[Bilyclub]

Originally Posted by My Daily Run View Post
Has anyone checked out Rotunda West. I have a friend who visited with me here in The Villages and visited many 55+ and settled in Rotunda West...built a beautiful home and I know more home for your buck but wondering what it's liLongke and what is around them... haven't been to visit yet
Where is that located? I have never heard of it. THANK YOU!


Rotunda West is really isolated. A lot of driving to get services.

[bladebowie]

We lived near Solovita for years and know it well. Nice, small, poor location in south Orlando and a few activities.
We fell in love with Margaritaville and went 3 times. In the end... it came down to, "what do you do after you do the beach for 6 months". Big city with big city crime around you in DB. Cant drive your golf cart to a golf course if that matters and just a few activities. If you are a boater 3 or more days a week, that is a great place. We moved to TV 1 year ago and it was the best decision for 20+ reasons!! We bought a pre-owned home near Sumter Landing for all the conveniences already built on 466 and Lady Lake. Established, no construction, and in the middle of everything!

[Harleyman]

We rented a new house in the Rotunda in 2007. We were the first tenants. It was the worse place we have ever been. In the middle of nowhere, nothing to do. The no see ums were so ferocious that we could not sit in the lanai by the pool. We could hardly wait to leave. We rented for the next two years in the Villages and bought in 2010. The rest is history. Now in Nova Scotia wondering when we will ever get back.

[coffeebean]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

I tried getting hubby to agree we should retire to a whole different state. West Virginia, New Mexico, or southern Arizona. He was against all three. He saw the Villages, decided he'd move there when he retired, and if I didn't want to go, he'd miss me. At another point during our "decision years" we had to move faster than previously thought due to a plant shut-down at his job. We were considering South Carolina to be closer to his sister. But he convinced me that it would be more beneficial to ME to be in the Villages, where there was a lot more to do as a retiree, and I wouldn't feel so isolated as I would in a house on 2 acres of land, not in walking distance to anything at all, and your nearest neighbors might fly the Rebel Flag.

So we agreed that we would move to Florida, but only if we could move to the Villages. No other place in Florida. I already lived in this state once, hated it with the burning passion of someone trying to walk on their hands through a bed of hot coals while needles are inserted into their fingernails. I still don't like Florida. I never will. But the Villages makes it tolerable.

Too bad you hate Florida so much.I had no idea you hated this state with the passion of a thousand suns. Unlike you, OBB, I LOVE it here. After too many years fighting the cold winters of NY and NJ, shoveling snow and dodging black ice on the roads and my driveway, I'm happy as a pig in sh!t to be living in paradise which is Florida. Living in The Villages is just a bonus!

[davem4616]

We checked out a number of 55+ communities along the coast from Pompano Beach up to West Palm when we decided to leave Ft Lauderdale...all were very nice, but not for us.

The Jimmy Buffet themed development "Latitudes" over by Daytona was still a concept at the time....I had heard mixed reviews about Del Webb communities, but we had never visited any because we were looking for something near the ocean....we came to visit a cousin in The Villages for a long weekend and put money down before we left. We knew what we were looking for and TV had most of it.

No place is ever going to have everything thing you want. For us, moving to a newly developed area worked...we are on a Cul de sac...we all came in together and have bonded...we do things with our neighbors

We visited "Latitudes" a year ago just to see how it was....very nice, it will only have 2500 homes, they have one of everything that we have in TV (except no golf on the property or polo) and they have a property on the beach that you will be bused to. The entertainment and the grounds in the Villages just can't be beat IMHO

[Garywt]

We visited friends in The Villages who had looked at some other places. We did not because I could not imagine any other place having more miles of golf cart paths to drive around on.

[LiverpoolWalrus]

Originally Posted by Cookie Princess

Have other people checked out other popular retirement communities in Florida? We plan to look at: Solavita in Orlando, Lake Wood Ranch Sarasota, and Margaritaville in Daytona Beach.

Funny, I checked out all three plus Sun City Center south of Tampa and On Top of the World in Clearwater before deciding on the Villages. Activities were the most important criterion for me and nothing could compete with the Villages.

Solivita is very nice and the prices for what you get are incredibly low. Probably the best bargain in Florida. But it’s not in a good location, imo, and very hard to get into and out of.

Lakewood Ranch is new and rather sterile and overpriced. Not much going on there yet but that should change as they’re trying to be The Villages 2.

