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The Villages vs. Citrus Hills

by Ryan Erisman | Updated: February 2, 2023

See also:
The Villages vs. On Top of the World
The Villages vs. Solivita
The Villages vs. Tradition

The Villages is the best-selling community in the country (retirement or otherwise) for a reason, but not everyone who takes a look at The Villages for retirement falls under her spell.

We thought it'd be fun to compare The Villages to a number of other popular Florida retirement communities so you can see which one might come out on top for you.

We're not here to say that one community is better than another. Only you can pick the community that comes out on top in your eyes based on what you are looking for in a community.

Today let's compare some of the popular features and amenities of The Villages to those of nearby Villages of Citrus Hills.

Editor's Note:
If you enjoy this sort of thing, in my private, member’s only community for future Florida retirees, I’m comparing lots of other popular Florida retirement communities just like you see here. Learn more here… (opens in a new window)

Golf

skyview-text

The Villages has more holes of golf than any other community in the world, with more than 700 holes of golf spread out over 13 Championship courses (most feature 27 holes) and 42 9-hole Executive courses.

So if your dream involves waking up and playing a new track everyday, The Villages can help you achieve that.

That's assuming you can get a tee-time.

Despite the large number of courses available, because of the sheer number of people living in The Villages (more than 130,000 at last count!) it can be tougher than you might think to get a tee time.

That's especially true during the busy season which runs from about Mid-October through April.

By comparison, the Villages of Citrus Hills has 63 holes of golf spread across 4 courses, but the population here is only a fraction of what you have in The Villages, so even during the winter season, it's no problem to get a tee time.

This video gives you a look at the Skyview Clubhouse at Citrus Hills and you can see how uncrowded it actually is:

Interestingly, I hear from a lot of Villagers who tend to play the same 4 or 5 courses over and over.

One reason for this is they are playing courses near their home so they don't have to travel too far. Another reason is that 4-5 seems to be the number of courses that provides just enough variety, while also allowing for some level of mastery.

The thinking is, if you rotate through all the courses on a regular basis, you'd probably never get particularly good at any one of them, but if you play the same handful of courses on a regular basis, you'd probably get pretty good at some of them.

Location

cedar-key

The Villages is smack dab in the middle of the state.

One common complaint I hear from people is that their Florida retirement dreams involved living near the water.

Then they learn that The Villages is about as far away from either coast as you can get, and they are understandably disappointed.

On the plus side though, The Villages is set up with everything you need at your fingertips, like shopping, restaurants, and medical care, and most of it is golf cart accessible.

You're just going to have to live without the beach.

The Villages of Citrus Hills on the other hand is located in Florida's Nature Coast region, and the community itself is less than 30 minutes to the ocean.

It's a nature lover's dream with a ton of options for things to see and do over there, like Cedar Key, Homosassa Springs and Rainbow Springs state parks, and exciting excursions like swimming with the manatees, scalloping and much more.

At the Villages of Citrus Hills, you do have some restaurants within the community at the clubhouses, and there's also a regular lineup of entertainment available, but for other services like shopping and medical facilities you will have to leave the community.

But the good part is you won't have to go far!

New Home Choices

dali-text

While there are plenty of great floorplans available in The Villages, it used to be the case that you were pretty limited with what you could do to personalize the home. You pretty much had to take what they gave you or go someplace else.

From what I've heard that stance has relaxed in recent years, and The Villages is more open to letting customers make changes and customize things a little more to their needs.

Here's the experience one couple recently had building a new home in The Villages.

At the Villages of Citrus Hills you also get a great selection of homes to choose from, and they are also very flexible with allowing you to personalize the homes to your liking.

As far as lot selection goes, in The Villages, nearly all new construction will be in the southern part of the community.

At the Villages of Citrus Hills, you have a little more choice regarding where you'd like to be within the community and aren't as limited.

Resales

There are some resales in the Villages of Citrus Hills, but if you are looking for resales, it's hard to beat the selection of resales available in The Villages.

Plus, if you do want to be in part of The Villages other than where the new homes are being built, resales are your only opportunity to do that.

