Closer Than You Think

The Citrus Tower, built in 1956, once drew awestruck tourists to its observation deck for panoramic views of Orlando" target="_blank">Lake County's sprawling citrus groves. As far as the eye could see were dark, leafy rows over which a seemingly infinite number of oranges were sprinkled. In the right season, with a gently blowing wind, the fragrance of orange blossoms could be even more intoxicating than the view.

The tower-now considered a kitschy relic of a bygone era-is still there, but the landscape has changed. Now you'll see thousands of new homes on the rolling hills that have always distinguished burgeoning Orlando" target="_blank">Lake County from its topographically challenged neighbors.

Which isn't to say that sprawl has destroyed Orlando" target="_blank">Lake County's charm-at least not yet. There are still groves, woods, barns and more than 1,400 lakes scattered across 221 square miles. The county's unpretentious municipalities still boast Mayberryesque business districts with mom-and-pop shops.

But like other previously rural areas in Central Florida, Orlando" target="_blank">Lake County is struggling to accommodate growth without compromising its country credentials. That's a particular challenge in south Orlando" target="_blank">Lake County, which has increasingly become an attractive suburban alternative for people who work in more populous Orange and Seminole counties.

The city of Clermont, population 10,000, is ground zero for the county's housing boom. The stage was set with the opening of the 1.2 million-square-foot Lake Lotta Mall and construction of the turnpike system's Western Beltway, which made a once-daunting Orlando commute quite manageable.

Further complicating matters, growth in neighboring Ocoee and Winter Garden, located in Orlando" target="_blank">Orange County, has spilled over. Indeed, the 28,000-acre Horizon West development, which ultimately will contain more than 20,000 homes, abuts an area of south Orlando" target="_blank">Lake County that is rural now but almost certainly won't be in a few years.

Clermont and Orlando" target="_blank">Lake County officials have signed a joint planning agreement to address how unincorporated areas south of the city will grow. This expanse of pastures and groves, which is being squeezed by Clermont to the north and Horizon West to the east, will likely evolve into a large suburb fueled by easy access to Horizon West's 4,000-acre town center, which will include shops, offices, restaurants and hotels.

Already, plans are afoot to four-lane Hartwood Marsh Road, which runs through the largely undeveloped tracts. That project will usher in a new boom for south Orlando" target="_blank">Lake County even as the current boom continues to reverberate.

"Housing is a booming business right now," says Jean Kaminski, executive director the Home Builders Association of Orlando" target="_blank">Lake County. She notes that land prices remain relatively low and that buildable land remains relatively plentiful, thanks in large part to hard freezes in the 1980s that decimated the county's citrus industry.

Greg Mihalic, director of economic development and tourism for Orlando" target="_blank">Lake County, says these factors-plus transportation improvements-have combined to make south Orlando" target="_blank">Lake County the region's hottest growth area.

"As opportunities diminished both residentially and commercially in Orange and Seminole counties, the push for development went to Orlando" target="_blank">Lake County," Mihalic says. He points out that the number of Orlando" target="_blank">Lake County commuters to Orlando" target="_blank">Orange County increased more than 135 percent during the 1990s-the largest jump in the region. Most of those commuters settled in the county's southern reaches.

That's just dandy with Dave McCall of Micki Blackburn Realty. The company's Clermont office closed more than 600 properties in 2003-a county record, according to McCall.

"It's booming out here," he says. "You can get more square footage for less money. And there's a terrific quality of life, with less traffic, hilly terrain and lakes for water skiing, fishing and boating."

And while prices are going up, it's still possible to find new single-family homes in south Orlando" target="_blank">Lake County for around $100,000.

For example, in Showcase Homes' 44 Gables, three- and four-bedroom models are priced from the low $100s. And Shamrock Homes, a longtime local builder, has more than a half-dozen Orlando" target="_blank">Lake County communities where home prices start in the low $100s.

One of the most prominent Orlando" target="_blank">Lake County builders for decades has been Pringle Development. Its first project, Scottish Highlands, was a 650-home community that set a new precedent in Orlando" target="_blank">Lake County for active-adult communities-site-built homes rather than manufactured homes.

"We were the first build-to-suit, active-adult community with full amenities in Orlando" target="_blank">Lake County," says Dan Lamont, director of marketing. Pringle's current age-restricted community, Highland Lakes, is planned for almost 1,000 homes with an average price of around $200,000.

Lennar Homes in Clermont has four active communities including King's Ridge, where prices start in the $160s. "For a national builder, we have the most communities in Clermont," says Kelly Hernandez, marketing manager.

Homes at Lennar's Legends Golf and Country Club range in price from $200,000 to $300,000. Another Lennar community, Tradd's Landing, started selling in February and quickly ran through its allotment of 64 homesites. Prices range from the $170s to the $260s.

Although most of its growth has come in the past decade, south Orlando" target="_blank">Lake County's heritage goes back thousands of years, when Timucuan Indians called the area home. Reminders of their presence can be found at more than 1,000 archeological sites scattered throughout the county.

