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Heading down to Naples FL in January to Help my Aunt

Sea Six

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Just as a comparison, this place is up near Tampa but has an impressive variety of activities. My wife's aunt moved here to retire and met so many new friends with all the activities, not to mention just driving the golf cart around and to the grocery store.

http://www.suncitycenter.org/
 

Luanne

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Thanks. One of the challenges is that we only want one home (don't want to move during the winter).
We live here year round.
 

Luanne

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Luanne, are scorpions and snakes a problem there?
I've heard there are snakes, but I haven't seen any in the almost five years we've been here. Don't think scorpions are.
 

Luanne

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Santa Fe has always been in my bucket list of places I want to visit. How much snow do you have in the winter. Is this a good state for retires? I'm hellbent on finding a place that's affordable, safe, and warm.
I keep being told we don't have much snow. Remember, I grew up in California and lived there until we moved here. I had never done a real winter. I love the winters here. I would say there have only been a few days (I can count them on one hand) that I haven't ventured out of the house due to snow.

We think it's great for retirees. There is a lot to due, and much of it is geared towards retirees. I feel safe in Santa Fe. Right now our temps are in the high 80's, low 90's and that is about as high as it gets here.
 

Sugarcubesea

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I keep being told we don't have much snow. Remember, I grew up in California and lived there until we moved here. I had never done a real winter. I love the winters here. I would say there have only been a few days (I can count them on one hand) that I haven't ventured out of the house due to snow.

We think it's great for retirees. There is a lot to due, and much of it is geared towards retirees. I feel safe in Santa Fe. Right now our temps are in the high 80's, low 90's and that is about as high as it gets here.
How many months does your winter last? Do you have enough snow on the ground that you need a snow blower? thanks
 

Luanne

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How many months does your winter last? Do you have enough snow on the ground that you need a snow blower? thanks
Winter lasts a few months. But many times when we get snow it's gone by end of day. We don't own a snow blower and I don't think I've ever seen one.
 

Sugarcubesea

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Just as a comparison, this place is up near Tampa but has an impressive variety of activities. My wife's aunt moved here to retire and met so many new friends with all the activities, not to mention just driving the golf cart around and to the grocery store.

http://www.suncitycenter.org/
This place looks real nice but she would not have her friends near her...I think this trip we will just focus on Naples and then after May I can take more time off and we can come back down and look at other areas...thanks for the link
 

Sugarcubesea

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Winter lasts a few months. But many times when we get snow it's gone by end of day. We don't own a snow blower and I don't think I've ever seen one.
wow that good...thanks for the info...
 

Sugarcubesea

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There is a big variety in Naples, and some areas to avoid. It is very crowded, and lots of traffic, and lots of business. The area is mostly gated communities, and lots of condos, and dome of the condo areas are nice and some are mot so nice.


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I was responding from my phone yesterday and I'm now taking a moment to jot down notes from this thread and wanted to follow back up with you rapmarks and ask what areas should I have her avoid in Naples? thanks much
 
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rapmarks

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Not an expert but golden gate and east Naples on news a lot, and not in a good way. One thing to watch in mobile home communities is if they own the land or rent it. I saw one park has $800 a month lot fee plus they pay their own utilities. Sounds like a mortgage payment to me.


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Sugarcubesea

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Not an expert but golden gate and east Naples on news a lot, and not in a good way. One thing to watch in mobile home communities is if they own the land or rent it. I saw one park has $800 a month lot fee plus they pay their own utilities. Sounds like a mortgage payment to me.


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The three that she is looking at you own the land and all 3 of those she said had HOA's coming in at $125 or less per month
 

rapmarks

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Where are those three? Just to mention, a lot of places never go on the market because of word of mouth. This sounds terrible, but most turnover is caused by death and moving to assisted living.


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Sugarcubesea

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Where are those three? Just to mention, a lot of places never go on the market because of word of mouth. This sounds terrible, but most turnover is caused by death and moving to assisted living.


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These are the ones she is interested in and are member-owned mobile home cooperative in naples

Naples Land Yacht Harbor
West Wind Estates
Cattleya Refuge
 

rapmarks

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I bet we passed the first one when we went on our friends boat they kept at a harbor nearby. I see it is near the botanical gardens, and that is a really nice area.