I had high hopes for Margaritaville outside of Daytona. They do a good job marketing it online but when I got there it was a big disappointment.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by coffeebean

Too bad you hate Florida so much.I had no idea you hated this state with the passion of a thousand suns. Unlike you, OBB, I LOVE it here. After too many years fighting the cold winters of NY and NJ, shoveling snow and dodging black ice on the roads and my driveway, I'm happy as a pig in sh!t to be living in paradise which is Florida. Living in The Villages is just a bonus!

The Villages is the ONLY reason I agreed to move to Florida. My parents live down here, and that wasn't even enough to get me to want to live in this horrible state. I can always visit them. But now I'm stuck here for awhile. Glad I have the Villages. It would be intolerable, otherwise.

Not fond of Connecticut nor'easters either BTW. But the (humidity + heat waves) in Connecticut was pretty much the same as the (humidity + summer) in Florida, and I can't stand either of them. Humidity + heat = REALLY bad for arthritis. It's not healthy for me to be here, and if I'm going to spend a lot of time inside in air conditioning, I could've just stayed put, or move to a cheaper place in a different state like Kentucky.

No - it's the Villages that attracts me to the Villages. There's nothing about Florida weather that's attractive to me.

[Dgizzi]

Originally Posted by Nana2five*

What I loved from the beginning was how grandchildren friendly the Villages is. There is so much to do in and around but people who do not want to be around kids have a place also. Coming from a 55 plus community in West Chester Pa the experience was horrendous. When their grandkids were younger they were on board. As they came to the age that they didn’t visit the grandparents things got ugly quick. In short I love The Villages for that reason the welcoming atmosphere. But I would never go into a 55 plus again. And don’t get me started on HOA’s

I’m confused...I thought the villages was a 55 and older community? And we don’t have a “HOA” it’s called something different, maintenance fee or something we pay $165 a month. That is kinda like a HOA.

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

The Villages is the ONLY reason I agreed to move to Florida. My parents live down here, and that wasn't even enough to get me to want to live in this horrible state. I can always visit them. But now I'm stuck here for awhile. Glad I have the Villages. It would be intolerable, otherwise.

Not fond of Connecticut nor'easters either BTW. But the (humidity + heat waves) in Connecticut was pretty much the same as the (humidity + summer) in Florida, and I can't stand either of them. Humidity + heat = REALLY bad for arthritis. It's not healthy for me to be here, and if I'm going to spend a lot of time inside in air conditioning, I could've just stayed put, or move to a cheaper place in a different state like Kentucky.

No - it's the Villages that attracts me to the Villages. There's nothing about Florida weather that's attractive to me.

I really sympathize with you and your arthritis. Had a relative like that and they moved to Arizona for the dry climate and fewer allergies. For the sake of your health a move to a healthier location might be a good New Years resolution.

[eweissenbach]

Originally Posted by Dgizzi

I’m confused...I thought the villages was a 55 and older community? And we don’t have a “HOA” it’s called something different, maintenance fee or something we pay $165 a month. That is kinda like a HOA.

I think the poster you reference was referring to a Home Owners Association, which is a quasi government run by members of the community. Often the people heading those HOAs are a little power hungry and nit picky. The amenity fee we pay goes to pay for many of the recreational, landscaping and maintenance features that make our lifestyle experience so great. Our governance is by the CDD system that is rather unique to Florida, and is not the typical HOA. The Villages is an age restricted community which means at least 80 per cent of homes are occupied by at least one person over the age of 55. I am pretty certain their are far greater than 80% of homes in TV that have at least one 55+ resident.

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by John41

I really sympathize with you and your arthritis. Had a relative like that and they moved to Arizona for the dry climate and fewer allergies. For the sake of your health a move to a healthier location might be a good New Years resolution.

I was thinking more on the order of Albuquerque or Santa Fe, NM. But it's not an option. It was either the Villages, or some random non-community neighborhood with multiple acres of land in South Carolina, in areas where you need a shotgun to scare off the bears and Klan members.

Given those two options at the time of our forced retirement, I'll take the Villages any day. I just wish the Villages was in New Mexico. It'd be a win-win for me!

[manaboutown]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

I was thinking more on the order of Albuquerque or Santa Fe, NM. But it's not an option. It was either the Villages, or some random non-community neighborhood with multiple acres of land in South Carolina, in areas where you need a shotgun to scare off the bears and Klan members.

