America’s Fastest-Growing Metro Is a Wild Retirement Community in Florida

Courtesy of The Villages; Getty Images

For 20 years, 68-year-old retirees Gary and Sharon Kutella mulled over a move from West Bradenton, FL, to a town their friends insisted would give them a whole new lease on life—The Villages.

Those who beckoned already lived in what’s been branded “Florida’s Friendliest Hometown,” and they raved about the congenial environment of likeminded peers.

The Villages has come a long way from its humble beginnings as a trailer park in the 1970s. Today, this 55-and-up community spans 57 square miles. And according to the most recent U.S Census data, it is now the nation’s fastest-growing metro. From July 1, 2022-July 1, 2023, the population grew by 4.7% to 151,565. Other growing metros include Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL, and Myrtle Beach, SC.

When Gary Kutella told his son about his plans, he got an earful about The Villages’ more salacious side.

“He said, ‘You’ve got to worry about the STDs there,’” Gary recalls.

But the couple’s real estate agent, Patrick Shores, who has been living and working in The Villages for eight years, contends that most communities with large populations are prone to similar gossip.

“I’m not going to say some of the weird stuff doesn’t happen … but the great thing about this place is that there’s something for everyone here,” Shores explains. “It’s been popular for more than 30 years, and it keeps getting better.”

And while the Kutellas had heard about the community’s sordid mystique, they weren’t deterred.

“We blew those rumors off,” Gary says. “Even if they were true, they wouldn’t concern us. That’s not the kind of life we lead.”

So on their 48th wedding anniversary in November 2023, the couple closed on a house in The Villages. And it didn’t take them long to feel at home. They easily made friends at a church, which was just a golf-cart ride away from home—as is pretty much everything else, from the doctor’s office to the local Walmart.

The Kutellas’ two-bedroom, two-bath model is one of the most popular in The Villages.

Patrick Shores, Coldwell Banker Vanguard Realty

Gary and Sharon Kutella celebrate life in The Villages with a cocktail.

Gary and Sharon Kutella

Sharon, a former postal worker, joined a vintage jewelry collector’s group in The Villages. And Gary, once an executive chef, just acquired a coveted paid position as a gate guard. Since the streets within The Villages are all public roads anyway, his job basically involves greeting or giving directions to drivers as they pass through.

“Here we’re free to live the life we want, away from traffic and crime,” Gary says.

In fact, one of his only concerns these days is the abundance of golf carts whizzing past his home.

“We live on Davenport Drive, which is like a golf cart expressway,” he says. “In fact, we just sat in on a golf cart safety class, which was very useful. You have to have a golf cart here. Getting [our real estate agent] Patrick to throw in a golf cart is what closed the deal for us,” he laughs.

The Kutellas’ golf cart is their main mode of transportation.

Gary and Sharon Kutella

Welcome to The Villages—America’s fastest-growing metro

In January 2024, Real Estate Consulting crowned The Villages the top-selling planned community for the 11th consecutive year, with 3,029 homes sold in 2023.

Continuous development is one of the reasons the community is expanding so rapidly, according to Shores. Another resident real estate agent and Air Force veteran, April Couturier, agrees.

“The Villages built a bridge over the Florida Turnpike just for golf carts,” she says. “It’s the only turnpike overpass I know of reserved just for golf carts.”

Although The Villages does boast over 50 golf courses, that’s certainly not its only amenity. The town also boasts hospitals, libraries, chain and boutique restaurants, a cineplex, vibrant town squares, and major retailers ranging from Walmart to Publix.

Gary and Sharon enjoying another sunny day in The Villages’ Spanish Springs Town Center.

Gary and Sharon Kutella

Looking for a hobby? More than 3,000 social and special interest clubs keep residents engaged and active. The groups run the gamut—there are meetups for lovers of antique cars, books, cooking, art, square dancing, drama, genealogy, water ballet, belly dancing, precision golf cart driving, cheerleading, and tambourine tapping, among many others. There are even clubs for people who share the same name.

A belly-dancing club in The Villages.

“Some Kind of Heaven” official trailer

Appealingly, these amenities—gyms, pools, rec centers, softball fields, golf courses, clubs, and activities—are available for a fee of $195 per month, no matter the size of your home.

“Can you believe that?” asks Shores. “It’s a huge selling point for people who move in from higher-priced cities.”

Sharon’s Valentine’s Day table, set for dinner with friends from The Villages.

Gary and Sharon Kutella

A wild tour through real estate in The Villages

The community’s broad range of home prices is another reason The Villages is so popular among the silver set.

“You can find a manufactured home for under $200,000 or a luxury home for over $2 million,” says Couturier.

And in stark contrast to ultraexclusive country clubs across the U.S., “everyone plays on the same golf courses, joins the same clubs,” she remarks.

As of this writing, there are over 600 homes for sale in The Villages on Realtor.com. The community has roughly 71,000 homes total, with new ones springing up daily. The median list price is currently $389,900.

Couturier mentions a two-bedroom, two-bath mobile home in the original part of the community that is currently on the market for $169,000. Mobile homes and others in the longer-established communities also have the advantage of no extra bond charges for community development, which can add substantially to a monthly payment.

At $169,000, this two-bedroom, two-bath manufactured home is one of the lowest-priced properties in The Villages.

Realtor.com

Buyers are surprised that you can get a two-bedroom, two-bath, 959-square-foot, 2022 cottage for only $250,000. The pricing is particularly attractive when you consider that the home is situated with no others behind it and is just a quick golf cart ride away from recreation centers with pools, dining, shopping, medical care, and town squares with nightly entertainment.

