[jcvdd1]

Only a few weeks away from moving to The Villages and both my wife and I are very excited to start our new life.

One question and please don't get me wrong, I mean no disrespect--

Where are all the Hispanics living within The Villages?
Do they lived in a special section of The Villages that I haven’t seen? Florida has a population of more than 24 % Hispanics.
I’m a proud American with a Hispanic background, but other than the laborers that work within The Villages, I haven’t seen many Hispanic citizens living within The Villages.

[dewilson58]

The Villages is not Florida............in many ways.


It's a bubble.



I think there are stats out there just for TV.

[dewilson58]

Old Info, but it's info:


As of the census estimate of July 1, 2016, there were 123,966 people and 49,362 households residing in the CDP (Sumter County). The population per square mile in 2010 was 170.8. There were 68,199 housing units as of 2010. The racial makeup of The Villages CDP was 98.3% White, 0.3% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, and 0.3% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race made up 1.8% of the population.[24]
As of 2016, persons under 5 years accounted 2% of the population, persons under 18 years accounted for 7.1%, persons 65 years and over accounted for 56.3%, and 50% of the population was female.[24] Median household income between in 2017 was $54,562.[9][24]
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.[25]

[jcvdd1]

Originally Posted by dewilson58

The Villages is not Florida............in many ways.


It's a bubble.



I think there are stats out there just for TV.

Thanks for your reply-
Very True as The Villages are not representative of Florida, which in a strange way makes this area so appealing but after several visits and spending countless hours in the public areas of The Villages, this place really lacks a representation of Hispanics and for that matter, nor African Americans and all other minorities.

[redwitch]

I’m know there’s an Hispanic club and it’s pretty active. Ditto other “minority” clubs. No question TV is predominantly white, but minorities are here and are welcomed by the majority.

[Madelaine Amee]

Originally Posted by jcvdd1

Only a few weeks away from moving to The Villages and both my wife and I are very excited to start our new life.

One question and please don't get me wrong, I mean no disrespect--

Where are all the Hispanics living within The Villages?
Do they lived in a special section of The Villages that I haven’t seen? Florida has a population of more than 24 % Hispanics.
I’m a proud American with a Hispanic background, but other than the laborers that work within The Villages, I haven’t seen many Hispanic citizens living within The Villages.

From my perspective, I don't think the vast majority of Villagers go around looking for people who are different from us. We are a huge group of people living out our lives in this amazing place and all are welcome. I have met many people from different areas of the country and the world, and the last thing I think about is what their ethnicity is, I am more inclined to notice whether someone is rude or obnoxious than what they may look like or where they came from.

[perrjojo]

It’s true that TV is predominantly white but all are welcome. I can’t tell you why, it’s just the way it is. Come join us and help change the statistics . :-)

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by jcvdd1

Thanks for your reply-
Very True as The Villages are not representative of Florida, which in a strange way makes this area so appealing but after several visits and spending countless hours in the public areas of The Villages, this place really lacks a representation of Hispanics and for that matter, nor African Americans and all other minorities.

Most of us don't care about all that. What we have in common is that we have lived at least five decades on this earth. We are usually by then, wise and kind and accepting and look for commonalities between us. I hope you don't have age bias, because some of us do. Welcome home.

[dewilson58]

I golf with a New Yorker twice per week...........So you know I can get along with anyone.

[luperona9]

Hola!

Warning.... The village residents are SO friendly some people are initially suspicious.

After a while you will be waving and saying hello to everyone too.

The Spanish club is great.

Welcome.

Mensaje para mas informacion.

[Goldwingnut]

Moving to The Villages is a choice of the individual that in many ways is influenced by cultural practices and norms as well as economics. In this I mean that many cultural and ethnic groups place a higher value and priority on maintaining closer ties to friends and family than others. Influencing this is the economics of maintaining the desired level of connectivity.

There is also the continued propensity toward multi-culturalism both abroad and in the US, where as ethnic groups will keep to themselves and not intermix with indigenous culture of the area. The Villages does not have such enclaves which may be a deterring factor for some considering a move here.

If there is a group that does show a higher than normal concentration here in The Villages it's Military Veterans at about 20% or nearly quadruple the national norm for any area. Falling into this category myself, I can tell you that moving here was an easy decision as we had "shallow roots" due to spending many years moving. Adding to this is the lack of stigma of not being a "local" that permeates many communities. As a the product of a military family childhood and then 20 year Navy career I have very shallow roots and finding a community where everyone is new to the area and equal, has made fitting in very easy and comforting.

It would be socially irresponsible to ignore history and the economic of our society. Yes there have been injustices in the past that have lead to some, but not all, of economic differences in given ethnic groups that makes moving to The Villages an unattainable goal. Based on my life experiences with people of many cultural and ethnic backgrounds, it is my belief that the current limitations many feel are imposed on them are self-initiated and self-limiting. Those that have chosen to overcome these self or culturally imposed limitations are generally very successful people leading fulfilling lives and not the lives of victims and being owed something.

I have many friends here in The Villages that are of every race, ethnic, economic, educational, and political backgrounds and beliefs. I make no efforts to divide or classify them based on any of these differences, they are all friends and fellow retires that have chosen to be here.

If someone chooses to move here because they are white, Hispanic, African-american, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Democrat, Republican, or some other divider then they are moving here for the wrong reasons and will not likely fit in or be comfortable here. If they choose to move here to enjoy the retirement they worked hard for all their lives, meet new friends, and have new experiences then I hope they are blessed with many happy years of living here.

[Kerry Azz]

There are plenty of Hispanics here in the villages we don’t care what color or nationality you are. Just have fun and be a good neighbor. Living here is great you’ll love it.

[Velvet]

When I came to the United States I was not surprised to find there were a lot of Americans here. Just sayin’ Most of the Villagers are older people and they represent the demographics that used to be long ago, and not now.

[EdFNJ]

I have a feeling this thread will be short lived but "in before the lock" as they say with the one observation that was very obvious to us when we first spent a rental month down here was that "this place has virtually everything going for it except for diversity." Being from the NJ/NY area my entire life it took some getting used to. We also observed it had lot's of veterans which was nice to see as my father was one of the "greatest generation" (we brought him down here just before he passed and he loved that) and way too many dogs but very little diversity. Despite that we made it our "final resting place" because you just can't beat the lifestyle down here.

[Ecuadog]

Originally Posted by jcvdd1

...
Where are all the Hispanics living within The Villages?
...

I sleep with one every night.