There are still quite a few manufactured home neighborhoods, and these tend to be the least expensive sections in which to live with prices starting at roughly $55,000.   Tidy Silver Lake is one such neighborhood and has residences from around 700 sq. ft.   The Village of Orange Blossom Gardens, the original manufactured home village, has residences in the mid- to high-$100,000s.   The most inventory, whether for manufactured homes or site built homes, is in the $100,000s to $300,000s.   Winifred, Chatham, Piedmont are just a few of the neighborhoods with prices in this range, and homes in these usually have 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, small yards, air-conditioning and a host of standard and upgraded features.  Upscale villa-style homes in the $400,000 range are found in the Villages of St. Charles and De la Vista, among  others, and $500,000+ residences can be found in the village of Bridgeport at Lake Sumter Landing, perhaps The Village's most prestigious neighborhood.  

Some residences have water views (ponds) and some have golf course views.  Some come furnished and some do not.   Newer neighborhoods tend to have a variety of architectural styles, and most neighborhoods have homes priced within $100,000 or so of each other (although not always).  Neighbors, therefore, are usually of similar financial backgrounds (which can be good or bad).    Parts of the Villages are gated and parts are not.  Some roads are owned by the residents and some are owned by the county (Sumter County).   Whatever the price range or home taste, buyers will find it at The Villages (although there are no apartments).  Visit www.thevillages.com for more information.

There are two colorful and very popular town squares, Lake Sumter Landing and Spanish Springs (and a third one is on the books), each with its own flavor, shopping and restaurants.   Activities take place in the squares every day of the week.  The development also has hundreds of clubs for nearly every activity one can think of, including needlework, clogging, bird watching, playing piano, playing harmonica, golf, memoir writing, cribbage, Civil War re-enactments and many, many more.  

This is a golf cart community, and residents really do not need a car.    Through an extensive network of paths and tunnels, everything can be reached on one of the little electric or gas-powered machines    Residents ride everywhere on their carts and have license plates on the back of them stating from which state they hail.   Traffic jams have been known to occur at some intersections, and there are speed limit checks throughout the community.

The 50-person recreation department stages 300 events per week.  There are 30 recreation centers, 22 executive golf courses (9-hole, par-3), 9 championship golf courses with country clubs (two of which were designed by Nancy Lopez and Arnold Palmer), a polo field, 10 churches and synagogues, an archery range, 40 heated pools, a community garden, 2 libraries, 2 theaters and 2 fitness centers, not to mention grocery stores, pharmacies, post offices, 60 restaurants, 200 retail outlets and even a microbrewery.   The Villages also has a Lifelong Learning College and its own medical center, The Villages Regional Medical Center.   In short, everything a retiree could need is within a short golf cart ride (but since one cannot drive a golf cart to Orlando International Airport, the community provides airport transportation).  Cost is $72 round trip.

There are, however, some issues of which to be aware if considering retirement here.   First is the fact that the IRS is investigating The Village's developer, Gary Morse, for improperly issuing tax-free bonds as a way of financing the community.  The Villages employs a form of government called a Community Development District (CDD), and it was this entity that issued the bonds.  The IRS, however, has taken the position that a CDD is not a legitimate form of government and has no right to issue tax-free bonds.  It has demanded $16 million in back taxes, but the dispute is ongoing.   Gary Morse is a wealthy developer, and the general consensus is that since The Villages is a successful development, default on the bonds is unlikely.   Residents do feel, however, that higher fees will be coming down the road.

The second issue also has to do with the CDD, which has two classes.  The CDD itself applies to areas where residents live.   The CDD's sister classes of SLCDD and VCCDD apply to the management of the community's amenities (golf courses, recreation centers, etc.).  Because the developer holds the majority of the votes in these districts, the developer, rather than residents, has control over the amenities.    This is a point of contention since residents have no say in how the amenity facilities are run or what or where new facilities should be built or at what cost.    

A third issue is that residents pay a monthly amenities fee ($135+) and a monthly golf course fee, plus an annual assessment for maintaining community infrastructure.    A large part of these fees goes to the re-payment of the tax-free bonds that were issued, which does also does not sit well with everyone for several reasons, one of which being that, according to some estimates, these costs add $20,000 to each new home's price.

Despite these problems, The Villages is thriving, and most residents seem to very much enjoy living here.  The community has been described as Disney World for adults, and its popularity is evident in the fact that in the last eight or so years, 20,000 people have moved here.  

The weather in this part of Florida is relatively mild when compared to the coastal areas.  An average high winter temperature in the winter is 60°F.   In the summer, temperatures range from the 70's to 90's with 70% humidity.

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