[Enuff2]

Do you remember the very first time you heard about The Villages?


I was on an airplane flying from Tampa to JFK sitting next to a gentleman from Brooklyn who had just left The Villages. He spent half the flight telling me about his experiences and how he'd told his buddy to phone him when a house became available on a certain street.

After arriving home I sent for the intro DVD - that was six years ago!
Have visited a few times, but for the future am still a "wanna be".

[Army Guy]

FOX News, when Steve Docey was there. My wife very quickly ordered the packet. The rest as they say is history....

Army Guy

[cher54461]

The first time I heard about tv was four years ago. My cousin wanted to stay there and look around to move to fla. We stayed with her about 10 days. Needless to say we liked it right away. Now we are the ones looking to move as soon as my house sells. She is the one that doesn't want to leave her kids. Hope to get there soon.

[katezbox]

From some friends that live in Largo.... (although I once sat next to a guy on the plane who told me about his new place in this area - and, in retropsect, I think he was talking about TV).

Our friends loaned us the video - and one lazy, winter Sunday morning we picked up a paper on our way home from church - got back into our jammies (it was COLD), and popped the video in.

We laughed ourselves to death. I love TV, but that video is SOOOOOO CORNY! We immediately decided that it wasn't for us.

Then I got lured to come back to the company I currently work for (Boomer don't yell at me about the preposition), I took off a week in between and my hubs said go and visit J & N in TV. Unfortunately he had major work commitments and couldn't come with me. Well - I fell in love with the place (or as Opulence says. "Caught the fever." At first he thought I was kidding We had planned to retire eventually to SC and owned a rental property there.

Got him to come down - he was bitten by the TV bug too, and here we are!!!

[18togo]

It was the middle of February this year, highs in the single digits, lows well below zero. I was searching the internet looking at places in Florida that would be warm during the winter for when I retire. Looking at warm weather makes me feel better, don't ask me why. Anyway, I came across Talk of the Villages, starting reading it, and have been hooked. Even though I am roughly 13 years away, I plan to begin well in advance of that renting in the summer to see if I like it and where I'd like to live.

[Number 6]

Yes, I remember it well. It was 2002 and I got a copy of Where to Retire. They featured a book called "Where to Retire In Florida". We decided to visit the places that interested us, knowing we would be a few years out. The Villages was the first or second place we visited and knew we wanted to live here. In 2008 we made the move and never looked back.

[redwitch]

Due to personal reasons, I needed to move from the Bay Area. I belong to an online bridge group and did a post asking anyone who lived in the South and was interested in meeting me in person, to let me know -- I'd love to visit them for a day or two. One stop was in TV. For the rest of the trip, I kept comparing other states/towns/areas to TV. That convinced me that TV was the right place to land for me. I've never regretted my decision.

I'll always miss the Bay Area and it will always be my home, but this is a great place to live and a place I've come to truly love.

[Bettiboop]

Well, I was born in St. Pete, Florida and grew up in the Florida Keys, so I've known about TV since the "beginning of time" but it took me 50+ years to visit with the intent of seeing what it was all about. For several years now I've sort of jokingly told the family I was moving to The Villages when I "get everyone raised"...complete with singing the jingle "ThE ViLlagEs"......etc.

Finally visited back in July of this year when hubby and I needed a getaway in the worst way and couldn't think of anywhere to go at the last minute - so I booked us a week at the Waterfont Inn and the rest is history......

Yep, you guessed it...I came down with the fever. Stay tuned.....

[ohiogolf]

We went looking for adult communities in Florida on the internet. we came downt here about 4 years ago and spent 4 days visiting about a dozen locations. TV was the last one we were going to visit and we almost skipped it as we were tired after our last stop in Brooksville. We made the trip anyway and immediately thought "this is the place." We rented for a year and confirmed our choice.