White settlers started moving into Clermont immediately following the Civil War. But there was little activity until 1884, when a landowner named T.J. Hooks sold 100 acres to New Jersey investors, who in turn formed the Clermont Improvement Company and began selling lots to other northerners. Orlando" target="_blank">Lake County, carved from Orange and Sumter counties, was chartered in 1887.

Clermont is truly at the crossroads of Florida, located at the intersection of east-west S.R. 50 and north-south U.S. Hwy. 27. Bordered by Lake Minnehaha on the south and Lake Minneola on the north, Clermont is on a chain of 16 lakes connected by the Palatlakaha River in the Ocklawha Basin of tributaries of the St. Johns River.

"The Gem of the Hills," as Clermont is sometimes called, is also popular among triathlon enthusiasts. South Lake Hospital's 15-acre, all-in-one-campus is home to the USA Triathlon National Training Center, which is designed to meet the needs of all ages and fitness levels. Triathletes in particular appreciate the physical challenge of trudging along the area's rolling hills and the opportunity to train year-round in sunny weather.

Wine enthusiasts may also be familiar with Clermont through the Lakeridge Winery & Vineyards, one of only three wineries in Florida. Located on 35 acres, the winery offers free tours, tastings and retail sales. At capacity, it produces more than 1,250 cases of wine per day.

In east Orlando" target="_blank">Lake County around Mount Dora, sometimes known as "the New England of the South," luxury developments are gaining a toehold.

Located near the junction of S.R. 46 and U.S. Hwy. 441, Morrison Homes' Country Club of Mount Dora features an 18-hole golf course, lighted tennis courts and a swimming pool. Homes are priced from the $160s-surprisingly inexpensive for an amenity-rich master-planned community.

Heathrow, a posh country club community in Seminole County, is being duplicated at Heathrow Country Estates, where homesites are selling for $125,000 to $300,000, says Carl Milsap, director of real estate sales. Model homes are priced from $500,000 to $600,000. The gated community, located at S.R. 46 and S.R. 46A, will have 323 homes at buildout. The golf course, now under construction, will open in November. Sales have been brisk, driven in part by the rural setting and in part by growing demand for upscale housing in Orlando" target="_blank">Lake County.

Mount Dora, population 10,300, was founded in 1874, when homesteaders first discovered the gently sloping lakeside hills that rise to 184 feet-hardly a mountain but a formidable height by Central Florida standards. The city hugs the shores of 3,600-acre Lake Dora, named for Dora Ann Drawdy, who homesteaded there with her husband in 1846.

In 1884 the Lakeside Inn, still in operation today, opened for business. The town also began to take shape, but when it was incorporated in 1910 there were no paved streets, no sidewalks and no community water system. Still, the inn was a catalyst for growth, attracting tourists from all over the United States including such luminaries as President Calvin Coolidge and inventor Thomas Edison.

Today, downtown Mount Dora has dozens of historic buildings housing antique shops, art galleries, boutiques and restaurants. Tree-shaded Donnelly Park occupies a full block in the center of town, inviting picnickers and tennis players to enjoy its lush surroundings. Within walking distance is Palm Island Park, adjacent to Gilbert Park, which boasts one of the most beautiful nature trails in the state.

Downtown also hosts an annual art festival, numerous antique and craft fairs, specialty automobile shows and historic home tours. The city has a respected community theater, art center and historical museum.

Notable homes include the circa-1893 Donnelly House, which is one of the few remaining examples of so-called steamboat-gothic architecture in Florida. The ornate structure has been a Masonic lodge since 1930.

On the outskirts of Mount Dora, Renninger's Antique Mall is a huge attraction. Sprawling across several acres, the mall offers hundreds of vendors selling everything from fine furniture to quirky collectibles. It has helped Mount Dora gain its reputation as the "Antique Capital of the South."

Smaller nearby communities have personalities all their own, and are attracting new residents by offering an appealing balance of seclusion and convenience.

At Los Colinas in Howie-in-the Hills, homesites range from $50,000 to $160,000 and homes are priced from $270,000 to $1 million. The first phase is sold out and the second phase is under way, according to Tom Line, broker for the project.

"Many of our buyers are empty nesters who like the rural lifestyle of a resort property," says Line. A key selling point: Los Colinas is part of the venerable Mission Inn Golf and Country Club, for decades one of Central Florida's favorite getaways.

Even tiny Montverde is getting into the act with Bella Collina, a gated, 1,900-acre golf and equestrian community where homesites range in price from $300,000 to $1 million. Developer Bobby Ginn plans a private, $20 million golf course designed by Nick Faldo.

More than 700 reservations have been made since last December, says Larry Smith, Bella Collina's vice president of sales and marketing. That's remarkable considering that just a few years ago, Montverde was a sleepy crossroads with fewer than 1,000 residents and the century-old Montverde Academy boarding school taking up the bulk of downtown.

"I love it out here," says Dottie Germain, who lives in unincorporated east Orlando" target="_blank">Lake County with her husband and young daughter. Germain works in Orlando, but says once she's home the pressures and hassles seem to fall away.

"Even the drive home is relaxing," Germain says. "The great thing about this part of Central Florida is that you feel like you're far away from the hustle-bustle, but you're really not. You're close enough to get there easily, but far enough away that going home almost feels like going on vacation."