OK. So I waited a while and re-read the OP three times. Here is my two cents. If our community has fallen to last on the list, then maybe the best thing to do is to follow your instincts and feelings. Most of us love love love it here. But, it is not for everyone. I certainly agree that spending more time here would be the best course to take. If you are not able to do that, do what you need to do to make sure that this extremely important decision is correct for you.

You nailed one of the major reasons that many from my home state (PA) will NOT move here, so there you go. Not because of the NON diversity itself, but the intent of residents to keep it so.

Simply based on some folks who had interest and monitored this board for quite some time.

I really don't want to have children and families. I like the grown up population and the fact that we grown ups take good care of our property, most of us.

Wow.. I mean WOW!! - In just 24 hours - 5 PAGES of Replies!

First I want to thank EVERYONE for the feedback on this forum and the PMs that were sent to me (I will eventually reply to all of the PMs).

Two initial things: #1 – Poster by the name “Ingenuity” (who was advised by another Villager while in line at the store about her lawn maintenance and how this lady was going to write her up for not keeping things tidy): I think this is the SAME PERSON who approached us when we were looking at homes. I recall a person came storming across the street and proceeded to tell us exactly how we would have to do things in our yard and if we didn’t do it their way that they would write us up and there would be “Hell to Pay”. So please understand why we got the initial impression that we did… I am sorry for your experience, but I am grateful that we were not the only ones and someone here understands exactly what happened to us.

#2 – I was ready for a blasting, but did not get one. Typically when one posts to a relatively anonymous forum, the claws come out and people can become quite vicious. What I found was that people essentially politely said that there are no higher concentrations of "whiners and busy-bodies" in The Villages than anywhere else. The population in The Villages is greater than 100,000, and since these "cranky" individuals make more noise that the average happy person, it may SEEM that there are a lot of these people in The Villages (higher than normal concentrations). I thank you all for your patience with me and being so understanding of our impressions.

Generosity: A few people went so far as to offer homes to rent and many recommended that we take advantage of the Lifestyle program for a little longer visit. I have to agree, (as was pointed out by some very astute repliers) the change from moving to The Villages from my current location is … large. I have lived in Alaska full-time since 1969. I was also here from 1960-1964 (I was an Army brat and we were in Anchorage during the earthquake). My beautiful bride (we married 24 years ago) is from Pennsylvania, but she has been here in Alaska for about 35 years. So it will not be a small change for us. We do travel and have experienced hot weather and have learned to deal with that like we deal with cold weather. I do believe that we would be best renting or leasing for 6-18 months before buying anywhere.

To all: you HAVE MOVED THE NEEDLE on the meter for me, however, as has been pointed out by a very wise person, “If momma ain’t happy, no one is happy”. So my part is.. , well .., JUST my part. Both parts must be weighed on such an important decision.

I am not sure when we can get to The Villages, but when we do I am looking forward to meeting the kind of people who have replied here. Until that time I will continue to “lurk” (monitor) on this forum, learning more each day.

Finally, thank you all again. You have been a great help to me.

I totally agree with you and I often tell outsiders or visitors that we are very non-diverse.

I like that almost all of our neighbors are just like us - seniors who are just trying to enjoy every day of life.

When we first visited here for a few days in October 2015, we did not go thru a single model home and only drove through one neighborhood, Palo Alto. Instead, we went to the Squares and talked with the people we met. We realized there were a lot of people like us trying to enjoy their lives, so we were hooked.

Smart dude Tom. Others have coerced their wife to Home Base here just to wrap it up and bail out quickly. You know why you got so much great help? You presented your case properly. I predict you will be fine wherever you land. :pray:

Experience
 

It's good to explain your personal experience. We lived on the beach south of here for about 10+ years and were tired of the hurricanes. One Sunday we went for a lengthy drive and ran across The Villages. Thought it looked interesting and stayed a night in the hotel by Spanish Springs. Next day we looked at it more and then decided we liked it. We rented for a month the first year and for 2 months the next. At the same time we looked at all locations and decided on the area we wanted. We spent the next 2 years following the property in that area until a house came up and we bought it and sold the place on the beach. We have now been in that house and The Villages for going on 11+ years and have not regretted one minute. My opinion is it is LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. We love The Villages and all that it has to offer. It's true it is growing pretty darn fast and therefore there are a number of different locations coming up which makes it even more important to pick the right one the first time. My wife was the one that I owe for that. Go ahead and make the jump, I promise you will not regret it. Our #1 concern was medical and we are only 2 1/2 hours by car from Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville which we have used a number of times. There are fine "Urgent Care" facilities in The Villages but for better diagnosis or treatments you are very safe and secure at Mayo. This is some of our background and experiences. :eclipsee_gold_cup:

Yep.

