A wild and crazy place to retire: The Villages in Florida
'It hasn't been the fantasy land I thought it would be': New documentary goes inside the creepy Utopia for senior citizens that belies a sinister underbelly of racism, orgies, drunken debauchery and a make-believe history
*New documentary, 'Some Kind of Heaven' explores the dark underside of America's largest retirement community known as 'The Villages' in central Florida with a notorious swingers scene
*The community was designed to be a manicured fantasy land for seniors aged 55+ ; grandchildren and visitors under the age minimum are strictly prohibited to visit for more than 30 calendar days
*It's dubbed 'the Disneyland for retirees' because the neighborhoods are designed like a theme park to imitate old town squares, complete with make-believe histories; residents say its like living in a 'bubble'
*The developers own the a TV channel, multiple radio stations and newspaper that only prints positive news
*Critics say The Villages are like a creepy Stepford cult for Baby Boomers with Orwellian-like rules that are dictated by an elusive family worth billions of dollars
*According to the US Census, The Villages is the fastest growing metro in the United States where the population rose by 37.8% between 2010-2019; homes cost between $100K to $1million
*The Villages is larger than the size of Manhattan and covers 32 square miles of property with 130,000 residents, five zip codes, 50 golf courses, 100 rec centers, 11 dog parks, 14 supermarkets
*There are 2,700 social and recreational clubs for residents that include one for: singles, Beatlemaniacs, synchronized swimming, softball, cheerleading and retired CIA members
*The Villages were 'designed to hide all of the problems of everyday life' says first time documentarian, Lance Oppenheim - his film follows the lives of four seniors that live on the fringe of the fantasy
The sprawling expanse of flat emptiness in central Florida is an unlikely place for America's fastest growing metro area in the nation. Yet, just 70 miles northwest of Orlando sits 'The Villages' – the world's largest retirement community that surpasses the size of Manhattan and encompasses five zip codes with an ever-growing population.
Spanning 32-square-miles, The Villages is a veritable boom-town for baby boomers aged 55+ who flock to the geriatric paradise in droves for its endless margarita mixers (happy hour starts at 11am), unlimited golf courses (50, to be exact), and notorious for its laissez-fair attitude towards sex, thriving swingers scene, and controversial politics.
'I'm just saying for me, it hasn't been the fantasy land I thought it would be, for reasons that are true to my own,' said Barbara Lochiatto, a widow from Boston who has lived in The Villages for 12-years and longs to return to her hometown but can no longer afford to do so.
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For many, The Villages are a Utopian fantasyland. Giant swathes of ready-made track homes and manicured lawns dot the pre-fab neighborhoods in Stepford-like uniformity. An elusive billionaire family lords over the master planned community that boasts 100 recreation centers, 89 swimming pools, 11 dog parks, one polo-field, 14 grocery stores, 2,700 social clubs (from bingo to hot-air ballooning to golf cart drill team) and even its own radio station, newspaper and television channels.
More: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9147745/Inside-Utopian-Disneyland-retirees-belies-sinister-underbelly-racism-orgies.html
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They had 4 people. A homeless guy, a couple and a single guy. All unhappy. There are over 100,000 people living there and they couldn’t interview people who like it? At least have balance. I guess that is the reason it was a huge bomb making only 38,000 WORLDWIDE!
"hell" is being most generous. I don't know where most of those people lived before retirement (I'm guessing tract homes with HOAs etc.) but it was way too regimented and uptight for this old boy. Why anyone would want to live there baffles me. 
Besides, there were just too damned many old people there. I like to have an eclectic mix of dudes and dudettes around me. I never knew there was a retired CIA club there though. 
That would creep me out.
Your Mom sounds like she's got a good head on her shoulders. 
I have a niece who grew up politically informed as a Democrat. She moved to IA—she’s now Republican. 
And you pretty much described it.
But I doubt you've ever been here.
This is where my parents retired. And I inherited it. Financially, really can't get out of here. But how I wish I could!
We have a dog park here, and it is Gossip Central.
And yes, if you go to the dog park, you will also find out everyone's ailments.
It's actually a very active community. (When we're not having a pandemic.) But I do know people who have moved away because, just as your parents said, they felt like this was the waiting room for people getting ready to die. If you stay here long enough, that's exactly what's going to happen.
And they're all pretty much the same. The amenities and cost of the homes are really the only differences. They're all pretty much "god's waiting room". Every town, village and city has them. Personally, I don't see what the attraction is.
I'm actually in a pretty upscale Mobile Home Park. The newer mobile homes, if someone blindfolded you and took you inside, and then took off the blindfold, you would never know you were in a mobile home.
I'm in a rural area, which is actually nice. And you can be as busy as you want to be, or just do your own thing.
Again, this was pre-pandemic times.
