The fastest-growing place for young people in the U.S. is the last place you’d expect it: a metropolitan area with a 55-plus retirement community in Central Florida previously labeled a “drunken breeding ground” for seniors.
The Villages, located between Sumter and Marion counties, is considered one of the largest senior living communities in the country. Yet neighboring Wildwood has been plagued by young people in the past decade.
The fastest growing demographic is children 14 and under, Tampa Bay Times reported. There has been a staggering 18.4 percent increase, partly due to the working-age population, which increased by 19.1 percent, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Wildwood-The Villages metropolitan area had more than 151,500 residents last year, most of whom are retirees. In 2020, that number was 130,000.
Despite the influx of young families, some residents are concerned about a lack of amenities, such as childcare.
The Villages, a retirement community in Central Florida that is attracting more young families
The fastest growing demographic group is children 14 and under, with data showing a staggering 18.4 percent increase, partly due to a 19.1 percent increase in the labor force, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The lack of family-friendly services, such as emergency rooms for children, pediatric dentists and specialists, youth programs and family activities, leaves some residents struggling.
Eldresh St. Fleurant, 28, a married mother of two, described the neighborhood as both “good” and “bad.”
If you don’t come to something like this [the library’s Storytime event for kids]“You won’t find any young families here,” she explained.
Morgan Philion, 31, shared this view, explaining that if you want to go to a children’s museum, the closest one is 80 miles away in Tampa.
Sarah Feeney, 40, a mother of two young children, called her experience finding a local audiologist for her three-year-old “a nightmare.”
The Villages is known for its alcoholic nights among its retired clientele, many of whom are said to frequent the community’s golf carts
Pictured: A stock photo of The Villages town square
She explained that many of the services are “targeted at the older generation” and that patients had to drive 60 miles to see a doctor in Orlando.
To address this problem, The Villages recently opened Middleton, a thoughtfully designed residential neighborhood adjacent to the neighborhood, aimed at workers and their families living near the neighboring towns of Wildwood and Oxford.
The Villages, however, is known for its alcoholic nights among its retired clientele, with some even being spotted looking for partners in the community’s golf carts.
The 55-plus community was previously labeled “ground zero for geriatricians taking it seriously” amid rising STD rates in the state, according to a 2009 article in The New York Post.
“You see those two?” a blonde woman told the Post reporter at the time. “They were caught having sex in their golf cart a couple weeks ago. That happens a lot!”
The Villages, located between Sumter and Marion County and described as one of the nation’s largest retirement communities, is home to more than 100,000 residents
Many residents of The Villages choose to use a golf cart to get around town
At the time, the magazine reported that there were nearly ten to one women as men in the community. Local authorities lamented cases of drunk driving involving golf carts, and rumors circulated that Viagra was being purchased on the local black market.
The Villages did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
In addition to the traditional culture of retirement living, the metropolis’s attractiveness is also due to its affordability, convenience and charming surroundings.
Andrew Bilardello, Sumter County Commissioner and longtime resident, remembers when the area wasn’t nearly as densely populated because many people left to find work elsewhere. He said he’s glad to see young people returning.
“We want to keep the young people here,” Bilardello told the news outlet. “That’s our future.”
Pictured: A group of seniors dancing during a concert in The Villages
Pictured: The Lake Sumter Landing Market Square, one of the social hubs of The Villages
New homes are being built and jobs are plentiful: plumbers, electricians, gardeners, construction workers and roofers are all in demand.
There are also opportunities in professional services, for example as a financial advisor, as a real estate agent or in healthcare.
“Someone has to serve that growing group of retirees. Many of these workers are young adults with children who live in the area,” said Stefan Rayer, director of the population program at the Bureau of Economic and Business Research at the University of Florida in Gainesville.
Many residents describe the young people as a ‘breath of fresh air’.
Others share their fears about the daily challenges they face, such as restrictions that no one under the age of 19 can live in The Villages and that one household member must be 55 or older.
Chris Stanley, 60, also told the Times he was concerned about overcrowded classrooms and the lack of affordable housing options in the area.
Pictured: A boat leaves Lake Sumter Landing Market Square
Currently, there are 13 school districts serving the 9,400 students and The Villages Charter School is open to the children of employees.
The population explosion near The Villages paints a very different picture than elsewhere in the country, the Times reports.
Over the past decade, the number of children ages 14 and under in the US has declined by 3.3 percent.
In the three largest cities, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, a total of 614,000 fewer children have moved into the city since 2020.