The Villages, Florida
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- For the Memorial Villages, see Bunker Hill Village, Hedwig Village, Hilshire Village, Hunters Creek Village, Piney Point Village, or Spring Valley Village
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| The Villages, Florida | |
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| Coordinates: | |
|---|---|
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Florida |
| County | Sumter |
| Area | |
| - Total | 5.6 sq mi (14.4 km²) |
| - Land | 5.2 sq mi (13.4 km²) |
| - Water | 0.4 sq mi (1 km²) |
| Elevation | 66 ft (20 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 8,333 |
| - Density | 1,488/sq mi (578.7/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| FIPS code | 12-71625[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1828956[2] |
The Villages is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sumter, Lake and Marion counties in Florida, United States. The population was 8,333 at the 2000 census. Most of the CDP consists of part of a large 55+ retirement community and Community Development District (CDD)[3] that includes parts of Lake and Marion counties, with some of the Lake County portion being under the jurisdiction of Lady Lake. It lies in central Florida, approximately 20 miles south of Ocala and approximately 45 miles northwest of Orlando. It is the center of The Villages Micropolitan Statistical Area (μSA), which consists of all of Sumter County.
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[edit] Geography
The Villages is located at (28.937803, -81.971220)[4].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 5.6 mi² (14.5 km²). 5.2 mi² (13.4 km²) of it is land and 0.4 mi² (1.0 mi²) of it (6.99%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 8,333 people, 4,392 households, and 3,583 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,605.5 people per square mile (619.9/km²²). There were 5,065 housing units at an average density of 975.9/mi (376.8/km²²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 98.42% White, 0.52% African American, 0.10% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.06% from other races, and 0.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.30% of the population.
There were 4,392 households out of which 0.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 80.1% were married couples living together, 1.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.4% were non-families. 15.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.89 and the average family size was 2.05.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 0.3% under the age of 18, 0.3% from 18 to 24, 1.5% from 25 to 44, 40.4% from 45 to 64, and 57.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 66 years. For every 100 females there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $42,542, and the median income for a family was $45,078. Males had a median income of $58,173 versus $26,176 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $28,343. About 2.8% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 2.8% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Community Development District
The Villages is developed and maintained using Florida's special purpose local government known as the Community Development District (CDD).[5] There are around 225 communities in Florida that are currently using this form of government.[5] In The Villages, there are two classes of CDDs. One class of CDD covers the areas where residents own homes. These CDDs provide and maintain the roads and transportation paths, storm water systems and structures, underground utilities, curb and gutter and street lights. The costs of building and maintaining this infrastructure are paid for by special assessments, a once-a-year charge which is included on the annual property tax bill. Residents elect the members of the Board of Supervisors for the District in which they reside. There are currently 8 districts.
The other class of CDD is the special central Community Development Districts: the Village Center Community Development District (VCCDD) and the Sumter Landing Community Development District (SLCDD). Recreation centers and executive golf courses are owned by these districts. Residents pay monthly amenities fees to these districts in exchange for the use of these facilities. Even though the recreation centers and the executive golf courses may be located in the CDD in which residents live, the facilities are owned by the special central CDDs, and not the residents. No residents live in these special CDDs, and in both of these CDDs the developer holds the majority of the votes. This means that the developer runs these special CDDs and the properties that they maintain.
After building the recreation centers and the executive golf courses, the developer transfers ownership of these facilities to the two special central CDDs at a price agreed upon by the developer and the developer-selected supervisors of the special CDDs.
A point of contention in The Villages is that the special CDDs pay the developer an inflated value for the recreation centers and the executive golf courses. Approximately 60% of the monthly amenity fees paid by the residents are used to fulfill the bond obligations issued by the two special central CDDs to pay the developer for these facilities. The argument in favor of this procedure is that the developer pays for, builds and completely finishes these facilities before the houses in an area constructed. This allows residents to begin using the recreation areas the day they move into their new neighborhood, unlike many other developments in the state that build homes first and then recreation centers (sometimes years) afterwards.