It was perfect for my parents. My dad was a workaholic, and it wasn't until he moved here that he learned how to relax. Sort of. And he discovered this little game of golf. So that was really good for him. My mom was quite the social butterfly, so she fit in really well.
But then you put an introvert like me into a place like this, and it doesn't work quite as well.
Thankfully, there are some incredible Democratic neighbors here. We all keep each other sane!
It's just like DU in that way! 
lived in a gated "mobile" home park too. There's nothing mobile about those double wides. I don't know why they keep calling them "mobile". 
They loved it there. They were country folk, so being around so many people their own age was unique for them. They lived in Sebring, FL, and after my Dad died I decided to retire and move to Florida just so my mom would have some family nearby. She wasn't in the best of health, so it seemed like the right thing to do. I didn't want to live too close though, if you know what I mean. 
I really miss vacationing down there now. This is the first year I haven't been to Florida in decades. I just don't want to travel with everything that's going on now. Enjoy the sun and warmth. Its 18 degrees right now in western New York. Brrrrrrrrrrr.
2,000 square feet for one person is more than I need!
I know what you mean about not wanting to live too close, but I ended up in the next bedroom. Parents had a lot of health issues their last seven years. They both passed in 2012.
I feel like one of the old-timers in this Village, although I'm actually one of the younger people living here. I would come visit my parents when they first moved here in the early 80s, so I got to know all of the 'original folks' who lived here. I think there are two left.
I'll try to send you some sunshine. It was 73 degrees here a couple of days ago. But it's getting chilly again. But it's nowhere near what you're experiencing!
Try to stay warm! And healthy! 🌞
Yikes, you must get lost in that place. Do they still tax each part of the mobile separately? What I mean is, for a double wide my folks used to get two tax Bill's. For a triple they'd get three. I just thought that was a strange way to do things, but Florida is jam-packed with strange things. You know what I mean. Take care, and don't freeze to death or anything.
But any time you do paperwork for something related to the mobile home, you do have to list the number that is attached to each portion of the coach. Kind of a pain in the rear end to remember where the blueprints are when you need those numbers. 
My folks were in Highlands County, which is pretty funny when you realize the whole place is no more than 85 feet above sea level. "Highlands". 
Only in Florida. 
enjoy living there.
The Villages is a for-profit enterprise. The very name "The Villages" has been registered, for real. The signs say "Welcome to The Villages®" Check it out:
?impolicy=downsize&w=568
mine so FUCK YOU' assholes)
My ex-husband was the same. Every thought seemed to revolve around money. As he got older he got more right wing. Hence, the divorce.
called "Sun City West" because demand was so great.
It's a big, black hole where anything that's on the ballot or pro-education dies when the counts come in.
I guess she likes it fine but she's a Trumper so I guess that says it all ... I myself say YUCK!
Last edited Tue Feb 9, 2021, 04:14 AM - Edit history (1)
ugly that too often surfaces here. I don't know why the enmity toward this one of many thousands of retirement communities across the nation, but it reminds me of Hillary Hate. and of course the trumpists, in its eager virulence and thirst for supporting lies. Imo, that a majority of the 125,000 residents are conservative is no excuse for echoing what disgusts us in the worst of them. Over 40,000 Democrats and other liberals are there for each other too.
Our winter place is about a half hour away, extremely different at the end of a little rural road surrounded by beautiful marsh and wild preserve. (Spring's here and the frogs are croaking at each other out there.) It's a decrepit old 1200-sqft MH but has beautiful views out every window. We'll have dinner on the patio tomorrow also. We know a couple of couples, though, all Democrats, in The Villages and normally visit there a few times a year. The last time was to hit some yard sales and join friends for dinner and one of the outdoor concerts (which attract a lot of people who don't live there). We may not choose that for ourselves, but it's cheery and pleasant, and there are always a bunch of people out.
Yes, sadly, if you see one subdivision in America these days, you've basically seen all of them in that size and price range. So if anyone wants to check out the kind of houses that appeal to retirees in The Villages, just drive through any nice but affordable subdivision designed for retirees in your own town and take a gander. Add in walking, biking and golf cart trails, and lots of green space and amenities, as needed to get the idea. Don't forget to check skin color. Very white all right, but there are still more minorities in The Villages than most northern towns of its size, where the vast majority came from.
Move to The Villages to wait to die? THAT strikes me as the most determinedly ridiculous statement in a thread loaded with them. People move when they retire because they can and they go where they want.
Their ability to do so may burn some people's butts, but that's tough. After decades of work and obligations, retirees with a little means are finally free to do what they please.
It's later, often decades, that large numbers move back home, to be close to family when their independent years are ending. Anyone who chooses to think people move in with their children in order to wait to die can, they're certainly finally a lot closer to death, but that'd still be the most creepy and depressingly ugly possible way to view living one's final years. "Here, want to hold the baby, Nana?" "No, I'm waiting to die." Good grief.
