The Villages is a 55+ active adult community, which covers 32 square miles, an area larger than Manhattan, and is still expanding, making it the fastest-growing metropolitan statistical area in the country. The master-planned retirement community grew from 93,000 people to nearly 130,000 residents, about 40 percent according to census data.

The growth was fueled in large part by a steady stream of retirees lured by Florida’s year-round balmy weather, beaches, and endless golfing. The community, a collection of homes and villages, has made the fastest-growing list of metropolitan cities for several decades.

Howard Schwartz founded the Villages in 1992 with the idea to bring the baby boomers to a home they were familiar with when they were young. Rejecting modern design and opting for a thematic home style evocative of the homes these generations grew up in. To do this, the Villages turned to former Disney Imagineers for urban-planning advice.

The city does look a bit like Orlando’s theme park, with its pastiche of main streets and town squares in varying commitments to historical architectural styles. Buyers choose their preferred vibe — faux Spanish Colonial or, perhaps, faux Western Pioneer — and work with the “Street of Dreams” team to choose a home in one of a variety of styles and one of a variety of approved pastel hues. About 200 to 250 new homes are sold each month, equivalent to selling 2,400 new homes a year. What’s even more interesting it’s that they’ve been doing this for the past decade, and before that, in the boom times of 2005 and 2006, they were selling 3,000 new homes per year. The current median home sale price in The Villages is $268,600, but that doesn’t include an additional “cost of living” fee ranging from $758 to $1,159 per month, which, grants access to amenities like unlimited golf on 50 courses. 

The vast majority of people who live in The Villages are of retirement age, as it’s a 55-plus community, but there is a small number of Gen Z-ers and Millennials who are interested in living or working here. Where do these younger generations live? Many of them are options for Oxford, a community also built by The Villages so when you drive into it, it looks like the housing was identical to The Villages. What else is interesting about Oxford, FL, as of May 2023 it’s a buyer’s market! To learn more about Oxford, Florida or The villages contact us today.

The growth was fueled in large part by a steady stream of retirees lured by Florida’s year-round balmy weather, beaches, and endless golfing. The community, a collection of homes and villages, has made the fastest-growing list of metropolitan cities for several decades.

Howard Schwartz founded the Villages in 1992 with the idea to bring the baby boomers to a home they were familiar with when they were young. Rejecting modern design and opting for a thematic home style evocative of the homes these generations grew up in. To do this, the Villages turned to former Disney Imagineers for urban-planning advice.

The city does look a bit like Orlando’s theme park, with its pastiche of main streets and town squares in varying commitments to historical architectural styles. Buyers choose their preferred vibe — faux Spanish Colonial or, perhaps, faux Western Pioneer — and work with the “Street of Dreams” team to choose a home in one of a variety of styles and one of a variety of approved pastel hues. About 200 to 250 new homes are sold each month, equivalent to selling 2,400 new homes a year. What’s even more interesting it’s that they’ve been doing this for the past decade, and before that, in the boom times of 2005 and 2006, they were selling 3,000 new homes per year. The current median home sale price in The Villages is $268,600, but that doesn’t include an additional “cost of living” fee ranging from $758 to $1,159 per month, which, grants access to amenities like unlimited golf on 50 courses. 

The vast majority of people who live in The Villages are of retirement age, as it’s a 55-plus community, but there is a small number of Gen Z-ers and Millennials who are interested in living or working here. Where do these younger generations live? Many of them are options for Oxford, a community also built by The Villages so when you drive into it, it looks like the housing was identical to The Villages. What else is interesting about Oxford, FL, as of May 2023 it’s a buyer’s market! To learn more about Oxford, Florida or The villages contact us today.