Why a Retirement Community in Florida Was the Fastest-Growing Metro Area

• Aug. 12, 2021Updated 3:36 p.m. ET

MIAMI — Amid a slowing of overall population growth in the United States, a Florida retirement community continued its rise to top of the population charts: The Villages, a sprawling master planned community in Central Florida, was the fastest-growing metropolitan area over the last decade, according to census data released Thursday.

About a 45-minute drive from Orlando, the area’s population jumped 39 percent since 2010 — from about 93,000 residents to about 130,000. The growth was fueled in large part by a steady stream of retirees lured by Florida’s year-round balmy weather and endless golfing. The community has made the fastest-growing list over several decades.

Built in the 1960s as a collection of tracts that could be purchased by mail order, The Villages skyrocketed in popularity in the 1980s and 1990s as it expanded to include large-scale restaurants, shopping and other leisure activities, becoming a charming self-contained home for seniors beginning their next chapter.

The Villages is mostly white and conservative and over the years has become a familiar campaign stop for Republican candidates.