[LoveFL]

My husband and I spent over a year looking at communities all over Florida...not just active adult communities. We did not visit Valencia Lakes, but are familiar with other GL Homes communities. They do a first-class job on home design and construction, neighborhood planning and luxurious amenities.

We did the weekend stay at The Villages. Did not care for their home designs or construction, or the layout of all those individual little gated communities. In the downtown areas, we felt as though we were in a big city or in a shopping mall. They do have many stores and restaurants, all open to the public...filled with people from all over, not just residents. I can understand how golfers would love the variety of golf offered there, but my husband are not golfers, so that was not appealing to us. The Villages just didn't have a community feel to it.

We fell in love with Solivita from the first drive through the Mediterranean village center...from the architecture of the European-style homes to the thoughtfully-planned neighborhoods. We kept coming back to visit until we eventually purchased a home here a decade ago. There are five to twenty-five activities every single day...over and above the education classes, art classes, special interest clubs, sports activities and community service projects...and the fitness centers and their classes mentioned by the other lady who posted...all are included in our HOA fees. Cannot imagine anyone getting bored here!

As far as the resturants go, we can drive to some of the finest restaurants in the country in less time than it takes to wait for a table in one of the restaurants in The Villages!

We love the community feeling living in Solivita. We have made some of the best friends of our lives here. There have been only 3,500 homes sold so far and I think there will be 6,000 total when completed. As far as the location, it does have more of a rural feel. However, we have had a wonderful time exploring all this area has to offer. Every weekend, we ride our recumbent trikes with friends on dozens of fantastic bike trails within an hour's drive. We love being right in the middle of the state with beaches 1.5 hours going east or west. The theme parks are 20 minutes away for visiting family and friends.

Different communities to suit every taste...another great thing about living in our magnificent nation is there are so many fantastic places from which we may choose to live!

[Mephisto]

OK, so Solivita has gang activity outside the gates (unconfirmed), and TV has the over-55 record for STD's (confirmed)! Solivita is 30 minutes from Disney. TV is 30 minutes from the other end of TV. Each has good points and bad points. We have looked at both and prefer the climate in Solivita (it is below the 'freeze' line.) Bottom line is if you are a positive person, you'll find something to like and enjoy no matter where you are, and if you are negative, well... you get the picture.

[swimdawg]

We can go back and forth...but the facts are the facts. Read and enjoy!

Interesting Facts about The Villages FL

The Villages is an amazing active adult community located just North of Orlando in Central Florida. * We originally compiled our list last year and it was such a success that we have updated it with new information for 2012.**I am sure there are plenty of additional facts that can be added to the list and we certainly invite you to add your comments with additional interesting information. *We hope you enjoy this information as much as we enjoyed learning about them and creating the list!

