[NoMo50]

Originally Posted by spinner1001

Assume your chance of a personal close encounter is 0.01% in the southern areas, your chance in the northern areas might be 0.001%. Is it reasonable to buy a home in the north solely because the chance is 0.009% slimmer? I don’t believe it is. There are other things to think about when buying a home. Good luck.

So, you're saying the chances of a gator encounter in the southern Villages is 10x higher than in the north? Sorry, but I'm not buying that. The smart play is to assume that any body of water can have at least one resident gator. During mating season (April - June), they do tend to move around more. Golf courses have lots of water features, and you can see gators on virtually every golf course in the Villages. Are there more gators down south vs up north? Very possible...but not ten times more.

[charlie1]

Originally Posted by Velvet

There are all kinds of deniers but OP has a valid question. Alligators like water, marshes, ponds, lakes. They go from one water to the other. Look at the house you are interested in on the map. Is it on an alligator path?

On the other hand, it is true, alligator attacks are rare in TV.

I would not worry about alligators. I have been in Florida for almost 40 years, most of which were on ponds or swamps with alligators. Just be a smart pet owner by keeping your pet on a leash and AWAY from the ponds! Do not feed the alligators! Do not have your grandkids near the ponds without supervision! Do not provoke the alligators. The only attacks in the Villages that I am aware of have been against dogs where the owner was careless by not having the dog properly constrained.

[ohioshooter]

We live on a pond and I watch for gators every day. I really enjoy watching them. Our pond is very low now and I haven’t seen one for days.

[Velvet]

Originally Posted by charlie1

I would not worry about alligators. I have been in Florida for almost 40 years, most of which were on ponds or swamps with alligators. Just be a smart pet owner by keeping your pet on a leash and AWAY from the ponds! Do not feed the alligators! Do not have your grandkids near the ponds without supervision! Do not provoke the alligators. The only attacks in the Villages that I am aware of have been against dogs where the owner was careless by not having the dog properly constrained.

I agree. Still I like to look around me when I get the morning paper.

Copy of an old photo:

[OhioBuckeye]

You know I think you’re getting to excited about worrying about Gators. I would be more worried about what they’re charging for a new home to the owner for a home along a golf course, a body of water or living where there’s nobody building behind you. Just depends what you’re looking for gators are the least of my worries about buying a home. I would be a little more worried about gators if I was building close to the Everglades.Just don’t worry about where you buy so much but how much do you want to spend. Buy close to what you like to do, anywhere in TV & you can’t go wrong!

[airstreamingypsy]

I would factor it in, simply because I love seeing them. I would live near a pond hoping to see one frequently. I loved dinosaurs in second grade, and it seems I still do.

[Buckeye Bill]

Originally Posted by FFlank

My wife and I just finished a lifestyle preview visit, and are planning on returning in a few months for a longer stay. I know that gators are a fact of life in TV, but we're not anxious to find one on our doorstep when going out to get the morning paper . When it comes time to pick a home location, is there a part of TV where a close encounter is less likely?

Don’t worry, around here it’s a big deal when one is spotted in a lake people will stop to take a look.

[MrFlorida]

Don't buy near water. The rule of thumb in Florida is: If there's water , there's a gator in it.

[Quent]

Originally Posted by FFlank

Thanks, everyone for your thoughts so far. I know that issues are unlikely to arise, but I thought that maybe areas further north (where folks have been living for several years) might be less likely spots for alligators. Maybe this theory doesn't pan out, but I appreciate everyone's thoughts on the issue

They are here and they move around when food supplys diminish

[MrFlorida]

Originally Posted by Quent

They are here and they move around when food supplys diminish

Especially now, mating season is about to begin.

[Michael 61]

I walk the beautiful “gator trail” by the ponds in Richmond each morning - I will often see Multiple gators either in the ponds, or sunning themselves on the shore (usually baby ones). The trail itself is raised, but you need to be watchful, since gators will travel from one pond to the next via land.

[larbud]

Originally Posted by FFlank

My wife and I just finished a lifestyle preview visit, and are planning on returning in a few months for a longer stay. I know that gators are a fact of life in TV, but we're not anxious to find one on our doorstep when going out to get the morning paper . When it comes time to pick a home location, is there a part of TV where a close encounter is less likely?

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[dschneider]

Originally Posted by tophcfa

You would be better off worrying about real risks like fumes from the turnpike or electro magnetic fields from power lines than gators. Your risk of being struck by lightning is far greater than the risk of a gator attack.

And at our age neither of the above are factors.

[Altavia]

Originally Posted by airstreamingypsy

I would factor it in, simply because I love seeing them. I would live near a pond hoping to see one frequently. I love dinosaurs in second grade, and it seems I still do.

Same here along with the other wildlife. The gaters are well fed, fat and happy with all the fish in the lakes.

[Gpsma]

Worry more about what your new neighbors will be like than an alligator