The Villages, Florida

The Villages is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sumter and Marion counties in the U.S. state of Florida. It shares its name with a broader master-planned, age-restricted community that spreads into portions of Lake County. The overall development lies in central Florida, approximately 20 mi south of Ocala and approximately 45 mi northwest of Orlando. As of the 2020 census, the population of the CDP was 79,077.

The Villages covers an area of approximately 32 mi2, and is expanding mainly to the south of the current community. It 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. H. Gary Morse, the original owner's son, transferred most direct ownership in the company to his three children in 2006.

The community is the center of The Villages metropolitan area, which consists of all of Sumter County and is included in the Orlando–Lakeland–Deltona combined statistical area; and Marion County is included in the Ocala, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to May 2023 Census Bureau data, between July 1, 2021, and July 1, 2022, The Villages metro area grew by 7.5% or 10,103 people to 144,970 residents. The area was the fastest-growing metropolitan statistical area in the United States.

History
Harold Schwartz, a Michigan businessman, began selling land tracts via mail order in The Villages area in the 1960s. He and his business partner, Al Tarrson, were forced to close this aspect of the business following the implementation of a 1968 federal law banning real estate sales by mail order.

Stuck with considerable portions of Florida land, in the early 1970s, Schwartz and Tarrson began the development of a mobile home park, Orange Blossom Gardens, in the northwestern corner of Lake County. By the early 1980s, the community had sold only 400 units. Schwartz bought out Tarrson's interest in improving the business and brought his son, H. Gary Morse, on board in 1983.

Morse noted that the thriving retirement communities (such as Del Webb's Sun City developments) offered numerous well-maintained amenities to the residents. They also had diverse and nearby commercial development. Morse began to upgrade the development significantly. Their sales improved in the mid-1980s. Schwartz began to buy large tracts of land in nearby Sumter and Marion counties for future expansion. In 1992, Morse officially changed the overall development name to The Villages. The development is still controlled in all significant aspects by descendants of Schwartz and Morse.

By the early 1990s, The Villages had over 8,000 residents and three golf courses. The first Winn✓Dixie supermarket opened, and just four restaurants and nightly dances were held in a tent.

In 2008, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) notified the Village Center CDD of its intent to audit several recreational bonds issued in 2003 to determine compliance with tax regulations (mainly due to their status as municipal bonds which are exempt from federal income tax). In 2013, the IRS ruled that $426 million in bonds were not tax-free since the bureaucracy running The Villages could not be considered a real government. The Villages' residents bore approximately $750,000.00 in legal fees defending against the IRS audit.

Expansion
In January 2017, the Holding Company of the Villages announced the purchase of 8,000 acres of land south of Florida State Road 44 in and around the villages of Southern Oaks and Fenney. In the spring of 2017, The Villages announced a planned acquisition of 2,600 acres north and south of County Road 470 along the east side of Florida's Turnpike for future development. The deal has passed due diligence by the Leesburg City Commission. Zoning ordinance changes were approved by the Leesburg Planning Commission (with the city commission giving final approval). The initial plans call for the building of approximately 4,500 homes with some commercial development also being planned.

According to data from RCLCO Real Estate, the Holding Company of the Villages sold 2,231 homes in 2017, a 13% increase over 2016. The Villages was the top-selling master-planned community in the United States in 2017 and one of only four communities to sell more than 1,000 homes.

The Villages also claimed the title of the best-selling master-planned community of the decade, with 24,440 new home sales from 2010 through 2019.

In January 2024, RCLCO Real Estate Advisors named The Villages the top-selling planned community for the eleventh consecutive year, with 3,029 new homes sold in 2023, a decrease of 23 percent over 2022.

Structure
A declaration of restrictions has been created for each neighborhood, which regulates the design and operational aspects, such as landscaping, repairs and maintenance, placement of satellite dishes, hedges, etc. An architectural review committee controls the composition and consistency of the exterior of the residential properties within The Villages. The committee, which consists of Villages residents, reviews and approves alterations and modifications to the properties and homes built by the developer. Committee members serve for three years and are selected by the sitting committee.

