Why These HGTV Stars Think We Crave a Slower, Simpler Life
By Movieguide Contributor
The Napiers realize that many people desire a slow and quiet lifestyle despite today’s current culture, and the HOME TOWN TAKEOVER couple shared how the town of Sebring Florida is doing just that.
In a discussion with Fox News Digital, they shared about the city.
“We fell in love with Sebring immediately… It was built as a resort town before the coasts of Florida were really getting developed and blown up,” Ben said. Erin added “Before the theme parks, and that is the old Florida that our grandparents went [to] on vacation. We see all their photos. I have my grandparents’ photos from going to those parts of Florida, and we want it back.
With many people leaving large cities in New York and California to smaller areas, the Napier’s see a trend.
“I think there’s a lot of us who are craving slower, simpler, less is more,” Erin said. “We want a beautiful lake and a quiet town to go have a really great meal.”
USA Today reported on the shift of people who now prefer a quiet lifestyle. “Americans have continued to flee large metro areas in massive numbers as the remote work shift sparked by the pandemic becomes entrenched and the allure of more affordable midsize cities and smaller towns grows,” they explained. “After a prolonged decline in the 1960s and 1970s, large cities were revitalized in the 1990s as young professionals were drawn to their cultural and social amenities. But starting in the mid-2010s, cities again began losing residents to suburbs and smaller metro areas.”
Movieguide® previously reported on this season of HOME TOWN TAKEOVER.
“Lucky members of the community will also have their homes renovated as Ben and Erin work to fully revitalize the community. Though Sebring is located in Florida, it receives very little of the tourist business that boosts the rest of the state. The town is seventy miles south of Orlando and seventy miles southeast of Tampa, leaving it far from the major cities. Ben and Erin hope the revitalization and publicity from the show will turn Sebring into a tourist destination.”
Last week, the couple posted a heartfelt message to Instagram explaining why this season is different in the best way.
“On March 9, you’ll get to see a great labor of love for us last year,” the Napier’s began. “Florida has always been special to us, especially the Spanish moss covered Florida down the forgotten roads. We’ve never done the theme parks, this is the Florida we crave. But even better, we got to help Sebring tell its story with THE most talented new and old friends: @jimmacpherson, our director from the early seasons of #HGTVHomeTown who taught us how to be on camera and how to be ourselves in the spotlight. We had @jwalters_build who was our construction project manager those same early seasons, who moved back to his hometown in Florida just as our babies were learning to walk. After two difficult seasons making #HomeTownTakeover with young children in unfamiliar places, season 3 felt like a homecoming. Like summer camp. I left there wanting more. And I know you’ll feel it when you watch. Tomorrow on @hgtv at 8/7 ct or stream on @discoveryplus and @streamonmax. See y’all on the sunny side. 🌞 🍊 🌊”
Related: 5 Fun Facts About HOME TOWN’S Ben and Erin Napier
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