[rubicon]

I stayed in Laguana Nige for one week at the Ritz Carlton and in my view that is a very attractive area. If you have lived there for many years then housing etc are a non factor and hence you have adjusted to the cost of living. Why would you give up California for Florida. My wife's sister moved to florida from Napa Valley and lived to regret it. Stay put

[nitehawk]

Originally Posted by rubicon

I stayed in Laguana Nige for one week at the Ritz Carlton and in my view that is a very attractive area. If you have lived there for many years then housing etc are a non factor and hence you have adjusted to the cost of living. Why would you give up California for Florida. My wife's sister moved to florida from Napa Valley and lived to regret it. Stay put

California if you can afford it no comparison

[jojo]

Our son lives in the San Francisco Bay area and I have had several projects in the LA area. I love to visit but find there is no comparison to the lifestyle that you can have in The Villages. For one thing the traffic is horrendous and limiting to get anywhere including shopping for basic needs. Here you can get to beaches faster than I have experienced in CA even though the distance was less. And there is no comparison to living costs - I am in sticker shock on every visit out there.

[EdV]

Just remember that from the Villages you are only about a 9 hour drive to the beautiful Smokey/Blue Ridge mountains of the Asheville North Carolina area.

You can rent a modern 2 bedroom cabin/cottage from July thru Sept. for less than what a couple would spend on a 10 day Caribbean cruise these days.

There you will be able to enjoy the beautiful mountain air and much cooler weather until it's safe to return to TV and enjoy another mild Florida winter and all the fun of TV.

That's what I did this summer and will continue to do from now on.

Any questions, just PM me.

[KathieI]

Originally Posted by EdVinMass

Just remember that from the Villages you are only about a 9 hour drive to the beautiful Smokey/Blue Ridge mountains of the Asheville North Carolina area.

You can rent a modern 2 bedroom cabin/cottage from July thru Sept. for less than what a couple would spend on a 10 day Caribbean cruise these days.

There you will be able to enjoy the beautiful mountain air and much cooler weather until it's safe to return to TV and enjoy another mild Florida winter and all the fun of TV.

That's what I did this summer and will continue to do from now on.

Any questions, just PM me.

That's where you were??? I was looking for youuuu!!

[Carl in Tampa]

You say you are considering leaving California but you don't say why. I'm guessing it is to get away from soaring prices, high taxes and repressive government regulations. Many people are fleeing California for those reasons.

I believe you will be most pleasantly surprised how much lower the cost of living is in Florida compared to California. Rather than try to answer all of your financial questions I suggest that you get them answered when actually on the ground here for your lifestyle visit or rental in a house for a month or so. Remember that you will find a lot more cash in your pocket simply because Florida has no state income tax.

Come in the summertime when rentals run around $1,000 a month, often with a golf cart and all utility costs included. The same house will rent for $3,000 in the winter months. If the house you rent does not include a golf cart then rent one for a couple of weeks. Zipping around The Villages in a golf cart is a major part of the "experience" of living here.

With regard to the heat and humidity remember the old show tune that "Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noonday sun." Structure your daily activities so that you are indoors from noon to 5PM daily. Wherever you go will be air conditioned. All residences in TV are air conditioned and any that were built in the last several years have a SEER rating of 13. Cooling your house is not a major cost.

The Villages management is very aggressive on mosquito control. You will not find them a problem. The love bugs are a nuisance for a short time a couple of times a year but they do not bite. If you smash some with your car it is imperative that you wash them off promptly. Their bodies contain a juice that will quickly erode the finish on your car.

Making friends is easy here, even for an introverted person. Every week the local newspaper publishes a Recreation News supplement of about 50 pages listing clubs and activities for the coming week. I don't know that there is a group for F-100 or F-105 pilots, but I find it interesting that there is a group of WWII B-17 pilots that meets regularly.

I understand your concern about becoming disabled or needing assisted living. There is an assisted living facility here but it is extremely expensive. It is something that you could look into while you are here.

I am 75 and have become mobility limited due to a trip and fall back injury and subsequent back surgery but still can get around both in a car and a golf cart, using a four wheel walker when walking. I strive to stay active.

When you come for a visit please feel free to send me a Private Message through this web site and we can get together for lunch.

If you do decide to leave California I can think of no other place that offers the active living lifestyle and the extremely wide variety of activities that you will find in The Villages.

[Carl in Tampa]

As a quick addition to my post, I found that TV has a club for retired military. It is not service specific but you might want to attend a meeting and see what backgrounds the members have.

There was another club that looked interesting but I don't see it listed this week. It was the Grey Owls. I think the theme was that it was grey haired men who got together and went to Hooters for lunch.

[EdV]

Originally Posted by KathieI

That's where you were??? I was looking for youuuu!!

Yup and it’s been beautiful up here. But now I’m anxious to return to FL so I’ll be comin down the mountain next week. And drivin 6 white horses too.

I also think October is a good month for a preview rental because you will get a taste of both hot and humid days in the beginning and then the warm but dryer weather as the month progresses. And the rental rates are less than peak winter rates.

[oldpilot]

Thanks for all of your replies. They are all very helpful.
Also, I just finished Leisureville, which has a lot of information and insights.

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by oldpilot

Thanks for all of your replies. They are all very helpful.
Also, I just finished Leisureville, which has a lot of information and insights.

Well, most of us here who have read it....think it is kinda...um...well, some of us are thinkin' that the young squirt who wrote it..........was well....

A good many of us who read Leisureville say...........there is no Mr. Midnight, but if you think you wanna try... go for it.

It has a lot of stuff in it that is accurate and a lot of stuff that Elmer shouldn't eat.

[rubicon]

Originally Posted by nitehawk

California if you can afford it no comparison

nitehawk. The original poster lives there now and more than likely has absorbed the hiher cost associated with living there housing. The problem with leaving is you then cannot afford to move back that iswhat happened to my sister-in-law who moved fom Napa Valley to Tampa area.

Some people just over selll The Villages. I can find as much activity in Minneapolis as here but I won't move for financial reasons starting with the fact that I still consider home purchase as an investment and there is no return on investment in this market

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by rubicon

nitehawk. The original poster lives there now and more than likely has absorbed the hiher cost associated with living there housing. The problem with leaving is you then cannot afford to move back that iswhat happened to my sister-in-law who moved fom Napa Valley to Tampa area.

Some people just over selll The Villages. I can find as much activity in Minneapolis as here but I won't move for financial reasons starting with the fact that I still consider home purchase as an investment and there is no return on investment in this market

I am sad you don't love it like many of us do.