[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by patfla06

A Publix and not much else. No gas station or restaurants
Without going into Ponte Vedra (8 miles away).

Quirky, thanks for providing this information. It is fascinating to see other communities. This one looks lovely. And I would love to be closer to the ocean. But yikes, no restaurants that are accessible by golf cart? That would be a show stopper for me.

[duffysmom]

Originally Posted by twinklesweep

Please re-read my question, gomoho. I believe I asked for an explanation as to why someone who expresses a preference for living in one community (which made it sound as though she lives there, although her subsequent post clarified that she does not) would spend what I would call an inordinate amount of time (with nearly 1,100 posts) on a different community. I not only did NOT focus on The Villages (and yes, I do live here) but rather made reference to "countless retirement community possibilities in FL, let alone throughout the country." If you see this as a "challenge," then perhaps I, who would be more inclined to devote my time and energies to where I live, was not clear in asking what I thought was a simple question. Sorry....

Quirky is a smart lady exploring her retirement now while she is still young. This is a forum where we discuss topics and IMO she was gracious in answering your note which I thought was a tad defensive. Quirky, I like that you'er exploring all possibilities and if it's Ponte Verde that will be our loss. TV is a fit for me but obviously there are many great places to live.

[quirky3]

Originally Posted by Barefoot

Quirky, thanks for providing this information. It is fascinating to see other communities. This one looks lovely. And I would love to be closer to the ocean. But yikes, no restaurants that are accessible by golf cart? That would be a show stopper for me.

Thank you, DuffysMom and Bare. The Nocatee Town Center opened its first few stores in 2010. Currently there are the following stores: Publix, Liquor Store, Frozen Yogurt, Dry Cleaner's, Hair Salon, Vet Clinic, Nail Salon, Eye Doctor, Dentist office, and "Dick's Wings & Grill".

The next phase of stores in well underway. That's why each person is different. In over 2 years it could suit me just fine - but time will tell.

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[Schaumburger]

Originally Posted by senior citizen

Thank you for sharing. I also continue to research......just as you do.
No harm in that. The Villages still remains number one for us.
But one never knows what one might find out there....

The residents (in the photos) appeared to be very much older......
or so they seemed. If you are still employed, you might end up being one of the very youngest of the group.........by the time you retire there, if you retire there.

Small is good. The population seems to be a reasonable amount of folks.
We live in a small town of 16,000........just the right size. It never changes. Our young adults leave after college and go to the big cities where the jobs are. Meanwhile new folks come into town........but strangely enough, our population is always 16,000. We also are spoiled by having all of the services we need right here "in town" even a hospital and two colleges, a museum and much more.

Spring Hill which is south of Brooksville, Florida (small population) is also a large development of homes........but does not have the infrastructure that TheVillages has.......however, the homes on the golf courses are gorgeous with large tall shady trees.........very woodsy. Spring Hill has about 95,000 pop, which is HUGE. We have several cousins who reside there, above Tampa/Saint Pete. Brooksville itself is a quaint older town which our aunt and uncle chose for their retirement.......it was a good choice for them.......as they also enjoyed small town living. It used to be known for its tangerines and citrus groves. I remember them taking us to the Christmas Tree House on their "Main Street"....very cute.

One place I'd still like to see is AVE MARIA.......inland from Naples which is a nice small city on the Gulf of Mexico.
Some pizza chain owner developed Ave Maria and even built a university and a cathedral there.
It was to be a town for all ages......not just retirees.......with schools and such. I don't think it ever quite took off.
Not sure.

Ava Maria is approx. 17 miles from Naples. It was founded by Tom Monaghan, the founder of the Domino's Pizza chain. He also founded Ava Maria University located in the town of Ava Maria.

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[quirky3]

Thanks for the additional ideas and links! I will research Spring Hill. For me personally, I continue to have strange and uncomfortable experiences with some very close relatives who have "gone off the deep end" with religion, and I just cringe when I see a community called Ave Maria, and a condo on Annunciation Drive. But I can understand how many people could find that appealing.

Jacksonville has its own professional symphony orchestra, opera chorus,and many performing groups, as well as colleges and universities. I know that's not high on some peoples' lists, but I actually made a list of features I like best, and systematically researched 55+ communities across the country against the list.

Dell Webb Ponte Vedra is associated with the Osher Lifelong Learning College, and I am thinking that if over half the residents are still working, they can't be that old! One of my co-workers lives in one of the DWPV family communities, and tries to sneak/jog/bike thru the gate to get to some of the activities.

DWPV allows children under 19 to stay for up to 90 days in a calendar year. The Nocatee water park is the largest in NE Florida....and they have a zip line! They also have a 400 ft. "lazy river" pool to float down.

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by twinklesweep

I believe I asked for an explanation as to why someone who expresses a preference for living in one community would spend what I would call an inordinate amount of time (with nearly 1,100 posts) on a different community.

No-one owes anyone an explanation of why they post on TOTV.