[OldDave]

Yes, Granny, I can certainly see how the locals might have a different take. It supplies jobs, but I'm guessing most of those aren't particularly well paying. Service jobs never are. I said this once a long time ago, but during our visit something really struck home with me.

When you're in TV it is just beautiful, outstanding. But you can travel two blocks off the property in many directions and it looks like 1950s backwood Florida, with run down buildings, cars up on blocks and weeds growing up.
That really kind of surprised me but when I thought about it, I shouldn't have been surprised.

The developer and Mr. Schwartz took a truly undeveloped part of the world and turned it into something special. You couldn't possibly do this near the ocean, land would just be too expensive.

Granny, I'd like to ask you something. With living here all these years, are you glad to be here? We've talked before on this site about the number of people who simply won't tolerate any comments that are seen as negative. And of course the few people that say things like, "bless the Morse family for all they've done" as if they were missonaries rather than sharp, very lucky business people.

What is your take? Feel free to send a PM if you like. I'd really like your take.

Thanks,

Dave

[cquick]

I think this is an very interesting thread.....it's fun to think about how "our town" will look in the future.

But that's part of the problem with The Villages, in my opinion, it's really not a "town" or a "city" at all. It's spread out through 3 counties, and sometimes not very cohesive because of that.

I love living here, but as I told my husband 5 years before we ever moved here that my only problem with TV is how big it is! and it's getting bigger!

Oh, well, that's my rant.

[Grannynance]

well old Dave I guess we are off the what the post question was about, but to answer your question the villages is nice kept up very nice a lot of activities, but it does not mix good. I lived in Kansas city aand you know Johnson county a very well to do county very very large estates, but just over the line you were in another world so to speak (like you referred to here 1950) well the locals have been here many years that is there style and are satifited, along come people making comment it isn't taken well.as for what the villages has done for the area people see it as to big and their way of life is imposed on. Instead of live and let live it isn't so, people like to wat I call show or put on the dog and that dogg doesn't hunt well here. The village is nice and people have invested a lot to live there so live
it. What I have see is the village residents over load the local places you have a large amount of people where there isn't thing to support them, so they go outside their bubble flex themselves and there you go. As for me at my age it would be tough to relocate so I grin any bear. If I were 20 years younger I would do different, but who knew this would be so big. A lot of people have left and a lot more will come. The family that planned this became very well to do that was their aim and so done.
Those that believe that did for them live in a dream they did to become rich

[FMF Doc]

May be the big obstacle to overcome in any future development. Will they get approval to use more of the available water?

[billethkid]

the question of how big is too big for TV will have as many answers as there are people being asked.

The concept the developer has consitently promoted is distributed services/amenities/restarants/shopping/et al.

While it may be of interest to go to all the squares or other shopping/restaurants in other districts within TV, it really is not neccessary to live one's daily life because most of the daily needs can be had "locally" to one's village.

As a result serving a 100,000 population in a distributed way ala TV is very much different than any other city of 100,000 that does not have a distributed plan for it's residents.

I am sure we are typical residents of TV. Everbody likes to go see what is new that is being added to the newer developed areas....no matter how far away it is. With some exceptions we have a routine that operates in our immediate area. Ten years ago we had to drive to 441 to go to a doctor of any kind. Now we have our pick of any kind of medical support less than 10 minutes away.

We used to gravitate to Spanish Springs for shopping and entertainment. Since Lake Sumter Landing opened, we rarely have to go to SS for anything.

We have our village's rec center as well as choice of multiple regional rec centers....all less tha 10 minutes away.

We have a shopping center that houses Publix and the usual other tenants and retailers less than 10 minutes away.

And so on.

So the fact that we live in a residential area that has a population "measurement" of 90+ thousand.....it is very different than living in cities of equal size any where else.

Tes commercial traffic has increased and yes resident traffic has increased....but keep in mind it is only for that 10 minutes or so that we navigate in most of our daily living.

We truly are spoiled.

We moved South of 466 the year they made 466 4 lanes.....when Buena Vista did not go beyond wher Arnold Palmer CC is....when there was no Arnold Palmer CC!!! We have experienced TV growing to 3 times what it was when we moved in 2004. The growth brought a critical mass that transformed available shopping/restaurants, medical facilities/services/entertainment to almost anything one could want to see available. This was not the case when TV sothern border was 466.

After looking at 55+ living in the 4 corners of the USA, we moved from a very lovely 55+ retirement community in Beaufort, SC to TV because it offered the "lifestyle" we could not duplicate any where else. We have not been disappointed one bit.

Yes we would do it again today.

We have friends that moved away from Sothern FL to closer to back home. because they did not like FL. After staying with us the first year after we moved in they commented...."now this is what we expected living in FL would be like". It does not mean they are right about TV perspective of FL.....it just means this place is very different from most other communities and one cannot know that until or unless they stay here long enough to wear out a pair of shoes.

That is my $4.76 worth (2 cents adjusted for inflation and socialization)

btk

[OldDave]

Bill, great post. Thanks.

Granny, I appreciate your take on things. Since we're both from Kansas, we talk the same language, I think.

Dave

[Jersey Girl]

New commercial establishments, such as the new mall being constructed on 44, bring with it commercial traffic. Is anyone concerned about tractor trailer use of our roadways within TV? You would think there would be a maximum weight limit, yet I've seen an 18 wheeler traveling on Bonita Blvd. The roundabouts don't seem to be a deterrent either.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by Jersey Girl

New commercial establishments, such as the new mall being constructed on 44, bring with it commercial traffic. Is anyone concerned about tractor trailer use of our roadways within TV? You would think there would be a maximum weight limit, yet I've seen an 18 wheeler traveling on Bonita Blvd. The roundabouts don't seem to be a deterrent either.

I don't think one 18 wheeler on Bonita is a major problem.

[NJblue]

Originally Posted by Jersey Girl

New commercial establishments, such as the new mall being constructed on 44, bring with it commercial traffic. Is anyone concerned about tractor trailer use of our roadways within TV? You would think there would be a maximum weight limit, yet I've seen an 18 wheeler traveling on Bonita Blvd. The roundabouts don't seem to be a deterrent either.

I am not familiar with a verified report of a mall (other than a strip mall) being built on 44. There were plans of a mall several years ago, but they appear to have been dropped - at least from The Villages commercial web site.

However, yes, I am concerned about truck traffic on Morse as a result of the new turnpike interchange. Other pooh-pooh it because of the traffic circles, but I still think that a few traffic circles provide a lot less of an impediment to a truck than the red lights that they now encounter coming up 27/441 from the turnpike.

[travelguy]

I guess that The Villages will never be connected to a regional rail system. I would look forward to being able to get around without an automobile.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by travelguy

I guess that The Villages will never be connected to a regional rail system. I would look forward to being able to get around without an automobile.

Would there be stops at the dog parks?

[GaryW]

THe only 18 wheeler traffic would be local deliveries. Sod Trucks, Block trucks and so forth delivering to new units. Now you could have other trucks like Moving Companies, and Grocery Deliveries such as Publix and Winn-Dixie coming in also. But for the most part not alot of thru trucks,,, they hate the round-a-bouts like most