Are there other places like "The Villages" where. . . (state, relative)
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Are there other places like "The Villages" where you can use a golf cart to access multiple restaurants, grocery stores and other shopping? That are, essentially, a full blown town?
At some point, I'll have to give up driving at night and losing that form of independence is not something I'm looking forward to.
I think about the same issue for us as we get older since we have no extended family to help...however I think moving into a city would be better for taxis, buses, subways, Uber, bike riding, walking, etc. Many places will deliver products or services, plus many places may even be within walking distance.
It doesn't need to be a giant city like LA or Manhattan, tho a place like Brooklyn, Queens (I'm a NY'er), even LI, or maybe Miami, Orlando, tho I'm not as familiar with them.
Some of these "Senior Cities" are in the middle of nowhere- because land is cheap- and have only a few services within that complex with no choice of going anywhere else, so prices/ fees may be higher, or not what you need. The surrounding communities/ areas may be tiny and underserved for everything.
Many over 55 condos/ communities, etc may have bus service a few times a week as a perk for the ppl living in that community. Even check with the state dept of aging and see what kind of transportation services are available.
Also stay healthy and fit, because there is no reason to give up driving (set up a limit in distance you feel comfortable with like 10 or 15 miles) and drive to only places within that limit. Some small towns like Albany, NY the buses will load your bike. So if you need to go somewhere you take the bus with a bike, and then get off and bike to where you need to go if that place is off the bus route.
Look for a small city that has a clustered town- shopping and restaurants on a main st that you can walk and shop- you drive to main street from home and you're good to go all day- then drive home. Stay away from a town/ city that you need to drive multi lane highways/ expressways, etc. They can be confusing and your reflexes may not be as fast.
If you are nervous about driving a car- a golf cart won't be any better except it is slower, and you have no protection if someone crashes into you.
Beware of a place that looks pretty- tho that is a bonus- it may be pretty but that's all, because that is what attracts customers, and not have what you really need.
Latitude Margaritaville in Daytona Beach should be one. Not yet there but there are plans that will have a Town Center with a restaurant, fitness center, theater, bandshell plus they will have an exclusive place on the beach and a shuttle bus that takes you there and back (plus a parking area if you want to drive) on a schedule which I believe is walkable to other restaurants plus they will have a burger bar. I also heard that Publix (supermarket) is considering building a store right outside that I think should be accessible to golf carts (checked on the website and yes it would be). If there is a Publix there will most likely be other small stores like restaurants and hairdressers. It will no where be as big as the Villages which has 3 town centers. The nice thing is they are catering to older people and are including an emergency button in the master bedroom that also activates a strobe on the outside of the house. Since it will be a smaller community they will probably have things that cater to people who can't drive any more. https://www.latitudemargaritaville.c...each-lifestyle
Golf cart rules are different in each state. In Sun City West AZ we had a car and a cart as did a large number of other people. You had to have a drivers license and the cart had to be titled and registered just like a real car. It had to have full lights, a horn and if it was newer than a certain year it had to have seat belts. Carts were prohibited on roads where the speed limit was over 35. The state issued small motorcycle size license plates for them. You could even get a handicap plate if you qualified.
Sun City West was a town of 29000 retirees. It had 3 super markets, gas stations, 2 hardware stores, a car wash and most everything but big box stores which were across the highway. There was even an undertaker.
The Villages is very poorly planned as is much of Florida. You can't get there from here...and you can't get other places from there. The roads around it are a nightmare. My parents and I visited and they nixed it due to the driving required. There are difficult to navigate circles every couple blocks.
It's close to 2 hours from the major airport in Orlando...and you'd likely be stuck in traffic going anywhere too far outside there. We drove nearby a couple weeks back and were in a parking lot on the interstate - and it's only getting worse as more and more building is done.
My take is that Villages is good for people who STAY THERE. All the time...or most of the time. We know one couple who went and love it because they stay there and play Golf.
