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Sumter County, Florida originally named Sumpter, was created January 8th¸ 1853 and is located in Central Florida. It was named after General Thomas Sumter, who was a hero of the American Revolutionary War. Sumter County was also the site of two of the Seminole Wars including the start of the 2nd Seminole War. One historic landmark in Seminole County is the Dade Battlefied Historic Site. This Battlefied was named in recognition of Major Francis Dade. The Seminole Indians ambushed the Major and his troops in an effort to keep their land. Sumter County in the past and even to this day has been known to be a rural area. Once nicknamed “Hog County”, hog hunting is still a favorite pastime of some in the more rural portions of Sumter. When the first census was taken in 1860 the population was only 1,429 and in 2004 the estimated population was 60,705. People attribute the most recent population jump in Sumter to the expansion of “The Villiages”, a retirement community, which is a large part of the county. The Villages has turned out to bring a significant income into Sumter County. Other communities in Sumter Counties include Coleman, Mabel, Bushnell, Center Hill, Sumpterville, Webster and Wildwood.