Lakewood Ranch
Lakewood Ranch spurred a development boom in east Manatee County, and several country club communities are located nearby, including Lennar’s River Strand Golf & Country Club in the master-planned community of Heritage Harbour, and Rosedale Golf & Country Club, which recently introduced its newest 221-unit single-family subdivision, The Links.
THE LAKEWOOD RANCH COMMUNITY
When the master-planned community of Lakewood Ranch began development in the late 1990s, it changed the face of east Manatee County forever. Perennially included in Top 10 lists of America’s best master-planned communities, Lakewood Ranch is now home to more than 18,000 residents who live in 8,500-plus homes in dozens of neighborhoods surrounding nature preserves and parks. This “live, work, learn and play” community is also home to a medical center, public and private golf courses, shops, restaurants, a major commerce center and even a polo club.
Sixteen top builders all have met Lakewood Ranch’s rigorous standards to be invited to build here. The Ranch’s “active adult” community, Esplanade Golf and Country Club just north of S.R. 70, with an eventual 1,250 detached villas and single-family homes.
Just up I-75, WCI Communities is developing Tidewater Preserve on the Manatee River, and Neal Communities is building the first phase of Eagle Trace, with 182 home sites.
Lakewood Ranch Featured Listings
Waterside at Lakewood Ranch Listings
Lakewood Ranch Parks and Trails
The great outdoors is all around you here, thanks to the stewardship of the Lakewood Ranch Community Development Districts, which manage and protect the area’s natural resources, and provide residents access to carefully planned parks, trails and community open space.
Get the map hereLakewood Ranch Shopping and Dining
A great meal and a little retail therapy are just around any corner here at Lakewood Ranch, and University Town Center is a shopping district just beyond our boundaries. The Ranch is currently home to over 200 shops and eateries, offering three main hubs of activity and multiple neighborhood centers, four of which are anchored by Publix.
Discover what's in store!Lakewood Ranch Community Map
One of the best things about Lakewood Ranch is its selection of new homes. We suggest beginning your search with the home type you’re most interested in, and then exploring the options we have in that category for villages, builders and amenities.
Let’s find you a LWR homeLakewood Ranch Schools
Even before we laid the foundation on the first Lakewood Ranch home, we made sure education would be a cornerstone of our community, by setting aside land for schools in our master plan. Our primary and secondary schools are consistently A-rated, and we are home to nine campuses of higher education, with an emphasis on business, vocational, culinary and medical programs.
Lakewood Ranch SchoolsPremier Sports Campus at Lakewood Ranch
140 acres of Celebration-seeded grass. 23 mixed-use fields. Endless fun. Premier Sports Campus has every field sport under the sun for athletes ranging from youth to professional. There are tons of family-friendly events to attend with local, state and national events year-round. Gear up for a good time!
Go to the sports websiteBusiness at the Ranch
Lakewood Ranch is the most prestigious location for business in the fastest growing region of Florida. Home to an educated, skilled workforce and 1,383 existing companies, we have thriving business sectors focused on biotech, finance, retail, healthcare and technology. So whether you want to further your career or grow your business, The Ranch is full of opportunity.
Let’s go to work!LAKEWOOD RANCH AND AREA SPORTS
Lakewood Ranch spurred a development boom in east Manatee County, and several country club communities are located nearby, including Lennar’s River Strand Golf & Country Club in the master-planned community of Heritage Harbour, and Rosedale Golf & Country Club, which recently introduced its newest 221-unit single-family subdivision, The Links.
Manatee County has its fair share of other golf communities, of course, including the venerable 1920s-era Sara Bay Country Club, where an early match between the world’s greatest amateur golfer, Bobby Jones, and the best professional, Walter Hagen, is the stuff of legend. Newer clubs include Palm-Aire Country Club, The Concession, River Wilderness Golf & Country Club, University Park Country Club and Waterlefe Golf & River Club.
But it’s really made its international sports reputation as the home to IMG Academy, the behemoth training center for top professional and amateur athletes. (Among the famed alums are tennis players Andre Agassi, Boris Becker, Monica Seles and Maria Sharapova and golfer Paula Creamer.) Just as Lakewood Ranch transformed east Manatee County, IMG has brought an international presence and youthful vitality to southwest Manatee County as affluent families from all over the world come here to enroll their children. Arthur Rutenberg Homes, John Cannon Homes and Gibraltar Homes are building custom luxury homes at nearby Legends Bay.
Source: Sarasota Magazine, Illene Denton