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I may have missed this, but is your aunt planning to live there year around? Is she moving from the North? If so, I would highly recommend that she spend some time there in the summer. Summers on the Gulf Coast are very hot and humid with lots of rain and thunderstorms almost every afternoon. I'm so tired of this weather...
 

Sugarcubesea

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I may have missed this, but is your aunt planning to live there year around? Is she moving from the North? If so, I would highly recommend that she spend some time there in the summer. Summers on the Gulf Coast are very hot and humid with lots of rain and thunderstorms almost every afternoon. I'm so tired of this weather...
She is only going to spend October till April there. She needs to live there 6 months and 1 day to have Florida Residency then she will spend her summers in the Midwest
 

rapmarks

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She is only going to spend October till April there. She needs to live there 6 months and 1 day to have Florida Residency then she will spend her summers in the Midwest

We spend seven and a half months there, leave late may go back beginning of October, What many don't realize, almost no rain in winter, and rarely below seventy degrees.


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rapmarks

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The other two are way down on way to Marco island, my cousin lives in eagle lakes golf club submission, a little further south. They are a longer drive to shopping, the beach, 5th avenue, etc, Which you will notice when you get there.


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lizap

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She is only going to spend October till April there. She needs to live there 6 months and 1 day to have Florida Residency then she will spend her summers in the Midwest

Ok that's make a huge difference. Summers are rough.
 

Sugarcubesea

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We spend seven and a half months there, leave late may go back beginning of October, What many don't realize, almost no rain in winter, and rarely below seventy degrees.


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I'm going to share this info with her. Thanks
 

vacationhopeful

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Lived in Deland. Florida for 3 periods from Sept-Apr ... more or less over 3 years. This county starts in Daytona Beach and Deland (county seat) is inland by 20 miles (due west). North of Orlando by about an hours drive time.

Deland is home to Stetson University (oldest university/college in FL) ... small town environment but does have an Amtrak train station (both train routes to the Northeast corridor). Nearest airport is Daytona Beach (2 airlines have limited service, but the airport is home base for Embry Riddle Aeronautical University). Autotrain stops ONLY at the Sanford Florida train station nearer to Orlando. Orlando Airport (MCO) is at least an hour away and Jacksonville Airport is about 100 miles north. Daytona Beach is long, flat hard sand beach ... with original racing done on the hard pack sand beaches. Gainesville is about 100 miles further north ... U of Florida.

While living in Florida, I rarely went to the beach. The winter weather is pleasant .. freezes are very few ... trees kept their leaves or palms. And the manatees vacation in the VERY IMMEDIATE springs nearby ... attended several area nighttime beach bonfires at these water holes ... where a popular sport at that time was "TIPPING THE SLEEPING MANATEES" ...bet that is frowned upon in this current era. And visiting the graveyards in Cassadega for Holloween or getting our palms read by the mediums there.

And YES ... there are multiple and large retirement communities center around Deland ... the Villages is one.

And the Mouse is not a big in this area.
 

rapmarks

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The villages has 130,000 people. Some day I am going to look up comparable size cities. Then I can get my mind around just how big it is. We looked at it when it only had thirty thousand and it was too much for me then. we actually looked in that area several times, staying either at the subdivisions or at time shares, I would guess eighteen total weeks of looking in various trips.


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Sugarcubesea

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We spend seven and a half months there, leave late may go back beginning of October, What many don't realize, almost no rain in winter, and rarely below seventy degrees.


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When you go back north, did you decide to end up staying in the same city or did you move to a different location. After I'm down working I would like to purchase a small condo with low HOA's in the Midwest and hopefully still have enough left to purchase a small place in a yet to be determined warm climate
 

Sugarcubesea

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The villages has 130,000 people. Some day I am going to look up comparable size cities. Then I can get my mind around just how big it is. We looked at it when it only had thirty thousand and it was too much for me then. we actually looked in that area several times, staying either at the subdivisions or at time shares, I would guess eighteen total weeks of looking in various trips.


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One of my former colleagues retired there with his wife. They only lasted 2 years because they felt it was way too big and never got to make any friends
 

rapmarks

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We taught in northern Illinois and had a summer cottage in Wisconsin dells, we sold in Illinois and kept the summer cottage in Dells


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