Ah yes, the bicyclers! Obey the rules of the road and all will be fine. However, a group of 15 or 20 bicyclers will come to a stop sign and just blow right through like the sign was not even a suggestion to stop. They will ride 4 abreast taking up the entire MM path. All are equal on the roads and MM paths - but bicyclers are a little more equal?

[QUOTE=bbbbbb;1308455]Interesting that you think TV is not bike friendly. In my case, one of the major factors for moving here, was the miles and miles of neighborhood streets for bike riding. I feel much safer riding here than where I lived before. I love riding on the mmp, but I do stay as far to the right as possible and try to accommodate the golf carts. I find that the golf carts are much less a problem than the walkers that insist on walking two and three abreast, frequently walking WITH traffic. I never ride on the major roadways in TV unless there is a marked cart/bike lane. I get all the exercise and lung busting intensity I can handle off of these major roadways.

[QUOTE=outlaw;1308760]Totally agree. I ride now much more and feel much safer than I every have previously...anywhere.

We have lived here 2.5 years and LOVE it all, our neighborhood, the friends we've made, the choice to be active or not on a daily basis. Things to do, places to go and lots of new learning experiences. My husband did get cancer July of last year and it was terrifying to be in a new place and not know where to go for good cancer care. Boy was I surprised!! Shands and Moffitt a small drive in either directions with some of the best care in the SouthEast and fabulous doctors. I am grateful he is doing well at the blessed hands of his wonderful doctors. So really there is no need to go anywhere else.

We moved here 5 yrs ago this week. We didn't know a soul when we moved here. We have made wonderful friends and are involved in many groups and activities. It took us about a year to feel like this was "home". We had several cross country moves during our careers and I can say this was by far the easiest place to meet people and make friends. No regrets!

We have been here a few weeks more than two years. The first year we rode around with Villages rose colored glasses and were in awe of everything. The shine has worn off but one can't find a better place to be. No regrets.

It's better than we thought it would be.
Wish we had moved sooner.
The squares are great but there is so much more.
You will regret waiting.
We moved from VA 3 years ago

No
No
The Villages Management changed due to a death of the original Developer. Since that, things are changing, not for the better, in my opinion.
Bought in 2010, full time.
It's probably as good as you'll find though, you just have balance things out.
Most villagers are great, but not all, that's for sure. Certainly not perfect.

I've lived here 15 years. I would definitely buy here again. It is an amazing place. Most unhappy people here were probably unhappy back where they came from. I would suggest you take the class offered by the Villages about how this system of govt. works as it is not a town and runs differently. You would then know what to expect and how your money is being spent. It isn't heaven on earth but no place is but if you are realistic it comes close. Snowbird season is congested. The summers are great. There arr rude people here but they are everywhere. There are wonderful people here too, seek them out and you will love it here. There's lots to do here, get out and enjoy the things you love. If one of you gets ill there are support groups to help you. The developer is in it for the money but has built an amazing place. Look for the good and you will find it and enjoy living here. Do take the govt class though it explains things here well. Hope to see you happily living here someday.

Must be the largest waiting room ever, 500 people in one day....must be going for worlds record

The complaints I have heard many times over 8 years being a snowflake, gone in the summer, here the rest of the time, is too many people. Roundabouts, golf paths, Publix at Colony Cottage, squares for popular groups, going out to dinner with friends are all crowded Jan to March. Tee times you want are harder to get January to March on executive courses, and if not a priority member on championship, also fees to play are higher. If you like the big city life, not here.
For me, I work around all these issues and enjoy being retired, with softball, golf, riding bike, friendly people, except during national elections.
We do tell friend to rent and experience the Villages before buying a house. Enjoy

Enough is enough!!
 

I have owned for over 5 years now. I bought here because of all the amenities, the cleanliness, the rules that each village has and the safety. My only complaint is the over building. To me enough is enough but the Villages just keeps getting bigger and bigger. High season there are lots of people presently but if they continue to keep expanding it is going to even busier than it is now. Just hope the owners at some point will say enough is enough. Good luck!:gc:

Have been here 4 years and love every minute of it, the occasional gripes and whines are normal for a large community like this my gripe is the constant expansion and lack of supporting amenities, Pickle ball courts and golf courses population growth seems to be outpacing the ability of the developer to manage the amenities and causing overload in the winter on existing facilities

I love living here BUT ...becoming overcrowded...questioning if the good out ways the bad traffic when the seasonal renters arrive.