To qualify for an exception to the Housing for Older Persons Act prohibitions against discrimination, at least 80 percent of the homes within The Villages must have at least one person 55 years of age or older residing in the home. Persons under the age of 19 years are not permitted to reside within The Villages unless an exemption is granted. Three subdivisions have been designated as family units, and are not subject to this restriction. Otherwise, persons under 19 (such as grandchildren) can visit for up to 30 days within a calendar year.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, as of 2022, the CDP has a total area of 34.0 sqmi, of which 32.7 sqmi are land and 1.3 sqmi, or 3.83%, are water. The Villages is located approximately 55 mi northwest of Orlando and 80 mi northeast of Tampa. It is bordered to the west and south by the city of Wildwood in Sumter County and to the east by the town of Lady Lake and city of Fruitland Park in Lake County.

As of 2018, The Villages has approximately 750 mi of mostly private roads.

According to The Villages website, north of Florida State Road 44, there is approximately 37 sqmi of land. From SR 44 to CR 470 there is approximately 20 sqmi of land. Currently under development and/or complete, there is a combined total land area of approximately 57 sqmi, or over 36,000 acres of land.

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
According to the data from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, women purchased 468 homes while men bought 406; this means approved mortgages for women as a percentage of approved mortgages for men was 115%, making The Villages the highest rate of the 400 metropolitan areas in the United States.

According to a November 2021 article on Realtor.com, the average down payment on a home in The Villages is 27.1 percent, which is the highest in the U.S., and the median home list price is $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
As of 2016, The Villages built 5.7 million square feet of commercial business space. Major businesses include restaurants, retail geared toward older Americans, and healthcare providers. The average commercial occupancy rate in The Villages is approximately 97 percent.

Commercial areas in The Villages include town centers, regional shopping centers, and neighborhood retail plazas. The main business areas are the 500,000-square-foot town centers that feature a mixture of retailers, restaurants, entertainment, and service providers. The Villages has a total of 18 grocery stores including nine Publix supermarkets, three Winn✓Dixie locations, The Fresh Market, Sprouts Farmers Market, Target, two Walmart Supercenters, and a Walmart Neighborhood Market. Citizens First Bank, a community bank headquartered in The Villages, has 12 locations throughout the community.

In the ten years from 2007 to 2017, The Villages Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) was the 9th fastest growing area in the United States, with the GDP growing 51.4% to $2.1 billion. According to state and federal jobs data, between 2010 and 2018 The Villages metropolitan statistical area added 13,893 jobs.

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 centers, 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
As of 2018, The Villages offers over 2,700 social clubs, including dance clubs, genealogy clubs, singles clubs, sports clubs, a Beatlemaniacs club, and gardening clubs.

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%. , 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 33 (represented by Republican Brett Hage).

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. , 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. The current district setup is as follows:

The remaining four CDDs are:
 * Village Center Community Development District (VCCDD)—Located in Lake, Marion, and Sumter counties, VCCDD provides residents with water and sewer utility services, recreation, security, fire protection, and paramedic services. The cost of operations is funded by amenity and utility fees that residents pay monthly. VCCDD also maintains common areas and roadways for commercial areas within its boundaries. Maintenance costs in commercial areas are funded through commercial maintenance assessments.
 * Sumter Landing Community Development District (SLCDD) – located in Sumter County, SLCDD provides recreation and security services to the residents. The cost of operations is funded by amenity fees that residents pay monthly. This CDD also provides for maintaining common areas and roadways for commercial areas within its boundaries. Maintenance costs in commercial areas are funded through commercial maintenance assessments.
 * Brownwood Community Development District (BCDD) – located in Sumter County and provides for the maintenance of common areas and roadways for the 239 acre of commercial areas within its boundaries.
 * North Sumter County Utility Dependent District (NSCUDD) – provides water, reclaimed water, and wastewater services to residents of The Villages who are north of county route 466A and south of county route 466. The NSCUDD also provides municipal solid waste disposal for the portions of Sumter County, Marion County, and the City of Fruitland Park, which is inside the boundaries of The Villages.

