[Tsalla Apopka]

There are so many nice places in Florida. The Villages is crowded and very overpriced because so many folks want to live there.
Look on Zillow at some places in Ocala, like Oak Run and OTOW, to compare. Same amenities, much less cost. OR, look down around Tampa and St Pete for same things with the same high costs.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by emb2458

Look at DEL WEB just down the road from The Villages on 441 going towards Ocala. Won't have the new construction and cost of living in The Villages

But not much of anything else either............

[SAGeorge]

Florida is a busy in the winter. Yes, it can be crowded here during snowbird season and you need to be ok or adjust to waiting in line for popular things. On the flip side is that there is a ton of things to do and lots of great people. Plus the line ups can give you an opportunity to meet people and make new friends. While we bought very quickly and don't regret it, there is also a lot to be said for renting a place for a year so you can learn if The Villages is for you and which part of it you want to live in.

Originally Posted by Seasonal

Within the next year, the wife and I plan to retire and purchase a second home in Florida. Another set of snow birds, yeah!

We have driven through the Villages and love the new homes available online but we have one thought that keeps us away. I wanted to ask about this to see if our thought is correct or way off base.

"Oh the humanity!" is our thought. Once we left our new Village home, all we would encounter is a crush of people. Decide to go food shopping, crowds. Golfing or swimming, people everywhere. Enjoy a beer and music on the square and it's like a day at Disney. Wherever you are standing, you are in the way.

We are are looking to slow down some. Enjoy the warm weather with our little dogs without giving up all privacy.

We will certainly rent something in the Villages and other areas in Florida for a month or two prior to purchasing anything but the thought around the crowds is our concern.

I've read this forum for years and enjoy the conversation. Thought I would state our concern, seeking comments.

[doecats]

check out THE GREENS on 35 headed for ocala. very affordable and what you save allows you to go just about anywhere for entertainment and food AND A LOT LESS EXPENSIVE

[Doctorcrime]

Spruce Creek South..guard gate ( with 24 hr. guards ) to enter...great homes...its own 18 hole golf course...plus all the other types of sports activities...all single-family homes.. large swimming pool ..

[dkaufnelson]

The crowds are only here mostly February and March. You will quickly learn which classes are overcrowded during those months in either go earlier or avoid them. I seldom hit crowds when shopping but yes you will hit crowds at any of the Town squares during peak months. If you want a very fun active lifestyle this is where you should live but if you want something less active there are many beautiful less crowded retirement communities to choose from. Good luck

[La lamy]

If you want a slower paced Florida experience with less crowds and activities than The Villages, I personally would recommend the west coast of Florida. I stayed in Largo and enjoyed the 5 minute drive to the beach and 'village-like' cafes/bars and restaurants without the massive crowds. There are very crowded areas on the Gulf side too, but if you try some smaller towns it may be more your beat. Happy discovery to you!

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Seasonal

Within the next year, the wife and I plan to retire and purchase a second home in Florida. Another set of snow birds, yeah!

We have driven through the Villages and love the new homes available online but we have one thought that keeps us away. I wanted to ask about this to see if our thought is correct or way off base.

"Oh the humanity!" is our thought. Once we left our new Village home, all we would encounter is a crush of people. Decide to go food shopping, crowds. Golfing or swimming, people everywhere. Enjoy a beer and music on the square and it's like a day at Disney. Wherever you are standing, you are in the way.

We are are looking to slow down some. Enjoy the warm weather with our little dogs without giving up all privacy.

We will certainly rent something in the Villages and other areas in Florida for a month or two prior to purchasing anything but the thought around the crowds is our concern.

I've read this forum for years and enjoy the conversation. Thought I would state our concern, seeking comments.

It is not crowded in the summer.

[rustyp]

If privacy is important to you TV is probably not the place for you.
- The commercial infrastructure keeps rapidly expanding but never seems fast enough to keep up with residential building. You can't find a parking spot at a grocery store in TV within the last five years during high season. Keep in mind high season seems to have expanded to include December through April. I believe this is a function of such high demand on rentals during cold months that landlords insist on 3 - 4 months minimum.
- You talked about town squares. There are three squares for 130000 residents plus any and all public that wish to attend. Not only has TV expanded exponentially so has the surrounding area. Many people buy outside of TV to get more house for the money but know they can utilize the town squares, restaurants and all other commercial facilities (hospital, doctors, bowling alley, etc.). If they are snowbirds (not full time residents of the three adjoining counties) their TV buddies can get them guest passes to use other amenities. In the squares you will be lucky to get a drink during happy hour at the bar huts after spending the first set standing in line waiting during high season. And lets squelch the "only during high season" justification. I can not tolerate heat and in the summer months I wouldn't utilize the amenities nearly as much as I do during the dreaded "high season". It is very hot I'll repeat very hot here as compared to oceanfront (cooler with breezes off the water) June through September.
- The other half truth - your neighborhood is quiet. Well unless you are prepaid to spend north of $400K for a house there is a very high chance of getting the dreaded kissing lanai. So close you can hear every word the neighbor is whispering and hopefully they don't smoke. Also the newer neighborhoods are attacking newly retirees. They are young and still have a lot of partying to let loose of. These neighborhoods tend to start cilcks and join each at the hip with driveway and house parties. Not a sales feature if privacy is at the top of your list.
- Remember who you asked your question to. People that live here in TV. While on this site TV'ers are the overwhelming majority they are but a very small minority of Florida's retirement population.
- If activities and socialization are your priority you won't beat TV. If privacy or small town feel is your priority you will be very unhappy here.
- Best advice seen here - do not buy before you rent at least one season. Also ask your same question on social media of other Florida retirement communities.

