Photo by Cristina Anne Costello on Unsplash
Journalists and comedians have been taking potshots at The Villages in central Florida for many years. The world’s largest Retirement community is an easy target to lampoon, starting with the golf carts in every driveway and a reputation as “Disneyland for seniors.” Then there was the rumor (later proved false) that the community was rife with sexually transmitted diseases.
But this week I am ready to give The Villages a second look after reading two different insider accounts of life there, both written by observers much younger than the target 55 and older population. Galit Nimrod, an Israeli gerontologist and professor, has written a book called Seniorland: Aging in a Retirement Metropolis, after embedding herself in The Villages for two months. Bryan Kelly, a 47-year-old consultant who purchased a home in a multi-generational neighborhood, shares his observations in his online publication Age-Proof Design.
Both see something at The Villages that the pundits missed: a successful planned development designed for longer lives.
At 57 square miles sprawled across three Florida counties, The Villages is home to more than 150,000 residents who purchase ranch-style homes (priced from $300,000 to $1 million) in one of 10 floor plans. The homes are arranged in distinct neighborhoods, connected by more than 100 miles of golf-cart-legal streets and trails. Across the development there are more than 100 outdoor pools, 41 executive golf courses (and 14 championship courses), 35 recreation centers, and more than 100 Pickleball courts. Each of the three town centers features live music each night – until 9 p.m.
Nimrod, who wanted to study the sociological aspects of living in a city of retirees, was surprised to find curiosity and adventurousness below the surface of endless leisure. “It’s not just that there are so many golf courses, recreation centers and activities,” she told an interviewer, “but that people there try new things all the time.” She was surprised by “how many residents want to keep contributing to society. The rate of people who volunteer at The Villages is unbelievable.” Residents have organized more than 3,000 clubs, for interests that include astronomy, birdwatching, classic cars, clowning, and scuba diving.
The big surprise for Kelly was finding that members of the track & field club included “men and women in their 60s, 70s, even 80s, training as elite athletes. Not just for fitness – but to compete.” The stereotypes about The Villages – indeed, about retirement generally – don’t tell the whole story. “Most of the people I’ve met here aren’t just looking to pass the time,” he writes. “They’re building something new with intention. They’re focused on community, purpose, and contribution. Not just leisure. They’re not in decline. They’re in transition.”
What often gets overlooked about The Villages is the degree to which this master-planned development succeeds in creating an environment of, for, and by older adults.
“The Villages reveals something we’re missing at a national scale: We have no real map for what life after 50 looks like,” Kelly writes.
“There’s something powerful about the sheer intentionality of it all,” he adds. “This is a place built around older adults, full stop. And in a society that often ignores or isolates its aging population, that’s rare. This place is optimized for a life stage most of society doesn’t plan for.”
“In the future, we’ll have more and more older people who are healthy and want to enjoy life,” says Nimrod. “So, we are going to see cities like The Villages keep growing, although maybe not as big as this one. Maybe we will see more themed cities – new-age retirement communities, or Technology-oriented retirement communities.”
