Chris, I posted this similar comment a while back on TOTV, I lived in Beverly Hills, CA and you wouldn't believe the transition after you leave the city limit. However, I personally like the local atmosphere surrounding us here, esp when I go out into the country areas like Weirsdale, Lake Panasofkee (sp?), and Leesburg.

Plus, The Villages is such a "well-oiled machine" I wouldn't be surprised if the Morses protect their investment by helping to upgrade the Wildwood area closest to TV. No concern on my part, I think Wildwood is cool.

Yeah Russ!

One night that Jim was working one of the gates up north (to remain nameless), Community Watch had a call that there was a "colored" person, walking in the neighborhood - Community Watch guy asked "which color."

Seriously, Wildwood is a poor town, but there are many wonderful people there and it has some great restaurants and stores.

PS - I would like to meet Mr. Darcy, too. He is married to my favorite heroine!

Villages similar to Beverly Hills
 

KathieI,

After I wrote my earlier post re: TV being like Beverly Hills I came across your post as I was reading earlier TOTV pages and was fascinated to learn that you had drawn the same conclusion. Yours from personal experience and mine from just having visited the 90210 zip code.

I espouse the notion that "a rising tide lifts all boats". TV will positively influence the entire corridor going toward Wildwood. The evidence is already present in the new gorgeous Sumter Co. Library off of 466a. Sumter Co. built the new library because our population combined with Wildwood's can justify and support it. It's a beautiful building very much in keeping with the amenities we're growing accustomed to in TV.

I also have a hope that Wildwood will someday be re-invigorated to it's former status as a lively transportation hub. I've been following the news on Florida's plans to build the first leg of a high speed rail line between Tampa and Orlando with the awarded stimulus money. One of the 4 proposed stops is Lakeland,FL, which is almost directly due south of Wildwood. One of the reasons I bought in Buttonwood is my hope that Wildwood will eventually connect to that high speed line for easy access to the Orlando airport (MCO) and to Tampa and it's beaches. Wildwood used to be a stop on Amtrak. I speculated that having I-75 on the west side of TV might make a re-energized transportation hub in Wildwood a realistic possibility. Sumter Co. Is already widening 301 to handle more traffic between Oxford (western edge of TV north) and Wildwood (western edge of TV south). This "western edge" transportation infrastructure notion is another of the many reasons I chose Buttonwood. Again, though, there are advantages to each quarter of the entire TV. Every area has something unique and wonderful to offer not only to it's adjacent villages, but to all of us as Villagers.

Chris Bradshaw