1)The Villages FL population passed 86,000 in 2011 with the total population projected to be 110,000 by 2015
*
2)At least 80% of homes must be occupied by at least one person who is 55 years of age or older
*
3)Persons under the age of 19 years are not permitted to reside within The Villages but may visit for a maximum of 30 days per year unless an exemption is granted
*
4)Three Villages subdivisions are designated as “family units” and are not subject to the under-19 restriction.
*
5)2011 was the worst year for new home sales in the nation (302,000) over the last 50 years, and The Villages sold almost 1% of all the new homes in the entire country.*
*
6)One real estate journal reported that The Villages sold about 2.5 times more homes than the second largest development in the United States in 2011.*
*
7)Forbes Magazine named The Villages FL as the fastest growing town (under 100,000) in the United States from 2007 to 2010, about 25% more than second fastest Pecos, Texas, and far ahead of the rest in the top 25 fastest.*
*
8)There are about 43,950 homes occupied in The Villages as of January 1st *2012. The current projected total number of home sites available at build out is 56,268.
*
9)New home sales in The Villages Fl continue to average approximately 200-250 per month
*
10)Pre-owned home sales in The Villages are currently averaging 100 per month*
*
11)When The Villages opened up home sales South of CR 466A – 55 homes sold in 1st eight days
*
12)Villages range in size from 100 homes to 1550 homes*
*
13)The Village of Duval is the largest with 1550 homes
*14)As of the 1st quarter of 2012 three Villages South of CR 466A were already occupied
15)The Villages property area covers over 32 square miles
*
16)There are over 90 miles of golf cart paths
*
17)The Villages occupies parts of 3 counties in Florida (Lake, Sumter & Marion)
*
18)The population of the Villages grows by approximately 4,500 annually
*
19)Currently there are 2 town squares (Lake Sumter Landing & Spanish Springs) with the 3rd town square under construction (Brownwood). * The first phase of Brownwood should be completed by Fall of this year.*
*
20)There are 10 commercial areas (Lake Sumter Landing, Spanish Springs, La Plaza Grande, Buffalo Ridge, Colony Plaza, Southern Trace, Spanish Plaines, Mulberry Grove, Brownwood Paddock Square (Coming Soon – 2012), Antrim Dells (will be next to Brownwood Square and will be a 500,000 sq ft power center)
*
21)Commercial property at the Villages FL averages a 97% occupancy rate
*
22)The Villages is planned to be home to 2.7 million square feet of commercial buildings and retail tenants.
*
23)Approximately 150,000 people travel through the The Villages each day along it’s busiest corridor US441/27
*
24)98% of Villagers recommend The Villages to their friends & family
*
25)There are over 1900 organized clubs in The Villages
*
26)As of May 2012 there are two new Village Recreation Centers (Captiva and Bradenton) and five Neighborhood Recreation Centers (Pinellas, Gilchrist, Fernandina, Charlotte and Sanchez), bringing the total number of recreation centers in The Villages to 63.
*
27)There are eight new villages south of CR466A (Pinellas, Pinellas at Cedar Grove, Pinellas at Evans Prairie, Gilchrist, Fernandina Fernandina at MacClenny, Sanibel and Charlotte) bringing to total number of villages in The Villages FL to 78.
*
28)The Villages has more holes of golf than any other community (facility) in the world with 504 and adding another 36 within a year (Mission Hills in China is second with 216 holes).
*
29)At build out there will be 621 holes of golf in The Villages Fl
*
30)South of CR466A there are two new country clubs (Bonifay and Evans Prairie) and one new executive golf course (Palmetto) totaling 11 country clubs and 30 executive course. *
*
31)By final build out The Villages will operate 12 country-club championship courses*
*
32)Cane Gardens’ Allamanda/Jacaranda (3606/3583 yards) from the back tees is nine yards longer than Palmer Legends’ Cherry Hill/Laurel Valley(3541/3639 yards)
*
33)There are about 10,000 tee times available each day in The Villages
*
34)In 2011 a total of 55,663 Villagers played one or more rounds of golf for a total of 2,546,611 rounds of golf. *The approximate miles driven in golf carts for this many rounds of golf on The Villages golf courses total 6,330,365 miles. *That’s a distance equivalent to driving around the world at the Equator 254 times.
*
35)717,271 rounds of golf were played on the Championship courses in The Villages*
*
36)1,829,340 rounds of golf were played on the Executive Golf Courses in The Villages.
*
37)There were 1832 holes in one recorded in The Villages in 2011 (compared to 1630 in 2010). *That’s 5 holes in one recorded every day of the year in 2011.
*
38)316 Villagers shot their age or better in 2011 a total of 1,500 times. *
*
39)John Irelan of the Village of Alhambra again carded the most age breaking rounds at 89 times.
*
40)There were 2 double eagle recorded in 2011. *In 2010 there was only one double eagle.
*
41)Statistically, there were 5,810,493 golf balls lost in The Villages last year.
*
42)Villages Fl “Tee-to-green” totals 84 miles of golf – a distance that extends from the Gulf of Mexico on the west coast of Florida, in a straight line through The Villages, and beyond the east coast into the Atlantic Ocean.
*
43)About one-third of Villages residents are regular golfers
*
44)Playing 36 holes per day, a Villager could play 14 straight days of golf in The Villages without repeating a hole.
*
45)Golf cars are the vehicle of choice in The Villages
*
46)There are over 50,000 golf carts in The Villages
*
47)The Villages Golf Cars has three showrooms in The Villages and they combine to sell more Yamaha’s than any other dealer in the United States.
*
48)Currently Villages Golf Cars sales of gas powered golf cars is approximately 90% of total sales. The increase in gas powered golf cars is attributed to the new fuel injection systems along with the high range of about 250 miles per tank. *
*
49) 315 Holes of golf in The Villages have Received Audubon International’s Silver Certified Sanctuary Designation At The Villages (read about it on Florida Golf Magazine’s website)
*
50)The CBS Sunday Morning segment of May 2011 featured a video segment on The Villages Golf Carts and it continues to make the rounds on YouTube with over 3.6 million views as of May 2012.*
