We retired, sold our Florida home, and built a new home in a +55 neighborhood in a small town in TN. I didn't want any part of the Villages either, for all the above stated reasons. Like all major life changes, there are good and bad aspects. While we have made some great friends, there are also tight cliques that sniff you over and turn their nose up...reminds me of Jr. High School. And don't tick off a queen bee...they have absolutely nothing else to do but try to make your life miserable with vicious gossip. If I had known we'd be moving into "The Villages-Lite", I may have reconsidered and opted for a college town, with some age diversity. I'd take a teenage gang any day over the blue-hair gang around here, LOL. We do plan to get out into the community more and do some volunteering when we aren't travelling. Getting outside these "golden gates" is key to meeting the locals and exploring all our community has to offer. We have already observed several couples who built a new home and moved out of here and into the community after a few months...lots of work and costs to move a second time, but if the right option were to come up, we are open to moving out, too!
We took a big leap when we retired and bought a high-end 45' coach. It is like a Hilton on wheels...a king-size bed, two toilets, a big closet, all your standard kitchen appliances! RV parks have been an eye-opener. There are families living in RV's full-time that home-school, transient workers who move every few months, retirees with all types of rigs, young couples tent camping! We have no interest in the super-premium "RV Resorts"...wow, those are really pricey! The people we've met have more than fully funded IRA's, they seem to be a pretty well off crowd overall. Of course, we have met those who are living in a dilapidated rig with an adult disabled child they care for--sadly, I have seen that more than a few times. While decent RV parks nightly rates have gone up, a nice RV park is still less than a mediocre Best Western! We plan to "do the 4 corners" of the US and sell the rig before the depreciation really hits the value and move on to the next adventure! The next time you drive by a nice coach...just picture me on the couch in back watching a show I recorded off the satellite having a sandwich, with my dog in my lap! PETS! 98% of everyone I've ever met in an RV park has a pet, or multiple pets, all types and sizes! It's not easy to travel with pets, but it's simple in an RV.
Comments
We retired, sold our Florida home, and built a new home in a +55 neighborhood in a small town in TN. I didn't want any part of the Villages either, for all the above stated reasons. Like all major life changes, there are good and bad aspects. While we have made some great friends, there are also tight cliques that sniff you over and turn their nose up...reminds me of Jr. High School. And don't tick off a queen bee...they have absolutely nothing else to do but try to make your life miserable with vicious gossip. If I had known we'd be moving into "The Villages-Lite", I may have reconsidered and opted for a college town, with some age diversity. I'd take a teenage gang any day over the blue-hair gang around here, LOL. We do plan to get out into the community more and do some volunteering when we aren't travelling. Getting outside these "golden gates" is key to meeting the locals and exploring all our community has to offer. We have already observed several couples who built a new home and moved out of here and into the community after a few months...lots of work and costs to move a second time, but if the right option were to come up, we are open to moving out, too!
Post: Not My Place
Link to comment from November 26, 2022
We took a big leap when we retired and bought a high-end 45' coach. It is like a Hilton on wheels...a king-size bed, two toilets, a big closet, all your standard kitchen appliances! RV parks have been an eye-opener. There are families living in RV's full-time that home-school, transient workers who move every few months, retirees with all types of rigs, young couples tent camping! We have no interest in the super-premium "RV Resorts"...wow, those are really pricey! The people we've met have more than fully funded IRA's, they seem to be a pretty well off crowd overall. Of course, we have met those who are living in a dilapidated rig with an adult disabled child they care for--sadly, I have seen that more than a few times. While decent RV parks nightly rates have gone up, a nice RV park is still less than a mediocre Best Western! We plan to "do the 4 corners" of the US and sell the rig before the depreciation really hits the value and move on to the next adventure! The next time you drive by a nice coach...just picture me on the couch in back watching a show I recorded off the satellite having a sandwich, with my dog in my lap! PETS! 98% of everyone I've ever met in an RV park has a pet, or multiple pets, all types and sizes! It's not easy to travel with pets, but it's simple in an RV.
Post: America the Drivable
Link to comment from November 26, 2022