[edit] Amenities
The Villages is a golf cart community, with special transportation trails built for golf carts. The development includes more than forty recreation centers, over twenty executive golf courses, eight championship golf courses with country clubs, a golf academy, a polo field, three fitness centers, a woodworking shop and community garden, an archery range, and two libraries. Several charter schools, encompassing grades K-12 serve the area. These schools are funded by the builder and are for the children of employees of The Villages and the surrounding area.
A golf cart overpass was built across US 27/US 441 in the center of The Villages to connect the original neighborhood to new areas because a tunnel could not be constructed to provide safe passage across this major highway. Tunnels serve this purpose throughout the rest of the community where a highway must be crossed.
There are two homeowners associations in The Villages. The Property Owners Association (POA) and The Villages Homeowners Association (VHA). Both are voluntary organizations that work to inform and serve the residents. There are no mandatory dues for any homeowner.
The Villages has a daily newspaper, The Villages Daily Sun, a radio station (WVLG - AM 640) and a cable channel (VNN - The Villages News Network). These media properties are owned and operated by The Villages.
[edit] History
The Villages started the process of development 40 years ago.[6] Over time, a Declaration of Restrictions has been created for each individual neighborhood, which regulates such things as landscaping, repairs and maintenance, placement of satellite dishes, hedges, etc. All homes must be occupied by at least one person who is 55 years of age or older. Persons under the age of 19 years may visit for a maximum of 30 days per year. An Architectural Review Committee was founded in 1994 in order to control the composition and consistency of the exterior of the residential properties within The Villages. The committee, which consists of Villages residents, is responsible for the approvals of alterations and modifications to the properties and homes built by the developer. Committee members serve for three years and are selected by the sitting committee.[7]
[edit] Recent events
It was reported in 2006 that The Villages had experienced several outbreaks of sexually transmitted diseases amongst seniors normally associated with younger people.[8]
The Villages was featured extensively in the news after a resident was killed in her home during a hold-up in July, 2006, the first-ever murder in the retirement community.[9] According to the Orlando Sentinel, the 62-year-old victim was shot in the head and chest, and ordered to a computer to make online credit card purchases while bleeding from her gunshot wounds.[9]
A tornado struck The Villages in February, 2007. Thirteen people in the town of Paisley and six more in Lady Lake (none in The Villages) lost their lives in the storm. Within Lake County, one of the three counties that make up The Villages, a total of 21 fatalities occurred[10] and hundreds of homes were damaged.[11]
[edit] References
- ^ a b American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ For information about Florida's Uniform Community Development District see: Chapter 190: Community Development Districts. The 2007 Florida Statutes. The Florida Senate, State of Florida.
- ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ a b Your Community District. The Village Center. Retrieved 4 November 2007.
- ^ Deed Restrictions and Covenants. Village Center. Retrieved 4 November 2007.
- ^ Architectural Review. Village Center. Retrieved 4 November 2007.
- ^ Doctors In Retirement Community Seeing Increase In STDs
- ^ a b Hudak, Stephen. Trial begins in killing of Villages woman. Orlando Sentinel, 28 October 2007. Retrieved 4 November 2007.
- ^ The Groundhog Day Tornado Outbreak February 2, 2007. National Weather Service, Melbourne Weather Forecast Office, 17 February 2007. Retrieved 4 November 2007.
- ^ Mitchell, Bill, George Horsford and Katie Derksen. Tornado photos. The Villages Daily Sun, 2 February 2007. Retrieved 4 November 2007.
[edit] External links
- The Villages Portal - Residents' Portal Site
- The Villages Daily Sun - Local Newspaper
- Villages News Network - Local Cable Channel
- AM 640 WVLG - Local Radio Station
- The Property Owners' Association of The Villages
- Villages CDD The Villages Special Purpose Government
- The Villages Life Style Exposed - Non commercial site owned and operated by two residents
- The Villages Voice - The Villages Homeowners Association
- The Villages Regional Medical Center
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