*
51)Villagers play 5200 softball games each year
*
52)There are currently 133 men’s softball teams, 15 ladies teams, and 68 co-ed teams competing in 17 leagues over three seasons.*
*
53)The Villages has 216 softball teams (2,592 players) playing 164 games per week and approximately 2,296 games for the Winter season which is the busiest.
*
54)Softball totals for the past year are 555 teams (6,660 players) playing approximately 5,572 total games over 3 seasons.*
*
55)The two largest recreation events in The Villages each year are Camp Villages with over 7000 Villagers and grandchildren participating (watch for information this month about events starting this summer), and the Senior Games, just completed, where Villagers competed in multiple events in sixteen different sports ranging from Bocce to Basketball, Archery to Volleyball.
*
56) 1417 athletes participated in one or more events in this year’s Senior Games in The Villages, totaling 2,796 entries in all 16 sports.
*
57) 157 athletes (11%) of the athletes participated in more than five events in this year’s Senior Games in The Villages.
*
58)The sport with the most participants in this year’s Senior Games was pickleball with *** athletes, edging out the second place sport which was swimming with 426 athletes.
*
59)Six Senior Games sports do not involve a ball – archery, badminton, horseshoes, shuffleboard, swimming, and track (excluding field events).
*
60)The Villages has more than 100 tennis courts
*
61)There are over 100 pickleball courts in The Villages
*
62)There are 4 water towers in The Villages
*
63)There are 1105 miles of water mains, 5427 miles of fresh water mains, 450 miles of waste water mains and 228 miles of irrigation water mains in The Villages as of 2011
*
64)There are 7645 manholes in The Villages as of 2011
*
65)The Villages population is larger than 93.4% of the municipalities in Florida (28th largest of 411)
*
66)At build-out the population of The Villages will make it the 14th largest municipality in Florida
*
67)The Villages population is larger than 31 of the 67 counties in Florida
*
68)There are 3 dog parks in The Villages (Paradise, Mulberry, & Brinson-Perry)
*
69)Homes prices range from $100,000 to over 1 million dollars
*
70)The Villages hospital started 8 years ago with 60 beds and now there are over 200 beds in The Villages Health System
*
71)The Villages is home to a 99,000 square foot VA Outpatient Clinic
*
72)The Villages hospital has a comprehensive stand-alone cancer center *- The Moffitt Cancer Center*
*
73)The Villages has partnered with USF Health (University of South Florida). The USF Health and The Villages partnership has brought free screenings and a lecture series to thousands of Villagers on critical medical issues and initiated The Villages Health Survey, which is about to become the world’s definitive study on mature adults. The Villages Health (The University of South Florida is the ninth largest university in the US and its medical university has the largest distributed residency program in the nation.)
*
74)There are seven major grocery stores
*
75)The Villages has over 100 dining choices (not including the country clubs)
*
76)In 2011 year The Villages added $30 million dollars to the Sumter County tax base
*
77)The majority of The Villages is developed and maintained using several Community Development Districts
*
78)Around 225 communities in Florida currently use this form of government
*
79)The Villages currently operates 12 CDD’s
*
80)Ten of the 12 CDD’s cover the various areas of The Villages where residents own homes, and provide and maintain the roads and transportation paths, storm water systems and structures, underground utilities, curbs and gutters, and street lights.
*
81)The remaining two CDD’s are: Village Center Community Development District -(VCCDD) & Sumter Landing Community Development District
*
82)The Villages Community Development Districts 2011-2012 adopted budgets totaled $197,680,545 for 46 funds. *The budget preparation process starts 8 months before the actual fiscal year begins.
*
83)The Villages Community Districts employ 876 employees of which 715 are Villages residents.*
*
84)The Villages is the safest single site development in the country with the lowest crime rate
*
85)The Villages Community watch is comprised of 6 full time and 294 part time employees. *According to the Community Watch it’s employees patrol 80,000 miles of neighborhood streets each month while averaging more than 3.5 passes by everyone’s home every 24 hrs. * *In 2011 employees performed more than 209,000 security activities or actions during the year. * *We owe our low crime rate to the efforts of the Community Watch.
*
86)There are also two homeowners associations in The Villages: The Property Owners Association (POA) and The Villages Homeowners Association (VHA).
*
87)The Villages Homeowners Association is the larger association with membership totaling nearly 25,000 members
*
88)The Villages Homeowners Association (VHA) turned 21 years old in 2012. *One of the first projects of the VHA was working on a petition drive requesting approval for construction of a golf cart bridge over the 27/441 highway.*
*
89)The Villages has it’s own Polo stadium and Polo leagues
*
90)The Villages polo club has the largest polo crowds in the U.S. with over 30,000 spectators a year.
*
91)The Villages has it’s own radio station WVLG 640AM
*
92)The Villages also has it’s own television channel “The Villages News Network” (VNN), which is aired on the local Comcast cable network.*
*
93)The Daily Sun is The Villages newspaper *
*
94)The Villages Daily Sun announced that they will be delivering The Official 2013 Villages Phone Book to the doorstep of 101,000 area residents, including 84,000 Villagers in November 2012.
*
95)The Villages has their own magazine “The Villages Magazine”
*
96)There are over *12,000 people who work in The Villages, or for businesses in the community
*
*
Sources of information are: The Villages Homeowners Association (VHA website), Wikipedia, Villages Commercial Property Management Website , Villages Community Development Districts website. *Information as of May 2012.
Remember for The Villages Rentals visit us at ***********************


