[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by PersonOfInterest

After my third time of acquiring an STD here in the Villages I've calmed down and now enjoy more of the other activities the Villages has to offer.

Of course I'm kidding! But there are some things about the Villages that one could perceive as negatives, but for the most part its a great place to live IF you want to be active and involved in sports, games and hobbies. Most residents of TV are here for FUN and are very active in sports, games, hobbies and clubs. I believe relationships take a back seat to all the activities. Most have lots of 'friends' they engage with, but few close relationships. There seems to be little time put into relationships compared to activities. The commonalities are different here also. There's less chance that you have family here or a friend you went to school with. Ties with family are remote as are close friends of many years. The Villages is a usually short term place of residence in the passage of life. I doubt there are many who have been here 20+ years. And most of that is about the Year-Round residents, with even less association for those who are Seasonal residents. Is the Villages your HOME or is it your playground? For most it is not home, but just a place to have FUN. Even many full time residents spend a good deal of time going back HOME to visit with family. TV residents are burdened with high costs for much of what's available along with poor service and workmanship in many cases. Its hard to find someone to paint your house, groom your dog, install a pool, Enclose your Lanai and on and on. Most businesses and contractors in the area have too much business already and don't necessarily need yours. The activities are plentiful, but often times too crowded to enjoy. There are 'unfair' practices that you will have to accept from a community that is run by the Family. They are in full control of virtually everything and as a resident you are at their mercy. Try to get more pickleball courts in your area or remove the unfair tee time advantage of large groups (over 32), or get free access to recreation gyms and exercise equipment as other retirement communities have, and you'll quickly find that it is not going to happen even if you amassed hundreds of followers in agreement. There is no petitioning or voting to change what you may not like.

I feel that its still one of the best places to live in retirement, but you need to be accepting of its downsides. Most don't even notice the downsides or even care because they're just here to have some fun. I'm a full time resident and I like and Enjoy TV, but I do recognize its not Utopia, and I'm OK with that.

Very TRUE. Pretty much a top-down flow of authority. Maybe someone in Russia will BUY the Villages.

[CoachKandSportsguy]

to summarize:

We are free to move about the country, and since we don't know how long we are going to live, I want to have fun and live an active lifestyle. If you don't like it, you can GFY. .

pretty simple concept . .

And the author writing a story with his own bias? there is no reality, there are only people's perceptions of it. and everyone is unique. . .

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by geobar

Sorry to inform you that "The Villages" does have a bad reputation going back 20 or more years.
.
Seems when doing your homework you were using the wrong books or media.
.
Do you read the "Daily (we will print only what we want you to know) Sun"? Never anything negative is published about TV as it's printed to be another sales tool.
.
In time you will learn many negatives if happen to talk to people who have lived there for many years.
.
If you live South of CR-44 that perhaps was your first mistake as you do not have decent Shopping and many Restaurants. You need to drive north. Too bad the new Morse generation is only concerned about making even more money than they need.
.
Presently they are more concerned with building "Charter Schools" (which happens to be good for students) and low-cost housing so people will work in The Villages and can send their children to the Charter Schools. This is not a bad idea for their well-being if you think about this as it's their solution to survive. To line their pockets they need workers to survive building homes in TV and if they ever decide to build shopping and restaurants for your convenience.
.
How many "Publix" food stores are open South of CR-44 in The Villages? Just how many people live on the south side? I will now call it the "South Side" from now on in my comments. Believe it or not, Recently I messaged my last Village salesperson for an answer. No reply at all seems this as well also on the do not tell list.
.
When we built in "Amelia" in 2009 we were told by the cloned salespeople they would never build South of CR-466A. Then in 2018, we moved to "Pine Hills" and again were told that the Morses have no desire to build South of CR-44. Little did we know they had purchased these properties many years before by using other companies they own.
.
Sorry to make your day.

A "telling it like it IS" post.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by coffeebean

That's what A/C is for. There are so many activities that can be done indoors when the heat and humitidy is oppressive. Personally, I love indoor stuff to do. I also love working outdoors in the yard but do it in the morning in summer months. Up north, there is no good time to work in the yard in winter because everything is frozen. LOL.

Difficult to play soccer inside unless TV Land builds an indoor professional-sized field house with A/C ........I am sure that ALL TV Land residents would cheerfully OK having their activities fee TRIPLED to build that.
........Raise the taxes, build that.......and "they WILL come".