This 959-square-foot home has the advantage of being a quick golf cart ride from recreation centers and town squares.

Realtor.com

Moving up in size and price, you’ll find options like this three-bedroom, two-bath, 1,915-square foot home on an expansive corner lot for $550,000. Built in 2003, it’s been completely updated with all new finishes, mechanical systems, and roofing. It also features a golf cart garage, where you can charge your electric vehicle for easy arrival at hot spots like the Nancy Lopez Country Club, the First Responders Rec Center, and The Villages Polo Club.

This three-bedroom, two-bath home, offered at $550,000, has all new finishes, mechanical systems, and appliances.

Realtor.com

The most expensive home on the market in The Villages right now clocks in at $1.65 million. It’s a four-bedroom, three-bath, 3,532-square-foot house on a half-acre lot. One of the highlights is a screened-in pool that blocks bugs, alligators, and, yes, golf balls. It’s just minutes from the nautical-themed Lake Sumter Landing Town Square and the Arnold Palmer Legends Country Club, with a clear view of the fifth hole.

In a home like this, the extra fees add up considerably. In addition to the $195 amenities surcharge, the listing states: “bond balance $17, 864; bond debt payment $1830.74/yr; bond maintenance $1122.37/yr; fire assessment $125/yr.”

On the pricier side is this $1.65 million home with views of the lake and golf course.

Realtor.com

The pricier homes in The Villages tend to be on a golf course, preserve, or lake, according to Couturier. The home mentioned above checks two of those boxes and also happens to be in one of the upscale neighborhoods around Lake Sumter.

But no matter the price, “it’s hard to buy a home in The Villages and lose money,” Shores says.

The more expensive homes in The Villages tend to be on lakes, preserves, golf courses, or any combination of the three.

Realtor.com

What about the age restrictions?

The marketing material for The Villages clearly states, “While The Villages is a 55+ active adult community, we absolutely do welcome children and grandchildren.”

The development includes family-oriented pools at the recreation centers, for example, as well as adults-only pools.

There is a rule, however, that stipulates a “30-day consecutive limit for visitors under the age of 18.”

That leaves short-term rental possibilities open for anyone over 18, which is how 24-year-old film director Lance Oppenheim was able to live in The Villages and get insider material for “Some Kind of Heaven,” his Darren Aronofsky-produced 2020 documentary.

“We actually lived in the Villages on and off for about 18 months of actual shooting that wrapped in the summer of 2019,” Oppenheim told the Tampa Bay Times. (The trailer for the film, below, sheds light on what they found.)

By the way, both short- and long-term rentals are viable sources of income for homeowners in the Villages, especially during “The Season” aka the months of January, February and March.

“It’s not uncommon to get $4,000 per month—some more, some less” says Shores.

Another little-known fact about the age restrictions is that there are several family communities without age limitations on the outskirts of the main community. These are for the families of those who work at the businesses within The Villages.

Before Couturier became a real estate agent, she worked within The Villages, lived in one of the family communities, and speaks highly of it. She notes that the community provides reasonably priced family homes that are within easy commuting distance of their employment. The development even has two highly ranked K-12 charter schools.

Now about those scandals…

As for those rumors about The Villages, there are two that just refuse to die.

The one about sexually transmitted diseases is by far the most rampant. It was spawned by a 2006 WFTV news report that stated, “One physician at the Women’s Center of The Villages said even in her years working in Miami, she has never seen so many cases.”

This quote went viral, and the community became infamous as the “STD Capital of America.” This report has since been scrubbed from the Internet and not found to have any basis in truth. Nonetheless, the story lives on and often stirs up concern among friends and relatives of people considering a move to The Villages.

Another related rumor is about “loofah signaling.” Drive through a parking lot here, and you will likely see many multicolored, mesh bath exfoliators attached to car roofs. Word got out that these signified swingers, with each color denoting experience level—e.g., white for novices and beginners, purple for voyeurs, etc.

That rumor has been traced back to a riff made by comedian Tora Himan, an Orlando-area drag queen who previously performed at The Villages as part of a cabaret show. But an explanation for the colorful loofahs seems to be far more benign: Shores has heard that they are simply a way for residents to identify their cars.

“The unofficial car of The Villages is the white [Honda] CR-V,” he laughs.

And let’s face it, you’ve got to have some way to distinguish your particular white CR-V (or golf cart) from the others. Plus, who doesn’t need a little reminder of where they’re parked?

Do people who move to The Villages stay for good?

As idyllic as The Villages might seem as a late-life home, some people actually do move out. And when they do, they make room for the hundreds of buyers who move in each year.

Shores says that the average resident buys and sells at least three times while in The Villages. They move to try out other communities, or because they’ve made friends who live on the other side of the community and want to be closer. Some want to downsize, or upsize, depending on their wants and needs.

Couturier claims there are just two main reasons people move out of the community entirely.

“Some need to transition into assisted living or a nursing home,” she says. “Others want to move back home to be closer to their families.”

The owners who sold their home to the Kutellas, for example, are in the latter category. They are from Germany and decided to move back.

“It’s all about timing,” Gary Kutella says. “We decided that when the timing was right, we’d move there. It was a good call. We just wish we would have made it sooner.”

Home, sweet home for the Kutellas

Gary and Sharon Kutella

And in case you’re pondering a move to American’s fastest-growing metro, here are a few recently listed homes in The Villages.