[Bilyclub]

The 441 corridor over there is definately a pain to deal with.

[badkarma318]

Originally Posted by vintageogauge

And then there's the crime in the historic district there are a lot of owners with their adult children and/or their adult grandchildren living with them, this is a fact. Another fact is that most of the crimes reported online that are committed by residents of TV are committed by these same adult children and adult grandchildren living in the historic district. You can research this fax by visiting the online news.

This is the correct answer ^.

Mommy/Granny not only allows their 19-65 year-old little angel to live with them full-time in a supposed 55+ "retirement/active adult" community, but they bail them out of jail again, and again, and again. The sheer number of repeat offenders, child molesters, druggies, domestic abusers, and various other unsavory characters that reside in the historic and Spanish Springs areas is disturbing, to say the least. Any "child" who has given up on life and wants to mooch off of elderly family members until they take a dirt nap should have to pass an extensive background check, and no repeat offenders/convicted felons need apply.

[njbchbum]

Originally Posted by Bilyclub

The 441 corridor over there is definately a pain to deal with.

BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

Driving the major thoroughfares within the Villages is NOT a pain? And once ya know the alternate routes it's a breeze!

[njbchbum]

Originally Posted by badkarma318

This is the correct answer ^.

Mommy/Granny not only allows their 19-65 year-old little angel to live with them full-time in a supposed 55+ "retirement/active adult" community, but they bail them out of jail again, and again, and again. The sheer number of repeat offenders, child molesters, druggies, domestic abusers, and various other unsavory characters that reside in the historic and Spanish Springs areas is disturbing, to say the least. Any "child" who has given up on life and wants to mooch off of elderly family members until they take a dirt nap should have to pass an extensive background check, and no repeat offenders/convicted felons need apply.

Would you be so good as to back up your opinion with statistics such as the total number of residents in those historic Villages and the number of offenders that live there - as well as the number of offenses by the categories you have listed. Without that info your opinion cannot be evaluated effectively. And we all know about opinions!

And about that "a supposed 55+ "retirement/active adult" community" comment - nothing "supposed" about it! Just like any other Village in the 55+ Community development called the Villages up to 20% of the residences/roofs may be occupied by individuals younger than age 55 and older than 18. Housing-55 & Older Communities — Florida Commission on Human Relations

[Villages Kahuna]

As…one of the most popular and loved areas in The Villages…with by far the largest and best pool…and a good, convenient restaurant?

Probably a resident who wanted you to look elsewhere.

[Andyhope]

You should have asked the people who told you to buy in that area

[Aloha]

Orange Blossom Hills is preferred by many due to its location, mature trees and landscape, affordability, and friendliness of the residents. Very quiet and relaxing environment.

[La lamy]

I totally disagree with the negative opinion you received OP. I live in OB and I love it. I spent 2 winters renting to check out various areas of TV and I found my fave area here. I much prefer being in a mature landscaped area (it still makes me say "SO BEAUTIFUL" every day), the ease of shopping for anything really close by, the feeling of the place has much more character and friendly neighbourhood. A lot of the manufactured homes need updating, but that wasn't a negative for me. The purchase price reflects this and it's fun to have projects to renew a home for me.

[hosegooseman]

Originally Posted by DiviAruba

Hi,
When I was visiting in December and I told people I was thinking about buying, I was told not to buy in Orange Blossom. Can anyone tell me why?

I live in Silver Lake which is in the same area. We live in a very modest manufactured home and 100% love it here. Super friendly and helpful neighbors. We are 5 minutes to Spanish Springs and 19 minutes to Lake Sumter by golf cart. All major shopping stores, restaurants, medical facilities are within the same time frame or less. Vast majority reachable by golf cart too, same time frame.

Paradise Rec Center, one of the originals is about to be completely rebuild. Silver Lake Rec center was renovated last year with new pool tables too.

It’s a beautiful area for a cart, bike ride or just walk around. Plenty of outdoor activities, including the Archery range where most classes are taught.

From a financial aspect, it’s a great place to live when your resources are low. Inexpensive homes, no bond and if the home is in good shape most only need some basic renovations. During our search we saw one that didn’t need anything all. Also you will see nicer homes that people have built, replacing the original ones.

My recommendation is to rent a house here. Plenty around to do that. Stay for at least a week but if more time is available, better. And figure out for yourself.

Who ever told you that about Orange Blossom, has no clue. That there some problems here, of course like any other part of The Villages. But they are minor when compared with the awesome and relaxing lifestyle we enjoy around here.

The historical section has three main areas: Orange Blossom, County Club and Silver Lake, just for your reference.

[hosegooseman]

Originally Posted by vintageogauge

And then there's the crime in the historic district there are a lot of owners with their adult children and/or their adult grandchildren living with them, this is a fact. Another fact is that most of the crimes reported online that are committed by residents of TV are committed by these same adult children and adult grandchildren living in the historic district. You can research this fax by visiting the online news.