This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012 at 12:12 am and is filed under Villages General Info.

[swimdawg]

We can go back and forth...but the facts are the facts. Read and enjoy!

Interesting Facts about The Villages FL - Part II

84)The Villages is the safest single site development in the country with the lowest crime rate


88)The Villages Homeowners Association (VHA) turned 21 years old in 2012. *One of the first projects of the VHA was working on a petition drive requesting approval for construction of a golf cart bridge over the 27/441 highway.*
*
89)The Villages has it’s own Polo stadium and Polo leagues
*
90)The Villages polo club has the largest polo crowds in the U.S. with over 30,000 spectators a year.
*
91)The Villages has it’s own radio station WVLG 640AM
*
92)The Villages also has it’s own television channel “The Villages News Network” (VNN), which is aired on the local Comcast cable network.*
*
93)The Daily Sun is The Villages newspaper *
*
94)The Villages Daily Sun announced that they will be delivering The Official 2013 Villages Phone Book to the doorstep of 101,000 area residents, including 84,000 Villagers in November 2012.
*
95)The Villages has their own magazine “The Villages Magazine”
*
96)There are over *12,000 people who work in The Villages, or for businesses in the community
*
97)The Villages Fl has it’s own Charter School for employees that allows a student to attend from Pre-k3 thru High School
*
98 ) 93% of students at The Villages Charter School advance to higher education
*
99)The Villages Charter School is an A rated High School with 99% of students graduating
*
100)The Villages Charter School has over 2100 students per year and it’s growing fast with a new Early Childhood Center constructed in 2011
*
101)The Villages Charter School has been an A rated High School for the last 5 years
*
102) The Villages Charter School is ranked 9th in the State of Florida
*
103) 90% of The Villages High School senior class will go to college
*
104) The Villages operates it’s own Lifelong Learning College for residents
*
105)The Villages Lifelong Learning College has 2000 total courses per year
*
106)The Lifelong Learning College has on average 500 courses each semester
*
107)The Lifelong Learning College has about 18,000 residents attending around 25,000 sessions each year.
*
108)Each year The Villages mails surveys to residents to obtain recommendations for improvements
*
109)The Villages has six fire stations with the seventh fire station currently under construction in the Brownwood area
*
110)The Villages Public Safety Department has 83 employees, about 70% are trained medics and 30% are trained EMT’s. *
*
111) 10,230 calls were made by the Public Safety Department in The Villages last year – *about 1% were for fires (flames), 10% were service calls, 9% were false alarms, and 80% were medical/rescue calls.
*
112)Falls involving injury account for about 20% of the rescue calls made by the Villages Public Safety Department many are preventable. *An excellent brochure on preventing falls is available by the PSD on the District Government website.
*
113)The survival rate for sudden cardiac arrest in The Villages Fl last year was 44% – about 7 times the national average of only 6%. *Contributing to this high survival rate are the many Villagers taking CPR training – over 2000 last year and over 7000 in the last five years; and neighborhood CPR/AED Programs – currently 44 with 8 more in training.
*
114) There are 1,915 residential streets North of CR466A in The Villages Fl
*
115)* Folks who sold their homes in The Villages in 2011 averaged a 2.1% return on investment, whereas the national average was more like a negative 20%
*
*
Sources of information are: The Villages Homeowners Association (VHA website), Wikipedia, Villages Commercial Property Management Website , Villages Community Development Districts website. *Information as of May 2012.
Remember for The Villages Rentals visit us at ***********************

[BobKat1]

Those are the longest two posts I have ever seen!!!

I think the phrase "different strokes for different folks applies here".

Both communities are just fine IMO.

[swimdawg]

Originally Posted by BobKat1

Those are the longest two posts I have ever seen!!!
.

No kidding! And I did it all on the iPad!

[Sunshine Mary]

Why are you on The Villages site ? The villages peopl do not go to Solivita site .
I know why people buy there because the houses are so cheap .

