Is The Villages getting to big?
 

I do love living here in The Villages, but I want all Villagers to stop and think for a minute. The Villages currently has a population of approximately 140,000 people. Considering the amount of land The Villages still owns that has not been developed, by the time the future villages are developed our population will be well over 200,000 people. Remember, The Villages is not a gated community but a community with gates. On any given day at any time of the day anyone from outside the villages has full access to every road every street every business and all the town squares. If for some reason a person or persons with Less than honorable intentions approach a gate at 3 AM in one of our villages and you do not live in the villages you simply press the red button the gate goes up and you enter. The 20% of the villages that have gate attendants are not allowed to ask you what your businesses is and are not allowed to stop you from entering any village at any time of the day or night. Also keep in mind that many of our seniors who live here in the villages are allowing their grand children and children to live with them. Everything I mentioned above including a community future population with over 200,000 people is bound to see a significant increase in crime and traffic. Go to On Top of the World, Dell Web, Margaritaville, or Stone Crest. Try entering the property without authorization and see what happens. You will not only be stopped but you will be asked to leave. I’m just saying.

Yes, it has gotten to "big", to too big IMHO.

why does being "big" make us more susceptible to gate encroachment? If anything, I would think being close to the center of a large Villages would make me less likely to be the target of person with "less than honorable" intentions, than being in the center of a small "community with gates"...kind of like being the middle fish in a large school of fish rather than the middle fish in a small school.

I have another thought for those who worry that TV is getting too big. Imagine if the TV developers quit developing. What would stop another developer from buying up that land and developing it? Would we, in TV, be better with other developers doing their thing around the current confines, or would we be better off with TV growing bigger around us?
I feel strongly that with the TV developers track record of success, with their well demonstrated ability to change with the times and desires of new retirees, we are well served by their continued interest in developing TV.
Someone is going to do it, it would be best for us if the people who are good at it continue to do it, rather than someone else, who may screw it up.

I would really hate for someone with “less than honorable” intentions to try to make their way into our home.

Just sayin….

Okay, there are nearly 140,000 residents and what is the per capita crime rate? Will it go up when there are 200,000, I'm sure it will but most likely will be at the same percentage as it is currently. One thing you forgot to mention about the gates is that all entries are on cameras and criminals realize that many homeowners also have cameras and alarms as well as weapons. I feel completely safe here and will continue to do so.

when i was looking at houses in StoneCrest it was a major hassle to follow my Realtor thru the Guard shack .... after looking at a couple houses , i was approached by a Stone Crest resident who offered to sell me ID and a Villages Gate Entry Card for 60.00... so i know it happens , it happened to me! sometimes I question my decision to buy here in the Villages, but my neighbors here are the greatest!

Yes, TV has gotten way too big.

I went to Margaritaville but spent the whole time looking for my lost shaker of salt. Then I blew out my flip flop , stepped on a pop top, cut my heel and had to cruise on back home to The Villages

I don't see much difference between The Villages and Del Webb and Stonecrest. At Del Webb and Stonecrest, you just tell the gate guy that you are going to the restaurant, and you drive right in. I think Top of the World is the same way. Maybe they have different rules when the restaurants are closed, but I don't think the security is really better than The Villages.

The Villages is getting too big but not for the reasons you suggest. We have outgrown our hospital system with too little planned for the future population.

In those developments the roads are private here they are public. I would suggest you look into moving to one of those just saying.

You are free to move to any other community as you please.

I felt the same as you for the same reasons when TV hit 40000 people. Is this a case of now that I'm here let's lock the gates ?

I agree and would not want to live in any other community...
:coolsmiley:

No locks on the gates leaving TV. You can always move and then watch that community grow. Unless you become a hermit and move to the mountains or like place...

:ohdear::ohdear:

No place on earth I would rather be