3/5 J M. 7 months ago on Google
2023
Ratings-reviews
THE
VILLAGES
FL
The
Visitor:
A
Male
Senior
Citizen
For
the
month
of
August,
2023,
I
rented
a
home
in
“The
Villages”,
a
large
55+
community
in
central
FL.
I’m
a
single
male,
69
years
old,
and
was
traveling
solo.
Most
of
my
childhood
and
working
career
I
lived
in
Pennsylvania.
For
the
past
10
years
(partially
retired
years)
I
have
lived
in
the
Phoenix/Scottsdale
AZ
area.
(I
went
to
college
at
ASU
Tempe,
AZ).
This
trip
allowed
me
a
firsthand
opportunity
to
live
in
FL
(visited
many
times)
and
to
give
a
55+
community
lifestyle
a
“look
see”.
The
Villages:
A
55+
“City”
in
Central
Florida
“The
Villages”
likely
began
as
a
very
large
remote
ranching/agricultural
area
in
Central
Florida.
It's
about
35
miles
south
of
Ocala
and
about
45
west
of
Orlando.
Today,
its
developed
into
an
incorporated
CITY
of
approx.
110K
residents.
The
development
is
almost
entirely
dedicated
to
cater
to
age
55+
residents.
The
overall
look
and
atmosphere
of
the
huge
30
square
mile
town
is
one
of
a
very
picturesque
(plenty
of
mature
trees
and
foliage)
country
club
with
plenty
of
lakes
of
varying
sizes.
(Housing
on
one
side
of
the
road-golf
courses
and/or
pools
on
the
other).
There
are
two
parallel
“Village
Roads”
(Morse
&
Buena
Vista)
going
North/South
through
the
town
(utilizing
“circles”
vs
traffic
signals).
These
roads
intersect
with
(likely
pre-existing
but
updated-widened)
“County
Roads”.
The
“County
Roads”
are
the
only
roads
in
the
town
that
include
intersections
with
traffic
signals,
fast
food,
gas
stations,
hotels,
chain
restaurants,
convenience
stores,
banks,
limited
shopping
(no
large
shopping
malls),
and
health
care
facilities.
Given
that
the
entire
town
looks
like
one
massive
country
club
it
is
easy
to
get
lost
(which
I
did
several
times
by
car
and
cycling).
The
houses
all
look
similar
in
style
and
color
and
there
are
no
businesses
(gas
stations-convenience
stores)
to
serve
as
easily
remembered
landmarks.
Road
directional
signage
is
non-existent.
Being
close
to
Disney,
I
thought
some
Disney-like
creative,
attractive
directional
signs
(at
least
to
each
of
the
Town
Squares)
would
be
an
added
helpful
attraction
for
visitors
and
residents…but
none
exist
today.
Golf
Carts
are
found
throughout
the
entire
town
and
serve
as
a
major
source
of
transportation
both
on
and
off
the
golf
course;
most
residents
own
at
least
one.
Twelve
unique
districts
comprise
the
Villages,
with
4,000
homes
in
each.
Gated
communities
that
are
clean
and
safe
with
no
trash,
crime,
or
vandalism.
The
Villages
is
policed
by
local
and
county
law
enforcement.
Safety
and
security
measures,
such
as
gated
entries
and
community
watch,
make
it
a
safe
place
to
live
with
a
low
crime
rate.
Getting
into
most
gated
residential
housing
areas
requires
an
electronic
gate
pass.
Access
to
the
many
recreation
facilities
(centers,
pools,
courts,
golf
etc.)
requires
a
resident
pass
(Villages
employees
randomly
scan
the
pools/centers
and
request
attendees
to
produce
their
“pass”.
I
was
checked
almost
daily).
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