I think the least desirable area would be on a street, south of 44, where the houses back up to the Florida Turnpike. I'm surprised that the developer even built houses that close to a major highway.

Y'all do it all the time.1st question where do You live? There is very much a class divide in TV.

Why not just get in your car and drive around and see what areas appeal to you? Honestly wouldn't that work out best for you since no one but you knows what you find appealing and what you find appalling.

Based on what’s happening at Hacienda Hills, it is not desirable to live anywhere near land owned by the developer, regardless of how the land is CURRENTLY zoned.

We're really happy up here Forsyth Villas. All the pluses, Mulberry sport pool, pickleball -not too close to hear. Golf course and water view, with the cart path on the other side. 2 minutes to Publix, postal station, next to bank, gas etc. one minute out of TV too!

They did. They did a bunch of research and even had someone come out and measure for artificial turf (I think it was $104,000). The trees make it impossible for grass to grow but keep it really much cooler in the summer so it's a very nice spot for spending time with your dog.

After much deliberation they settled on putting in some sprinklers and tried to grow grass. It lasted about a month. Total waste of money.

I suggested they replace the dirt with sand. Do you think there may be some sand around here? The sand would be cleaner and allow quick drainage. The dogs could run and play and fall in it without getting hurt. They could even dig in it and it would be easy to just fill the holes back in with the rake. You can easily find the poop and the pee would just drain through.

I thought it was a great alternative but . . .

yeah, see? this is what i was referring to. some dislike this area just because of where it is, and the effort put into building here. is all a matter of taste & opinion

It depends on how you look at things. I always thought that question was posed just as a conversation lull breaker. What do you say? I say; "We started out in Hadley, but we moved to a little bigger house when we decided to live here full time. There are three of us you know. Have you met our sweet daughter, Helene?".

It is only a "class divide" if that is how you look at things and how you value things.

In my experience fellow Villagers care little about where one resides within TV or even what one did to earn a living. They care about what a person is like now, whether one likes to golf and so on. It is about as egalitarian as it gets here.

Me too, they are really close. However, our agent told us of one couple who we’re moving down from NJ and wanted a noisy street. Seems their previous house backed up to the NJ Turnpike and they wanted the same noise. To each their own.

I’ve only been here a couple of years.(south of 44) But, every time I drive through different neighborhoods or travel the main roads, I’m reminded how beautiful this area is.
The landscaping is beautiful whether you’re in the new areas down south or the original areas up north.

The Village’s isn’t like an inner city and someone lives on “the other side of the tracks.”
Each and every area has it’s appeal. But, that’s just my opinion.
If you can’t find a home or area that suits your needs, maybe you should consider looking in Boca Raton.
Just sayin’.
:)

Inferiority Complex
 

Excellent post. I’ve often thought asking someone where they are from, what Village they live in and maybe what they did before retirement was just kind of “getting to know you better” questions. Anyone offended by this to me either has an inferiority complex, just unfriendly or “mine your own business” type of folks. Which by the way - is okay too. We have found the overwhelming majority of Villagers, interesting, intelligent, and friendly. OP, good luck in your efforts to due diligence prior to purchasing in The Villages.

We live in a beautiful area of premiere homes. Our home is situated on a cul de sac toward the end of the street. We absolutely love our location as it is picture perfect and very quiet. There is no traffic, there are no pickleball courts, and no trains. However, we are surrounded by neighbors who have political flags on their lawns. We are hopeful that the flags will come down after 11/3 so that our little street no longer looks like a baseball stadium! My point is that sometimes you just don't know what you might encounter when you relocate. Try to minimize the negatives by doing your homework and then say a prayer or cross your fingers. Good luck:)

Just to clarify: it wasn't "low quality" construction. They were (and most still are) high-quality mobile homes. The original area of the Villages, east of 441, started as a luxury retirement trailer park community.

A small bunch of the single-wides are still there, though they've been renovated a few times over the years. Some of those, really should be rolled out and replaced with something a little more modern, but most of them are still in liveable condition. The rest of the homes here are mostly double-wides and modular homes, all manufactured elsewhere and rolled in and placed here. There are also a few handsful of site-built homes, some of which are rather luxurious.

Our deed restrictions are not as restrictive as those in other parts of the Villages, but we still do have restrictions. Such as - no fencing, you still have to get any construction work approved by the architectural committee, sprinkler systems can only be run x minutes and only on y and z days (depending on the neighborhood), abandoned vehicles not allowed, RVs can't be set up an used more than a couple of days (such as visiting relatives or transferring your stuff from the RV to the house), etc.

There are more restrictions than that, but most of it is a matter of friendly, gentle, inclusive peer pressure to encourage new neighbors to maintain a semblance of a tranquil setting. You won't see cars on cinderblocks. Why not? Because you don't want to risk alienating some of the nicest neighbors you'll ever have in your life, that's why not.

I live on a golf course and its fabulous. No carts on the side i am on. On the far side of green of a par 3 - no balls breaking into screening yet after 5 years. Love it!