It seems to be a prevailing view here and those who don't share it...are in the minority. :ohdear:

But at least...we're in the right. :thumbup:

Hope you choose to live here. Sometimes I get so filled with happiness here it falls out of my eyes.

It's been my experiences after living here for six years that there is an abnormally low percentage of people like this in The Villages. Most people I meet are very happy and do very little complaining. There are certainly fewer than any other place I've ever lived. You just got "lucky" and caught one of the rare birds.

If the OP spoke to people in customer-facing service jobs, would he get a different perspective on how pleasant and friendly the residents here are?

Of course most of us aren't in those jobs and won't see that side of people. I certainly haven't done a comparison study between TV and other 55+ communities to see if Villagers are better or worse, or if an increase in grumpiness is correlated to age.

My own neuroses mean I would rather die than make a scene in public, but I will admit to doing my share of eye-rolling and quiet sighing when impatient.

I have to say based on your quote that you are the type of person we want in TV. To be honest, My wife picked TV over Ft Myers and Naples, and I totally agreed. I have trouble understanding how people who can't agree on where to live stay married :icon_wink: But the quote - happy wife, happy life is so true - I go by Colossians 3:19 and do things to make my wife happy because I love her, and she makes my life a lot better.... I see a lot of that in TV in general to be honest.

I suspect the cantankerous woman who assaulted you lives in Mallory. Her reputation precedes her.

But let me give you our first experience after moving to TV. The ink was barely dry on the contract when news shot like lightening through our neighborhood of seventy-something CY villas that two “guys” had bought the house on the corner. We moved in at the end of December 2015. We had lived in twelve places between Boston and Provincetown over forty years prior.

Within two days, no fewer than twelve neighbors knocked on the door to introduce themselves and welcome us to the neighborhood. This has never happened to us before in more than 40 years together. Our neighborhood has two monthly parties attended by anywhere from 20 to 45 people, where we eventually met nearly all of the neighbors, including the wonderful people from whom we bought our house.

We love our neighbors and they love us. We know each other; we care for and about each other; we care for each other when someone is ill or feeling poorly; we share food and company when someone is down. We have men’s golf Wednesday, women’s golf Thursday and co-ed golf Friday, book club monthly, mahjohngg weekly, lunch trips, special events monthly at our neighborhood rec center, and more.

I had a bout of major depression early last year and the support from neighbors was overwhelming. We’re very grateful to have found our neighborhood in TV.

I think you would love it here and I wholeheartedly suggest the monthly stay others have suggested. Should you come across the rare cantankerous Villager, just give a big smile and say, “Bless your heart. Have a nice day.”

I suggest to anyone considering moving here to do as my wife and I did. We knew we were leaving our northern home for a year around home in a warmer climate. We had originally contemplated moving to South Carolina to be near our older son, his wife, and our four grandchildren. We knew the area around Beaufort, Bluffton, and Hilton Head very well since we had been there many times over the years visiting our son and his family.

We passed through the Villages on a vacation trip and spent one night and one day here. Our first impression was very favorable, but we decided we needed a lot more information than a quick visit could provide. While we were told about the Lifestyle Visit opportunity, we did not believe that we could obtain all the positive and perhaps negative information/feel about The Villages in five to seven days. So our decision was to rent for an entire month (May 2016). By the end of that month we had the information WE needed and have now been living here for nearly two years. We suggest anyone planning a major move to a prospective retirement area to actually spend an extended amount of time there prior to deciding to move there. That time can be multiple visits over time of at least a week per visit, or one visit of at least one month. Do your due diligence by your experience, not by someone elses.

Summers are hot, but we knew that. January through April are crowded, but we knew that. We knew all about deed restrictions and rules on purchasing new and pre-owned. We learned all about amenity fees, taxes, floor plans of multiple models, and many other things.

There are some negatives but none that were deal breakers for us. Just as with any community of 100,000 people or so, there are a few "bad apples in the bushel."

If you come here with the mindset that you are going to have a great retirement you will, if you come with the attitude that there will be nothing but headaches, don't waste you money as you will most likely make your own miseries by looking for the bad instead of the good. we have been here for a year and I have not yet met a person I didn't like. Well, except for a woman that refuses to put her dog on a leash, thinks she's one of the entitle ones.

I have been here six years... wife and I love it and have owned three homes here. Own two now rent one. Only complaint is it's one hour to Costco. (No, Sams is not anywhere near as good). Other small complaints, gosh this Winter was crowded but we would not have the businesses we have and will have without the snowbirds. Other complaints....weeds in yard, don't have a Costco here. If you decide not to move here then a hundred others will in the next Month.

We've been seasonal residents for eleven years, and we think it's the best place to retire in the USA.
Snowbirds and Frogs, they're all great! :pepper2:

great, great post!!!