nope! one couple we know thought the villages was like a cruise ship that has no need to dock! :)

Yes, one friend just hates Florida.

Another said she couldn't even think about living here because there aren't enough Jewish people and too many Republicans.

Yes........it's very difficult to entertain someone who is so negative about the place that I love so dearly! There isn't a day that goes by that my husband and I don't say how blessed we are to live in such a beautiful place. There is no place on earth like it! 101,000 people agree!!!

Yes.

Yes We had one friend tell us they couldn't live here because the houses are so close together. They had lived in the country their whole life and also didn't like the idea of of living somewhere with covenants

Yes

Yes, but after a couple more visits, they moved here and love it. So you never know.

Oh sure. Much of my family have been urban dwellers all their lives. They live in the middle of big cities, where they walk or grab a cab to everything.
They love having the opera, symphony, universities, museums, theaters and art galleries be just a moment away.
They love the variety of ethnic restaurants, specialty corner grocery stores and the old architectural neighborhood enclaves tucked here and there within the city.
Their personal taste is high brow in every aspect and they look at me with that 'deer in the headlights' look when I talk about TV.:blahblahblah:
Truth be told, they would break out in a rash here.
But I love them anyway.

My daughter and son in law are coming down to St Pete beach for a vacation. They love the beach and do not really enjoy visiting The Villages. We will spend a day with them at St Pete.

My grown niece comes down and loves it. She did observe that the villages is more similar to suburbia then to a city or the country. People who prefer a city or the country may not find the villages an ideal home.

I had never looked at it quite that way

THAT is a very good observation. I hadn't thought of it that way either. I have lived all of my life in suburban areas and it feels "just right".

How I first learned about TV was from some local townspeople up here who had parents living in THE VILLAGES. They spread the word to all of us about how great TV was.
They all hoped and dreamed about moving to TV and would visit the old folks as often as they could........last we heard, these three couples never did move to TV.
However, they did love it.

As far as NOT liking it, my daughter's brother in law, about our age and single, visited it for ONE DAY at the request of his friend. The Vermont friend has a winter home in TV. Well, I asked him what they did? He said they did take the boat ride on Lake Sumter Landing..........I believe they saw Spanish Springs, etc.

Then he drove back to the beach (Atlantic Coast) where he was renting a place.

His opinion was that TV was "PHONY" and "AN ADULT DISNEY WORLD" and "NOT FOR ME".....meaning him. I had asked him if they drove around to see "ALL" of the various villages and he replied that he had seen enough and that it was "ARTIFICIAL".

This same man experienced FOUR MUD SEASONS last spring due to the thaw, freezing, thaw, freezing, and again and again..............anyone who has lived in a state that still has DIRT ROADS knows what I mean..........but, he was just stating his opinion.

Obviously, we do not agree with him.......so don't shoot the messenger. Oh, the biggest thing he harps on when we gather for holidays or family get togethers is that he could never ever live in a place that was all R's. I can't believe that everyone in TV is an R. It doesn't matter to us.....but just telling you what the L.D. might perceive TV to be.

It fascinates me how many people hate the idea....old people....inland....hot....cookie cutter homes...but once they visit, they see the light and love it. Some are so sure they won't like it that they never even visit....shame on them.

I THINK that many a rant and many a negative opinion posted on this forum is colored by folks who move here to find the atmosphere discribed in your last paragraph.They can't believe that they now live in that kind of a majority and do NOT like it at all.

I grew up in that climate and just like suburbia it is what I am used to.

We've had friends move here, and other friends turn up their noses because the homes are tract homes, too close together (which they are let's face it). We bought in spite of the small home lots, and really enjoy our lifestyle here because we enjoy the activites and the many friends we have made. We ignore the Fox news at the Square, and actually rarely go to the square or to parades, just not our thing. With 100,000 people here, there are many of each political persuasion so something for everyone.