Originally this was a gated community. However the streets, with a few exceptions, are county owned and maintained. therefore the county said they must be accessible to all as they are maintained by taxpayers' money. The county agreed to letting the gates stay as long as there were provisions for general accessibility. The addition of the "little red button" satisfied them.
It would have been foolhardy to do away with the gates. As someone has pointed out, it would have created dangerous crossings for golf carts and golf carts are a big factor here.
Are they a deterrent to criminal activity? Probably not but some might argue otherwise. In fact, some studies have shown little or no difference in crime in gated communities and non gated. Crime generally follows money and gated communities are perceived as wealthy communities.
If they belong to the county how come we maintain the roadsides? Because we want them to be attractive. I believe the county credits The Villages the amount the county would normally spend on roadside maintenance.
I have lived here going on ten years and I don't ever remember The Villages claiming to be a gated community. However, I can understand why some might think otherwise. After all, some gates are manned and most have gatehouses. A prospective buyer might draw the wrong conclusion and be upset after the purchase and finding we are not a real gated community.
I think The Villages is a safe community. Not because of gates but because of the people who live here. We are a pretty decent bunch and we look out for each other.
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