Here's a look at some resales recently listed for sale in The Villages:

748 Barbados Place The Villages FL 32162
New Listing - 54 minutes online
1 / 47
$354,900
Single Family Home For Sale
Active
3
BEDS
2
TOTAL BATHS
1,392
SQFT
748 Barbados Place
The Villages, FL 32162
Villages of Sumter Subdivision
1654 Summerchase Loop The Villages FL 32162
New Listing - 3 hours online
1 / 30
$399,000
Villa For Sale
Active
3
BEDS
2
TOTAL BATHS
1,600
SQFT
1654 Summerchase Loop
The Villages, FL 32162
The Villages Subdivision
1511 Doria Lane The Villages FL 32159
Open House Sat, Mar 25, 3 PM UTC
1 / 51
$399,900
Single Family Home For Sale
Active
3
BEDS
2
TOTAL BATHS
2,034
SQFT
1511 Doria Lane
The Villages, FL 32159
Villages of Sumter Subdivision
1840 Hartford Path The Villages FL 32162
Open House Sat, Mar 25, 5 PM UTC
1 / 37
$1,195,000
Single Family Home For Sale
Active
3
BEDS
2
TOTAL BATHS
2,680
SQFT
1840 Hartford Path
The Villages, FL 32162
The Villages Subdivision
2507 Birch Avenue The Villages FL 32162
New Listing - 11 hours online
1 / 30
$298,900
Villa For Sale
Active
2
BEDS
2
TOTAL BATHS
1,188
SQFT
2507 Birch Avenue
The Villages, FL 32162
The Villages Subdivision
7294 SE 171st Brookhaven Place The Villages FL 32162
New Listing - 11 hours online
1 / 65
$499,900
Single Family Home For Sale
Active
3
BEDS
2
TOTAL BATHS
2,004
SQFT
7294 SE 171st Brookhaven Place
The Villages, FL 32162
Villages/Marion Un #63 Subdivision
1950 Boxwood Terrace The Villages FL 32162
Open House Sat, Mar 25, 3 PM UTC
1 / 65
$625,000
Single Family Home For Sale
Active
3
BEDS
2
TOTAL BATHS
2,128
SQFT
1950 Boxwood Terrace
The Villages, FL 32162
The Villages Subdivision
716 Bolivar Street The Villages FL 32159
New Listing - 11 hours online
1 / 34
$299,900
Single Family Home For Sale
Active
2
BEDS
2
TOTAL BATHS
1,383
SQFT
716 Bolivar Street
The Villages, FL 32159
Lady Lake Orange Blossom Gardens Unit 15 Subdivision

Remember, It's Your Decision

So for you, will it be The Villages or do you think the Villages of Citrus Hills is worth a look?

If your heart is 100% set on The Villages, you should definitely check out my book, Inside the Bubble to learn everything you need to know before you move there.

I've been researching and writing about The Villages for more than a decade, and more than 15,000 people have bought my book and followed my advice before retiring there.

On the other hand, if you are open to exploring a great alternative to The Villages, you should definitely request more information about the Villages of Citrus Hills today.

I've had many readers over the years discover that the Villages of Citrus Hills simply fit them better and they are very happy there.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Stephanie Chapin says

    March 7, 2023 at 8:35 am

    We moved to Clearview estates in 2018. Lots are 1 acre lots so there is plenty of breathing room. We like the space, the gyms and pools. We are not golfers but there is plenty to do in area including the beautiful Crystal River area.

    Reply
  2. Florence B. Vizcarra says

    September 8, 2022 at 9:35 am

    Just saw it for a day and did comparisons.
    Citrus Hills and The Villages.
    Villages is too congested
    Citrus Hills is country living.

    Reply
  3. Steve Lampasona says

    August 11, 2022 at 8:31 am

    We moved into Clearview Estates 2 years ago. Clearview is one of several communities that are part of the Villages of Citrus Hills. We love it here. This area used to be a large watermelon farm. It’s hilly and the 1 acre lots are mostly fields with trees along lot lines. I call it big sky country.

    Reply
  4. Sherry Asuncion says

    August 4, 2022 at 9:51 am

    Thank you! I find the comparison feature very informative.

    Reply
  5. Bill lloyd says

    August 23, 2020 at 10:01 am

    Great comparisons

    Reply

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