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by ThirdOfFive

Agreed, and good points, especially the one about density per square mile. I've only been to Alaska once (went there by accident) but the points made, make sense.

However The Villages isn't about population density. The name says it all. Villages. Our Village is maybe four blocks off El Camino Real, which can be a real traffic bear, but in our Village it is all about peace, quiet, and neighbors interacting. The most traffic noise we ever hear back here is the garbage truck twice a week, and the occasional landscaping crew.

It is that way, living space - wise, all over The Villages. The Villages grow OUT, not UP. Most of us come from cities where stacking the people on top of one another can lead (not necessarily all the time, of course) to housing developments where the negatives predominate. Here, in our Village, the new villages south of 466 might as well be on the moon.

The one exception to the above, is that infrastructure here doesn't seem to keep up with development--though, realistically, it is probably that way in just about every area in America experiencing explosive growth. Example, that road construction zone up near Sam's Club on 441 (and I use the term "construction" very loosely, as there seems to be precious little constructing actually going on there) is a traffic nightmare and has been for years, particularly in high snowbird season, though that is a political, not a social issue. But infrastructure catches up in time. There is no reason to think that it won't here in The Villages, as well.

Every animal population has a "holding capacity", which depends on available food, range, and infrastructure in humans' case. At some point, for humans, the "quality of life" starts dropping. I am just hypothesizing that both the US and The Villages MAY (?) have crossed that threshold.

[Kenswing]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

Difficult to play soccer inside unless TV Land builds an indoor professional-sized field house with A/C ........I am sure that ALL TV Land residents would cheerfully OK having their activities fee TRIPLED to build that.
........Raise the taxes, build that.......and "they WILL come".

Soccer probably isn’t even in the top 20 activities that Villagers participate in. Yet again you’re posting just for the sake of posting.

[Jima72]

Some just don’t see beyond what they want to see or believe. I would enjoy my retirement, find good friends and forget the rest.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by ProfessorDave

In this world of plenty - it is filled with people looking to prove they've made better decisions than you - and they want to educate you on how not to make the same mistake you've made again - even if it isn't a mistake. Makes them feel smarter about their decisions - and smarter about themselves.

Example. Due to my "weird career" - I've lived in 37 different homes. Various places. Urban. Suburban. Flat. Wooded. Hot. Cold. Reality - I've found a way to enjoy every place I've lived - adapt to what is best about it. It's lots about attitude.

Having said that - I continue to hear the challenges - both outside The Villages and inside.

My take:
1) There is not place I'd rather be. I wake up every morning thanking God we found this place by accident.

2) When somebody shares the "sex stories" - I simply share that I love that reputation - even though it is not true - because it does reinforce we are active positive people living hear. I then share "isn't that the most brilliant marketing gimmick by the Developer" - which reinforces the best place to live for people who are looking for an active life?

3) When I hear the complaints about The Developer, I sometimes even agree. In my opinion, they have demonstrated different values than prior generations. However, even with the annoyances of some of their decisions (closing Katie Belle's was STUPID - in my opinion) - there is still no place I'd rather be. I've checked many.

4) When I hear how big it has gotten - to me it is similar to living in a suburb of a city and complaining the surrounding city is getting too big. Frankly, our little section of The Villages feels about the same as it did years ago - with a little more annoying traffic a few times a day on the major roads. I'm just hoping we get big enough so that COSTCO builds a store closer.

5) Will the honeymoon wear off? Depends on your definition. After a while, we settled in more. We go to the Squares less often. We go to the Country Clubs less often. They were more "exciting" when we first moved here - and we still enjoy them. But, we found that sometimes staying home and watching a Netflix movie together is more relaxing. Analogy: when I first met the woman who became my wife, like many, the "affection" part of the relationship was "much more active" than now. New. Exciting. And fell in love. The love hasn't diminished because the more "exciting" aspects became less frequent - we just settled into our comfort zones together. After the honeymoon doesn't have to mean bad - success for me is blending into a comfort zone together.

Summary. Don't worry about defending your decision. Focus on what you like - why it was the best decision for you. Remember, it is not in other people's interest to prove to you how smart you are - it is in their personal interest to prove to themselves that they are smarter than you.

Hope that helps.

Long live - Katie Belles.......so many good times.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

It CAN threaten someone's life if they are playing softball or tennis. I, personally, saw a man fall face down in the infield in a softball game from the HEAT and humidity and just BEING in the SUN. helped drag him into the shade while the ambulance was called. Same thing at a tennis match. SPLAT he hit the asphalt and was bleeding from the face.
.....They were engaged in an outdoor COMPETETIVE activity in the summer heat. That is WAY, WAY, different than driving to Publix with the A/C on. Maybe someday the outdoor activities players will have INDIVIDUAL A/C, but it is NOT yet developed.

