The Villages
America's largest active-adult community — golf cart streets, three town squares, and a lifestyle built for retirement.
Live the MaxLife.
$380K
Median Price
$200K – $1M
80,000
Homes
$172–$172
Monthly HOA
1983
Established
Wildwood Elementary School
School Zone
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Background
A brief history
The Villages traces its origin to a modest mobile home park called Orange Blossom Gardens, developed by Harold Schwartz in the 1970s in Lake County, Florida. Schwartz's son Gary Morse took over the operation and began a dramatic transformation in the 1980s, purchasing vast tracts of Sumter and Marion County farmland and cattle ranches. The rebranding as The Villages and the introduction of the iconic town squares, Spanish Springs and Lake Sumter Landing, turned what had been a modest retirement community into a national phenomenon.
Through the 1990s and 2000s, The Villages grew at a pace that stunned demographers — it became consistently one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the United States. Gary Morse's vision of a self-contained retirement city with golf, entertainment, shopping, and medical care all within golf-cart distance proved enormously appealing to baby boomers. The community expanded south across Sumter County and eventually into Marion County, with new town squares and entertainment districts added as population grew.
Gary Morse died in 2014, and the Morse family retained control of The Villages Entities. Development has continued aggressively under family leadership, with Latitude Margaritaville Watersound and other competing communities springing up in response to The Villages demonstrated demand. Today The Villages spans three counties, houses well over 130,000 residents, and functions as a genuine small city with its own medical centers, performing arts venues, and daily broadcast television.
The feel
What it's like to live here
Life in The Villages operates on its own singular rhythm. Golf carts are genuine transportation — residents use them for grocery runs, dinner out, and visiting neighbors across the community's hundreds of miles of dedicated cart paths. The town squares are lively on most evenings with free live entertainment, and the calendar of clubs, classes, and activities is staggering in its variety. If you are 55 or older and want to be busy, it is almost impossible to run out of things to do here.
The architecture is varied — Spanish Mediterranean, Craftsman cottage, and Florida vernacular styles populate different sections — though the overall impression is of a meticulously maintained, deed-restricted community where curb appeal is taken seriously. The pace is social and active, not sleepy. Residents trend toward energetic retirees who moved here to live fully, not to slow down.
The details
What to expect
Age Restriction
The Villages is a 55+ community; at least one resident per household must be 55 or older and no permanent residents under 19 are permitted, which is strictly enforced.
Golf
Greens fees on all executive and championship courses are included in the amenity fee for residents — this is a genuine and substantial benefit that separates The Villages from most golf communities.
HOA / Amenity Fee
There is no traditional HOA, but an amenity fee (currently around $195-$200/month) covers access to all recreation centers, pools, and golf; a separate bond assessment covers infrastructure and is paid over time or in full at closing.
Commute
The Villages is largely self-contained for daily needs; Ocala is about 20 minutes north, Leesburg and The Villages own commercial districts handle most errands, and Orlando is roughly 60 miles southeast via the Florida Turnpike.
Social Life
With over 3,000 resident-run clubs covering everything from pickleball to square dancing to astronomy, the social infrastructure here is unmatched among Florida retirement communities — isolation is genuinely difficult here.
Community
Amenities
- Over 50 executive and championship golf courses (free greens fees for residents)
- Three main town squares with nightly live entertainment
- Hundreds of recreation centers and pools
- Dedicated golf cart path network spanning the entire community
- Pickleball, tennis, bocce, softball, and shuffleboard complexes
- Two performing arts theaters
- On-site hospitals and medical centers
- Extensive restaurant and retail within golf-cart distance
- Dozens of recreation centers with fitness equipment
- Multiple dog parks and nature trails
Education
School assignments
- Wildwood Elementary School
- Wildwood Middle-High School
- South Sumter High School
School zone assignments change. Verify with Orange County Public Schools before purchase.
Market Commentary
What the market is doing
What I tell buyers is that The Villages has a remarkably efficient resale market — homes here move quickly because the buyer pool is large and national. Entry-level villas and patio homes in older sections represent genuine value, while larger designer homes in newer sections command significant premiums. The bond (infrastructure fee) and HOA-equivalent amenity fees are important to factor into total cost of ownership — they are real and ongoing. Buyers who do that math consistently find the value is strong given what the amenity package would cost to replicate elsewhere.
Active MLS Inventory
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Homes available in The Villages
12 homes currently listed in The Villages.
$1,985 /mo
The Villages, FL 32162
2 bd · 2 ba · 1,148 sqft
The Villages
MLS# OM725501
$399,999
7177 Se 172nd Hazelwood Loop
The Villages, FL 32162
3 bd · 2 ba · 1,918 sqft
The Villages
MLS# O6381000
$414,000
2283 Hopespring Loop
The Villages, FL 32162
3 bd · 2 ba · 1,560 sqft
The Villages
This property is under contract. Contact us for backup offer opportunities.
MLS# G5109559
$375,000
1461 Emma Pl
The Villages, FL 32163
2 bd · 2 ba · 1,295 sqft
The Villages
MLS# G5112729
$255,000
2430 Merida Cir
The Villages, FL 32162
2 bd · 2 ba · 1,248 sqft
The Villages
MLS# G5111340
$414,900
5840 Unger Ct
The Villages, FL 32163
3 bd · 2 ba · 1,703 sqft
The Villages
MLS# G5110557
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Listings courtesy of Stellar MLS as distributed by MLS GRID
IDX information is provided exclusively for consumers’ personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing.
Based on information submitted to the MLS GRID as of June 3, 2026. All data is obtained from various sources and may not have been verified by broker or MLS GRID. Supplied Open House Information is subject to change without notice. All information should be independently reviewed and verified for accuracy. Properties may or may not be listed by the office/agent presenting the information.
Ryan Solberg, Broker · MaxLife Realty LLC · FL License #BK3354351 · Equal Housing Opportunity · Full disclaimer · DMCA