Is The Villages a gated community?

Is The Villages a "gated community"? Well, yes and no. There are no gates to get into shopping areas or town squares. However, there are gates to get into the neighborhood villages. Gates are open with gate-key cards that are issued to you when you purchase your home. Some gates have manned booths and both resident and visitor lanes. Visitors do not need to register to go through these gates. They are simply waved through by the attendant. Smaller neighborhood gates have resident-only lanes. However, visitors and services, such as lawn care and deliveries, are allowed through these gates as well with only a press of a button. Villagers are mixed in their opinions of the gates. All roads in The Villages are public-access roads. Some feel that the delays at larger gates is unnecessary since no one can be kept out. Some feel that the gates are only there to give Villagers a false sense of security. However, all gates have cameras so every car or golf cart coming into and out of a gate is photographed. That footage can be reviewed by police, if needed. Speaking of traffic coming in and out of the gates, did you know that neither fire nor ambulances are allowed to use their sirens inside The Villages?

I like the gates, even though I live near a very busy one. It forces everyone to slow down. It's also nice to be greeted with a wave and a smile by the attendant. Speaking of slowing down, did you know that many times during the year there are broken gates from people running into the gate arm? Because there are cameras at every gate, they are able to track down who hit the gate and fine them $250! While the gate arm is broken, they will place a stop sign to encourage people to slow down at the gate. Typically, gates are only down for a few hours to one day before they are repaired. Another interesting fact about the gates is they remove the arms or simply keep them open when we are under the warning of an approaching hurricane! I guess incase we need to evacuate.