Moved to the Villages 10 years ago. This place is an adult Disneyland. So much to do and at reasonable prices. I know for sure Ive added years to my life and much healthier than I would be retired back up North. If you can't find something to do you like, there's something wrong with you.....it's all here. Gets pretty congested when all the snow birds are back (restaurants and golf courses) but I wouldn't give it up for any other alternative!!!

Been here 2 1/2 years. It's like any other place we have ever lived. Some things you like, some you don't. We came from small town midwest and in the short time we have lived here the number of residents and guests migrating here has been amazing. And it's not stopping. So if you get the message that build-out is forthcoming (like we did), forget it, it ain't gonna happen. The summers are brutally hot and while the winter weather is wonderful the sheer number of people restricts access to restaurants and other services. The good thing is, if you wish to leave you shouldn't have much trouble selling a property. All in all, we do not regret giving TV a try but we are considering options to leave. It's not for everyone.

OhioBuckeye
 

You know I don't want to knock the Villages but I agree with most of what BITSEE said. We've lived here as permanent residents for 5 yrs. south of 466A & the Village we live in is really great & the people in our village are the best. We have 1 gentleman in our village that pretty much plans everything in our village, wish I could tell you his name but I didn't get his permission & maybe he wouldn't like it. But I found out that whatever you can buy here it's cheaper outside the Villages, the water is expensive & not that good, buying houses,well that's got some pro's & con's, but the really good thing here is, where else can you play golf for FREE, other than Championship courses. Since we've lived here I've been in some other retirement communities that are just like The Villages & as nice & maybe just a little better but that just depends on who's evaluating it. For instance we liked Robson Ranch in Argyle, TX, but they have some pro's & con's too. Anyway I don't think we'll be living here for probably more than 6 to 7 yrs. more. It's getting to big & I'm afraid when the building stops & the money is cut things will go up. Now that's just my opinion & I know there's some people that will think I'm right & they'll be some that think I don't know what I'm talking about.

We love The Villages
 

We moved here to be full time residents more than 4 years ago and I would say it's the best move I've ever made. I can strike up a conversation and make a friend even waiting in line for my prescription. Everywhere we go, we engage in conversation with other Villagers. We love dancing at the squares, love our dance class with Lola and Bob Miller, love golf, love being close to a gym, and just appreciate having activities and people to do them with at all hours of the day. The weather gets chilly now and then, thank goodness because it gives us time to rest, but there are nice days every month of the year for being outdoors. It's the ease of getting around and the friendly people plus activities that make this place so wonderful.

YES! And a million times YES! We bought 6+ years ago and wish we had made the move way before that! We're not golfers - but love the camaraderie of neighborhoods and all of the activities that are available within easy commuting distance by golf cart everywhere. As far as we're concerned this truly is like a Disneyland for seniors.

Been a full time resident for 12 years. Depending what you want it is all here in the Villages unless you want to be near water. I really believe part time residents and full time approach their time here differently. Seasonal are constantly busy and often approach as a resort. Full time live here and settle into a routine and the WOW factor wears off. One cannot criticize what the Villages has to offer. It all depends what you want.

yes yes yes We love living in TV and wouldn't live anywhere else. I did move from Glenbrook to the historic side because I love it over here. I would just advise that the neighborhood is more important that the house you want. Plus look for a property you can expand. There are no basements here and if you are going to be a frog you need storage.

OhioBuckeye
 

I agree! As the Villages is growing very fast it seems like our amenities are going up very slowly or will be going up very slowly. If whoever want the Villages to keep growing & they're the ones making lots & lots of money they ought to be not raising the amenities to keep making them rich because one of these days as things keep getting older & older some one is going to have to be shelling out more money to keep everything in tip top shape & just like every other community around the country that have these housing developments that lure people into there communities, eventually they back out of the community & pass the maintenance onto the owners or they get some slum lord to buy it. Right now the bigger it gets the closer I'm getting not to want to live here. But right now it's like someone said it's like Disneyland here for retirees & a lot of fun, but like the old saying, "Everything come to an end sooner or later".

it was my job to say no....
 

I agreed to visit The Villages just over 5 years ago for one reason only....to make my husband stop begging to see it. I was not a golfer, he loved golf and had seen the commercials on the Golf Network and wanted to be able to golf year round (or nearly year round) once he retired.

