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Spotlight on Howey-in-the-Hills August 26, 2001 HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS -- Nestled in what town fathers once labeled the "Florida Alps" is a hamlet smaller than many Central Florida subdivisions. It is a place where neighbors still run next-door to borrow a cup of sugar, parents don't worry when their 5 year-olds bike on the streets and families take evening strolls by the lakefront. Sound idyllic? Many believe that is exactly the word to describe the central Lake County town of Howey-in-the-Hills. However, others who thrive on having multiple choices for everything from housing, grocery stores and doctors at their fingertips might find the town too stifling, inconvenient and remote. At present count Howey has one hair salon, a pizza parlor, one gas station/convenience store, a doctor's office that is open two days a week, a community church, two real estate offices, a law practice, an accounting business, a lakeside restaurant and a half-dozen other nonretail establishments. The grocery store, hardware store and liquor store that were popular with locals all have closed recently, and residents are eager for new owners to reopen similar establishments. Many local residents work out of their homes; others commute to Orlando or nearby towns in Lake County. Howey is 6 miles from U.S. Highway 27 and Exit 285 of Florida's Turnpike. Getting there is a scenic drive on a two-lane rural road. The traveler passes ranchland dotted with grazing cattle and homes surrounded by small groves of citrus. One homestead sells honey; another offers you-pick peaches in season. Many properties are fenced for horses. The area is a haven for weekend pedal pushers fleeing city traffic to tackle the rolling hills on their lightweight bikes. The Lake County towns of Yalaha, Mount Dora, Leesburg, Okahumpka, Clermont and Tavares, the county seat, are all about 15 minutes away. The nearest grocery stores, banks and shopping centers are 9 miles away. State Road 19 bisects the town and is the main thoroughfare. According to the 2000 census, 825 residents live within city limits, but the 34737 Howey-in-the-Hills ZIP code encompasses a larger area with many more homes scattered over 5-acre and larger rural parcels. New homes mix with those built as long ago as the 1930s, and that is part of the allure of this community, said real estate broker Carlin Washo of Washo Real Estate Co. in Howey. The 16-year resident is a former mayor and member of city council. "Most people who come here are looking for a safe, quiet community," she said. "The wide range of housing styles and attractive pricing is important too. Homes range from a few under the $90s to many in the $110 to $120,000 range with others going up to $450,000 or more." She said the area used to attract mostly retirees; now more younger families are finding their way to the hilly, lakefront town. Successful transplants
"Howey is a small, quaint town that is safe and peaceful," said the mother of a 2½-year-old girl. "It is a perfect place to raise a family." Two years ago when her husband, Landy, who works for Lockheed Martin, found out he was being transferred, he sat down with a map of the area and began drawing concentric circles. He was seeking an attractive community that would be within 40 minutes of Orlando. All points led to Howey. "My drive to work is an easy 35 minutes of turnpike driving almost the entire way," said Landy Douglas, who works in international business development. "Before choosing Howey, we looked at several other possibilities like Winter Park, College Park, the Dr. Phillips area and MetroWest. But we found that a comparable home in any of those areas would cost $100,000 more than the house we found in Howey, a 1979 architect-designed 3,200 square-foot home." The Douglas home is a few blocks south of the Mission Inn Golf and Tennis Resort, a sprawling three-star resort that attracts an affluent, international clientele year-round. "We couldn't be happier with our choice," Landy Douglas said. Debbie Ziebart feels much the same way. Ziebart, a biology teacher at nearby Tavares High School, relocated to Howey three years ago from Boca Raton with her husband and two children. "We already knew and loved Howey before moving here," Debbie Ziebart said. "My husband had been coming here for 10 years prior to our move to help organize triathlons at the Mission Inn, so we knew what a supportive community Howey was. In all his years of coming here he had never had any problem getting local volunteers to help out with the races." When her husband, Tom, was relocated to the new national triathlon headquarters in nearby Clermont, the small town of Howey with the big heart took on a new light. "We began to consider Howey from the perspective of potential residents instead of as visitors like we had always been in the past. And we decided it would make a wonderful place to live," she said. The Ziebarts chose to build a home on a vacant lot in an established neighborhood. Small-town atmosphere
