My husband and I built in 2011, I was 52 he was 55 and there were 82,000 residents. We wanted to move to Florida after retirement, but didn’t know where to go. We had a couple of people we had worked with who had moved to The Villages so we did the Lifestyle’s for a week. We had no intention of building, but we bought a lot. We moved in December 2011.
Unfortunately, my husband was battling cancer and I lost him in 2014. I felt I needed a change, too many memories of US. I moved to Lakewood Ranch in 2020.
I’m now 66 and moving back, I totally enjoyed Lakewood Ranch, but if I hadn’t previously lived in The Villages I wouldn’t have appreciated all The Villages had to offer.
At no time during our purchase in 2011 did a salesperson ever tell us they were going to stop building.
It was just “talk” among residents that seemed to be prevalent.
I came to visit recently and fell in love with Eastport. Yes, the traffic is a challenge during prime season but that’s everywhere in Florida.
But it’s only an issue for 3-4 month’s.
There is nowhere else in Florida that offers the diversity in retirement! I feel that you just have to find your “happy place” and make the best of it.
If it doesn’t make you happy, you’re not a tree, you can move!
I’m looking forward to moving back and making more memories.
Illinois native Jan Creighton is a former Villager who lived in Lakewood Ranch but is moving back to The Villages.