I have lived in The Villages for almost 2 years. I moved here from the NW mountain states leaving behind long, rough, winters. The Villages has much to offer but in the end it’s not for me. That being said one word can sum up the greatest advantage here: convenience. You can ride your golf cart to the supermarket, doctor, dentist, bank, shopping, dining, entertainment and more.

They say that it’s common for people to go into a home sales contract on their first visit. But that’s easy to understand. If you live out of state and have a limited amount of time to visit, The Villages holds all the cards. Their bus tour followed by a Villages realtor home tour, along with the multitudes of country clubs, rec centers, hobby clubs, 3 squares, can be a compelling experience for a short period of time. But after living here I really don’t care that there are 15 country clubs or 40+ pools within 5 miles of me. All I really care about is what is close to me. The Squares included.

With a population of over 150,000 retired residents, there is a massive service machine that has grown to meet the demands of people that no longer want to do yard work, home repairs, insect treatments, lawn treatments, and nearly everything else. The hundreds of yard crews (which the owner must find themselves) fly around like bumblebees to each house in each neighborhood (Village) mowing, edging, trimming, fixing, cleaning, and blowing. It can get noisy early in the mornings and since most homes are very close to each other even your neighbor’s crew can wake you at times. The Villages can be a VERY busy place.

The location in the state is very rural. Landlocked of course. The Villages border 3 small towns, Wildwood, Lady Lake, and Fruitland Park. It is somewhat close to the larger city/town of Leesburg. But the Villages based on its population and size takes the spotlight. There is very little local “culture” here besides what is driven or flown in. They do have concerts, shows, and festivals on their squares. But all of it might as well have been airdropped in. There is no indigenous city to go to to enjoy yourself or participate in any of their activities or festivals unless you drive 30-50 minutes away. Outside of the entertainment, shows etc, chain restaurants like Bob Evans, Golden Corral, & Red Lobster are the mainstays.

During “snowbird” season November-April the population grows by about 40%. It gets very crowded as golf vacationers come down and during that period many bring their sons and daughters and their kids down during many parts of that period to visit them as well. This results in large increases of traffic, wait lines for restaurants, driving accidents, even DUIs in golf carts, and just crowds for nearly everything can be tiresome. There can be some contention/resentment between the visiting seasonal “snowbirds” and the “frogs” (full-timers). As stated, it is a substantial population increase and subsequent demands on the available facilities.

In terms of homes if you like varieties of earth tones cast in siding and stucco you’ll like it here. Uniformity is key. But many homeowners have large disposable retirement incomes so outdoor projects from driveway designs, to edging creations, bird cages with swimming pools and much more drive the Jones to try and outdo one another. The Villages IS NOT a controlled entry gated community. The gates are primarily for traffic and flow control. Simply press a button and you’ll be let in. No questions asked.

In summary, there is much to do here. But as many have coined the term, it’s a “bubble” and many residents would have it no other way. If/when you come to visit don’t let the hoopla overwhelm you into a rash decision. Florida has numerous 55+ communities many that are closer to the coasts and larger cities. While 150,000 residents may sound appealing the “bubble” can get tiresome. Driving through traffic circles back and forth to get nearly everywhere amongst many elderly drivers can get old quick if you are planted by living there. There is a lot of like for sure but for me a lot to dislike also. The entire state of Florida is popular for retirees look around carefully. Bigger is not always better.