Hubber dusanotes asked me about looking at The Villages in Florida as a subject for city review and job openings, future possibilities, and trends. I'd like to do that and include travel and tourism adventures to be had in the region, an some unique aspects of the town that are favorable to relocation, retirement, and family living.

The Villages was named in 2008 as the fastest growing micropolitan (small town) market in the USA.

The Villages is an uncorporated community near Ocala, Florida between I-75 to the west and the large Ocala National Forest to the east. It is a well placed suburb, in my opinion, situated just 20 miles from Ocala and 45 miles from Orlando to the southeast. It is popular with retirees and northern dwellers that like to spend six months each year in the warmer climate of Orlando.

The most frequently listed job openings in The Villages and within a 25-mile radius of the town center have been gathered by two premiere job search and trending engines, SimplyHired.com and Indeed.com. Job seekers can access a real time RSS link to current jobs listings for any city, town, or unincorporated place in America. Both organizations have divisions appropriate to Canada and Indeed.Com offers a search engine for the UK as well.

These two organizations gather this information daily from online recruiters, job search engines, company websites, and other Internet venues, along with data from governmental departments that specialize in employment trends, unemployment rates, industry and employment projections and other relevant material.

Some of the feel of the community of Teh Villages can be gathered from the names of some of the neighborhoods and a visit to websites maintained by many of them. Below are a few examples:

• Alhambra
• Amelia
• Belevedere
• Belle Aire
• Calumet Grove
• Caroline-7
• Chatham
• Duval
• Glenbrook East
• Holly Hill Villas
• Largo
• Liberty Park
• Lynnhaven
• Mallory Square
• Palo Alto
• Poinciana
• Tierra Del Sol
• Villa Escandido
• Villa Valdosta
• Villa Vista
• Virginia Trace

Given the characteristics of the residential population and the number of travelers coming through Ocala and The Villages, the following Healthcare and Sales & Service related job listings should continue to be among the Top 15 to 20 openings within a 25-mile radius to 2020.

1. Physical Therapists
2. Physical Therapy Assistants
3. Occupational Therapists
4. Registered Nurses (RNs)
5. Customer Service Specialists
6. Salespersons - general, retail, speciality.
7. Sales and Service Specialists
8. Inside Salespersons
9. Call Center Specialists
10. Occupational Therapy Assistants
11. Tellers
12. Speech Therapists and Assistants
13. Dental Assistants
14. Dentists in General Practice
15. Certified Nursing Aids

The propensity of physical and occupational therapy positions open in and around the Villages suggests the concentration of retirees in the area and in a good way. Middle-agers and Seniors can often live more active lives longer with such assistance. Some of these individuals have planned well for retirement and bring with them substantial disposable income, which may be represented in the high number of positions open in sales and service occupations in the list below. No doubt, some of these jobs involve health and medical products and services which increase in use among Seniors generally as time progresses.

Live Feed Job Listings:

Official government projections of fast growing jobs include these Title and Average Wage for the year 2007 for The Villages market area that includes all of Sumter County (bold print indicates jobs already frequently listed):

1. Network Systems and Data Communications Analysts $28.63
2. Home Health Aides (HHAs) $10.42
3. Physician Assistants $ 42.85
4. Pharmacy Technicians $12.65
5. Medical Assistants $12.89
6. Computer Software Engineers $36.28 to $39.00+
7. Pharmacists $46.54
8. Special Education Teachers, Preschool thru Grade 5 $27.04
9. Respiratory Therapists $23.04
10. Paralegals and Legal Assistants $22.00
11. Court Reporters $20.33
12. Database Administrators $32.55
13. Occupational Therapists $31.29
14. Registered Nurses (RNs) $26.74
15. Special Education Teachers, Middle School $26.39

Outdoor water sports and recreational activities are resplendent in this part of Florida, especially in Orlando, Ocala, and the Ocala National Forest. The region is known for its excellent hiking trails and fishing.

The Villages provides 24 separate Executive Golf 9-hole golf courses and advertise that they are always adding additional golfing opportunities. Greens fees are free to residents. However, a total of 9 championship golf courses, including one each built by Nancy Lopez and Arnold Palmer, operate in The Villages as well. This includes professional tournaments. Greens fees are reasonable and the courses are open to non-residents; 9-hole fees are half price.

Indoor activities and entertainment are also well developed in order to please residents and travelers and to draw new workers, businesses, students, and families to town. The Villages offers neighborhood, village, and regional rec centers, along with a woodworking shop, a polo venue, and softball fields.

So many activities are offered in The Villages, that you must visit the link to view them all. One unusual activity is the Golf Cart Drill Team. Visit the link at THE VILLAGES RECREATION.

• Lifelong Learning College- 251 Buffalo Trail, Lady Lake: (352) 753-3035 --
  A personal enrichment educational system offered to residents and the General Public with 6 different ways to register for courses. Classes include everything from fine arts to GED preparation. Dance, computer courses, culinary arts, genealogy, languages, parapsychology, real estate - there is even Clown Class. It's all pretty interesting and inexpensive. Educational trips are also offered, such as to Israel or through the Panama Canal. The course catalogue is 74 pages long! (Check the recreation link above.)
• Beacon College
• Central Florida Community College in Ocala
• Lake-Sumter Community College
• Rasmussen College in Ocala
• Taylor College in Ocala
• Nearly two dozen postsecondary institutions are located in Orlando, Florida as well.

Inception

The Villages was planned and developed beginning in the early 1960s as a retirement and golfing community and expanded to include families in designated neighborhoods. Its original founder was Harold Schwartz. Residential requirements in the seniors neighborhoods state that at least one member for the family must be age 55 or older. People aged 19 and younger may not live in those neighborhoods, but may visit for 30 days per year.

Properties in The Villages are controlled by the Architectural Review Committee formed of residents that serve three years. Community rules include requirements for such elements as architectural structure, landscaping, and satellite dish placement. This is very similar to the area of Columbus, Ohio named German Village, with the addition of age restrictions.

The place is known as a “golf cart community”, much like Peachtree Georgia, but largely for active seniors over 55. Golf carts are the chosen from of transport along specially built paths and along most streets and roads. This draws news residents for easy of driving and use of alternative energy (electricity).

The Villages operates a local government based on the Community Development District (CDD) model of Florida that governs some 200 communities. It also offers two no-fee homeowners associations: The Property Owners Association (POA) and The Villages Homeowners Association (VHA).

The Old Town Square

The founder of The Villages felt that people were at home in the old town square of yesteryear that anchored many small towns through the 1960s and have made a comeback in urban renewal throughout the country. The Villages supports two major town squares that provide free entertainment, dining, shopping, theater, and other activities. They are named Spanish Springs and Lake Sumter Landing.