Given those two options at the time of our forced retirement, I'll take the Villages any day. I just wish the Villages was in New Mexico. It'd be a win-win for me!

Albuquerque, NM was a great place to grow up in back in the 1940s and 1950s and that is where I spent most of my childhood. My grandmother lived in Santa Fe and an aunt was the first school nurse in Los Alamos during WWII. NM has changed over the years, and not for the better although Los Alamos is still a great town (I lived there nine years). Santa Fe is extremely expensive. In TV parking, dog poop and such gets everybody all worked up and I just have to chuckle. I feel as safe as I have ever felt anywhere in TV and that is important to me at my age.

"New Mexico has the second-highest violent crime rate in the country—8.6 vs. 3.7 nationwide. The violent crime rate in New Mexico is one of the highest in the country—8.6 incidents per 1,000 people, compared to 3.7 across the country.Aug 5, 2020"
New Mexico's 20 Safest Cities of 2020 | SafeWise

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by manaboutown

Albuquerque, NM was a great place to grow up in back in the 1940s and 1950s as that is where I spent most of my childhood. My grandmother lived in Santa Fe and an aunt was the first school nurse in Los Alamos during WWII. NM has changed over the years, and not for the better. Los Alamos is still a great town (I lived there nine years). In TV parking, dog poop and such gets everybody all worked up and I have to laugh.

"New Mexico has the second-highest violent crime rate in the country—8.6 vs. 3.7 nationwide. The violent crime rate in New Mexico is one of the highest in the country—8.6 incidents per 1,000 people, compared to 3.7 across the country.Aug 5, 2020"
New Mexico's 20 Safest Cities of 2020 | SafeWise

New Mexico is also a huge state. There are plenty of nice low-crime towns and areas-near-towns in the state.

Connecticut is considered somewhat idyllic, all things considered (other than high taxes). And yet, Hartford, the state capitol, has a higher crime rate than New Mexico - as of 2018 data, 1 in 93 people will become victim of a violent crime in Hartford, CT.

Compare with North Haven, CT (where I lived many years): less than one in 1000 will be victim to a violent crime.

Compare that "less than 1 in 1000" to the Villages - 22 out of every 1000 people in the Villages are victim to violent crime.

So it was safer to live in North Haven CT, than it is to live in the Villages.

Also, 20.7792% of all statistics are made up; the other 94.019977% are arbitrary.

[manaboutown]

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

New Mexico is also a huge state. There are plenty of nice low-crime towns and areas-near-towns in the state.

Connecticut is considered somewhat idyllic, all things considered (other than high taxes). And yet, Hartford, the state capitol, has a higher crime rate than New Mexico - as of 2018 data, 1 in 93 people will become victim of a violent crime in Hartford, CT.

Compare with North Haven, CT (where I lived many years): less than one in 1000 will be victim to a violent crime.

Compare that "less than 1 in 1000" to the Villages - 22 out of every 1000 people in the Villages are victim to violent crime.

So it was safer to live in North Haven CT, than it is to live in the Villages.

Also, 20.7792% of all statistics are made up; the other 94.019977% are arbitrary.

I was in CT once during a spring break and had a wonderful time. Nice people.

I can't even remember the number of times I have experienced burglaries, thefts of anything literally not nailed down, and so on in Albuquerque, even when I was a child: bicycles, car tires, a letter sweater from my car, trailers, doors taken off my jeep and the light switch from its dashboard while it was parked in my driveway. My places of business there have been burglarized countless times. I have also been physically threatened, punched in the face, held at gunpoint and knifepoint in Albuquerque, as a child as well as an adult. Virtually everyone I know in Albuquerque and I know many people there has been a victim of crimes, predominantly multiple residential burglaries and vehicular theft over the years. I remember sitting down a few years ago, after I had lived elsewhere for perhaps twenty years, at a table of seven other lawyers at lunch during a continuing education class. They were all talking about the last time their car was stolen or their house broken into. What astounded me is they were so calm about it as it was not big news there.

My brother and his wife a couple years ago moved to a 55 and over community in Arizona called 'The Preserve at Saddlebrooke' and love it. I visited and found it way too remote and frankly boring but the weather is nice and the landscape beautiful. Luxury Retirement Communities for Active Adults and 55+ Seniors the-preserve- The Preserve