Lakewood Ranch

Welcome to

America's #1 Master Planned Community

Over 20 Unique Villages

Active lifestyle with over 10,000 acres of green space & parks

Many Resort Communities with Clubhouse, Pool & Fitness Facilities

2 Town Centers plus the Mall at UTC

Top Rated Public & Private Schools

Several 55+ Communities

Small Town Feel, Big City Access

Lakewood Ranch is the epitome of suburbia. Quiet, winding, tree-lined streets, with parks paths and trails.

Located just east of I-75, all the cultural and beach amenities of SARASOTA are just 30 minutes away. As well, all the theme parks and sporting venues in Tampa are less than an hour away.

Connected Community

Lakewood Ranch (LWR) has a true community spirit. LWR has its own mobile app & rec programs with hundreds of activities and events for all ages. Both downtown squares hold ranch nights, markets, food trucks and events to constantly bring people together. Many of the villages also have their own activities director so even more local events happen at the community clubhouses.

If you want to feel connected, Lakewood Ranch is for you!

Suburbia - Reimagined

Lakewood Ranch has been voted the best master planned community in the entire United States, 3 years in a row. Why?

Lakewood Ranch feels like you stepped back into the 1980’s, the good old days when kids were free to walk or ride their bikes to school, where neighbors gathered for a bbq, and where strolling the downtown shops with friends was fun and easy.

Yes, Lakewood Ranch has a distinct suburban feel. The most common critique that anyone can make about the Ranch is the cookie cutter homes and the lack of walkable amenities. If you need the quirks and noise of city streets and being able to walk to a restaurant, this is likely not the place for you. However, Lakewood Ranch was designed with a specific type of resident in mind. It is someone who sets a priority on quality of life, safety, and opportunity for their entire family.

Lakewood Ranch is full of diverse villages so that anyone – kids, parents, seniors and young adults – can live a quality lifestyle. For kids, there are excellent primary schools, Lakewood Ranch High School with great academics & sports, and private schools like the Out of Doors Academy. Every village has some combination of pools, fitness centre, basketball courts, skate parks, and tennis courts to keep active. For parents, you can feel safe with low crime; not because of the gated communities, (many are not gated) but because all residents are engaged and connected through great schools, endless programming for social and community events, and a culture of residents who truly care. For seniors, there are 55+ communities so that there will be no kids running around the streets and pools, so that you can relax and unwind in peace.

There are also 2 downtown centres, so even young adults looking for things to do at night, can go to a street festival, catch a movie, meet friends at the bar, or hang out and listen to live music by the water. The newer built downtown at Waterside Place is designed for higher density, more lively living, so that you can walk out your door right into the action.

Lakewood Ranch is an oasis of serenity, nature and community spirit. If your priority is a high quality lifestyle for you and your family, Lakewood Ranch is the place to call home!

Featured Village:

Star Farms

One of the Last Communities to be Developed in Lakewood Ranch

Over 1,500 homes to be built over several phases, from townhomes to luxury custom built homes

Designed to be a multi-generational community suited for all

4 Unique Community Centers with pools, beach, splash pad, staffed clubhouse, and a wide variety of sports field/courts

Gated Community with Low HOA fees and maintenance included

3 nature trails to encourage a healthy lifestyle

Brand new K-8 Elementary School to be Built

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE VILLAGE HERE

The Info You Need

Lakewood Ranch is a powerhouse of a community. Planned down to the last detail, it even has its own website and mobile app for residents. Through the app you can sign up for hundreds of recreation activities and events that happen all year long. The website is to tour you through all the best Lakewood Ranch has to offer, and you can CLICK HERE to check it out. We don’t want to just regurgitate their website, which is excellent, we want to give you more of the real life day to day feel of the Ranch.

Housing & Neighbourhoods

Lakewood Ranch has both re-sale and new build villages and the entire Ranch is about 2/3 complete. There are a small handful of new home developments yet to come. The rest will be higher density infill. All villages have Home Owners Association fees (HOA) and Community Development District fees (CDD) from $3500 all the way up to $15000 per year, not including property taxes. Even when the CDD is paid off for any particular house, there will still be CDD maintenance fees ongoing. with only a few exceptions, most neighbourhoods include lawn maintenance, so that the presentation of every neighbourhood remains pristine. Vehicles and boats cannot be parked all over the streets or even in your drive in some cases. Your home can only be painted certain colours. You cannot grow a veggie garden in your front yard. Yes, there are rules, and the intention is to keep the entire area high value through repetition of design and free of visual clutter. Some people LOVE this. Others, hate it. Before choosing a neighbourhood, we advise our clients to not only love the house, but love the HOA that comes with it. If freedom about what you do with your house and property is a high priority, we can show you plenty of wonderful options.

When people consider Lakewood Ranch to call home, it is the trade off between relatively higher costs of living (compared to an older, non deeded/HOA community) for the resort style villages, great schools, and endless recreational activities. One question to ask yourself about the resort amenities, is whether you will use them, especially if your new home has a pool. It’s much like the jetted whirlpool tub in your old home that you fell in love with, but never use. The dream is often appealing but the reality may be less practical. On the other hand, we would be at that pool every day and bbq’ing steaks at the clubhouse to keep our own kitchen clean! It’s all a personal choice and The Village Guru can walk you through it all.

