[Cliff]

Watch out, Frangyomory, the "Negativity Police" will be hitting on you. We are being told to accept Wildwood as a partner to TVs. :joke:

[pili]

What's wrong with Wildwood? I was looking at houses FSBO and there were homes listed in Wildwood reading "near" TV. I take it Wildwood is a place to stay away from?

[Frangyomory]

Crime rate is high in Wildwood. Unfortunately, unemployment is also high. Problems in schools, etc. I would just as soon not live too close to Wildwood. My own personal opinion. Don't want to offend anyone or have the "happy cops" on my tail, but to each his own and I like being away from high crime areas.

[Avista]

I don't have anything against Wildwood. Many of these small towns were here long before The Villages.

[jadebox]

I have real good friends that live at Continental Country Club in Wildwood. Brownwood will be just down the street from them. They have been there over a year and have not had nor have seen any problems with the area.

[Villages Kahuna]

The closer the development of TV gets to Wildwood, including the construction and opening of the Brownwood town square, the more changes you can expect in Wildwood. Whether the changes are positive or not depend on your perspective.

Wildwood was originally a small town serving the local farmers and ranchers. It was and is decidedly "scruffy" by most Villagers standards. But it is well-loved by it's residents and merchants. It was "their" home town surrounded by their homes, farms and ranches.

Holding true to the well-proven saying that "real estate (and real estate values) will seek it's highest and best use", Wildwood has already begun to change as TV has begun to encroach. Since Brownwood was announced, well-located commercial properties have skyrocketed in value. Wildwood is at the very beginning of some massive change.

Will the town be "better"? That depends on perspective. If you are a local who is being displaced by the increasing cost of living in Wildwood and the change in the town's character, probably not. If you want Wildwood to look like and offer commercial offerings more like TV and surrounds, you'll probably like the new Wildwood.

The changes will take time, for sure. And while the locals are being displaced to find homes and businesses elsewhere, there may be some evidence of really bad feelings. But none of that will change the fact that Wildwood will undergo massive change in coming years. It's already begun.

[jtdraig]

Wildwood was founded in 1877 and has been a place that has been changed a lot..the first as a cattle town then as a major railroad junction and then by the confluence of the Turnpike and I-75 and now by The Villages. Wildwood today is a "has been" town that is relatively poor and has an uncomfortable crime rate driven by drugs. I have to think that as the The Villages continues it's march down to 44 that Wildwood will be cleaned up big time. I seriously doubt that Brownwood would have been located where it is unless that assumption is somewhere at the top of the priority list. The name "Brownwood" and all the hoaky little stuff in that newspaper is a topic for another day! But, at least, it does go back to the history of this area in the mid-1800's.

[ewstanley]

Thanks for the information about Wildwood.
I think that everyone can use a little history lesson about the area and I find it fascinating.
I am glad that jt & Kahuna were able to elaborate on Wildwood.

[Peggy D]

I think you're right about the changes in Wildwood with the growth of TV.* It will take some time, but I'm* sure the TV gods thought this all out before deciding on Brownwood.

FYI--There is an Amtrak station in Wildwood.* It's aprox 10-12 miles from TV.* This is great news for us, being a former Amtrak employee (hubby), we ride the train for free!!

[Avista]

Does the Amtrak passenger train stop in Wildwood. If it does, what great news. Does anyone know?

[Cliff]

If I remember correctly, they ceased passenger traffic at the Wildwood station. That happened a couple of years ago. Only freight goes along those tracks now.

[Peggy D]

Originally Posted by Cliff

If I remember correctly, they ceased passenger traffic at the Wildwood station. That happened a couple of years ago. Only freight goes along those tracks now.

Check Amtrak's scheduling. It's listed as a stop.

From north take train to Jacksonville. Change trains there and continue to Wildwood.

To be sure I will call Amtrak and let you know.

[Bubbalarry]

Hadley Village were I live is about 3/4 mile to 466A but off Morse Blvd. Still it's close to both Sumter & Brownwood.

[PJ]

Re: Amtrak in Wildwood is listed as a stop. (Sorry Topicop!)

Warning! I did this on a trip to No. VA! And it wasn't what you'd expect! From Wildwood "Amtrak" is a BUS that takes hours, and stops at every little bus stop all the way to Jacksonville. It was awful. There you get a train and continue North.

IMHO, Amtrak really needs to work on improving this, and if they would, I think there would be lots of us who would use it.

[Peggy D]

Originally Posted by PJ

Re: Amtrak in Wildwood is listed as a stop. (Sorry Topicop!)

Warning! I did this on a trip to No. VA! And it wasn't what you'd expect! From Wildwood "Amtrak" is a BUS that takes hours, and stops at every little bus stop all the way to Jacksonville. It was awful. There you get a train and continue North.

IMHO, Amtrak really needs to work on improving this, and if they would, I think there would be lots of us who would use it.

The trip is ugly!

Amtrak and trip south is totally another topic, but one that is worth writing about....

We,ve taken the trip by train to FL twice--and flew home!!! But as former Amtrak employee (and family) it is free for us (with restrictions) and worth taking now since time is not a concern.