The Villages is a census-designated place in Sumter County, Florida, United States. It shares its name with a broader master-planned age-restricted community that spreads into portions of Lake and Marion counties. 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; As of August 2017, the total population of The Villages reached 115,000 people, due to new areas stretching from Fruitland Park to CR 470. The Villages is made up of several Community Development Districts, which are controlled by a board of supervisors, five individuals elected by the landowners of the district. H. Gary Morse, the son of the original owner and who was responsible for turning The Villages into one of the most well-known and fastest-growing retirement communities, transferred most direct ownership in the company to his three children in 2006; Morse died in 2014.