Gift shop in Brownwood

Tne other day we spent a couple of hours in Brownwood, the newest downtown of The Villages. It is located just outside of Wildwood which is about 30 miles south of Ocala.

The Villages now extends for miles in every direction from where it was conceived and birthed. It's amazing to see thousands of homes, many thousands of golf cars, numerous golf courses, recreation centers, swimming pools, and shopping centers spread out over this huge area which was not long ago dotted with horse farms and orange groves.

Brownwood is just getting started. There are many new buildings which have been constructed since our last visit of about a year and a half ago, but the majority of store fronts are still vacant. Several new restaurants are up and running, though, and we ate at Five Guys Burgers, a large fast-food chain.

We'll be posting additional Brownwood photos over the next few weeks.

Here are some fun facts about The Villages:

1. The population reached over 100,000 in early 2013. It is projected to be 110,000 by 2015.
2. 20 people move to The Villages every day.
3. Average age of males is 62 and females is 60.
4. Median income is over $93,000 per year.
5. In 2011, The Villages sold almost one percent of all the homes sold in the United States.
6. As of January 1, 2013, there were 46,000 occupied homes.
7. 200-250 new homes are sold every month.
8. 200 pre-owned homes are sold every month.
9. The Villages covers 32 square miles and 23,000 acres.
10. There are 100 miles of golf car paths.
11. The Villages offers 2,200 organized clubs.
12. There are 63 recreation centers.
13. The Villages has 540 holes of golf, the largest number in the world.
14. There are over 50,000 golf cars in The Villages.

 For more fun facts about The Villages, click here.