[JimJohnson]

Originally Posted by Seasonal

Within the next year, the wife and I plan to retire and purchase a second home in Florida. Another set of snow birds, yeah!

We have driven through the Villages and love the new homes available online but we have one thought that keeps us away. I wanted to ask about this to see if our thought is correct or way off base.

"Oh the humanity!" is our thought. Once we left our new Village home, all we would encounter is a crush of people. Decide to go food shopping, crowds. Golfing or swimming, people everywhere. Enjoy a beer and music on the square and it's like a day at Disney. Wherever you are standing, you are in the way.

We are are looking to slow down some. Enjoy the warm weather with our little dogs without giving up all privacy.

We will certainly rent something in the Villages and other areas in Florida for a month or two prior to purchasing anything but the thought around the crowds is our concern.

I've read this forum for years and enjoy the conversation. Thought I would state our concern, seeking comments.

Please come. The Villages is a great place to continue to live. Since you think, you would be a welcome addition to our community.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by champion6

You are describing every warm-weather, southern state during high season.

Not completely true. The whole center of the state of Tn. has MANY small towns that are NOT crowded. Of course, there are disadvantages......basically lack of sophistication - the doctors are "B" team as compared to TV Land - the swimming pools are for children - there are serious Red Necks that do NOT like northerners - it is hard to find senior activities - everyone asks, "and what church do you belong to?" - a home on 1 acre may cost only #100 K - you better like country and western music - you still get some snowstorms in the Winter. I found that I could only take it for about 4 months / year at the max.

[lisafolker@gmail.com]

I’m glad to hear you are considering a move here to The Villages! My husband and I recently purchased a house in the Glenbrook Village. You may want to consider looking at homes in the northern villages. We find it more quiet and less congested. The homes are slightly older and might need some renovations but it is something to think about. Renting for a year is a sure way to be certain you’ve found the spot for you.

[golfing eagles]

Originally Posted by jswirs

I've lived in TV for over a year and recently moved to Stone Crest, which is just across the road from TV. Many stores are within 5 minutes of Stone Crest by golf cart, and TV is also accessible by golf cart. There are not as many amenities in Stone Crest, but there are also not as many people here, so, less crowds, more space between houses, less people along with more value per housing dollar.
With all the amenities available, I enjoyed my time in TV, but what I disliked most was grumpy old men and women who can't wait to correct or chastise others for something they may see someone doing "wrong", whether they are impacted by that action, or not. I have had this happen to me many times, sometimes I was guilty of some minor incident (like going the wrong way in a parking lot and was yelled at), and sometimes I was innocent, yet I was chastised because my actions somehow upset someone else, (like riding my bicycle in the middle of a small street and having a neighbor's dog pull away from it's owner, and chase me). I have my own thoughts of why people are grumpy, but one thing I know that is a causative factor is the crowded conditions in TV. It's really simple, the more people there are in a given area, the more problems occur. So, TV is definitely not America's Friendlies Home Town. TV is like any other retirement community, you will find many grumpy old folks, but you will also find many friendly, happy folks. For me, I prefer Stone Crest, but each to their own.

Are we to take it that you think it is OK to drive down a parking aisle the wrong way or ride you bike down the middle of the street? I've seen more parking lot accidents due to people doing exactly what you describe. Consider yourself "chastised"

[JimJohnson]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

Not completely true. The whole center of the state of Tn. has MANY small towns that are NOT crowded. Of course, there are disadvantages......basically lack of sophistication - the doctors are "B" team as I compared to TV Land - the swimming pools are for children - there are serious Red Necks that do NOT like northerners - it is hard to find senior activities - everyone asks, "and what church do you belong to?" - a home on 1 acre may cost only #100 K - you better like country and western music - you still get some snowstorms in the Winter. I found that I could only take it for about 4 months / year at the max.

You could say the same about The Villages, but I would add that after traveling and living all over the world, The Villages offers the opportunity to live as you believe and ignore the racism and prejudices of those not so informed and awakened to the truth and reality of our wonderful country.

[Tmarkwald]

If TV is such a horrible place to live, why did every other retirement area advertise the distance to TV ??

I don't understand comments that say all these other places have the same amenities for less money?