[D&BSmith]

Greetings,
Will be down in May 2020 to buy our retirement home. Doing lots of research although I cannot find much on Orange Blossom. Prices seem reasonable, houses look fine. Would anyone with knowledge of the area please list pros and cons?

Thank you in advance,
Bob and Deb:

[vintageogauge]

Look on The Villages map to see where they are located and first see if that is an area that you would prefer before you put too much effort into your search. Not saying that it's not a good village in which to live.

[anothersteve]

Inexpensive homes, very quiet even with the snowbirds, less traffic than other villages. mature landscaping, more of a neighborhood. Very close to Spanish Springs, shopping, restaurants, short golf cart drive to Lake Sumter, loads of golf within short drives. It's the best kept secret in the Villages. Haven't found any cons yet.
Steve

[billethkid]

Originally Posted by anothersteve

Inexpensive homes, very quiet even with the snowbirds, less traffic than other villages. mature landscaping, more of a neighborhood. Very close to Spanish Springs, shopping, restaurants, short golf cart drive to Lake Sumter, loads of golf within short drives. It's the best kept secret in the Villages. Haven't found any cons yet.
Steve

Very impressive neighborhoods. Pride of ownership is very evident in no matter what size home....manufactured or stick built.
Off TV "beaten path".....but convenient.
Cons?
If looking for large home, large lot.....this is not the place.

[anothersteve]

Originally Posted by billethkid

Very impressive neighborhoods. Pride of ownership is very evident in no matter what size home....manufactured or stick built.
Off TV "beaten path".....but convenient.
Cons?
If looking for large home, large lot.....this is not the place.

Some of the lots are much bigger than"the other side". Depends on what you mean by a large home I guess.
Steve

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Orange Blossom is gorgeous. It's not the "cookiecutter" type area you'll find everywhere else in the Villages. However, if you LIKE very very narrow strict restrictions on what can and cannot be done on, or to, your lawn, driveway, door, shingles, shrubbery, etc - if you LIKE knowing that your neighbors *cannot* place a statuette of a boy fishing off a ceramic bridge in their own front flowerbed, you definitely should consider elsewhere. If you LIKE a touch of whimsy, knowing that you can add your own personal touch (within reason) of creativity and color, with mature plantings and a beautiful backdrop, Orange Blossom is perfect.

The area has clusters of roads with mostly manufactured homes on them, while other areas are site-built. And of course as the oldest of the old manufactured ones are ultimately left to family estates to unload on the market, the Villages buys them up, razes them to the ground, and builds something new in their place. So we have a mix of home types to choose from, which can appeal to a wide variety of budgets.

In addition, if you think you'd like to build a new home in Orange Blossom, get in touch with The Villages Real Estate. They might know of a property that's being razed, or that is marked for demolition after purchase by the Villages. If they do, and you like the spot, you can order from a selection of newer models built to your specification.

Paradise Family Rec Center is lovely, and their walking paths and dog park and the old lake over the bridge from Spanish Springs are all incredibly beautiful.

Orange Blossom Country Club is atop a hill, and the homes are downhill from there. So it could be a challenge for a bicyclist to ride around. But the fact that it IS on a hill adds more of a "natural surroundings" feel to it. It's pretty awesome to be able to look out your back lanai, turn your gaze upward, and see trees rising in the distance.

There are a few ways in and out of OB, even if you're going by Golf Cart. One way is over the golf cart bridge to Spanish Springs (and thus, to the rest of the Villages), and the other through a golf cart gate on the north side of Paradise Park, that gets you through a small medical plaza and over to Walmart.

Some of the lots are smallish, but that means less maintenance to deal with. Other lots are fairly spacious with plenty of room for additions to the dwelling or gardens.

[Nucky]

Originally Posted by D&BSmith

Greetings,
Will be down in May 2020 to buy our retirement home. Doing lots of research although I cannot find much on Orange Blossom. Prices seem reasonable, houses look fine. Would anyone with knowledge of the area please list pros and cons?

Thank you in advance,
Bob and Deb:

Hello there and Welcome. When searching on Realtor.com put Orange Blossom Gardens Lady Lake Fl 32159 and Bingo you will be in. On the Villages website, which is Homefinder The Villages try deactivating the New Homes first which will cut your choices down a bit then go to Filter, then Series and pick Manufactured. You have now reached Paradise. If you need more help just send a PM later today and I'll give you a hand.

We are here almost 3 years and wouldn't trade it for the world. Only one thing we have to get better at handling is the Big Big Weather Situations. We're getting there. This Joint has Given us a real life not just existing, enjoying. Heres to hoping its the same for you.

