed by the hurricanes of 2004. Rebuilt and loved everything about our home and the area - Melbourne Beach.
Incidentally, the beaches from Melbourne down to Vero Beach are, IMO, the nicest in all of Florida.

So why are we here? Lifestyle.