The Village of Caroline is a 55+ community in Florida where only people aged 55 and older can live full-time, and you won't find anyone living there under the age of 19 for long stretches, as those are the rules, and this place covers a good stretch of land with about 78 villages inside, and the people in charge plan to keep building more, so it keeps growing, which means you'll always find new neighbors and new things popping up here and there. The homes come in different types, like patio villas, courtyard villas, ranch-style homes, and designer homes, all settled across different neighborhoods, and you'll probably notice the wide range of choices if you're looking for a certain kind of house, and they also keep good track of property ownership history, keeping records of sales and purchases, which makes it easy for them to keep everything in order. Residents follow strong community standards, where folks on the Board of Supervisors and the Community Standards division make sure everyone keeps their yard, lawn, and house neat, and they will give out deadlines for fixing weeds, dead grass, or paint and siding problems, and they hold deed compliance hearings if rules aren't followed, and people seem to take pride in keeping things tidy around here.
The activities are plenty, with recreation centers like SeaBreeze and Pimlico, which has a pool, a dance studio, and regular activities; not to mention there are social clubs for things like pickleball, quilting, and reading fiction novels if you get the urge to join in, plus lots of scheduled community events, from softball leagues and Fit Club to running events like the Running of the Squares, socials, and the senior games. You'll see folks using their golf carts to get around, because there's over 90 miles of golf cart paths winding all through the place, making it easy to get to the golf courses, which are pretty famous themselves, being designed by names like Arnold Palmer and Nancy Lopez, and this place even has professional golfer Nancy Lopez and baseball player Ray Knight living there, and it seems there's always a bit of community pride about the folks who've done well for themselves. Golf is a big thing here, with programs labeled "Golf in The Villages," and they charge trail fees to help pay for maintenance.
The Village of Caroline sits within Community Development District 6, which handles local government and services like water, utilities, sanitation, finance, and even things like bulk garbage pick-up, RV storage, and public safety covering emergency needs, so residents don't have to worry much about arranging basic necessities. You'll also find parks, dog parks, nature trails, and even pathways for walking or rolling about, and there's a community learning program called The Enrichment Academy if you want to learn something new, or take part in outdoor excursions and STAR or senior recreation programs, and you can spot bulletin boards with news or sign up for a resident ID card and RV storage if you need it. Folks often gather in town pubs for music, socializing, or joining in leagues, and there's always something on the calendar if you're looking to take part or just watch what's going on, and they even offer a Customer Service and Resident Academy for residents wanting to ask questions or get involved.
The village has a reputation for being safe, with violent crime rates well below the national average, and there's a Community Watch program in place, plus plenty of enforced rules to keep houses and lawns in good shape, so things stay peaceful and orderly. The district handles property management, compliance checks, landscaping orders, and keeps everything running smoothly with office staff, making it as hands-off as you like, and since there's a lot of people and a wide range of things to do, most folks either find community in the activities or enjoy the quiet if that suits them better.
