Originally Posted by RealtorKaren (Post 1855685)

I just returned from my first visit, and among the other things that were "different", not negative just a change.....were there is very little or no diversity. I live in the Dallas area, and it's like the UN here. I mentioned it to someone I met at pickleball, and she said, "No one moves here for "diversity"! Well, I guess I knew that, I just wasn't prepared for the total lack of cultural diversity. Did anyone else have this same feeling the first time they came to visit?

Originally Posted by manaboutown (Post 1855692)

What I first noticed was most folks are here to escape long cold northern winters. We are pretty old demographically so not diverse age-wise.
"In Sumter County, Florida, the oldest county on this list, there are 141 residents age 65 or older for every 100 adults between the ages of 18 and 64. Jul 15, 2019." Retirement hot spots: The oldest counties sorted by state
After all, The Villages is the world's largest 55 and over community. What has driven most of us here is we no longer want to deal with shoveling snow and all that goes with long harsh winters. We also may have been motivated to move here to seek relief from high cost of living states since we are mostly retired. Although some are native Floridians and from the southern tier of states, such as the great state of Texas - Hook 'em Horns - we are pretty much a yankee colony plopped down in the middle of Sumter County, an otherwise rural relatively sparsely populated Central Florida agricultural area. It is more like Manhattan, KS than Manhattan NY, culture-wise. After all TV is not a megalopolis although you might be amazed at the lives many Villagers have lead in careers taking them all over the world and their accomplishments. Some come from Europe or elsewhere around the globe and of course many Canadians enjoy wintering here.