[skippy05]

Asianthree's advice not to listen to those with no experience is incorrect. I lived in that area and sold because of the road noise. You must know that weather changes the sound levels all throughout the day and drastically so.

[LianneMigiano]

We've been here almost 14 years and barely ever hear any sounds from either the road or the golf cart traffic behind us all day. There is a 6-foot-tall wall behind our courtyard villas - which I'm guessing mitigates much of the noise....

[vintageogauge]

Originally Posted by Robbb

IMHO, stay away from Dabney, I just rented there. It is just to far away from anything. It is closer to the Costco in Clearmont than in is to Lake Sumter.

But very close to all that is going to be at Eastlake, no need to go to Lake Sumter.

[chrisinva]

This is a complex question to answer. There are numerous and varied factors to consider as noted by the numerous & varied responses. Bottom line – it’s a very subjective issue, as noted by the numerous & varied responses.
We were in the same position as you a few years ago. We drove to the empty lot we had selected for our future retirement home. It was about 8 pm, rolled down the windows & listened for the turnpike. Immediately, it was too loud for us so we transferred the downpayment to a spec house about 1 mile away. We’ve been here now for 5 years. We still hear the turnpike albeit not 100% of the time but in the mornings (Mondays especially) & frequently at night, around 9:30 pm when we retire. Even with all windows closed, locked & the AC on, we can hear it. On Monday mornings, I sometimes awake to the sound of tires rolling at 5 am. We’re not pleased but we’re not moving again. Some of the factors we didn’t know or consider: 1) the open land between us & turnpike, 2) the pond outside our bedroom/lanai/kitchen windows, 3) the lack of trees & large bushes between us & turnpike, 4) how easily sound travels in colder (40 degree) weather. So it all depends on what you can live with and what you choose not to live with. Fences are worthless for sound absorbancy. Also, be aware of the quarry off 470, not just the occasional blasting but the rock grinding at night. Good luck

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by Marathon Man

And if you want an exciting active life, look south. We moved down here four years ago from the northern area and have not regretted it a single second.

Yes, our life north of 44 (Osceola Hills, Soaring Eagle) is boring and stagnant... Nothing to do, no one leaves their house...

Wait, what? I'm in 2 golf groups, we have a monthly Village event, driveway and block parties. My wife is in two Mah Jong groups, two golf groups, two different women's social groups.

We play pickleball once or twice a week, she goes to exercise classes most mornings when we're not play golf/pickleball...

Somebody please save us from our life of boredom!

What many don't realize is that "all of those old people" up north are leaving and are being replaced by the same "young vibrant people" who you claim are only moving to the south of 44...

That said, I did play golf with a wonderful gentleman, a few weeks ago. He's a 40 year resident of TV. Still in his original home. He told me stories about dealing with Harold Schwartz personally when he bought his house...

Pretty sure he shot his age...

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by BlueStarAirlines

Many in the north make comments like this about the turnpike, but fail to acknowledge the noise on Morse, Meggison, and 44. Having lived both in the north and south, I'll take the occasional hum of the turnpike verses the constant road noise from cars and golf carts on Morse\Meggison.

The OP is right, it is far from Brownwood....but not far from Middleton. Many in the north haven't kept up with the building in the south and how close things will be.

Last I checked, Morse and Meggison also travel south of 44...

And traffic on the Turnpike is indeed "constant". Much more so that the traffic on Morse or Meggison...

[Shipping up to Boston]

Originally Posted by JMintzer

Yes, our life north of 44 (Osceola Hills, Soaring Eagle) is boring and stagnant... Nothing to do, no one leaves their house...

Wait, what? I'm in 2 golf groups, we have a monthly Village event, driveway and block parties. My wife is in two Mah Jong groups, two golf groups, two different women's social groups.

We play pickleball once or twice a week, she goes to exercise classes most mornings when we're not play golf/pickleball...

Somebody please save us from our life of boredom!

What many don't realize is that "all of those old people" up north are leaving and are being replaced by the same "young vibrant people" who you claim are only moving to the south of 44...

That said, I did play golf with a wonderful gentleman, a few weeks ago. He's a 40 year resident of TV. Still in his original home. He told me stories about dealing with Harold Schwartz personally when he bought his house...

Pretty sure he shot his age...

If you use a 35 square mile sample size in anywhere USA...you could not possibly comment on quality of life issues unless you actually lived in each of those ‘communities’ at some point. It’s ridiculous and/or impossible. It amazes me how some people equate TV to a dead end street or cul de sac. Smh

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by BlueStarAirlines

Many in the north make comments like this about the turnpike, but fail to acknowledge the noise on Morse, Meggison, and 44. Having lived both in the north and south, I'll take the occasional hum of the turnpike verses the constant road noise from cars and golf carts on Morse\Meggison.

The OP is right, it is far from Brownwood....but not far from Middleton. Many in the north haven't kept up with the building in the south and how close things will be.