Actually, I was referring to driving in the snow and ice vs driving in the heat and humidity. Playing active sports in the blaring sun with heat and humiditiy is, most certainly, a decision that must be made with a lot of thought. My thoughts tell me NOT to do that sort of thing. The only activity I will do in the middle of the day in the hottest part of the summer is swimming.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by geobar

Sorry to inform you that "The Villages" does have a bad reputation going back 20 or more years.
.
Seems when doing your homework you were using the wrong books or media.
.
Do you read the "Daily (we will print only what we want you to know) Sun"? Never anything negative is published about TV as it's printed to be another sales tool.
.
In time you will learn many negatives if happen to talk to people who have lived there for many years.
.
If you live South of CR-44 that perhaps was your first mistake as you do not have decent Shopping and many Restaurants. You need to drive north. Too bad the new Morse generation is only concerned about making even more money than they need.
.
Presently they are more concerned with building "Charter Schools" (which happens to be good for students) and low-cost housing so people will work in The Villages and can send their children to the Charter Schools. This is not a bad idea for their well-being if you think about this as it's their solution to survive. To line their pockets they need workers to survive building homes in TV and if they ever decide to build shopping and restaurants for your convenience.
.
How many "Publix" food stores are open South of CR-44 in The Villages? Just how many people live on the south side? I will now call it the "South Side" from now on in my comments. Believe it or not, Recently I messaged my last Village salesperson for an answer. No reply at all seems this as well also on the do not tell list.
.
When we built in "Amelia" in 2009 we were told by the cloned salespeople they would never build South of CR-466A. Then in 2018, we moved to "Pine Hills" and again were told that the Morses have no desire to build South of CR-44. Little did we know they had purchased these properties many years before by using other companies they own.
.
Sorry to make your day.

So, you live in Port St. Lucie or Pine Hills?

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

Difficult to play soccer inside unless TV Land builds an indoor professional-sized field house with A/C ........I am sure that ALL TV Land residents would cheerfully OK having their activities fee TRIPLED to build that.
........Raise the taxes, build that.......and "they WILL come".

I wasn't referring to soccer indoors. That is just silly. Activities that require indoor spaces already in place in the rec centers is what I meant. There are lost of stuff to do.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

Difficult to play soccer inside unless TV Land builds an indoor professional-sized field house with A/C ........I am sure that ALL TV Land residents would cheerfully OK having their activities fee TRIPLED to build that.
........Raise the taxes, build that.......and "they WILL come".

Just thought of a fantastic indoor sport that has A/C......bowling. Actually, I don't know how true this is but I have heard there are more bowlers in The Villages than there are golfers. Anyone know for sure about this?

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Kenswing

Soccer probably isn’t even in the top 20 activities that Villagers participate in. Yet again you’re posting just for the sake of posting.

I play soccer and for ME that makes soccer among the TOP THREE sports in TV Land. You MIGHT be surprised how many people (men and women) play. And how SKILLED they are !!!!!!!!!

[jimjamuser]

That IS EXACTLY what I have been saying. Swimming is the only sport that you can do outside for about 8 hours (from 10 AM to 6 PM). It is SEVERELY limiting. And you have to wear a white long-sleeve pullover in the water and a hat to prevent SKIN CANCER. And put sunblock on the backs of your hands and on your neck. And the long-term global warming forecast by 99% of the scientists is for increased HEAT around the globe for the next 30 years.
.........Maybe if today's US citizens would start buying more E-vehicles and E-carts and bikes, then MAYBE, JUST MAYBE our children and grandchildren can SAFELY move BACK to Florida and enjoy Fl. as people like me did in the 1970s before Global Warming.
.........My problem is that MY megaphone isn't big enough to overcome the epidemic of complacency. I wish that what I say was NOT true. I wish that everything REALLY was honey and PARADISE in central Florida.

[Velvet]

So, Geobar was saying, present interest is building charter schools. Yeah! Wonderful! Why? One of the predominant complaints over decades, is not enough doctors, not enough great medical staff. Well, great medical staff have families, and they are NOT about to live somewhere where their children can’t get a great education, like, for example, at the Villages Charter School. In my opinion, it is excellent foresight to build superior schools.