I don't think so with what is there in Wildwood. I would go watch and listen to trains but then what?
IMO WWD needs a major tourist attraction that will draw traffic from TV, I-75, 44 east/west, and FTP.

Not to draw traffic off the interstate, but to add local support to the community and to enjoy yourself, here are a few things to do and see in Wildwood and surrounding area:

Wildwood Family Food Truck Night, August 12, next to city hall on Main Street.

Chinsegut Conservation Center

Dade Battlefield Society

Traditions Antique Mall
3107 East State Rd 44, Wildwood, FL

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aEhqqKZ38M]Ribbon Cutting at Blue Moon Ranch Wildwood, Florida - YouTube[/ame]

Miona Lake Golf

Cotillion Southern Cafe

Home

By looking at the map the new bowling alley and the hotel on Rt.44 will be in Wildwood. When the shopping center w/o Brownwood on 44 builds that will be Wildwood but very little is planned for downtown that I've read except for the Bakery. The used car dealer opened on 301 s/o 44 and Poppa Johns on Rt. 44 and 301. Supposedly 48hr blinds left but that may have been due to the proposed widening of 466a.

Buggyone
So you drove north on 301 in 2006 and that is where you decided that the town was dilapidated and now your at the soup kitchen and things are really bad. Afraid to walk the streets. I bet the people in wildwood ready welcome you with open arms. Have you ever driven around the town, talked to some o the people that have live here for years or all their lives? I think you are making judements about thing you do not know. Who do you think ran the soup kitchen before or do you think it just came about after the building of the villages. In all you must drive from your beautiful home straight to the soup kitchen. Well you know how to tell things you have made a lot friend in wildwood I am sure
You should of been here in 1990's maybe you feel safe in the villages that is where should say
After all wildwood has made it may years.

Grannynance

I just took the time to read all of your posts and many have great wisdom in them. I have always wondered if you live in The Villages or in Wildwood.

In all of your posts you get straight to the point and say just how you feel and many times you have made me think differently.

I am only two years younger than you but hope to be as smart someday.

I think any town improves when valid business is there. I think that the business drawn to the constantly growing Villages will in time also support and grow Wildwood. You have to have some NEEDED or POPULAR or DESIRED product or service to sell to people in order for it to be successful and then successful business encourages and draws more business that feeds the tax base that makes things all fancy and pretty.. I think the fact that Wildwood is so close to a large populated area will eventually cause Wildwood to draw a lot business to it.

You can have a plan, but you also have to have a need for that particular business and people who want to take the financial risk. Mount Dora has a lot of boutique-y things that cause people to come visit once or twice, but the lake and the restaurants and perhaps the well funded Civic theatre bring them back.

You can do blueprints and nice layouts but that in itself isn't "gonna cut the mustard" as me and Grannynance might say.

Grannynance? You from Ohio?

His pen and he were thing to flout,
they drew a circle that shut me out.
But love and I had the wit to win,
we drew a circle that took him in.

Wildwood may have been around for many years and I am sure it does have plenty of good people. It also has a fairly high crime rate and large area of poverty. It is not a place that tourists would ever make a destination.

Wildwood city fathers are discussing making Wildwood a GAS LIGHT DISTRICT with golf cart access. They want some of the Villages revenue. Cannot blame them but do we want a golf cart path that comes into and connects with ours.

When you say, "ours," are you a resident of Wildwood or The Villages?

Sumter County once already said no to a request for GC trail along 466A to Wildwood. It was an older thread on here.

If they build it, we will come...:-)

Really smart folks who have something to sell to everyone ...say McDonalds will be looking at Wildwood and soon other big chains will too because people who work in the villages need a place closeby to live and grow their families, Wildwood will be growing soon too..

Sweetie likes the Hardware store in Wildwood and I love the Cotillian Restaurant. We stole the Farmers Market from Wildwood but those folks seem to be selling more of their stuff in our squares so that is a good thing.

I think our being closeby and a huge consumer base will attract the demographers who want to open chains and franchises who are proven winners. We may want this or that but the proven winners will come first. Not a bad thing.

Grannynance. Do you live in The Villages or in Wildwood? Nosy me wants to know.

the hardware thing is Ace Hardware, chain started by my neighbor in Alachua (n of Gainesville), which was a lot like wildwood when I moved there in 1980 but is now a thriving little town with all the retail charm folks attribute to their dream Wildwood.

Before I came to The Villages, I lived in a small agricultural town in central FL. I actually lived on property fronting four lane hwy 301. And 301 went through the center of town. The county courthouse in the center of town was totally restored and looked nice. Over a period of time, many of the stores were made to look nice. Many were either turned into antique shops or restaurants.

You want to know what folks there think? They think, duh, this is a boring town. :)

Kittygilchist
Did you move to the villages for the life style or to rework that area. Did you ever think some people just might be OK the way thing are

I know. Some of us are pming ideas. hoping for an economic development consortium btw TVers and Wildwood officials and residents....trying to contact city mgr.

gracie, agree franchisers will move in. but few in the big pix of TV or elsewhere will drive to Wildwood for a big mac., I could go over for coffee..lg coffee 4 creams is how my brilliant brother orders it, for a dollar or so?

I think that my point is that people who work in The Villages will soon seek homes in the towns around it, Wildwood being one of them and those people will be looking for a big mac and McDonalds and other such businesses and those businesses will build there and provide a tax base to build nice municipal buildings and gussy things up on the main drag. Also the people who will begin to move there will feed money into the area and before long the nice restaurants will come and we in the Villages will be going over there more and more and spending our money. And the tax base will grow. I watched a similar thing happen in the old town of Hamilton, Ohio. I saw it revive after the suburbs of West Chester and Fairfield grew near to it. They now call themselves Hamilton! Ohio. Note the exclamation point.http://www.hamilton-city.org/

Kitty...how do you see a plan to make Wildwood a better place faster than waiting for the growth that I think is bound to happen?