"We have 140 rented boxes here at the post office," said Lee, "and do 1,000 deliveries." The post office is in a large Mediterranean-style building built in 1988 to accommodate the growing community. A new and expanded library has opened in the past year. Martha Brooks is the only paid employee, but she works with a volunteer staff of 22 people. The new building that sits next to the town offices and behind the police station has between 10,000 and 11,000 books and 511 cardholders. It is twice as big as it was before it expanded in January 2001. "We have a very supportive library community," said Brooks who recently moved to Howey from Oviedo to be closer to her son and his family. "All of our desks and tables were made by a local craftsman. People from town are always donating books and videos. We have many activities at the library for young children and computer classes for adults. We started a game night to try to provide some activities for older children as well." It is such a small town that the Howey Police Department often has a hand-lettered sign taped to its front door saying, "Police on Patrol." The town employs four full-time officers, one part-time and two reserve officers. On average, six to eight crimes are reported each year. The town has grown modestly in the 76 years since it was founded by William John Howey, an Illinois native. Howey was an entrepreneur before relocating to Florida in the late 1800s. A former insurance salesman and land developer for the railways, Howey opened the Howey Automobile Co. in 1903 and made seven cars before closing that business and traveling to Mexico. There he bought large tracts of land in the hope of developing a pineapple plantation. Wars in Mexico forced him back to the United States and Florida where he quickly became involved in more land development and citrus farming. In 1914 Howey began buying land in Lake County, and by 1920 he had amassed 60,000 acres, soon to become officially a town with his name. Spanish and Italian architecture, which was popular in the 1920s, is evident in many of the older homes and commercial structures seen throughout town. The Howey Mansion designed by Katherine Cotheal Budd in 1924 and built by W.E. Boyce reflects the Mediterranean influence popular at that time. The concrete and stucco residence has around 7,200 square feet of living space and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. Gem in the hills
The Mission Inn property has become an important element of Howey living. "Many residents enjoy the facilities available at the Inn," real estate agent Washo said. "They can buy a membership and use the two golf courses, tennis courts, exercise rooms and swimming pools. Even without a membership they can take walks on the inn's beautiful grounds, eat at their three restaurants and enjoy the many events that take place here throughout the year." Several dozen villas and town homes are located on the Mission Inn property within the town limits. Presently under construction at the resort -- but outside the town limits -- are 110 single-family homes. Offices for the Lake County School District as well as the Griffin Middle School, a facility for children with learning difficulties, are located at the south end of town. . . Children are bused to the school from across the county. Outside the city boundaries on the western edge of the approximately 2 square miles of city limits is the Silver Spring Citrus Co-operative on the grounds of the old Howey-Griffith citrus complex. In 1994 Toyota Tsusho America purchased the co-operative. The east border of town is Lake Harris, a boater's paradise and the fourth-largest lake in the state. Lake Harris is in the Chain of Lakes system, which, during normal water levels, allows boaters to travel from the lake to the St. Johns River and eventually to the Atlantic Ocean. Howey recently has improved its lakeside park by installing an extensive sidewalk system linking the north end of town to the nature park on the far south side. The park has a playground area, picnic benches, docks and a swimming beach. Attractive landscaping and lighting make the lake-front area inviting. Leery of change
Even loyal Howey-ite, Kelly Douglas, spends a great deal of time in Mount Dora where her preschooler is in a Montessori class. Despite the desire of some residents for more amenities such as preschools, shopping centers and restaurants, when growth does threaten, the town of Howey reacts with a resounding "no!" Just a couple miles north on State Road 19 a 755-unit retirement community called Royal Harbor has sprouted across from Lake Harris. That development, plus the estate homes being built at Mission Inn, will increase traffic, and that worries some Howey residents who relish the low-key lifestyle. The mile-long stretch of State Road 19 that goes through town is already well known as a speed trap. Motorists must slow to 35 mph or be confronted by one of the town's police officers and a hefty fine. In March 2000 the town voted to bar truck traffic on Florida Avenue, a parallel route to State Road 19 in the hopes of reducing noise and maintaining the residential character of the community. But growth is inevitable and with the surrounding communities practically bursting at the seams, it remains to be seen how Howey will be affected. "This is a town that is very 1950s America and wants to be 1950s America in 2050," said Mayor Greg Bittner in a May 2000 interview with the Orlando Sentinel. "We are pretty happy over here. We just want to keep it the way it is. We're not beating the bushes trying to get a lot of people to move here." Copyright © 2001, Orlando Sentinel |
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