The Villages, Florida, United States

🇺🇸 The Villages is a place (CDP) in Sumter County, Florida, United States. It shares its name with a broader master-planned age-restricted community that spreads into portions of Lake and Marion counties. The overall development lies in central Florida, approximately 20 miles (32 km) south of Ocala and approximately 45 miles (72 km) north-west of Orlando.

Between 2010 and 2020, The Villages was the fastest growing metropolitan area in the United States. The Villages covers an area of approximately 32 square miles, an area larger than Manhattan, and is expanding mostly to the south of the current community.

The Villages is made up of 17 special purpose Community Development Districts (CDD), which are controlled by a board of supervisors (BoS), five individuals elected by the landowners of the district.

The community is the centre of The Villages, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area, which consists of all of Sumter County; Lake County is included in the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area; and Marion County is included in the Ocala, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History In the 1960s, Michigan businessman Harold Schwartz began selling land in the area now known as The Villages through mail-order sales. In 1968, a federal law prohibiting real estate sales by mail order forced Schwartz and his business partner, Al Tarrson, to halt this practice.

In the early 1970s, Schwartz and Tarrson developed Orange Blossom Gardens, a mobile home park in north-western Lake County. By the early 1980s, the community had sold approximately 400 units. In 1983, Schwartz bought out Tarrson’s interest and brought his son, H. Gary Morse, into the business. Inspired by successful retirement communities like Del Webb's Sun City, Morse expanded amenities, including golf courses and recreation centres, and pursued nearby commercial development. In 1992, the community was officially renamed The Villages.

By the early 1990s, The Villages had grown to over 8,000 residents, with three golf courses and a Winn-Dixie supermarket. Between 2010 and 2019, The Villages was the top-selling master-planned community in the United States, with 24,440 homes sold.

The Villages operates under community development districts (CDDs), which manage infrastructure and amenities. In 2013, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) ruled that $426 million in bonds issued by a CDD were not tax-exempt, as the district did not qualify as a government entity, resulting in approximately $750,000 in legal fees for residents.

Expansion Since the 2010s, The Villages has expanded southward, acquiring land in Sumter and Marion counties. In 2017, the Holding Company of the Villages purchased 8,000 acres south of Florida State Road 44 and 2,600 acres near County Road 470 for residential and commercial development, with plans for approximately 4,500 homes.

Community Structure The Villages is governed by community development districts and neighborhood declarations of restrictions, regulating aspects like landscaping and exterior modifications. An architectural review committee, composed of residents, oversees property alterations. As an age-restricted community, at least 80% of homes must have a resident aged 55 or older, and persons under 19 may not reside permanently, except in designated family subdivisions.

Geography The Villages is a place (CDP) spanning Sumter, Marion, and Lake counties in central Florida. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP covers a total area of 33.95 square miles (87.9 km²), of which 32.65 square miles (84.6 km²) is land and 1.30 square miles (3.4 km²), or 3.83%, is water. It is located approximately 55 miles (89 km) north-west of Orlando and 80 miles (130 km) north-east of Tampa, with the city of Wildwood to the west and south, and the town of Lady Lake and city of Fruitland Park to the east.

The broader master-planned community extends beyond the CDP, covering approximately 57 square miles (150 km²) across Sumter, Marion, and Lake counties, including areas north of Florida State Road 44 and south to five miles south of County Road 470. The community maintains an extensive network of private roads, totaling about 750 miles (1,210 km) as of 2018.

Demographics As of the 2020 United States census, there were 79,077 people, 45,634 households, and 30,701 families residing in the CDP.

As of 2019, persons under five years accounted for 0.1% of the population, persons under 18 years accounted for 0.8%, persons 65 years and over accounted for 81.6%, and 53.6% of the population was female. Median household income in 2019 was $63,841.

In 2018, the median age for both sexes in The Villages metropolitan statistical area is 67.4, with this being 29 years older than a typical American and five years older than the median age of residents in the next-oldest county in the United States, which is on the Hawaiian island of Molokai.

According to Politico, as of 2018, The Villages was the home of the largest veteran population anywhere in the United States that does not have a military base, with 16.3 percent of the population former military.

Circa 2014, large groups of residents are from the Midwest and Northeast, with Staten Island supplying many of the residents.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 51,442 people, 22,511 households, and 16,721 families residing in the CDP.

Home ownership In The Villages, home ownership reflects the community's status as an age-restricted retirement destination. According to a 2020 analysis by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, women purchased 468 homes compared to 406 by men, a ratio of approximately 1.15:1, indicating a higher proportion of female buyers compared to other U.S. metropolitan areas.

A 2021 Realtor.com report noted that the average down payment for homes in The Villages was 27.1%, among the highest in the United States, with a median home list price of $366,950.

Crime According to an investigative report by WFTV News in Orlando, crime in The Villages is low and usually imported from other areas outside the community. The report stated that property crime and crimes of opportunity are approximately one-third lower than the average for the state of Florida. According to federal statistics, the statistics for violent crimes in The Villages area is half the state average. Rates of driving under the influence charges are approximately equivalent to those of other similarly sized places in Florida.