I am not debating your good ideas. I trust your fine judgment.

as always, eyes open when I read your posts.
I'd like to see proactive collaboration between TV and Wildwood govt and residents through a local govt endorsed and named entity.

A biz that wants to open is going to check the car count on the road.

What do think those numbers might be on 301 say vs 441?

I would look for a spot on 441 even if the rent was $30 a sq ft vs $5

So the question is how do you attract a biz to open?

Or can you

Wait a minute, this was a thread about questions. it still is.
I don't know.

Call me crazy but I kinda think that the growth of Wildwood is up to the residents of Wildwood and what they want (or don't want) to do about their community. If they're contented, why should we stick our noses into their lifestyle just because it may not mesh with what we think should be there.

Dianem
You are right on. I just thing Ms kitty has an axe to grind. Maybe she should go down to brown wood and shake it out.
Graciegirl wildwood has a McDonald's on 44. As for being like mt dora they have a great draw from the cities to the south I have been there many many time and to me it isn't that great.
You have ask many times where I live well I am here and have been since 1996 I have see a lot of changes in serveal places I remember when they were just building the wall around Morse 466 was two lane, nothing south of 466 just cows 466a had a few houses and of late many post on how things should change people that don't know what they are talking about. If you purchased in the villages that is what your concern should be, let the other town be you really don't have a voice and it just leads to hard feelings. There is enough I'll feeling people who say they are afraid to walk the streets well stay where you feel safe. Other say they would not like wildwood people driving on the golf cart trails well maybe the folks in wildwood would not like the village folk driving on their streets.
Everyone has picked where they want to live so enjoy. One on the big rubs is how the village folks like to take over ask around don't be shy and don't be so smart talking about all the thing you have done for the area. Wildwood has been here a long time and I don't see the people lining the streets asking for help. The villages has there problems if you are so minded to help lend your hand maybe you could carry water to the people planting the flowers . Get off the towns backs

Wow Granny !!!chilout

Who has an axe?

Granny I don't think Kitty has an axe to grind. Why would she? I just believe in "live and let live".

I doubt if Granny speaks for all of the citizens of Wildwood but she is expressing her opinion. Nothing wrong with that.

I would suggest that the best way to help Wildwood is to lend a helping hand where it is needed - and that is at the Wildwood Soup Kitchen and Pantry. That town is so poverty stricken and Villagers help out on every shift of the Soup Kitchen and Pantry - but more volunteer are always needed.

There is also the Christian Food Pantry in Lady Lake that provides groceries to over 400 families in the Lady Lake, The Villages, Summerfield, and Belleview areas.

Kitty's hopes are for a future for the town of Wildwood. Volunteer at the Wildwood Soup Kitchen and Pantry and help someone NOW! The future is now! Pitch in now.

Granny posted, "Wildwood has been here a long time and I don't see the people lining the streets asking for help."

I can see that Granny does not visit the Wildwood Soup Kitchen and Pantry. There are people lined up every day asking for help.

Careful what you wish for.....golf carts go both ways.

I just don't believe in being hurtful especially in a public forum like this.

You hit the nail on the head. I truly believe that MOST people living in TV have absolutely no idea of the poverty that surrounds us. I have students that sleep in tents, backs of pickup trucks or even in aluminum sheds in back yards. These children are less than 5 minutes from our borders. Help is needed throughout the area. Pick a side:north, south, east or west!

I am nonplussed.
grannynance says Wildwood is just fine and instead of focusing on their economy I should help TV instead, then admits Wildwood has extreme poverty and tells me I should go work in their soup kitchen.
It's just nuts. I'm shaking my head in disbelief.
I've asked for the thread to be closed due to relentless attacks on my character, integrity and heart.

How can we help the kids?

I think that instead of trying to make revitalizing Wildwood the top priority, Villagers should first concentrate on the very poor citizens of Wildwood, The Villages, Lady Lake, and Fruitland Park.

Once the citizens are taken care of with daily essentials of life, then start working on a long term plan.

Those posters who said they are long term Floridians should know the extreme poverty that is so prevalent in the rural communities that encircle The Villages.

Thousands of homeless children in the counties around The Villages. I don't think they will benefit from boutiques in Wildwood.

thousands of homeless children???

Yes. Thousands.

I didn't think anyone attacked your character Kitty. Grannynance was just being herself and I was being the devils advocate.

Don't be hurt. Your intentions were as always, very kind and very good..

I somehow failed to get the concept of how a group from the Villages could help Wildwood with growth in the right direction.

I applaud your intentions and don't have a clue what you or me is talking about on this subject.

Start over and define your purpose .

One thing to keep in mind is the fact that there are many transients who live in Florida and seek out the warmer weather and the pipe dream of paradise. Many times young children get caught up in the poverty by no fault of their own.


Homeless students increase: Number of homeless Central Florida school children on the rise for fifth year - Orlando Sentinel

Christian Care Center

The Refuge at Jumper Creek

Kids Ministry

New Beginnings

Mission in Citrus Homeless Shelters

Kittygilchrist
Thanks for the E-mail I don't get many I did not tell you to go work in the soup kitchen
I said there was poor people living everywhere
What you said about me is OK just like water on a ducks back just rolls off

graciegirl
I was not attacking anyone. I just can't understand people move someplace and then want to change the area to what they believe it should be
There are small towns all over the U. S. That have declined and that is the way life is time moves on
My thought is this you moved here to enjoy your iife in your senior years or did you move here to reconstruct the area. Live and let live I think the powers to be will take care of their towns
And if i am a mean person so be it