I did the same thing. Loved TV from over the years of visiting my parents (who owned but were seasonal residents) so I knew what to expect. However, I was not sure about my San Diego-beaches-loving hubby. We stayed all along both the gulf coast and the Atlantic coast and then came to TV lifestyle. It HAD to be his choice also as far as I was concerned. He was hesitant, but day by day TV grew on him. First he liked golf carting, then he liked the manicured appearance of the place, then he liked the people we met. Now it is 3 years later and he is proud and happy to be a Villager!

I find the "we don't hate the snowbirds, we love the snowbirds!" to be just as insulting, just in a patronizing way. Maybe because I'm an "other" - I don't fit in with the "majority" of the Villages, in either religious upbringing or political bent. When I mention to someone that I'm jewish and they say "Oh I LOVE jewish people!" it makes me cringe. So when I hear someone say "oh I just LOVE snowbirds" I get the same knee-jerk reaction on behalf of snowbirds.

Some of the comments regarding snowbirds on this thread are hysterical in their stupidity.

"Snowbirds are always in a rush...." I've heard many times that snowbirds are always dawdling about, congesting the roadways, going too slow. When I'm in the left lane on 466 going 7 miles over the speed limit, it's never an out of state plate that gets on my tail and zooms by me when I get out of their way. It's always a Florida plate. Must be a snowbird from Jacksonville, I guess.

"Snowbirds don't know how to negotiate the roundabouts"....There was a post a few weeks ago about a driver taking a bypass around a roundabout, stopping when the bypass reconnected to Buena Vista, and then turning left, the WRONG WAY, down Buena Vista. That must have been one of those snowbirds who sticks around until July 4th.

"Snowbirds clog up the restaurants"....right. They should stay home and not ever eat out while staying in the home they bought, pay for, maintain, etc. etc. etc. so the year-rounders need not be inconvenienced.

"Snowbirds 'save' chairs at the squares." Indeed, and no doubt they wear shirts that declare they are snowbirds, so we can all easily identify the culprits as such. There is no chance they are year-rounders doing that.

"Snowbirds come with a feeling of 'entitlement'"....Well, reading the comments of the year-rounders who claim such nonsense to be factual, it is pretty clear who really feels entitled, isn't it? Entitled because they live here 12 months a year, to be free of the congestion that is a natural part of living in a community designed such as ours. All you have to do is look at the density of homes and realize that if they are all being utilized, it's going to be congested.

I love Snowbirds. They leave TV for us to enjoy fully for months!

Snowbird envy?

My best friend is a snow bird.

My grandmother once told me she had nothing against snowbirds at all. She even hired one to be her maid.

Actually, it wasn't in the roundabout, it was at the merge of a bypass, and I never addressed "snowbird" vs. "frog". But if you must know, the vehicle had a handicapped Florida plate (something that I fear immensely when I see it). Of course, we all know the absolute worst thing to encounter on the road is a Prius with an out of state handicapped plate---God help us all:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

I've never experienced an Issue in the 10+ yrs as a snow bird!
 

WOW > I've never experienced even the slightest Issue in the 10+ yrs as a snow bird! And I've never heard of an issue from any of our friends who were also snow birds or still are snow birds. As a matter of fact I've found the returning snow birds are openly received and welcomed very friendly by everyone. I'd suggest you consider looking for a different group to associate with, I'm not sure what their problem is. I have to believe a large % of The Villages population were one time snow birds and found it such a great place they decided to make it full time as we did.

I don’t think the “upset” is towards the “Snowbirds” rather the overbuilding. Moved here in 2014 with the idea the founders had no more land to expand. Since that time population has exploded. Off season used to be a relief from the overcrowding, traffic, restaurant wait time not to mention the attendance at the squares and re center activities. At this point in my life, do not have another move “in me.” Just disappointed. Stay home a lot more than I used to…

I am not sure where some think TV was to be only a certain size then stop.
Yes there are a lot of stories/legends/tales/promises.

In cities from these peoples past....were they of a specific size to be "acceptable".

It is not like the number of restaurants has stayed the same hence there are a shortage of tables. How many more restaurants are here compared to 10 years ago?

Ditto the above for many other venues that have also grown to accommodate increased population.

OK there is more traffic....no more than any other attractive/popular place to live/visit.

I for one, do not buy the over built scenario. The increased population has allowed TV to reach/surpass critical mass to attract many national brands.......ya shoulda been here in 2003!!!!

To each his/her own......17 years and we like it as much today as 2003!!!!

All I can say is the SB’s in my area are rude, leave common sense up north, borrow my tools and don’t return them until they are ready to go back north and then just leave them on my front porch. And the people they use to watch and care for the homes are not the best. Yards are not kept up. The Canadian ones complain about everything from using different money to the food and health care.

The term for a person who loves the English and their culture is an "Anglophile". Is there a term for someone who loves Canadians as much as this post indicated???:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

Voyageur, I wonder that they don’t ask where they park their canoe? ;)

Everyone knows they park it at Lake Sumter LANDING!!!:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl: