I've had my town, Zijkant, ever since the 16th of June, 2013. I bought it 2 days after it's release, and I've never TT'd or reset my town.
Over the two years that I've owned the game, I've had massive periods that I didn't play at all, as in, didn't touch the game for months. I've nearly got my entire encyclopedia complete, my town is filled with flowers and cute paths, my villagers live on the best spots possible (and my most favorite hasn't left, he moved in on June 17th, 2013) and I've gotten a lot of badges.
There is so much progress in my town, I could never bear to reset it. And I refuse to TT, since it might heck things up. I'm fine with how it is, and just go with the flow, even if that means losing villagers after a few months of not playing. That's how it's supposed to work, I guess, just like real life.