[elevatorman]

Relitives lived on the historic side 20 years ago. We visited and were hooked, only problem we were 39 years old. We moved in 3 months ago and are having a ball. It is hard to believe when people talk about TV. It is all true!

[Niels]

I had decided to move to the central Florida area when I retired. I wanted a nice area with a strong sense of community near the Orlando area. I originally thought about moving to Celebration, Florida. However, when I visited there I was somewhat disappointed. My wife and I found we could not afford a house there so we would have to buy a condominium. Also, taxes were high. I visited Celebration several more times and decided I needed to expand my search.

I began researching places on the InfoNet and visiting them when my wife and I went to Florida. In researching on the InfoNet one day I found out about The Villages. I visited there website and liked what I saw. My wife and I decided to visit in January 2008 for a quick three hour tour even though it was further from Orlando than the maximum 45 minutes I wanted to be. I was really impressed when I heard about all the clubs and activities.

My wife didn't want to live in a retirement community so I didn't mention that to her before we visited. She changed her mind after visiting TV. While she liked the activities and the house designs she was really impressed by all the places you can visit in a golf cart.

We did a lifestyle preview in July 2008 and decided this was the place for us. We can't wait to sell our house and move there.

[SarFred]

We were watching golf on the golf channel 2 years ago and saw the ads with the people line dancing. We thought it looked really corny, and started singing along with the song whenever it came on, thinking "that's really not us!" Then we decided to go to a place in El Centro, California for Christmas. It was a lot of doublewide mobile homes centered around one golf course. We had never seen so many nice and happy people in our lives. So we started to rethink The Villages (we didn't want to live in El Centro, and the community is really tiny). So we got the DVD, did the lifestyle visit, came back again and bought a patio villa in St. Charles. We're moving there Oct. 20. Guess we got "the fever."

[steigers]

First visited TV in 2002, it was a day trip. Fell in love with it immediately. I was visiting my sister who lived in Clermont and she was nice enough to bring me there and show me around. She had visited TV several times. Coming from NJ I found the beauty, cleanliness, friendliness, well thought out planned community to be a dream come true. I knew that was where I wanted to retire. My husband had refused to even come visit the area. The idea of living in a retirement community really bothered him, until I finally got him to visit the area last September. He saw what I saw and we bought a patio villa in St. Charles and will retire in a few years. Only regret I have is having to wait a few more years. I do look forward to all my visits there and I am very anxious to see St Charles near completion. Looking forward to meeting new neighbors also. Welcome Fred...Sandy

[BaylorBear]

I first found out about TV in1988 when my "significant other" took me there to meet his parents prior to proposing!! They were some of the original TVrs. I fell in love with it way back then! They lived in the Village of Orange Blossom Hills. Both of those dear people have passed away and graced us by leaving their lovely home to us. We will visit in December and July each year from now on for the next 3 years. Then it will be our home too! We are the first "Legacies" that we've heard of!! Hope to meet many of you soon!

[ssmith]

My daughter's Volleyball coache's parents were moving there and we had a good talk one night about it. Then my husband's boss retired there.

So curiosity got the best of me. We were staying at the beech in Siesta Key and a storm came in so we decided to take a day trip. I arranged to visit TV as a joke...you know to make fun of it. sooo...

We met a Realtor and he took us around, and we took the trolley tour, walked around and ate at Gators. Man were we impressed...I had no idea and couldn't even imagine a place on this earth like TV.

Fast forward to... we then spent 3 days in TV while my husband was on business in Orlando...hmm couldn't get it out of my head...TV what a wonderful place. Well maybe we would like it there.

Then we met friends at church who just happened to love TV and eventually bought a Patio Villa and sold their place up North. We talked another friend into staying with them while we did the Lifestyle Preview....Now we just are waiting...for the right time and burning up with the FEVER...

Also note I joined this forum looking for the fly in the soup...and you know it is what you think or better...everyone seems to love it...you all convinced me....

And that's our story.... Stil waiting for the right time and or a job for the hubby down there.:..Susie