Online forums (TOTV included) are famous for making mountains out of mole hills on just about any topic you can name.

They are enjoyable, but you can't really take them too seriously. Life is too short for that. All IMHO of course.

Downsides to me.
Houses too close together. City noise with sirens and traffic. Too hot in the summers and not enough trees. No indoor pool or basketball gym. Overcrowded and scary accidents. Not close enough to ocean, airport, malls etc.

Am I happy here. Very. But I was happier when it was smaller, fields of buffalo and there was room at classes, town squares etc. Everyone waved and was friendly. Reminded me of a small town.

Would I move. Not if I could help it. We have a beautiful home here and many friends.
I like to take a vacation on water with lots of trees and true friendliness of a smart town. No traffic, no crowds, quiet. Spend the day on the water fishing. Walk through real parks with flowers and biking paths. But then I like to come back to the busyness of the Villages.
As has been said, My friends in other developments are just as happy. Look for what feels right for you.

I don't think that the lawsuits that were mentioned in a previous post necessarily mean that people "hate the developer" or that they are unhappy here. It just means that the developer had been asked to pay his fair share, he didn't and so they were exercising their legal rights. As others have said, no place is perfect. Its perfectly okay to voice your concerns about changes you would like to see that you think would make The Villages a better place. That is not a bad thing, and it doesn't make you a negative person, IMHO. In all, I think most people are happy here and enjoy their lifestyle, but there are always ways we could make things better. Let's keep an open mind.