Economy The Villages supports a diverse economy centered on retail, healthcare, and services tailored to its age-restricted population. As of 2016, the community had developed approximately 5.7 million square feet of commercial space, hosting businesses such as restaurants, specialty retail, and medical facilities.

Commercial areas include three town centers—Spanish Springs, Lake Sumter Landing, and Brownwood Paddock Square—each around 500,000 square feet, featuring a mix of shops, dining, entertainment, and services. The community hosts 18 grocery stores, including nine Publix supermarkets, three Winn-Dixie stores, The Fresh Market, Sprouts Farmers Market, Target, two Walmart Supercenters, and a Walmart Neighborhood Market. Citizens First Bank, a local community bank, operates 12 branches within The Villages. Commercial spaces maintain high occupancy rates, averaging around 97% as of 2018.

From 2007 to 2017, The Villages Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) saw significant economic growth, with its gross domestic product (GDP) increasing by 51.4% to $2.1 billion. Between 2010 and 2018, the MSA added approximately 13,900 jobs, primarily in retail, healthcare, and construction, driven by the community’s expansion.

Entertainment In 2015, the Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center, a venue with over 1,000 seats, opened. The Studio Tierra Del Sol, a black box theatre with seating for 100, opened in 2016.

Fictitious historical markers and architectural details provide an atmosphere for the residents. One historian wrote, "The Villages' faux history gives a patina of stability and continuity to a highly volatile region and stage of life". Many plaques represent the "downtown areas" as if events derived from notions of an idyllic small town in the 1800s had occurred there. Such "American myths" feature in the designs for Brownwood, Lake Sumter Landing, and Spanish Springs.

Other activities The Villages operates golf courses, recreation centres, softball fields, a polo stadium called The Villages Polo Stadium, a woodworking shop, and a lifelong learning college. There are also outdoor target archery ranges.

Clubs The Villages hosts over 3,500 resident-led clubs, offering activities such as sports, arts, crafts, music, and social gatherings, which foster community engagement among its age-restricted population. Examples include the Pickleball Club, The Villages Woodworkers Club, Line Dance Club, The Villages Single Seniors, The Villages Garden Club, and the Veterans Club, catering to diverse interests from athletics to social connections.

Annual events The Villages host The Senior Games each April, where approximately 2,000 residents compete in hundreds of athletic events. The top five athletes in each age division then compete in the Florida Senior Games. For 18 years, The Senior Games have taken place in The Villages.

Parks and recreation Most recreational activity costs are paid via the monthly amenities fee assessed to residents.

Golf courses The Villages operates 56 courses with 729 holes across all courses. Of those, 42 courses are 9-hole, executive golf course. The remaining courses are country club championship courses, three specialty courses, and putting courses. The Villages operates a golf instruction academy.

Recreation centers The Villages operates 100 recreation centers. Activities available include bocce, horseshoe, and shuffleboard courts, swimming, billiards, tennis, pickleball, theatrical and musical productions, and fitness. There are parks, dog parks, and fitness trails.

Government Residents of The Villages historically have a high election turnout rate of 80%. As of August 2012, Republicans outnumber Democrats two-to-one.

A critical part of Central Florida's Republican party, The Villages, has been frequently visited on the campaign trail by politicians such as Florida governor Rick Scott and United States senator Marco Rubio. During the 2014 Florida gubernatorial election, Scott visited The Villages on the eve of the election to rally votes. Just before the 2016 United States Senate election in Florida, Rubio stopped off at the temporary Republican Headquarters established at Lake Sumter Landing in The Villages.

The Villages is in Florida's 11th congressional district represented by Representative Daniel Webster.

State representation The Villages is within the boundaries of Florida Senate District 12 (represented by Republican Dennis Baxley) and Florida House of Representatives District 26 (represented by Republican Keith Truenow).

County The portion of The Villages within Lake County is within Lake County District 1.

The portion of The Villages within Marion County is within Marion County District 3.

Areas of The Villages in Sumter County are divided between Sumter County District 1, which takes areas east of Morse Boulevard, and Sumter County District 3, which takes areas west of Morse Boulevard.

Local government The majority of The Villages is developed and maintained using several Community Development Districts (CDD). The CDD is a form of special purpose local government available under Florida law. As of August 2007, around 225 communities in Florida use this form of government. The portion of The Villages located in Lake County is under the jurisdiction of the city of Lady Lake and is not part of any of the district CDDs, but a portion is under the larger CDDs.

The Villages Community Development Districts are special-purpose districts established under Florida State Statutes. There are currently 17 CDDs in The Villages, each with its dedicated board of supervisors. The CDDs are responsible for a variety of functions, including: • Maintenance of roads, sidewalks, and other public infrastructure • Provision of recreational facilities and services • Provision of public safety services, such as fire and emergency medical services • Provision of sanitation services, such as water and wastewater treatment • Development and maintenance of open space

The CDDs are funded by a combination of property taxes and user fees. All residents of The Villages pay property taxes, while user fees are paid by residents who use specific CDD-provided services, such as recreation facilities or water and wastewater services.

