Sumter County, Florida

Sumter County Courthouse

Seal

Location in the U.S. state of Florida

Florida's location in the U.S.

Founded

January 8, 1853

Named for

Largest community

Area

• Total

580 sq mi (1,502 km²)

• Land

547 sq mi (1,417 km²)

• Water

33 sq mi (85 km²), 5.7%

Population (est.)

• (2015)

118,891

• Density

170.8/sq mi (66/km²)

Congressional district

11th

Time zone

Eastern: UTC-5/-4

Website

www.sumtercountyfl.gov

Sumter County is a county located in the state of Florida, United States. As of September 2016, the population according to county officials is 118,577. It has the oldest median age (62.7 years) of any US county. Its county seat is Bushnell, and the largest community is The Villages.

Sumter County comprises Metropolitan Statistical Area of The Villages, which is included in the Orlando-Deltona-Daytona Beach, FL Combined Statistical Area.

Sumter County was affected by the massive Florida tornado outbreak of February 2, 2007, and declared a state of emergency.

Sumter County was created in 1853. It was named for General Thomas Sumter, a general in the American Revolutionary War. The county in the past, and to this day by some, is nicknamed "Hog County" most likely because it is home to a large population of wild hogs. Hog hunting is still a favorite pastime of locals in the more rural portions of the county.

Although long extremely rural, in recent years Sumter County has sustained an exceptionally large increase in population, almost solely due to the expansion of The Villages retirement complex, a significant portion of which is in the county. This has dramatically changed the demographics of the county and has brought in significant income.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 580 square miles (1,500 km²), of which 547 square miles (1,420 km²) is land and 33 square miles (85 km²) (5.7%) is water.

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Wikipedia