The houses are not selling sells at Soiivita you can pick up a cheap and that what you did
300 new houses in a month Sell at The Villages

As far as clubs haha 90 clubs the villages 96 pages

2 golf course and you pay ,3restaurants and as far as going to the park 45 mins to one hr .
Weather haha I check it out it get a little colder at night days was the same.

You known I can go on and on but not worth it . You drank Solivita cool aid and I drank The Villages cool aid and love it

QUOTE=LoveFL;499892]My band and I spent over a year looking at communities all over Florida...not just active adult communities. We did not visit Valencia Lakes, but are familiar with other GL Homes communities. They do a first-class job on home design and construction, neighborhood planning and luxurious amenities.

We did the weekend stay at The Villages. Did not care for their home designs or construction, or the layout of all those individual little gated communities. In the downtown areas, we felt as though we were in a big city or in a shopping mall. They do have many stores and restaurants, all open to the public...filled with people from all over, not just residents. I can understand how golfers would love the variety of golf offered there, but my husband are not golfers, so that was not appealing to us. The Villages just didn't have a community feel to it.

We fell in love with Solivita from the first drive through the Mediterranean village center...from the architecture of the European-style homes to the thoughtfully-planned neighborhoods. We kept coming back to visit until we eventually purchased a home here a decade ago. There are five to twenty-five activities every single day...over and above the education classes, art classes, special interest clubs, sports activities and community service projects...and the fitness centers and their classes mentioned by the other lady who posted...all are included in our HOA fees. Cannot imagine anyone getting bored here!

As far as the resturants go, we can drive to some of the finest restaurants in the country in less time than it takes to wait for a table in one of the in The Villages!


We love the community feeling living in Solivita. We have made some of the best friends of our lives here. There have been only 3,500 homes sold so far and I think there will be 6,000 total when completed. As far as the location, it does have more of a rural feel. However, we have had a wonderful time exploring all this area has to offer. Every weekend, we ride our recumbent trikes with friends on dozens of fantastic bike trails within an hour's drive. We love being right in the middle of the state with beaches 1.5 hours going east or west. The theme parks are 20 minutes away for visiting family and friends.

Different communities to suit every taste...another great thing about living in our magnificent nation is there are so many fantastic places from which we may choose to live![/QUOTE]

[Sunshine Mary]

Good job swimdawg well said

[quirky3]

[QUOTE=Sunshine Mary;501485]Why are you on The Villages site ? The villages peopl do not go to Solivita site .
I know why people buy there because the houses are so cheap .

The houses are not selling sells at Soiivita you can pick up a cheap and that what you did
300 new houses in a month Sell at The Villages

As far as clubs haha 90 clubs the villages 96 pages

2 golf course and you pay ,3restaurants and as far as going to the park 45 mins to one hr .
Weather haha I check it out it get a little colder at night days was the same.

You known I can go on and on but not worth it . You drank Solivita cool aid and I drank The Villages cool aid and love it."QUOTE

==="Boy Howdy" !!!

[BobKat1]

I don't think the OP has been back to comment on all of the information that's been posted here.

[rp001]

I guess the thread about std rates is going to begin again..How can people be so ignorant of the facts and just dwell on "rumors" spread by jealous folks..Look at Sumter county stats for std rates...Far lower than most in Fl or anywhere in the nation. I'm really tired of hearing this crap..

[Sunshine Mary]

What to say with someone tells you how much STD in The villages.
I did it this winter in the pool at Solivita about 14 people was laughing at The Villages and said oh a lot of STD there .This is what to said to people and it well not know what to say

I SAiD OH THAT OK YOU JUST GO TO THE DR AND GET A SHOT OR TWO AND 7 DAYS YOU ARE CURED AND I CAN GO OUT AND PLAY AGAIN
SAy this my friend has said this and people does not know what to say.
Hahahahahahah I am also tired of hearing this about the STD



[/B]

Originally Posted by rp001

I guess the thread about std rates is going to begin again..How can people be so ignorant of the facts and just dwell on "rumors" spread by jealous folks..Look at Sumter county stats for std rates...Far lower than most in Fl or anywhere in the nation. I'm really tired of hearing this crap..

[rp001]

Sounds like there was 14 fools sitting around the pool (nothing else to do) and bad mouthing others that they haven't a clue about and they are very jealous of.

[Sunshine Mary]

True that what I said Jealous because I never cut on Solivita .

[BobKat1]

I guess I can why the OP may not have checked back in. The original intent of his/her thread is going nowhere fast.