THE VILLAGES — Professor Galit Nimrod published the book 'Seniorland: Aging in a Retirement Metropolis' through Cambridge University Press, following a two-month immersive research period in The Villages, Florida, in March and April of 2023. Her research for the book included interviews with 40 residents of the retirement community.

Nimrod, an expert in communications at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev's Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and a research fellow at Beersheba University's Center for Multidisciplinary Research on Aging, observed that retirement communities have grown. "The past two decades show that retirement communities have grown exponentially," Nimrod said.

The Villages, located in central Florida, is the world's largest retirement city with a population of 150,000 older adults and covering 148,000 dunams. Homes within the community range from $300,000 to $2 million, with lower-priced homes typically offering three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Residents have cited complaints including crowding, queues, a lack of sidewalks, extra fees, rapid growth, and infrastructure decline.

The Villages provides numerous recreational facilities, including over 110 public swimming pools and nearly 60 golf courses. Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the community. The city also maintains its own local media, which includes newspapers, two radio stations, a local cable TV network, and an official community website. Residents who require geriatric nursing care often leave The Villages due to high institutional costs within the city. Nimrod stated, "Yes! I would live there if I were an American Jew." She met one Israeli resident during her stay. The community has an approximate Jewish population of 5,000 and includes two synagogues, one Reform and one ultra-Orthodox Hassidic. Politically, almost one-third of residents identify as Democrats, while 60% identify as Republicans.