 The overall development lies in central Florida, approximately south of Ocala and approximately northwest of Orlando.The Villages consistently ranks as a very high growth area.The U.S. Census ranked The Villages as the fastest-growing U.S. city for the second year in a row (during the 12 months ending in July 2014); The Villages MSA (all of Sumter County) estimated population, as of July 1, 2018, was 128,754 according to the U.S. Census Bureau.