World's Biggest Retirement Community: world record in The Villages, Florida

October 30, 2022

The Villages, Florida., United States--The Villages, also known as a “Disneyland for seniors”,a census-designated place (CDP) in Sumter County, Florida, United States, covers an area of approximately 32 square miles, an area larger than Manhattan; it is now home to more than 125,000 people, has more than 60,000 homes, and has plans for another 60,000 homes to be developed over the next 20 years; it sets the world record for being the World's Largest Retirement Community, according to the WORLD RECORD ACADEMY.

"What began as a humble mobile home park back in the 1970's has blossomed into the #1 selling retirement community in Florida, as well as the nation," the Florida for Boomers reports.

"The Villages is now home to more than 125,000 people, has more than 60,000 homes, and has plans for another 60,000 homes to be developed over the next 20 years. Prices for new homes start in the mid-$100k's and can go up to over $1 million depending on what floorplan, location, and options/features you choose.

"The Villages is home to the world's largest recreation department, has more golf courses than any other community in the world, is home to three town squares (with a fourth one just announced) where residents go to eat and shop and enjoy free nightly entertainment, and is home to roughly 100 restaurants."

World's Biggest Retirement Community

"The Villages is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sumter County, Florida, United States. It shares its name with a broader master-planned age-restricted community that spreads into portions of Lake and Marion counties. The overall development lies in central Florida, approximately 20 miles (32 km) south of Ocala and approximately 45 miles (72 km) northwest of Orlando.

"Between 2010 and 2020, The Villages was the fastest growing metropolitan area in the United States, growing 39 percent, from about 93,000 in 2010 to about 130,000 in 2020. The Villages covers an area of approximately 32 square miles, an area larger than Manhattan, and is expanding mostly to the south of the current community.

"The Villages is made up of 17 special purpose Community Development Districts (CDD), which are controlled by a board of supervisors (BoS), five individuals elected by the landowners of the district. H. Gary Morse, the son of the original owner, transferred most direct ownership in the company to his three children in 2006; Morse died in 2014.

"The community is the center of The Villages, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area, which consists of all of Sumter County; Lake County is included in the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area; and Marion County is included in the Ocala, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. (wikipedia)

"As of 2016, The Villages built 5.7 million square feet of commercial business space, with another 3.3 million square feet planned for the near future. Major businesses include restaurants, retail geared toward older Americans, and healthcare providers. The average commercial occupancy rate in The Villages is approximately 97 percent.

"Commercial areas in The Villages include town centers, regional shopping centers and neighborhood retail plazas. The main business areas are the 500,000-square-foot town centers that feature a mixture of retailers, restaurants, entertainment and service providers. The Villages has a total of 14 grocery stores including seven Publix, three Winn-Dixie locations, The Fresh Market, Target, Walmart Supercenter, and a Walmart Neighborhood Market. Citizens First Bank, a community bank headquartered in The Villages, has nine locations throughout the community.

"In the ten years from 2007 to 2017, The Villages metropolitan statistical area (MSA) was the 9th fastest growing area in the United States with the GDP growing 51.4% to $2.1 billion. According to state and federal jobs data, between 2010 and 2018 The Villages metropolitan statistical area added 13,893 jobs.

"In February 2019, WalletHub, compared the median credit scores of the residents in 2,571 cities and The Villages scored the highest in the United States with a credit score of 806. (wikipedia)

Testimonials from Trip Advisor

"Beautiful town square with lots of shops to check out , lots of restaurants to dine out in and outdoor. The boardwalk along is quite nice , they even have short boat rides around the lake , after 4pm for only $2 . In the Center of it all , there is live entertainment playing every night, with lots of chairs but you can bring your own as well. Entertainment starts at 5pm to9pm with dancing if you like and there is happy hour ( 5pm-6pm). Also to be noted , the area is very pet friendly.

"The recreational center shows more like a museum than anything else. It's clean and attractively decorated."

"Stayed at the lakeside inn. Beautiful room and weekly day price was excellent. Weekend price was pretty spendy. May be good for some.
Did enjoy the two days while we were there."