Quote:
Originally Posted by BigRedChief
1 hour 47 minutes from my house. 1 hour 50 minutes to treasure island beach.
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I thought you lived in Pinellas County? Anyway, I graduated from St. Pete High and went to the reunion on St. Pete Beach, from The Villages took me about 1+45. I would say it's the only negative living in The Villages. I lived 17 years in St. Pete, Largo, Clearwater, all around Pinellas and one year in Spring Hill in Hernando County. That area is just too conjested for me. I went to a Rays game last year and I really like what they did with downtown. In the 70's it was dead and no new construction, St. Pete looks like a contemporary city now.
The last Hurricane Irma, the eye came right over The Villages, I never lost my Directv, not even the HD or my electricity and had no property damage. By the time hurricanes reach us 50 miles inland, it's usually only tropical force winds. Our biggest problem with mother nature is sink holes. From Ocala to Tampa to the coastline is sinkhole alley. There are about 60,000 homes in The Villages and about 2 or 3 a year will get a sink hole in the yard, insurance will generally cover it.
I lived six years in Pensacola, if it hadn't been for The Villages, I would of retired there. It's very conservation, home of Naval Aviation and a lot of retired military. It has a beach about as nice as Clearwater, it's 3 hours from New Orleans via I-10. You're actually in the central time zone, which I thought was neat since everything comes on an hour earlier. Panama City Beach is 90 minutes east, which is a huge spring break town. Housing is fairly cheap and the tourist season is the opposite, it summertime and not winter. You will get a few Canadians looking for bargains going there in the winter. 50 degree days is not cold to a Canadian. The only negative is they are more prone to hurricanes in the panhandle. For a city less than 200,000 they have a lot to offer.
Pensacola has major concerts
A fairly new minor league baseball stadium and team
There's festivals all the time downtown, also at nearby Gulf Shores State Park they have music festivals
