If you want to experience the lifestyle of The Villages try renting for awhile. My wife and I have a couple of new villas for rent. Very reasonable, epsically during the summer months. If interested email at lanepple@yahoo.com.

Congrats on selling the house, and welcome

VillagesFlorida, Since you are a longtime resident of TV, I'm guessing you must have seen tremendous growth in TV over the past decade, and it's not done yet. How do you and other long time residents feel about the growth --love it, hate it, or something in between? Just wondering. Thank you in advance. The population of TV is now slightly higher than the suburb of Chicago that I live in and in about 5 years the population of TV will be probably more than 20,000 persons larger than the suburb I live in.

And let's remember one thing about our population - most towns have almost (maybe slightly more?) 50% children so the average people per house is maybe 4 or so. Down in TV the average household is probably just under 2. So in the real world TV would be a town of almost 200K residents.

Yes, Schaumburger, we moved to The Villages in 1998, There were 16,000 residents here and we thought this place was big then! It WAS large when we compared it to other retirement communities that we visited. The Spanish Springs area was still being developed and the theater there had just opened. There were a couple of fast food restaurants, and a few eateries on the square. Otherwise, we had a restaurant in each of the 3 country clubs, plus Chula Vista and Silver Lake (both restaurants gone) Darlene's (gone now) was the only place a woman could buy clothes. There were no shoe stores and men were out of luck if they needed a pair of socks! If Sweets Hardware didn't have something we needed we were faced with trips to Leesburg and Ocala, to Home Depot. We have thoroughly enjoyed watching the growth here. Just when we think we have seen it all the developer does something else jaw-dropping. Growth here is not a negative thing in my mind. I knew that this place was going to get much bigger when we purchased our home here. We just never imagined the scope of what was to come. There were 5 executive and 3 championship golf courses. It is wonderful to have so many choices now. Unlike areas I lived in back in Maine I don't have to travel 20 miles to buy a loaf of bread. I have 4 different grocery stores within 3-4 miles of my home. My husband can buy socks and I can buy shoes, all via our golf cart! How cool is that?!! I just can't find anything about The Villages to complain about. Even after so many years here I still feel as though I live in a resort. Sometimes I think about the wealthy folks who live in the big house on the ocean. They may have a big boat tied up to a dock and a fancy car in the garage but they don't have a fraction of the recreational amenities that we have here. Quite frankly, I would be bored as heck living in the mansion on the beach! I can not imagine living anywhere else at this time of my life. I plan to sit back and watch what the developer has up his sleeves for the finale here. Brownwood? An old Florida cattle town? Yee-Haw! If it is anything like what he has already done it should make us all proud to live here.

What a comfortable post. I want to sit on my lanai and listen to you tell more about your past 13 years. I too think it is so fascinating to see what new thing is being built. It is so neat to watch.

Hope I get to meet you in person as soon as we return!

VillagesFlorida,

Thanks for your input. TV does not seem too big for me, but then I have lived in the Chicago area for more than 30 years, so I'm used to a large metropolitan area with traffic and all that living in an area with 6 million people brings. I'm glad you are still happy with your decision. Maybe TV's marketing department should hire you for one of their internet ads. :)

I have been asked before if I am on the developer's payroll, since I have spent my years here "selling" this place! The Villages is like any city in one way: you can choose which areas and amenities to visit and use. You will have favorite restaurants that you will frequent regularly and certain stores and shops will meet your needs on a daily basis. The activities are here if you want them. Traffic IS worse in the winter months and we eat out at times when a lot of other folks don't. Instead of whining about so many people living and visiting here we have found our own niche, and we live our lives in ways that are comfortable and as stress-free as we can make them. The Villages is unlike any city in that you will not find a slum area anywhere. Of course there are always going to be those who find something to complain about or they are not happy. Perhaps if they were cancer survivors, like my husband and I both are, they might decide to pick their battles more carefully. As for me, I plan to keep on enjoying this beautiful place for as many years as I have left. Is it too big, too many people, golf carts, cars, too much traffic? Perhaps for some folks. I would rather spend my days worrying and stressing over stuff that REALLY matters. As a cancer survivor nothing matters that much! (Except maybe a relapse!)

Two excellent posts. :BigApplause: :BigApplause:

I agree with you about one health is the most thing in one's life.

Life is to short to be too little.

I think if you've previously lived in larger metropolitan areas, it is easier to deal with living in The Villages especially during the winter months. If you're used to quieter, more rural areas it can be a challenge to adapt.

I agree. My sister who has lived for 23 years outside of a Wisconsin town with a population of less than 3,000 cannot understand how I have lived in the Chicago area for 30+ years. I cannot understand how she can live in a rural area. Too each her own :).

Good luck... We moved here a month a go and we love it. We have the best neighbors and every day is a new adventure!

Awww, that is a nice compliment, Gracie! It has been worth the amenity fee just to watch the progress here! Talk about entertainment!

We wrote a while back about getting together so we could meet each other....I could sit on MY lanai and talk about this place for hours! Let's try to have a cup of coffee when you return. Afterall, isn't meeting new folks half of the fun of living here?