Some friends had recently moved down so I reluctantly agreed to "go check it out" with the condition that if I said no, there would be no further discussion. Clearly we did not intend to buy a house during our first visit....however I failed miserably in the "just say no" department! We came for a 5 day "lifestyle visit" and late afternoon on Day 4 we found a house which we knew we'd never be able to find again at that price and location if we decided to buy later. So on the last day of our visit we stopped by the Lake Sumter office to sign the paperwork before we headed for the airport. Returned a month later to close on the house and went back and forth (not at the typical snowbird times) for 3 years before we fully retired, sold the home in IL and moved here full time. We have now been full time residents for 2 plus years and have yet to regret the decision. For social reasons, I even took up golfing (my friends still find that hilarious) and we still really enjoy being in The Villages full time. Neighbors are friendly, lots to do even if you don't golf and you sure can't beat the weather. The only question most people have is, "why did we wait so long?"

Now I am recruiting friends to come join us....and we are making good progress! navair4me

Responding to Sandtrap. By bbbbbb
Yes, there are some bike persons, some cart persons, some car persons and some motorcycle persons who are way out of line. We wish it was not that way. According to the Florida Bike Laws, a bike rider is required to obey all road requirements and riding two abreast is OK but not more than two. An auto or cart is supposed to be three feet away, clearance from a bike. Some carts do and some do not. Some persons really take offense of bicycles. On a milti-modal path if I see a cart coming from behind, I pull over, slow down and give all the clearance that is possible at that time. We also park our bikes in the most unobtrusive area possible.
So now Sir, what about this?: 1. I am as far over on the path as I can get, I see a cart coming from behind, I am coasting, not pedaling and the cart comes by at incredible speed, the passenger leans over and swats my rear view mirror with his hand, really hard, he disfigures it for sure.
2. I have parked my bike out of the way, a man sort of staggers up and every few words start with "Mother,,,,,,,,,,, Bike riders". He then says he is going to stomp the spokes out of my bike. Well sir, lucky for him it was only nasty words spoken by him.
3. We have friends who we invited here to see this wonderful place, we did a lot of bragging. They were going to be here a month and find a house. They rented bikes. At two weeks, they left early with this comment: No biking for us in this zoo.
Sorry wish it were not so. Yes, we know about the suggestion, we should move. It takes time.

I have lived here for 10 years and still love it. Even though it is getting very crowded, I still would choose to live here.

Lifestyle program
 

Try looking into the Lifestyle program to get a good feel for what the Villages has to offer. We rented for over 4 years, different homes, different areas, and finally bought last November. We are tickled pink!

I have only been here 12 months, lived thru the "hottest summer" and a hurricane. WOULD not change my decision. LOVE It here, Is it perfect , of course not, but the best there is YES

My amenties fee when I moved here in 2011 was $135 and on the same house my current amount is $144. I don't think that's a big jump to worry about in 5-1/2 years. As far as keeping amenties in tip-top shape, I think they are being kept in tip-top shape. If you read the newspaper, the CDC's are always remodeling, rebuilding or refurbishing a Rec Center, a swimming pool, cart paths, something everyday when I look around. You also pay a maintence fee on your yearly tax and bond bill. That's going to the landscaping and all the other upkeep and my maintenance share hasn't changed from the original amount of $450 a year. I don't think the developer is getting rich off of that. He's getting his money from the homes we buy, and the amenties he sells to the CDC's and the fees we pay for golf, teetime reservations, the rents from the retailers, etc.

What a difference 6 years has made as far as age. South of 466A is not aging us and I wouldn't call it a bunch of old people. I'm 54
my next door neighbor is 54, another friend is 48 and three couples in there 50's came to stay with us and All purchased homes here.
So.... Depends on what section you're looking to move into. Loving "Baby Boomer Brownwood"

We absolutely love it. We've been visiting for over 10 years and became year-round residences in 2010. We've made a lot of very good friends and there's always something going on. We love live music and can find that everywhere. I just started playing golf when we moved here, but my husband has played his whole life, so we're enjoying that. We seem to eat out more than we probably should and have many favorite restaurants. We have a priority golf and pool membership and love lounging at either Hacienda or Orange Blossom pool. I still work three days a week and can't wait until I can fully retire and take advantage of some of the other clubs and activities. We've never had a second thought about moving here. My husband calls it an adult Disneyland.

=Cmgregory;1307156]For those of you who have been residents of TV for at least 2 to 5 years:

Is it as good as you thought it would be?

If you had it to do all over again, would you still buy in TV?

