Originally Posted by
freedomrider1
wow, this is interesting,as my wife and i were just looking at places to retire. We came across The Villages in Florida. It looks very nice. They also have to bike clubs and a bike shop in the Villages.Looks like some good weather now. Does anyone know anything about this area?
Myself, I don't like Florida, and I don't want to be surrounded by old people. Certainly, the Villages is very popular. To each their own.
In western North Carolina, we are full of people called half backs. They are folks that moved from the NE to retire to Florida, got sick of Florida, and ended up moving "half way" back.
I live in a great small town (~10,000 people), live downtown (3 blocks from Main Street). I wish the winters were milder. I lived in the PNW, SE, NE, MW, we have ended up in the mountains of NC.
We have toyed with Sequim, WA (recommended earlier) and St George, UT. Summers in St George are hot, really hot. And winters are just as cold as here, but usually dry (nice plus). But we like to stay rooted in western NC, so the travel time to the west is just too much. Note, I go to southern Utah at least once per year, usually more. Great area for sure. St George would probably be my choice if we left the east.
But in the end, we really like the feel of a small, vibrant town. Waynesville it is for us.