Sadly, Dabney is only close to Middleton by car. By golf cart, it's a hike...

[vintageogauge]

Originally Posted by JMintzer

Yes, our life north of 44 (Osceola Hills, Soaring Eagle) is boring and stagnant... Nothing to do, no one leaves their house...

Wait, what? I'm in 2 golf groups, we have a monthly Village event, driveway and block parties. My wife is in two Mah Jong groups, two golf groups, two different women's social groups.

We play pickleball once or twice a week, she goes to exercise classes most mornings when we're not play golf/pickleball...

Somebody please save us from our life of boredom!

What many don't realize is that "all of those old people" up north are leaving and are being replaced by the same "young vibrant people" who you claim are only moving to the south of 44...

That said, I did play golf with a wonderful gentleman, a few weeks ago. He's a 40 year resident of TV. Still in his original home. He told me stories about dealing with Harold Schwartz personally when he bought his house...

Pretty sure he shot his age...

Someday you'll stop ragging on the South of 44 Villages. Those of you north of 44 are quite happy as are those of us south of 44 so why continue the bashing and bragging it is not very. becoming of you.

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by Shipping up to Boston

So it’s true....the war between the North and the South marches on!

And they complain it's the people from "north of 44" who trash the southern villages...

Pot, meet kettle...

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by Pat2015

I’m thinking that the OP doesn’t want a 15 or 20+ year old house and wants to start out in a new house with all new neighbors in an up and coming area close to Eastport. I think that’s a great place to buy for newbies and that’s where I’d be looking if I was just coming here, as I did some years ago when Brownwood was still under construction. New house, new square, and lots of younger retirees looking to make friends and start their new lives here in TV. Eastport is going to be a great addition to TV and will be a fun place to be.

There are plenty of homes for sale north of 44 that are under 10 years old... I know... I bought one 3 years ago, built in 2017...

[LeRoySmith]

Originally Posted by KimberlyOz

Looking into the patio villas that back up to 470 in Dabney.

Hey Kimberly

There's a lot of great advice on the thread so far. It took us about a year to go through the process your on now. We looked north and south and everything you've heard so far is true to some extent. The North has very nice landscaping, is busier, the people tend to be a little older in general but there is a mix of ages. We decided we would live in the South, we looked right along 470 in Dabney first but decided we didn't like the road. We bought near the back of Lake Denham, the noise situation is muc better but you still hear the turnpike some when conditions are right. We have a neighbor with a big voice and I hear her 10 times more than I do the road.... In the end we just spent a lot of time sitting in various places at various times and that helped us decide. If you end up here the stores are close enough, Brownwood is 12 minutes by car via the turnpike, Sawgrass is 7 minutes by golf cart. The neighbors are great and like minded to new villagers (I'm sure the bar majority of neighbors in the North are great too). When they build Eastport and all that comes with it I think we will be about 6 minutes by cart or 15 by car once all the paths are open. If they build a hospital and major commercial at the south side of 470 and the turnpike as planned that will be a 3 or 4 minute car ride (if they build a cart path with 470 expansion it would be about the same on a cart).

I think in the end it came down to the houses available in both areas, we felt like the South fit us better. New house, new people, tons of paths, lots of rec centers (not nearly as many golf courses but we don't golf {yet}. After you rent a few times in each end and spend some time knocking around it will come to you.

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by Stu from NYC

I would and we did rent for a month before deciding we wanted to move here.

If close to a source of noise spend a lot of time there to decide what it is like.

In addition you will be a long way from shopping and other amenities for quite some time as building goes on and stores come in. Are you ok with that? Brownwood area is 10 years old and stores are still coming.

That is an unfortunate reality...

They had to put in a temporary gas station for the carts (that were land locked) west of the the turnpike. It took more than a few years for that Publix on Warm Springs to open and even longer to finally get a gas station...

We looked in Chitty Chatty, Bradford and St Catherine when we were shopping for a home. Fenney was just too isolated "for us" at the time.

Unfortunately, the plethora of power lines was a non-starter for SWMBO...

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by Shipping up to Boston

If you use a 35 square mile sample size in anywhere USA...you could not possibly comment on quality of life issues unless you actually lived in each of those ‘communities’ at some point. It’s ridiculous and/or impossible. It amazes me how some people equate TV to a dead end street or cul de sac. Smh

Don't know why you quoted me with that response, but I agree with what you said...

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by vintageogauge

Someday you'll stop ragging on the South of 44 Villages. Those of you north of 44 are quite happy as are those of us south of 44 so why continue the bashing and bragging it is not very. becoming of you.

Show me where I've made posts "ragging" on the south of 44... Oh, wait... I haven't...

If you actually read the post I responded to, you would see I was simply commenting on a poster, who lives in the south who was ragging on those living in the north... He said "And if you want an exciting active life, look south."

The reality is, I've consistently posted that the north/south argument is ridiculous and one should be happy wherever they decide to live...

Go complain to someone else... Someone who is actually guilty of what you're complaining about...