We would like to hear both the positives and negatives of living in TV.

We have visited TV several times and walked around the squares but have never stayed there. We have heard nothing but good comments but wonder if it as good as everyone says it is.

Thanks for your comments![/QUOTE]
We have been here six years and although it's a beautiful place we don't golf or do many things. I thought I was ready to live in a very confining area however if it wasn't for the wife having nice friends I would move away yesterday.

Since I grew up in Florida and lived about 30 years here and on the Gulf coast in St. Pete and Pensacola, I didn't look all that much. My parents retired in Spring Hill at a place called Timber Pines. Where would you move if you had the chance to move?

We've been here 5-1/2 years and I have since looked at other areas such as Stonecrest and Summerglen, right up the street from TV, and around Leesburg and Clermont and none of these seem to be very appealing because they are inland like us, but have less to look at and see. I enjoy having a movie theater that is predominately villagers in the audience. I enjoy going to the square and listening to live music that appeals to me. Recently that would be Johnny D and the Starlights.

I have recently visited Spring Hill, that's in Hernando County about an hour's drive south of here along the coast. Not Timber Pines where my parents retired, which is built out, but Heritage Pines, it's another gated community and seemed really nice and a little newer than Timber Pines. They are also built out but more recently and is well maintained and very strict about who can enter. You're 30 to 45 minutes to Clearwater, Tarpon Springs, Dunedin, Tampa and an hour to St. Petersburg. That's nice to have the ability to do, and the home prices are unreal, as in much cheaper.

Just here in our area, a builder is advertising new masonry homes on Hwy 42 across from Mulberry Rec Center. It's family housing, but for $189K you get 3BR 2BA, 2Car garage, granite, stainless steel, wood floors, the works. For a working person at the VA or in TV it appears to be ideal. I guess I'm always looking, that's hobby in itself.

Heritage Pines - Home Page

I'm born and raised in Manhattan. For me, it is the Best City on this planet, but it's too cold! The next best city is The Villages! Walking around the squares, going to a show/ movie, dinner, shopping, sports, etc is like a little Manhattan with no snow! Plus it's a great investment.

We moved here 5 years ago. Wow.. the time has gone by so fast! I still get excited when I think back to our moving here!

We still feel like we are on vacation and feel so lucky to live here.

I love that it's BIG!!! So much more to do and so many more clubs and activities!

We have the greatest neighbors!!!! I feel like I've known them for 30 years! So much fun and you can count on them if you need something. 120,000 people with a home town feel.

I get happy every time i stop to think.... I LIVE HERE!!!!

I'm sure its' not for everyone... but it sure is for us!!!!

It is.

It's better!!!!

Be VeryCareful choosing a health insurance plan!
 

We have been here six years and although it's a beautiful place we don't golf or do many things. I thought I was ready to live in a very confining area however if it wasn't for the wife having nice friends I would move away yesterday.[/QUOTE]
We have lived here for 12 years. Were in Village Health Care with Medicare and Supplement. VHC dropped us effective 12/31/16 unless we signed up for Villages Medicare Advantage. This plan is good if you are healthy and have no health issues. Now I need to thank the Villages for dropping us. Rather than waiting until the end of the year, we found a new primary care doctor outside of the villages right away, so we were and will be able to keep our medicare and supplement. Thank God we did. I was diagnosed with invasive breast cancer in mid-October and needed a mastectomy. I went to a general surgeon here in the Villages who I was not at all impressed with but who was recommended by my Villages Specialty Care gynecologist (who I can still see and be covered with my insurance). My mastectomy was performed in early November at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. The staff at Moffitt is unbelievably compassionate, as well as their surgeons being the tops in the US. Now, if I was a Villages Health Medicare Advantage patient, since Moffitt is NOT in their network of hospitals nor is the surgeon also operated on me, I would be in really big trouble, because Moffitt and the doctors there would be considered "out of network" and not covered. So in choosing your health care insurance for 2017 and beyond, be very very careful. I had no serious health issues whatsoever. When I see all the expensive advertising flyers we receive almost daily, I want to scream and warn everyone that the Medicare Advantage plans do not work for anyone who has any kind of serious health issues. I hope this helps others make the right decision.

Question for residents who have lived in TV at least 2 to 5 years
 

You're fortunate and smart.

I agree 100%, Tom.


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Yes...Yes....and Yes...really can't think of any negatives, except high season traffic. But that's true anywhere in Florida.