When you search Realtor.com and put in exactly Orange Blossom Gardens Lady Lake Fl 32159 it does give you the entire Historical side, not just Orange Blossom. It also includes Country Club Hills & Silver Lake. It's all Beautiful.

[njbchbum]

D&BSmith - May I suggest that looking only at Orange Blossom restricts your consideration of the other Historic District Villages of Silver Lake and Country Club Hills. Don't deny yourself the opportunity to view the sales there - the properties are much the same as O.B. and the positive descriptions of others here.

And do not look only at Villages listings - look at the MLS properties offered by local Realtors. You cannot buy a new Villages build from an MLS rep; nor can you buy an MLS property from a Villages rep. And you can find a large new build on the Historic side but it takes some doing. One was even built with a garage for their RV! There could be a vacant lot available for purchase should you choose to have a new home built to your custom likes.

In addition to all of the good things posted by anothersteve, billiethekid, Jazuela and Nucky...traveling between the Historic Villages and one's needs for shopping, medical, dining and a real brick/mortar post office can be done without the inconvenience of TRAFFIC! Even the traffic on 441/27, as busy as it is, it is nothing compared to what a driver faces needing to frequently use the interior roads of the community. The occasional ride to another town square or a friend's home south of 466 makes one appreciate the convenience of travel on the North Side!

As much as I prefer the Historic side of the Villages, I also like the Villages of Mira Mesa, La Zamora, La Reynalda and Valle Verde...they offer all the convenience and good things of the Historic side except the oppty to buy a manufactured home or a building lot. You might want to take a cruise through those Villages, too.

[D&BSmith]

I cannot thank you all enough for your thoughtful comments and suggestions. Seems we have a lot to look at!

[justjim]

I think OP might be referring to the entire Historical side of The Villages (Country Club Hills, Silver Lake and Orange Blossom Estates). In the three villages on the Historical side, there must be 3,500 - 4,000 properties. I’ve never heard anybody give a number. OP, good luck with your search. There is something for everyone in The Villages.

[Driver8]

I bought a house in Orange Blossom last year and I totally love the neighborhood, my house and my neighbors. However, I am located on Boone Ct, in the section between 466 and the country club. It is extremely busy during the day with semi's delivering to the country club and people totally disregarding the 25 mph speed limit, especially during rush hour. If I had known that this street was so busy, I probably would have bought in another part of the historic side, but that's on me for not researching the area more. Good luck with your home search.

[CWGUY]

Originally Posted by Driver8

I bought a house in Orange Blossom last year and I totally love the neighborhood, my house and my neighbors. However, I am located on Boone Ct, in the section between 466 and the country club. It is extremely busy during the day with semi's delivering to the country club and people totally disregarding the 25 mph speed limit, especially during rush hour. If I had known that this street was so busy, I probably would have bought in another part of the historic side, but that's on me for not researching the area more. Good luck with your home search.

That would be 441/27 NOT 466

[VApeople]

Originally Posted by Driver8

If I had known that this street was so busy, I probably would have bought in another part of the historic side, but that's on me for not researching the area more.

I like that you accept that it was your decision to buy on a busy street. Most people blame their less than ideal situations on someone else.

[ColdNoMore]

Originally Posted by VApeople

I like that you accept that it was your decision to buy on a busy street. Most people blame their less than ideal situations on someone else.

I'll have to disagree with your opinion of..."MOST."

While there are certainly those that whine about noise & traffic, after buying next to an airport/railroad/industrial area/Etc. I believe most of them...accept that it was their choice.

Unless of course, in those very rare occasions, where the seller knew of upcoming adverse changes and didn't tell the buyer...which I doubt happens very often.

And in those rare cases...shame on the seller.

[Garywt]

I think I have a different take on the original Village. Yes there are some nicer areas but I find it old and a little run down complained to the rest of The Villages. People say they are very strict here but when I drive through I see many dead lawns, lots of weeds and many items sitting around in yards. I always joke with my wife that the area needs some snitches like other areas have. Yes the Villages are putting in new homes on many lots but we did not want to spend $250,000 on a house but be surrounded by older single wide mobile homes, just our take.

Now there are some very nice homes and lots as well, very easy to get to Spanish Springs and to shopping like Lowe’s, Walmart, Aldi, Sonic etc. Many people live over there and I am betting that most are very nice like the rest of The Villages.

Might be a great spot if looking for a home under $200,000. Good luck on your search.