The Villages?

C

Cherry8179

New Member
Hi. I will be retiring in three years. My husband and I are considering moving to the Villages in Florida. We currently live in Central Florida. Thoughts on the Villages?
 

I live nearby the Villages. The Villages is huge. They keep on building and building. They are now in two counties: Sumter and Lake.

Originally, the idea was great. It's self contained, full of amenities, sports, activities, shops, restaurants, medical offices, night entertainment etc... you can move around with a car or golf cart, or even bicycle. The beaches (Gulf of Mexico or Atlantic Ocean) are just one hour away. Relatively close to Tampa or Orlando as well.

But, it is not for everybody. I find it very claustrophobic. It is big on golf, so if you play it will be a good spot for you.

You might like to take a look at several forums like "Talk of the Villages Florida" as well as "Nextdoor" the Villages.

People complain about their amenities fees going up rapidly, noise from the Florida Turnpike being near, sinkholes, etc...not to scare you away but there are quite a lot of high expenses going along with The Villages.

Watch for the CDD ( the Villages Community Development Districts) affiliated with some of the communities.

My community is 55+. It is nature oriented with trails, ponds, wildlife. We have great amenities like more than 100 clubs, resort pool, sports etc...No CDD, no golf course to maintain or restaurant. (that seems to create a problem amongst them) We have a restaurant nearby accessible by golf cart and all shops or restaurants are nearby. By having a 55+ community, we benefit from a good break in our property taxes.

Last, we are able to enjoy the shops, restaurants and entertainment from The Villages anytime we want to.
My community is not the only one to be this way. We are surrounded by others offering the same advantages. You might like to look at "55Places.com" for Central Florida. We have quite a number of realtors specializing in that field.
Good luck to you. I hope you will be able to find the place of your dreams!
 
There are many books about The Villages (just google "books about the Villages"); the one I read that I think was pretty good was Leisureville by Andrew D. Blechman. There was also a documentary about the place that came out in 2020 called Some Kind of Heaven; I think you can watch it on Amazon Prime Video.
 
My ex in laws have lived there for many years and love it. They are party people so like all the social activities and anemities, plus most of their commuting is by golf cart.

They spent a few years after retirement traveling in an RV to a lot retirement places and spending a few months at each place. The Villages was the best fit for their lifestyle so they sold the RV and moved there permanently.
 
I have always liked the idea of a village - used to visit them in a professional capacity and fell in love with them and their residents. there not cheap but if ya on the way out why do do luxury? - I'm also gregarious so like company and romance but also the option of privacy too - sounds idea to me and the ones I visited in oz were close to town centres but still had that country feel?
 
I live about 45 minutes from the villages. Since you are already in Florida, is it just an over 55 place you want? Shopping is fantastic there but if you prefer a rural setting, it may be too crowded for you. I live in a gated golf community that is not a retirement community and love it. For one thing, when the kids are in school and their parents at work, it is so quiet.
 
We drove past but did not stop. We wanted a little further south and closer to the coast, the beach and boating. We had zero interest in golf and did not want to pay for the cost of golf course maintenance.
 
davey said:
can you live a quiet simple life there without getting involved in too much?
Click to expand...
Of course. You can be as involved or as laid back as you want. Truthfully, The Villages is geared for an active lifestyle and you are paying for that. If I were looking for a slow pace existence I would likely not have considered The Villages. A nice cabin in the mountains with a great view would be my choice for a quiet simple life.
 
We love to visit the Villages, have family and friends there. We were going to buy there a few years back but waited. Now prices are crazy. If Iā€™m going to retire to Florida I want to live near the water. Had a house in Port St Lucie. Regret selling it. But we have a great time when we visit the Villages. Love the different squares!
 
My son-in-law has an aunt who lives in The Villages. She loves it. It sounds like a good place to have a lot of fun, if you are an active person. But the political aspect would discourage me. Too bad it isn't more neutral, it would be perfect.
 
Update
My husband and I moved to the Villages in September. We love it! All of our neighbors are friendly. We go to the squares, which have entertainment 365 days a year, as much as we want. We love having a golf cart!
So far, no regrets!
 
I don't know if anyone posted this bit there was a couple who did some YouTube videos on their experiences with The Villages.
 
Just got back from Iowa. Spoke to several of the locals who told me that many people from Florida are now retiring in Iowa. Maybe Florida is all paradise?

Read about the blocks and blocks of homeless in California. Maybe it's not paradise there either.
 
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