[whiteraisin]

NJ Blue, we too felt most over 55's lacked critical mass. We chose the Plantation @ Leesburg, 15 miles south on 27 because it was close enough to the Villages but also had 2843 homes, 3 clubhouses with pools, two golf courses, low $85/ mo fee, two fitness centers....links are:
http://www.palhoa.com/
http://www.theplantation.com/

It is sold out but resale homes are available, it came down to TV and Plantation, but we felt we got more house there and were still close enough to the Villages to enjoy. Both were at the top of my list and the P let us make modifications and at the time, TV did not. I think both are wonderful and wish everyone the best wherever they choose.

BTW, read Leisureville by Blechman for some good info on TV.

[LELANDJANE]

Amen to that! I think NJBlue said it perfectly. I'm still a wannabe but was just there for ten days and fell in love with it all over again.

[Whalen]

Originally Posted by NJblue

Quite frankly, what attracted us to TV was the "sprawl". No, not that we like sprawl, but because we like all the good things that come with a large concentration of like-minded people. All of the other communities that we looked at lacked the critical mass to provide such things as the Life Long Learning Center or the vibrant town squares or the unending list of clubs and activities. There will always be people who are more comfortable in a small-scale community and that's great - no sense trying to convince them that they are wrong, because they aren't ... at least not for them. However, I have to wonder why people feel the need to go out of their way to denigrate a lifestyle that has been chosen by 70,000+ people just because it is not their cup of tea.

Originally Posted by Russ_Boston

Awesome answer NJ - just great!

My wife and I feel exactly the same way. There are literally hundreds of retirement communities in FLA (ARIZ, TEX etc.) that are not like TV. Everyone can find something that fits their personality the most. I have good friends that won't move to TV with us because it is not near enough to the ocean. I'm not about to be able to switch their thinking, nor would I want to.

You have both said it all.
We are "ocean people" but feel that the ocean and the gulf are close enough to make living in TVs a good tradeoff. TV offers soo much!!!!

[Russ_Boston]

Originally Posted by whiteraisin

BTW, read Leisureville by Blechman for some good info on TV.

Not telling anyone anything new with this. It's been discussed, and discussed and well, discussed.

[Whalen]

Originally Posted by Russ_Boston

Not telling anyone anything new with this. It's been discussed, and discussed and well, discussed.

Amen!

[chuckinca]

Originally Posted by whiteraisin

NJ Blue, we too felt most over 55's lacked critical mass. We chose the Plantation @ Leesburg, 15 miles south on 27 because it was close enough to the Villages but also had 2843 homes, 3 clubhouses with pools, two golf courses, low $85/ mo fee, two fitness centers....links are:
http://www.palhoa.com/
http://www.theplantation.com/

It is sold out but resale homes are available, it came down to TV and Plantation, but we felt we got more house there and were still close enough to the Villages to enjoy. Both were at the top of my list and the P let us make modifications and at the time, TV did not. I think both are wonderful and wish everyone the best wherever they choose.

BTW, read Leisureville by Blechman for some good info on TV.

We liked Plantation too. Would have like it much more if there was a supermarket within ten miles.

.

[Canwego2]

Read ...Leisureville by Blechman and found it a very informative book about the going ons in TV. However, I felt he got a little carried away with the Mr. Midnight thing. I must ask is there a real Mr. Midnight? But it was a funny and interesting read.

[EdV]

Originally Posted by Russ_Boston

Not telling anyone anything new with this. It's been discussed, and discussed and well, discussed.

Everyone lurking about here on TOTV is not a veteran of nearly 2 years and over 1800 posts like yourself.

Mentioning the existence of the book Leisureville in a thread titled “Just making sure The Villages is THE place for us” is entirely appropriate IMHO.

Remember that 2 years ago, you were probably a newbee eager to learn everything you could about TV, perhaps even before you decided to set foot in the place. I know I was 6 months ago.

For those newbees who are interested, just click on the “Search” button in the menu bar above and key in the title and you’ll find lots of the discussions on it that Russ mentions.

[Russ_Boston]

Agreed. Just didn't want that discussion to start here again. Do a search and read all about it.

[BobKat1]

Originally Posted by Halle

It varies by County.

If you go to Sumterpa.com it will give you the tax rate for Sumter County. The Villages is also located in Marion and Lake Counties I don't know a web page for those.

Thanks. That'll be a good place to start. If we relocate, we'd like to reduce our cost of living a bit, if possible.

[tony]

Actually I don't see anything wrong with the topic coming up again.

It is good to let people discuss something, even though others have heard of it before. I'm sure they will ultimately learn that it has been discussed earlier, too, but generally, I don't want to stifle well-meaning newcomers.

I know of a case where a newbie to another forum brought up a topic that was new to him, and that he had actually sought on that same forum. After not finding it, he posted his question. Unlike here, he was ruthlessly bashed for doing that.

He hasn't been back to that forum. I'd rather not chase people away, even gently.

[Canwego2]

What’s the big deal? I agree with EdVinMass that just because something has been discussed before doesn’t make it unsuitable for this forum. Maybe some people have been on this site way to many times and it is giving them a superiority / condescending attitude towards people who are reading this forum just for fun and the enjoyment of learning something new (to them) about the TV....

[ajdeck]

Originally Posted by shermark

Army Guy,,, before you sign on any dotted line,,check out everything but be sure to look into Stonecrest. Better built homes and larger yards and better deals. Much more options with these homes. I spoke to a realtor there. His name is Bob Coffey ( used to live in TV ) and you should talk to him before you make a move.

We checked there also, great houses but, as you will find out, not a very friendly area. People have moved there from SCS and TV and make sure you talk to them after a year.

We stayed there and were outsiders for sure, and as my mother-in-law says "three of my friends are sorry they moved there"

[Army Guy]

shermark, we did look at Stonecrest, and did not like it as much as TV. But agree. Homes were veery nice!

Army Guy

[llaran]

The Villages is a "city" everything is here and you can get to everything by golf cart. in the other communities you must drive out to do shoping, doctors, entertainment. We have found most people to be friendly and some Villages are more active than others. You do get more "house" for the $$ in some other places but you have to make more of an effort to find things to do outside of the house. If you have any interest at all you will find a group here with the same interest.