Education The following school listings are primarily for tax base purposes only, as The Villages does not allow full-time residents under age 19 except in the three family unit neighborhoods of Bison Valley, Spring Arbor, and Oak Meadows or by exception granted for hardship cases. • The portion of The Villages located in Marion County is zoned to Lake Weir High School of the Marion County Public Schools. There are no family unit neighborhoods in the Marion County portion of The Villages. • The portion of The Villages located in Sumter County is zoned to Wildwood Middle High School of Sumter District Schools. There is one family-unit neighborhood (Bison Valley) in this portion of The Villages. • The portion of The Villages located in Lake County is zoned to Leesburg High School of the Lake County Schools. Two family unit neighborhoods (Oak Meadows and Spring Arbor) are in the Lake County portion of The Villages.

Although children cannot legally reside in most neighborhoods of The Villages under most circumstances, The Villages Charter Schools is a kindergarten to 12th grade charter school in unincorporated Sumter County. Children can attend the charter school if one or both of their parents work directly for The Villages or one of its direct subcontractors or if a parent works for a business located within The Villages. Children of residents who reside in a family unit neighborhood or by granted exemption do not automatically qualify for attendance based solely on their residence.

Post-secondary education In the fall of 2017, The Villages launched The Enrichment Academy with more than 140 fee-based, lifelong learning, noncredit courses on topics such as scuba diving, literature, philosophy and psychology, culinary arts, technology, foreign language, photography, and more. The academy is part of the Recreation and Parks Department and takes place at designated Recreation locations and other approved sites throughout The Villages.

Media Television channels from the Orlando market serve the Villages, although channels from the Tampa market also cover the area. It is also served by radio stations from both the Orlando and Ocala areas and by area newspapers such as the Orlando Sentinel, the Tampa Bay Times, the Leesburg Daily Commercial, and the Ocala Star-Banner.

A documentary called Some Kind of Heaven, about four residents of The Villages, was released in January 2021. The documentary The Bubble, also released in 2021, depicts life inside The Villages.

Media: Local The Villages developers or their successors own and operate three media properties: • The Villages News Network (VNN) is aired on the local Comcast cable network. • The Villages Daily Sun, a local newspaper with 43,610 paid subscribers. • Radio station WVLG (640), carrying classic hits.

Public radio station WMFV (89.5) serves the area and is owned by the same group as Orlando public radio station WMFE-FM, with some variations from WMFE's master schedule.

Transport: Road The Villages development is bounded roughly by US 27/US 441 to the east, US 301 to the west, County Road 42 to the north, and County Road 468 well south of 466A with the development of several new villages, Fenney, and the Brownwood town centre in that area. On December 10, 2013, The Villages of Lake-Sumter Inc. agreed to an $8 million deal to purchase the Pine Ridge Dairy tract in Fruitland Park, Florida with a planned construction of 2,038 new Villages homes. Although County Road 466 previously served as the central east–west corridor, the addition of homes and facilities south of County Road 466 and in the city of Fruitland Park, Florida has turned County Road 466A into a secondary east–west corridor. Buena Vista Boulevard and Morse Boulevard serve as significant north–south corridors.

The construction of four additional golf cart overpasses were finished between 2020 and 2023. The Chitty Chatty Bridge, crossing Florida State Road 44 near Rohan Recreation Center and Lake Deaton Plaza, opened to traffic in October 2020. A second overpass, the Brownwood Bridge, which crosses SR 44 near Brownwood Paddock Square, opened to traffic the following December. A third overpass, the Water Lily Bridge crossing Florida's Turnpike near Water Lily Recreation Center, opened in March 2021. The Southern Oaks Bridge, also crossing the Turnpike just south of the Okahumpka Service Plaza, opened in August 2023.

Transport: Public Sumter County Transit operates The Villages shuttle. They provide various weekday loops through the Villages.

The Villages developers operate a trolley-style bus tour of the community from the sales and information centre at The Market Square in Lake Sumter Landing.

Until 2004, when the train was shortened to Savannah, Georgia, Amtrak's Palmetto (then on a New York–Tampa itinerary) served adjacent Wildwood. Amtrak's Amtrak Thruway bus service stops in The Villages. The bus travels from Jacksonville to Dade City and is timed to meet arrivals and departures of the Silver Star train in Jacksonville.

Autonomous vehicles In early 2018, The Villages was chosen for a pilot program offering autonomous taxis in the area of Lake Sumter Landing. In the early stages of the program, the vehicle will have a safety driver in the driver's seat, and later, the driver will be removed, and the automobile will be monitored from a control station. The technology-rich Ford Fusion Hybrid and Chrysler Pacifica minivan taxis will be operated by Voyage Auto, a startup company from San Jose, California. The Villages has a 0.5 percent stake in Voyage Auto.

The Villages became one of the first cities in the United States to offer paid taxi services using autonomous vehicles throughout the community.