What's it Really Like to Live in Lakewood Ranch?

Is it Safe?

A great resource for helping you with this question can be found at CRIMEGRADE.ORG. Note the type of crime by area, is it car theft or assault? The lighter the shade of green, the less crime incidents there are, and you will see Lakewood Ranch is a uniform light green. You can also contact the local police department for their assessment .

Are the Schools Good?

A great resource for helping you with this question can be found at GREATSCHOOLS.ORG. Note this is mostly based on standardized testing which has its limits. You are encouraged to call the schools in question, learn about what is important to you – university prep, sports, special needs, trade programs. etc. See the bottom paragraph about zoning to learn more about school boundaries.

What are the People Like?

Lakewood Ranch has attracted people from all over the country and beyond, because of its superior reputation. Lakewood Ranch is truly a melting pot of people from all states, and if you are coming from out of state, you are sure to find others from your home state within your village. Most villages are middle to upper middle class, with some villages being more elite. Be sure to search for Facebook groups for your village, and it’s easy to find neighbors with similar interests or who have kids who go to your kid’s school. Given that most people haven’t grown up in Lakewood Ranch, many residents are eager to meet new people and will welcome you in.

Cost of Living?

The cost of living is rising sharply as the demand for homes is high. Builders cannot build fast enough, and there isn’t a lot of resale inventory either. Other costs of living that you may not be used to are HOA Fees and CDD Fees. These are literally what keeps the miles of landscaping pristine, your local pool and gym equipment in top shape, and which hires the programming staff to deliver the endless programs and events. HOA fees vary from village to village, and with size of house as well. It goes without saying, the more amenities, the higher the HOA fees. It also attracts the type of person who believes that you get what you pay for. People who are willing to pay these fees value what it means to be in a well kept, clean community.

What is the Commute & Traffic Like?

Since Lakewood Ranch is so close to the I-75, it has attracted many people who work in Tampa but don’t want to live in the city of Tampa or Bradenton. During the “off-season” in the late half of the year, traffic is heavy during rush hours and its wise to map out your route to see how long it will take at your specific time. When the entire west coast is “in-season” in the first half of the year, the highway is constantly heavy with traffic, and your drive time will be longer, if you are commuting. Within Lakewood Ranch itself, there are no Airbnbs permitted, so there is no influx of tourists during season. Main streets can get busy during rush hour, but overall the traffic flows well.

Is it important to live in a Gated Community?

This is a very personal question each person must answer based on their own experience and values. Lakewood Ranch has communities with no gates, electronic gates, and guarded gates. So no matter your preference, there is an option for you. When you look at the crime statistics, you will see that crime is low throughout the town, gated or not. However, gates might provide you extra peace of mind for your children walking to school or for the security of your home and possessions. Peace of mind is key, so choose whichever fits your budget and values.

Community Vibe?

Although each village has a specific design style, your first drive through Lakewood Ranch might leave you a little lost and disoriented. All of the boulevards look the same, and almost all of the little plazas have a CVS and Publix. It’s initially hard to tell one street from another. And all of the villages will give you a low-key relaxed village vibe, on winding tree lined streets with homes surrounding large lakes and parks. The counterpoint to this is the 2 downtown centers; Main Street and Waterside Place. Overlooking large lakes, there is ample parking to drive here, and then walk the streets lined with boutique shops, restaurants and bars. On evenings & weekends, there is always reason to be there, whether its yoga in the park, Zumba, Salsa Dancing Classes, the Farmers Market, Ranch Night Wednesdays or Food Truck Fridays. You can choose to keep to yourself or jump right into the mix of activities.

Is it Part of Bradenton, Sarsota or Manatee?

Lakewood Ranch is a recognized town name, and you can use it for your mailing address. However, Lakewood Ranch does split in half through Manatee and Sarasota Counties, with University Parkway being the dividing line. This has little effect on life except for schooling. If you have kids attending public school, note that south of University they will attend Sarasota elementary and high schools, and kids north of University will attend Lakewood Ranch (not Bradenton) schools. Lakewood Ranch also has many charter and private schools with no such boundary. Florida has a school choice program, but only based on available open spots, so nothing is guaranteed.

Lakewood Ranch Villages

The Bellara by John Cannon in Lakewood Ranch

Need Help Knowing How to Start the Home Selling or Buying Process?
Do you Want to Learn how our Proven Seller & Buyer Systems can Help You?

Book a meeting over the phone or Zoom so that we can have a no-pressure, no obligation conversation. You will speak with Jeff personally, so that he can discover your needs and how The Village Guru can help you.

Don't Know the City?
How to Find A Great Neighborhood

Home View

Look for homes online but not to make a decision yet. Find listings of homes you like (size & layout) within the general budget you have and note the area of town to build your research

Google Street View

Drop that little man on the actual streets and take a look around those houses you liked. How are the homes kept? Do you like the style of home? Size of lot?

Check Out The Shops

You want to have your daily essentials close at hand. Is it walking distance or do you need a car? Is it grocery stores & pharmacies or pawn shops & payday loans?

Commuting & Transit

How car dependant is the area? How long will it take you to commute, knowing that the population keeps growing. What is your commuting budget for gas & travel time

Schools

If you have school aged children, you’ll want to know what schools they will be going to. There are many options. Use the listing address and type into GREATSCHOOLS.ORG