[Koapaka]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

Dear OP:

The Villages is currently approximately 70 square miles in size. It really doesn't matter AT ALL where the center will be in 10 years, since it isn't likely you'll care enough to visit the "edge" of the Villages in 10 years. It's big enough now, that it really doesn't matter. If I never had need to go to Brownwood, I wouldn't miss it. And I'm sure there are people who live south of 44 who will never miss the Historic Section's existence.

There are stores and shops and boutiques and places to visit and outside towns and non-Villages stuff all around us, in every direction. No matter where you choose to live, either now or 10 years from now, you will be less than 20 minutes from anything you could possibly need, and less than an hour from anything you could possibly want, other than family.

If you want the latest and greatest, you'll want something either south of 44, or near 44. If you like a more comfortable cozy "lived in" neighborhood type experience, anything north of Sumter Square will do you just fine.

I would personally recommend you rent for 2 weeks just slightly south of Sumter Square, somewhere between Buena Vista Blvd and Morse Blvd. Take a look at the Villages Homefinder website, just so you can follow the map. Zoom in just a bit so you can see major street names. When you see Sumter Square, look for Canal Street, which runs through it in the middle southward. Follow that down through the northernmost part of O'Dell Circle, to Bonita Boulevard. Then stop.

Somewhere between O'Dell and Bonita, between Morse and Buena Vista, will be plenty of rentals available. You can check with "Hometown Property Management" which is the Villages rental division, and they can find you a nice place for a couple of weeks.

Make sure you rent a golf cart while you're there, and spend some quality time getting to see the Villages - from every edge inward. Pick out what you absolutely love, what you absolutely hate. Then throw both ideas away. You might end up in something you never would've thought you'd ever want, and it turns out to be amazing.

That's what happened to us. A "manufactured home" was a deal-breaker. We moved in to our manufactured home 2 years ago. How did the deal breaker end up not being one anymore? A bunch of things:

1. The neighborhood "felt" more like a typical New England suburban neighborhood to us, and that was very attractive.
2. The landscaping is fully mature, plenty of tree-lined areas.
3. Away from the crowds.
4. No "kissing lanais."
5. More square footage per dollar.
6. Looser deed restrictions. We still have standards, but our area isn't quite so snooty about them - which means there's enough whimsy and color and decorative touches that we don't feel like Stepford.

Could not agree more! We came deciding everything we wanted (and did not want) and it all went out the window as we discovered the driving factor in selection was the 2 car/2 golf cart bumped out garage space. You will find things you never could have imagined can quickly change your search on a dime. Good news is if you get here and buy and decide after living here a while you want to be elsewhere, you will join the "moves 3 times within the villages" group. Seems it is quite the norm around here.

[kkingston57]

Originally Posted by golfing eagles

Courses north of LSL: Orange Blossom, Hacienda Hills, Tierra del Sol, Lopez, Glenview, and Palmer.
Courses SOUTH of LSL: Mallory, Havana, Cane, Evans Prairie, Bonifay, and Belle Glade
Looks like 6 and 6, HOWEVER:
South of 44, Southern Oaks to open soon, with 3 more championship courses planned down around route 470.

So, if you are a golfer, most of the courses WILL NOT BE north of LSL, and as far as the insinuated developer bashing goes, they certainly ARE INTERSTED, and in fact ARE building golf courses in the "southern areas".

In my remarks I said in and around Lake Sumter Landing. This would include Havana and Mallory Hill.