Straddling the border of Southwest Florida’s Manatee and Sarasota counties, Lakewood Ranch was the 2nd fastest selling master-planned community in the United States in 2019, with 824 new homes purchased in the first half of the year alone. The Ranch is built on land that was once largely occupied by mines, cattle ranches, citrus groves, and timber farms, up until construction began on the mixed-use community in 1994. In February 1995, the first house in the 31,000-acre development was sold. 25 years later, Lakewood Ranch boasts 19 schools and colleges, several shopping centers, a medical center, a sports complex, country clubs, the largest business park in the region, and far more, all for its 36,000 residents and visitors to enjoy. Lakewood Ranch takes mixed-use to a very large scale.

In 2005, Lakewood Ranch’s Main Street opened. The Main Street serves as the central hub for all of Lakewood Ranch, its website boasting of its “stylish boutiques, acclaimed restaurants, miniature golf, a cinema, concerts, festivals and more.” Main Street and its surrounding neighborhoods are a microcosm that function as a small city. And for those who want to be located just a stone’s throw away from the action at any given time, there are several apartment, townhome, and single-family residences within walking distance.

Former Lakewood Ranch resident, Lilly Felder, lived just a few minutes walk from the town center. Felder spoke of her time living here, saying “The walkability was great. It helped keep me active.” Felder found herself using her car less than she had in the past, an unforeseen environmental benefit for many residents. But her favorite part of living there was the social benefits it had. As someone who has lived in rural areas for a majority of her life, Felder added that “It was enjoyable to see everyone socializing at outdoor seating areas of the restaurants and bars. I definitely prefer living closer to entertainment, shopping, restaurants and bars.” Main Street offered a real sense of community. And Felder is not the only one enjoying the countless amenities and advantages that come with living near the town center. A quick Facebook search yields hundreds of 5-star reviews for the location. Comments say things like “As a resident of Lakewood Ranch, I have to say Main street has everything I need and more” and “I live across the street from Main Street and love hearing the music on the first Friday of the month.” The kindest comment comes from David Paliotta, who writes, “It’s my town, what’s not to like? It’s heaven on earth here!”  The positive reviews go on and on, with the most negative comment pertaining to a negative interaction between another visitor and the reviewer’s son. The post was met with apologies from other community members.

But the Main Street area is only one of many neighborhoods within Lakewood Ranch. CORE at Lakewood Ranch, “a cutting-edge life sciences research campus,” states on its website that The Ranch’s various neighborhoods are intended to “appeal to various age, income, and household segments.” Lakewood Ranch is designed so that there is a “right place” for everyone- quite the task to undertake. Yet once again, a quick Facebook search shows hundreds of 5-star reviews for the Lakewood Ranch page, and the high sales rate of residential properties seems to support the claim.

Even skeptics eventually turned fans. The late Gloria Rains, a local environmental icon who wanted the hinterlands the community was built on to be left alone, eventually praised Lakewood Ranch’s preservation of natural features. 40% of the land was left for conservation and parks, and 14,000 acres have been certified “green” by the Florida Green Building Coalition, according to CORE. Their website details the environmental impact of the community, adding that the community has “made considerable efforts to set aside large tracts of land, eradicate invasive species that have overtaken them, and restore their native flora and fauna… Through the use of a combination of habitat management techniques, nuisance and exotic plant overgrowth has been reversed. There is also a 38-acre preserve for the gopher tortoise, a threatened and protected species.” It seems as though the community has figured out a way to make this the right home for everyone, or at least really try to.

And there is no plan to stop growing anytime soon, whether it’s in the area of sustainability, commercial growth, or residential growth. In its 25 years, Lakewood Ranch has brought over 36,000 residents and over 16,000 jobs to the area, and its website states that even still, “there is plenty of room to grow.”