If you want to get around you'd be much better off in many other places. If you like the arts consider Sarasota or even outside of Tampa - uber is really active around here and we can get anywhere within 10-12 minutes (Art Museums, playhouses, etc.). You can even bike or walk to many places.
But these are generally not "big rig" 55+ communities. It's more "real world".
I live in the Villages and it is the largest golf cart community in the world. Yes it is big but we have bridges and tunnels to cross highways and special golf cart roads. The regular local roads have separate golf cart lanes. The only thing I cannot get to by golf cart is my car dealer but the is because it is in another city. ry
Some posters make a valid point that due to the size of the Villages, we cover 3 counties, soon to be four, it can take awhile to get around. However it all depends where you live. We were smart and bought a house in the middle so the furthers I travel by golf cart takes about 30 minutes or so. Let’s face it, a car is more comfortable and quicker. Got A/C, Heat and surround sound radio. However since we are retired with lots of time to kill, a nice long golf cart ride in the fresh air can hit the spot somedays. It is also good for those who are older and have a problem operating a car. With a golf cart you are mostly isolated from cars once you get off the local roads, and stay in one lane going under 20 mph. Although you do lose out to cars in an auto accident, it is easier to drive a cart than a car and to many that is a big advantage. Also for those who need a second vehicle, a $9K cart is a cheaper alternative to a second car.
The Villages is very poorly planned as is much of Florida. You can't get there from here...and you can't get other places from there. The roads around it are a nightmare. My parents and I visited and they nixed it due to the driving required. There are difficult to navigate circles every couple blocks.
It's close to 2 hours from the major airport in Orlando...and you'd likely be stuck in traffic going anywhere too far outside there. We drove nearby a couple weeks back and were in a parking lot on the interstate - and it's only getting worse as more and more building is done.
My take is that Villages is good for people who STAY THERE. All the time...or most of the time. We know one couple who went and love it because they stay there and play Golf.
If you want to get around you'd be much better off in many other places. If you like the arts consider Sarasota or even outside of Tampa - uber is really active around here and we can get anywhere within 10-12 minutes (Art Museums, playhouses, etc.). You can even bike or walk to many places.
But these are generally not "big rig" 55+ communities. It's more "real world".
This list just came out as one of the best places to retire. "Best" is flexible as to meaning, but having retired in the number 9 location early (at 60) as snowbird, it is one of those places that once one gets to know it, the decision I made six years ago is one I would do again in a heartbeat. Close enough to Tampa and St. Petersburg, only 6 miles from Tarpon Springs and it's Greek culture and food, close to Clearwater and some of the best beaches in North America, and plenty of parks to go kayaking in the rivers and out to the Gulf.
The Villages is very poorly planned as is much of Florida. You can't get there from here...and you can't get other places from there. The roads around it are a nightmare. My parents and I visited and they nixed it due to the driving required. There are difficult to navigate circles every couple blocks.
It's close to 2 hours from the major airport in Orlando...and you'd likely be stuck in traffic going anywhere too far outside there. We drove nearby a couple weeks back and were in a parking lot on the interstate - and it's only getting worse as more and more building is done.
My take is that Villages is good for people who STAY THERE. All the time...or most of the time. We know one couple who went and love it because they stay there and play Golf.
If you want to get around you'd be much better off in many other places. If you like the arts consider Sarasota or even outside of Tampa - uber is really active around here and we can get anywhere within 10-12 minutes (Art Museums, playhouses, etc.). You can even bike or walk to many places.
But these are generally not "big rig" 55+ communities. It's more "real world".
we made it to and from the villages and orlando airport in under an hour .
my wife and i are in to photography and there really was not much within 50 miles that we would ever do more than once and that turned us off to the villages .. we have so many places we can go daily here in nyc and long island . so we ended up not renting for the month or two like we planned .
Doing a loan in there for someone for the one in Kissimmee. Expensive.
I thought Daytona was all sold out.
I know people who bought at the beginning; they got a great deal.
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