The climate in The Villages, Florida is transitional, maintaining many characteristics of a tropical climate despite being located on the southern fringe of the humid subtropical climate zone. There are two major seasons each year. From June until late September, The Villages experiences hot, humid and rainy weather, and this period roughly coincides with the Atlantic hurricane season. The second is the dry, warm season which last through October through May and is characterized by less frequent rainfall. Still, there are considerably warm temperatures during the dry season.
During the height of the humid summer months in The Villages, temperatures rarely fall below 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and daytime highs are mostly in the 90s. The region’s humidity actually provides a buffer which prevents actual temperatures from exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit. However, the effect also pushes the heat index to over 110 degrees on a frequent basis. The Villages highest recorded temperature is 101 degrees and it was set July 2, 1998. During the wet season in The Villages, strong afternoon thunderstorms occur in the afternoon almost daily. Mainly caused by air masses from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean colliding over Central Florida, they include spectacular lightning and can also bring heavy rain, powerful winds, and occasional damaging hail.
In the cooler months in The Villages, humidity is considerably lower and temperatures are more moderate. Average nighttime lows in January are around 50 degrees Fahrenheit, and average daytime highs are in the mid-70s. Temperatures rarely dip below freezing in the winter, and snow is exceptionally rare. The only measurable accumulation ever to occur in region around The Villages was in 1948, though some surrounding areas did accumulate six inches in a snow event in 1977.
The Villages has a some hurricane risk, although it is not as high as in South Florida’s urban corridor or other coastal regions. Since the city is located inland from the Atlantic and far from the Gulf of Mexico; as such, hurricanes usually weaken before arriving. During the notorious 2004 hurricane season, The Villages was affected by three hurricanes that caused significant damage in surrounding areas, with Hurricane Charley the worst of these. Tornadoes are not usually connected with the strong thunderstorms of the summer, but are more common during the infrequent storms of winter, as well as in passing hurricanes.
Monday, June 27, 2011
City of The Villages, Florida: General Information
The Villages, Florida is a city located in Sumter County, and includes portions of Lake and Marion counties. As of the 2000 census, there were 8,333 people, 4,392 households, and 3,583 families residing in the Census Designated Place. A mid-census survey indicates an enormous population boom, with The Villages reaching 75,000 population in December 2007. The same survey shows that growth trends will likely continue from 1990 forward, meaning that The Villages will double in population in the next 5 years.
According to the 2000 census, the population density was 1,605 people per square mile and average housing density of 975 units per square mile. The Villages boasts 400,393 households, with only 0.3% having children under the age of 18 living with them, as a typical retirement community would, Married couples were the vast majority at 80.1%, and 1.2% had a female householder with no husband present. Non-families lived in 18.4% of households, 15.6% were made up of individuals and 11.1% were individuals who was 65 years of age or older.
The distribution of age ranges in The Villages population are also typical of a retirement community. Children under 18 were 0.3% of the population, residents age 18 to 24 were 0.3%, 1.5% of residents were aged from 25 to 44. However, 40.4% of the population was 45 to 64 years old, and 57.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. In fact, the median age was 66 years, as The Villages is an age-restricted community with only three neighborhoods designated for residences by persons under age 19.
The median income for a household The Villages was $42,542, and the median income for a family was $45,078. Males earned a median income of $58,173 and females earned $26,176 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $28,343.
According to the 2000 census, the population density was 1,605 people per square mile and average housing density of 975 units per square mile. The Villages boasts 400,393 households, with only 0.3% having children under the age of 18 living with them, as a typical retirement community would, Married couples were the vast majority at 80.1%, and 1.2% had a female householder with no husband present. Non-families lived in 18.4% of households, 15.6% were made up of individuals and 11.1% were individuals who was 65 years of age or older.
The distribution of age ranges in The Villages population are also typical of a retirement community. Children under 18 were 0.3% of the population, residents age 18 to 24 were 0.3%, 1.5% of residents were aged from 25 to 44. However, 40.4% of the population was 45 to 64 years old, and 57.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. In fact, the median age was 66 years, as The Villages is an age-restricted community with only three neighborhoods designated for residences by persons under age 19.
The median income for a household The Villages was $42,542, and the median income for a family was $45,078. Males earned a median income of $58,173 and females earned $26,176 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $28,343.
History of the City of The Villages, Florida
The city of The Villages, Florida is a master-planned age-restricted retirement community located mainly in Sumter County, and includes portions of Lake and Marion counties. The history of the city originated when Harold Schwartz, a businessman from Michigan, began selling tracts of land tracts through mail order in the 1960s. Schwartz and his business partner Al Tarrson soon suffered financial setback from this business plan when a Federal law passed in 1968 banned all mail order sales of real estate by this method. The result was that the pair were burdened with considerable portions of Florida land in the area that is now The Villages.
In the early 1970s, Schwartz and Tarrson took a new direction, beginning development on a mobile home park that they named “Orange Blossom Gardens.” The part occupied the northwestern corner of Lake County in Florida. However, a decade later, the pair had only sold only 400 units within the community. In an attempt to improve the business and turn a profit, Schwartz decided to buy out his partner’s interest and bring his son, H. Gary Morse, on as partner in 1983.
Morse’s participation brought new ideas for developing the property. He was aware that the overwhelmingly successful retirement communities throughout the state of Florida were thriving because they offered considerable numbers of well-maintained amenities. These community’s residents also found themselves surrounded by diverse amounts of nearby commercial development and cultural attractions. Morse began to significantly upgrade the development, and by the mid-1980s there was a considerable improvement in sales. His father Schwartz reacted by purchasing large tracts of land in nearby Sumter and Marion counties to plan for future expansion.
The development was named The Villages in 1992, and is controlled in all major aspects by heirs of Schwartz and Morse. The ruling organizations are several Community Development Districts, most of which are controlled by Morse. The Villages earned the No. 1 ranking as the fastest growing micropolitan area in the United States according to a 2008 Census Bureau report.
In the early 1970s, Schwartz and Tarrson took a new direction, beginning development on a mobile home park that they named “Orange Blossom Gardens.” The part occupied the northwestern corner of Lake County in Florida. However, a decade later, the pair had only sold only 400 units within the community. In an attempt to improve the business and turn a profit, Schwartz decided to buy out his partner’s interest and bring his son, H. Gary Morse, on as partner in 1983.
Morse’s participation brought new ideas for developing the property. He was aware that the overwhelmingly successful retirement communities throughout the state of Florida were thriving because they offered considerable numbers of well-maintained amenities. These community’s residents also found themselves surrounded by diverse amounts of nearby commercial development and cultural attractions. Morse began to significantly upgrade the development, and by the mid-1980s there was a considerable improvement in sales. His father Schwartz reacted by purchasing large tracts of land in nearby Sumter and Marion counties to plan for future expansion.
The development was named The Villages in 1992, and is controlled in all major aspects by heirs of Schwartz and Morse. The ruling organizations are several Community Development Districts, most of which are controlled by Morse. The Villages earned the No. 1 ranking as the fastest growing micropolitan area in the United States according to a 2008 Census Bureau report.
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