The Good AND Bad of the Villages

Halibut · 08-12-2014, 07:33 AM

Quote:

I will tell you that this place doesn't differ from the rest of central and north Florida and much of the U.S. south and west politically--it is hard right.

That was going to be my point as well. It is Central Florida with all that entails. It's an agricultural economy. The racial makeup of Sumter County is 83% Caucasian and the per capita income is $16K, with Lake and Marion counties being similar. The weather is not to everyone's liking, and there are sinkholes and more lightning storms than most would prefer.

I'm not sure these are even negatives, but you have to be content with a suburban life that includes miles and miles of neighborhoods with closely-placed tract houses. You need to drive to get to big-city entertainment and cutting-edge health care facilities. Even driving, Orlando, Tampa or Gainesville are not NY or Chicago.

Bill Tasker · 08-12-2014, 01:09 PM

It appears the most serious complaint is the lack of professional health care providers. That would be a serious consideration. I agree with everything that Gracie said. We have visited TV every year for 17 years and have seen the massive expansion from the "historical side" to the build out of the three Town Squares. Everything that TV owners said they were going to do has been done in spades. It's an adult wonderland. What I enjoy most is the beauty of the landscape throughout TV. I think TV was best described as "every day feels like you are on vacation."

perrjojo · 08-12-2014, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Halibut

That was going to be my point as well. It is Central Florida with all that entails. It's an agricultural economy. The racial makeup of Sumter County is 83% Caucasian and the per capita income is $16K, with Lake and Marion counties being similar. The weather is not to everyone's liking, and there are sinkholes and more lightning storms than most would prefer.

I'm not sure these are even negatives, but you have to be content with a suburban life that includes miles and miles of neighborhoods with closely-placed tract houses. You need to drive to get to big-city entertainment and cutting-edge health care facilities. Even driving, Orlando, Tampa or Gainesville are not NY or Chicago.

You know what they say...New York is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there. Same goes for.Chicago.

graciegirl · 08-12-2014, 02:02 PM

Watch this again. It makes me smile every time....until it gets to Blechman and....where is the water skiing going on???

In Play: The Villages Golf Retirement Community | Golf Channel

manaboutown · 08-12-2014, 03:12 PM

Thanks for the link to the video, GG. Blechman looks like he should come back down to TV and get some exercise. Compared to photos of him associated with his book he appears quite a bit heavier.

It was a fantastic video except for Blechman who was the t**d in the punchbowl otherwise full of Kool-Aid.

Bizdoc · 08-12-2014, 03:54 PM

The quality of doctors is generally going up. However, there are still some docs around who came when TV was still small and could not support docs from the major leagues.

That having been said, The Villages hospital is a nice small community hospital It will *never* be a major medical center. Even if we hit 200,000 population at build out, we still won't have the population to support a 1,000 bed major medical center.

As to the availability of specialty care, you can find some here. You can find more in Gainesville, Tampa, and Orlando. Probably 90% of your potential needs can be accomodated.

None of the medical schools is Florida is in the top tier of medical schools. This means that for the super duper gee whiz stuff like a whole body transplant, you'll have to go to someplace like NY, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, LA, Dallas/Austin and other places in Texas or Raleigh-Durham. Before you rush to move to one of those cities, consider just how likely you are to need that level of care. Is it high enough to deal with Boston winters?

jojo · 08-12-2014, 04:40 PM

I have never second guessed our decision to move to The Villages. It felt right from the beginning. I'm more positive about health care with the advent of the Villages Health system. It is working well for us. The only negative would be having to get to fitness classes early in season. However, there is a way around that which is to enroll in the Learning College classes. I am hard pressed to find negatives. Been here six years and am still enthralled with the place.

dbussone · 08-12-2014, 06:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bizdoc

The quality of doctors is generally going up. However, there are still some docs around who came when TV was still small and could not support docs from the major leagues.

That having been said, The Villages hospital is a nice small community hospital It will *never* be a major medical center. Even if we hit 200,000 population at build out, we still won't have the population to support a 1,000 bed major medical center.

As to the availability of specialty care, you can find some here. You can find more in Gainesville, Tampa, and Orlando. Probably 90% of your potential needs can be accomodated.

None of the medical schools is Florida is in the top tier of medical schools. This means that for the super duper gee whiz stuff like a whole body transplant, you'll have to go to someplace like NY, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, LA, Dallas/Austin and other places in Texas or Raleigh-Durham. Before you rush to move to one of those cities, consider just how likely you are to need that level of care. Is it high enough to deal with Boston winters?

What is your definition of upper tier? There are numerous ways to rank medical schools (e.g. NIH research grant $, MCAT scores, medical student rankings, teaching hospital affiliations, etc). I'm from Boston but I can find anything needed medically at an appropriate level of quality here in FL. All you have to do is do your research.

Bizdoc · 08-12-2014, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbussone

What is your definition of upper tier? There are numerous ways to rank medical schools (e.g. NIH research grant $, MCAT scores, medical student rankings, teaching hospital affiliations, etc). I'm from Boston but I can find anything needed medically at an appropriate level of quality here in FL. All you have to do is do your research.

Let's see... the highest ranking medical school in FL is 51st in the nation. Wow. That's impressive. Not.

For most routine things, we would probably stay iin FL. For anything important/complex, we're headed for Durham or Baltimore.

dbussone · 08-12-2014, 07:05 PM

[ QUOTE=Bizdoc;922473]Let's see... the highest ranking medical school in FL is 51st in the nation. Wow. That's impressive. Not.

For most routine things, we would probably stay iin FL. For anything important/complex, we're headed for Durham or Baltimore.[/QUOTE]

Again, what is your ranking measure?

Avista · 08-12-2014, 07:43 PM

Love everything about The Villages including The Villages Healthcare. The only negative I see is being so far from Orlando and Tampa airports. To balance that negative, we are close to Port Canaveral and Port of Tampa for cruises. Can catch those last minute deals.

Bizdoc · 08-12-2014, 08:00 PM

dbussone · 08-12-2014, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bizdoc

Sorry, I don't go by popular magazines. I worked in healthcare for 35 years. All US News rankings are good for is advertising. For starters I use AAMC sources and various medical societies depending upon what I'm looking for.

The Mountaineer · 08-12-2014, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Avista

Love everything about The Villages including The Villages Healthcare. The only negative I see is being so far from Orlando and Tampa airports. To balance that negative, we are close to Port Canaveral and Port of Tampa for cruises. Can catch those last minute deals.

The Villages IS handy for cruises and even flying off to the world. "So far from Orlando and Tampa airports"? Closer than they are in Ohio.

See everybody in January for our 3-month hanging-out off No. 5 green of the Silver Lake Executive Golf Course.

Neal2tire · 08-13-2014, 01:01 AM

If I was to give you an honest answer (as you have asked for)
I would tell you some great things about TV
I would also tell you the 1 or 2 MAJOR factors to consider before you invest here.
From there an all out attack would ensue against me by 90% of the posters on this site
and maybe even the moderator.
There in, is your answer.
Feel free to privately write me and I'll tell you why you need to consider moving here.
Again, for those who can't read.... 80% is very positive but for certain folks this place does not work.
NG

The Good AND Bad of the Villages

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