Same crime, same adult children, etc that is committed anywhere in The Villages. You should read/research a bit more those “fax” that you suggested.

[hosegooseman]

Originally Posted by badkarma318

This is the correct answer ^.

Mommy/Granny not only allows their 19-65 year-old little angel to live with them full-time in a supposed 55+ "retirement/active adult" community, but they bail them out of jail again, and again, and again. The sheer number of repeat offenders, child molesters, druggies, domestic abusers, and various other unsavory characters that reside in the historic and Spanish Springs areas is disturbing, to say the least. Any "child" who has given up on life and wants to mooch off of elderly family members until they take a dirt nap should have to pass an extensive background check, and no repeat offenders/convicted felons need apply.

Cheer numbers? What? Unlike you, I live here (historic side) and you are just full of , well you now.

Every aspect of crimes committed, are everywhere in The Villages. Not only the historic area.

Did you forget how Swat was called last year to a residence? Do you remember the area? Just in case, it wasn’t the historic side. Look it up. Still all those crimes are way lowers than areas outside The Villages.

[MandoMan]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

Here's an actual reason why:

You might have told them what kind of area you're looking for. And you were told this area doesn't meet your criteria. It depends on what you want, and WHO told you not to buy in this area. It could be that THEY just don't like this area, and decided to impose their choices on you.

Those are the reasons why you would be told not to buy in Orange Blossom.

You need to have an idea of what you WANT from your new home. Close proximity to supermarkets? Walking distance to the medical center? Easy access to Florida's Turnpike? Mature landscaping? Disability-friendly rooms and doorways? You have to determine your affordability. How much can you spend on a home? Will you need a mortgage? Do you want a brand-new house, or are you specifically looking for one that's been pre-owned, or do you not have a preference as long as the dimensions and price are right?

You have to check the risks vs. rewards of each type of location as well.

Beautiful swamp view in the back = higher risk of gators and mosquitoes at your back porch.

A courtyard villa with high walls = less chance of actually meeting any of your neighbors - but high chance of HEARING them if you're both outside in the back yard at the same time.

Somewhere super close to the town square = higher traffic, especially during peak hours and festivals.

The simple, relatively quiet, and natural-looking beauty of the "historic section" (Orange Blossom Gardens, Silver Lake, Country Club Hills) = higher chance that the only options will be manufactured double-wides or mobile home single-wides.

The upside to the older areas is that the oldest no longer have any bond obligations, and the older (but not oldest) are pretty close to paid off.

The bond is a financial obligation over and above the cost of the home. So if you see a house listed in the new construction section for $300,000, that doesn't include a bond that could be $20,000 on top of that. You can pay it all off at once, OR you can pay it monthly, with insane interest, and not be allowed to pay it off early if you change your mind.

Well said. I think most Villagers have never actually been there. It’s clean and neat and nicer than I expected. I like it. It’s the least expensive part of The Villages because most of it is 30 years old or more, and a lot of the houses are double-wide mobile homes with carports rather than garages, and at that age there is often quite a bit of repair necessary to plumbing, electrical systems, windows, roofing. Some people are buying these inexpensive homes on lakes and replacing them with much more expensive homes, but still, the value of a new home is also influenced by the neighborhood. Even an inexpensive mobile home on a lake may cost $200,000 or more, and for that price you can get a very nice lot in the Deep South of The Villages and build in a new neighborhood. A disproportionate share of what little crime there is in The Villages happens there because there are landlords renting these old mobile homes cheaply to people much under the retirement age, some of them drug addicts or criminals of various sorts. There are some amazing trees and shrubs there worth seeing.

[MidWestIA]

Orange Blossom is a VERY small old section started as trailer/houses and you have to go over the old 27/441 bridge to do almost anything. If you want to easily take your cart to many stores/golf courses stay out off there and ABOVE hwy 44

[skippy05]

Google "Spot Crime". Go to that website. Input any home address in Orange Blossom that you want to buy. Crime off the chain in that area. That is why. Also, do not be fooled into thinking your Village "Gates" will keep the burglars out. They do not. Orange Blossom is an incredible crime area. Infested even. Where is the crime coming from? CLOSE proximity to affordable housing, which is where it always comes from. Young teenage kids ON drugs, supporting their buying habit by breaking into your cars and homes for small items to sell or cash. Join Nextdoor website (in that area) to SEE all the home videos captured of these young kids doing this. Home owners post about it all the time with close up videos for all to see. Also, the police simply do an incident report and that is the end of it because it is so rampant they give up on capturing the individuals. Avoid this area and if you don't believe me then look at these social media sites yourself to SEE videos for yourself. I already know people will reply negatively to my post due to my comment about affordable housing. No matter what they say...it will not change the fact that it is true.

[sallyg]

We lived there for 5 years and it was great. Homes are older which might sway some folks, but there is no bond.