It once was a rural community-- but not anymore. No area in the country is growing faster than the sprawling age-restricted retirement mecca The Villages- centered in Sumter County but speading into Lake and Marion counties. According to a new Census Bureau report- The Villages was the fastest-growing metro area in the United States between 2010 and 2018 with its population exploding by almost 38-percent. A demographer at the University of Florida told the Orlando Sentinel The Villages has completely transformed the region. In 1970 the median age in the area was 30. By next year, it's projected to be around 67.
Orlando was the ninth-fastest growing metro area between 2010 and 2018 at over 20-percent. Orlando now has the 22nd largest population among metro areas in the U-S.