Unlike the residential CDDs, there are no residents within the CDD boundaries. Thus, each district's five-member Board of Supervisors is composed of the developer's employees or affiliates.

Ownership associations
There are also two homeowners associations in The Villages: The Property Owners Association (POA) and The Villages Homeowners Association (VHA).

Politics
The Villages has been a popular election stop and platform for Republican political figures, such as former vice president Dick Cheney, former presidential and vice presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, 2016 GOP presidential primary candidates Marco Rubio and Ben Carson, former presidential candidate Rick Santorum, and talk show hosts/authors Glenn Beck and Brian Kilmeade. In the lead-up to the 2016 presidential election, GOP vice presidential nominee Mike Pence visited to campaign for his running mate, Donald Trump.

Presidential and vice presidential visits
In October 2004, George W. Bush became the first president to visit The Villages with a rally in the new Lake Sumter Landing Market Square with approximately 20,000 supporters. The visit was less than two weeks before the 2004 United States presidential election while Bush sought to be elected to a second term.

A White House official announced that President Trump would be visiting the Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center on August 6, 2019, to speak about Medicare at an invitation-only event. Due to the separate mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and in Dayton, Ohio, Trump postponed the visit.

On October 4, 2019, Trump touched down at Ocala International Airport aboard Air Force One. He briefly greeted officials and supporters before boarding Marine One and flying to The Villages Polo Club. From there, Trump traveled via motorcade to the Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center where he delivered an hour-long speech about expanding Medicare eligibility to an invitation-only audience of roughly 1,000 supporters. A live video feed of the event was broadcast to crowds in Spanish Springs Town Square. Trump was the second sitting president to visit The Villages. During his visit to The Villages, Trump said, "I'm thrilled to be here, one of the most famous and thriving communities anywhere in Florida, and really anywhere in the world as far as I'm concerned." At the close of the event, Trump signed an executive order to expand private insurance options for seniors under Medicare.

On October 10, 2020, Vice President Mike Pence spoke before a crowd of approximately 1,100 supporters in Brownwood Paddock Square. Topics covered by Pence included support for veterans, the economy and job creation, the administration's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and NASA funding.

On October 23, 2020, Trump visited The Villages, appearing with Governor Ron DeSantis and former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi. After arriving by helicopter on Marine One, he appeared before approximately 10,000 supporters in a field behind The Villages Polo Club. During the speech, Trump said he loved The Villages and joked about moving to the community. Trump became the first sitting U.S. president to visit The Villages twice.

Primary and secondary 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.

Enrichment Academy
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.

Local media
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.

Highways
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 center in that area. On December 10, 2013, The Villages of Lake-Sumter Inc. agreed to an $8&nbsp 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 on 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 on March 2021. The Southern Oaks Bridge, also crossing the Turnpike just south of the Okahumpka Service Plaza, opened on August 2023.

Public transportation
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 center 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.

Notable people
• Megan Boone, American actress

• Nancy Lopez, American retired professional golfer

• Ray Knight, American former Major League Baseball player

• Tre Mann, professional basketball player

• Bob Stinson, former American baseball player

Criticism
The effort to present a "fanciful past" for The Villages through fictionalized plaques and building details demonstrates "the role that history plays in retirement migration." Critics have negatively compared this presentation to the approach of Disney theme parks, claiming that the plaques generally do not address ethnic minorities or conflict. Amanda Brian argued in her book, "The Villages' 'history' whitewashes Florida's past and celebrates a straightforward tale of economic growth."

In popular culture

 * Stand-up comedian Kathleen Madigan has performed a routine whose subject is The Villages
 * Some Kind of Heaven, a 2020 documentary about The Villages
 * The Bubble, a 2021 documentary by Austrian director Valerie Blankenbyl