As The Villages has grown, so has the number of news outlets covering it.
Each outlet has a little different approach and a little different agenda with their coverage, so not every source will make it onto your list of favorites, and that’s o.k.
But, if your goal is to get a well-rounded perspective about The Villages, then having a variety of the sources below in your news diet is important.
With that said, here are the best places to get news about The Villages.
This Week Inside the Bubble
Of course I have to start this list off with a little self promotion! That’s one of the bonuses of owning this website 😉
This Week Inside the Bubble is my free weekly email that is currently read by more than 20,000 current and future residents of The Villages.
Each week I go through all of the other news sources listed below and narrow things down to what I feel are the “Best of the Best”… the most important items of the week … and bring those stories straight to my readers.
You can get your free subscription right here.
The Villages Daily Sun
The Villages Daily Sun is the developer-owned newspaper. Because of the rapid growth of The Villages, it is one of the only newspapers in the country without a declining print subscription base.
As the article I just linked to mentions, The Villages Daily Sun aims to be a “print first” publication, and after a quick visit to their website, that becomes clear. Only a select handful of articles in the paper get posted to the site, and oftentimes the ones that are posted are simply excerpts or previews of what you’ll find in the print edition.
Pro: As the developer owned newspaper, if the developer wants to get the word out about something, you’ll probably read about it here first.
Con: As the developer owned newspaper, if there’s something the developer doesn’t want you to know about, you probably won’t find it in The Villages Daily Sun.
https://www.thevillagesdailysun.com/
Villages-News
While The Villages Daily Sun focuses only on news that shows the community in a positive light, Villages-News is where you’ll find everything else.
Villages-News was founded by Meta Minton, who was previously managing editor for The Villages Daily Sun.
Pros: If you want the good, the bad, and the ugly in regards to The Villages, you’ll find it here.
Cons: Because their coverage area is “The Villages and surrounding areas”, you’ll need to sift and sort through a number of items that have no relevance to anyone who lives in or is thinking about living in The Villages.
Also, the amount of ads on the site can be a bit overwhelming, but unfortunately ads are how most journalism is paid for these days.
https://www.villages-news.com/
Talk of The Villages
This is the most popular forum covering The Villages. As with most online forums, you’ll encounter some trolls (In Internet slang, a troll is a person who starts flame wars or intentionally upsets people on the Internet.) but from time to time you will also come across some amazingly helpful threads.
https://www.talkofthevillages.com/
District “What’s Happening” Page
The What’s Happening page of the District's website is where you’ll find information on rec center closures, road work in the community, and other time sensitive information from The Villages Community Development Districts.
https://districtgov.org/happening/index.aspx
The Voice
The Voice is the monthly newsletter of The Villages Homeowners Advocates (The VHA).
https://www.thevha.net/the-voice-archives/
POA Bulletin
The POA Bulletin is the monthly newsletter of the Property Owners Association of The Villages (POA).
Daily Commercial
The Leesburg Daily Commercial covers Lake and Sumter counties. While it is definitely not focused on The Villages, you can sometimes find pertinent articles there.
https://www.dailycommercial.com/
Orlando Sentinel
The Orlando Sentinel covers a large area, but you’ll find some coverage of the bigger Villages-related stories in there. Retired Orlando Sentinel columnist Lauren Ritchie who, much to the developer’s chagrin, wrote pretty extensively about The Villages was featured prominently in the documentary “The Bubble”.
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/
Ocala Star Banner
Again, not focused on The Villages at all, but every once in a while you’ll find something relevant there.
The Villages Magazine
This is another developer-owned publication. It’s essentially a “lifestyle” magazine, so you’ll see a lot of interviews/feature stories on Villages residents, ads for local businesses, etc.
https://www.thevillagesdailysun.com/magazine/
Lake & Sumter Style
This magazine is similar in style and tone to The Villages Magazine, but covers all of Lake and Sumter counties. That said, I’ve found several Villages related items here over the years.
https://www.lakeandsumterstyle.com/
Local News Stations
Based in Orlando, the following local news stations are finding their way to The Villages more and more as the community grows (and gets geographically closer to Orlando).
YouTube
I find some of the best news about The Villages while watching some of the many YouTubers doing shows about The Villages. Here’s a list of some of my favorites.
Final Thoughts
Following even just a handful of the publications I’ve mentioned above will help you keep your finger on the pulse of The Villages.
There’s a lot going on in all aspects of the community, so it is a great idea to stay informed.
Once again before you go, my free newsletter is a great way to stay current on everything.
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