[gged7]

Hi;

Trying to decide between the Villages or Phoenix.

Familiar with Phoenix area and intend to visit TV in near future.
Would appreciate hearing about the pros and cons of each from someone familiar with both communities.

Thanks in advance, gged7

[michaelkir]

I was torn with the same decision.
Drive up into the hills around Phoenix and just look at the air you breath. Then compare it with TV. Visit both and see how safe you feel in each? I also think TV has a much more community feel.
Just my opinion!

I lived in Scottsdale, AZ area and used to visit Apache Junction quite often when I lived in Reno, Nevada.

The Phoenix area would have all the amenities you would associate with a major urban area like a symphony ochestra, theater, art museums, major sports arenas and other facilities, Arizona State University nearby in Tempe, etc.

Phoenix also has the crime, traffic, smog, and the kindred problems you find with a major urban area.

It also gets about 20 degrees hotter in the summer than in the Villages even if this is a "dry" heat.

Phoenix gets sand storms while TV can get tornadoes and the effects of a hurricane.

You have the Tampa Bay and Orlando area close by to the Villages and you have access to both the Gulf and the Atlantic Ocean which are about 2 hours and 3 hours away from TV respectively. Both these urban areas have museums, symphonies, major sports arenas, universities, etc.

The U of FL is also about an hour a 15 minutes if that from the south end of TV.

[graciegirl]

Been to both. Chose The villages, because of the enveloping warmth of the people, the things to do, the small town feel, the accessibility of traveling in a golf cart, The GREENERY! THINGS to do. THE friendliness, The friendliness, and did I mention friendliness?? Oh and THINGS TO DO! Yummy food too.

[mikey]

We are from WY and we are going to TV the end of June to buy a home. Most of the people from our area of the country move to AZ to retire, and so we have checked out numerous locations in AZ, CA, FLA and other places. To us, there is no other place that even comes close to offering the things that TV does (over 35 golf courses, 60 softball teams, 1200 clubs for any interests you may have, etc., etc.) When we visited TV initially my wife met at least 5 new best friends, so, as indicated by others ,it seems to be a really friendly place. Also, we prefer green to dessert. You simply have to see it to believe it. It's simply a Disneyland for retirees.

[cologal]

Just bought a home in TV this weekend. It's no contest, I live in Colorado, checked out CA and AZ there is no place like TV.

I made friends when I came down for the lifestyle package...they looked at houses for me its instant community.

[fizzbyn]

We've lived 30 miles north of Tucson for the past four years. It is really pretty here in the foothills of the Catalina mountains, but very remote and far from stores. Phoenix is crowded, smoggy and really hot in the summer. The desert there isn't very pretty either, in my opinion. There's no way I'd ever live in or near Phoenix. We are moving to TV this year because it is pretty, cheaper, very close to stores, lots and lots and lots more fun, and near Disney World.

gged7 I am surprised no one has mentioned yet, I don't believe, that TV is just like a make believe world. You can dance to live music every night in two and soon to be three locations. Every store or eatery you can mention is within shouting distance. Do the lifestyle tour and you will do what we all did, put our homes on the market when we returned. Good luck, hope you find your dream....
Ps: I have never been to Az. so I cannot give a comparison opinion.

[PJ]

Same here, gged7. I wrestled with that decision also.

I have family close to Phoenix, and considered moving to that area, and also considered Lake Havasu. But many elements of TV really impressed me when I came here for my first visit 2 years ago. There are so many friendly people here, there are 2 great Singles clubs, (I joined both) and dancing opportunities (I haven't found a dance partner but I'm keeping a positive outlook). The golf cart accessibility of everything is a big draw also.

Sure it's hot here right now, but last Summer I drove to Phoenix, and I felt more bothered by that heat, than I do by our heat here in TV.
Good luck with your decision!!

[mneumann02]

My wife and I checked out TV last March. I need to look no further. I'm sold, even if the homes are more expensive than you would expect. I do have advice if you visit. We were very disappointed in The Taste of the Villages package we were offered. They would not let us go when we wanted, we could not stay the number of days we wanted, and it was very pricey- $200/night for the 2 of us and my mother-in-law. Turns out we stayed at a friend's house in TV for nothing. I would suggest you check out the Holiday Inn or rent one of the many homes for rent in TV. If you house hunt, which we did, make sure you look at new and pre-owned to compare. We found many of the pre-owned to be more expensive than the new homes for the same house. The realtor's explaination, which makes sense, is that the pre-owned homeowners do not understand how pricing has come down, while the developers keep their finger on the pulse of the market better. They were offering extensive discounts over 6-12 months ago. Hope this helps.

[chelsea24]

Our neighbors moved here to TV from Phoenix. They were originally from Virginia, decided to retire to Phoenix, visited some friends in TV, fell in love with it and now they're here. They said they did not enjoy the dry weather of Phoenix and even though they were in a great retirement community, nothing compares with the amenties of The Villages. I have to agree. We looked at several other places before buying. This is truly an adult Disneyland. :bigthumbsup:

[Russ_Boston]

The preview program can be tougher and more expensive to get in Jan-Mar but I would suggest April or Oct. The price per night is much less (I paid $100 per night for a designer model and all the free meals recover that cost pretty quick) and the dates were wide open during those months. Book ahead though.

To get the real feel you need to stay in the type of home you might be interested in. That is just my opinion though. We also rented a golf cart and I would highly recommend that as well to get the real feel of daily life in TV.

Just enjoy and let it wash over you is my best advice. You'll love it just like we did.