Highlands County

Home Sweet Home    Find a Realtor    Find a Company    Vital Stats    Rain & Shine    Job Market    Class Notes    Getting Around

Great Outdoors    Good Sports    Hot Times    Shop 'til You Drop    Nightlife    College Scene    Just for Seniors

Home Sweet Home

Residents of Avon Park in northwest Highlands County are proud of their town's central location, low crime rate, uncongested roadways, low-key lifestyle and its affordable homes. Here's the really good news for folks considering relocation to the Avon Park area: For $65,000 a home buyer can purchase a three-bedroom, two-bath, two-car garage, concrete block/stucco home of 2,150 square feet on a quarter-acre lot. Prices range from $13,500 for a one-bedroom, one-bath villa to $329,000 for a large waterfront home with four bedrooms, three bathrooms and a two-car garage situated on a one-acre lot. Whether new or existing, 95 percent of homes in the inventory of the Avon Park Area Board of Realtors are single-family and only 5 percent are condominiums. Even prestigious locations are affordable here. New waterfront property averages $62.50 per square foot; existing waterfront property averages $52.60; new golf course property averages $41.45 per square foot and existing golf course property averages $36.70 per square foot.

Lots of freshwater lakes, easy access to coastal areas and plenty of golf courses and tennis courts make the Sebring area a family-friendly location with quality of life and affordability factors that appeal to families but also to budget-conscious buyers, especially retirees. The residential real estate market is comprised of 78 percent single-family homes, 15 percent mobile homes and 8 percent condominiums according to the Highlands Association of Realtors. Inventory includes both new and existing homes. For a median sales price in the $50,000 to $60,000 range typical of the Sebring section of central Highlands County, a buyer will be able to purchase a two-bedroom, two-bath home of 1,200 to 1,500 square feet. Prices of homes on the market start as low as $20,000 and climb to a high of about $350,000.

Homes in the south-central section of the county near Lake Placid are good buys, too. According to the Lake Placid Board of Realtors, 98 percent of residential listings are single-family homes and 2 percent are condominiums. Prices range from $40,00 to $395,000. For the amount, a home buyer in Lake Placid might get a two- or three-bedroom, two-bath, two-car garage property fewer than eight years old complete with about 1,600 square feet of living space. Affordable homes and a quiet, peaceful lifestyle appeal to newcomers. New waterfront property starts at $35 to $45 per square foot, which is very affordable indeed. Newer developments include Waters Edge, only a mile from town, where homes start at $130,000; Meadow Lake, four miles east of town, features homes in the $140,000 to $280,000 range; and in Country Walk, 10 miles northwest of town, you'll find homes beginning at $65,000.

Vital Stats

Highlands County is not part of a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).

Population: 75,206
Median age: 54.8
New citizens: 1,540 yearly
New job creation: N/A
Unemployment rate: 8.8 percent in August, 1999
Cost of living: 93.67 compared to state weighted-average price level index of 100
Per capita income: $19,356
Median family household income: $24,403

Rain & Shine

The weather is downright wonderful. The average temperature for the month of January is 63, balmy by almost anybody's calculations. Winter highs average 83 degrees Fahrenheit; lows average 55 degrees. Summer highs average 91 degrees Fahrenheit, with lows averaging 71 degrees. August averages 82 degrees. Spring and fall are practically perfect. Rainfall totals slightly more than 52 inches, on average, but most of that rain falls during hot summer afternoons just in time to cool things off.

Job Market

Citrus, boat building, healthcare, lawn supplies and banking in the private sector join public-sector employers in government and education to account for many of the region's employment opportunities. The Highlands County School District and county government are the major public employers. The largest private employers include Florida Hospital (1,099), Highlands Regional Medical Center (400), LESCO (200), Lake Placid Growers, LLC (165), Ben Hill Griffin (150), Georgia Pacific (131), Lin Pac Plastics (125) and Sprint (120).

Class Notes

Extensive information about the schools in this area is online at the state's Department of Education (http://www.firn.edu/doe/doehome.htm). There you'll discover everything you'll need to know about Florida schools -- in general and in particular. All you need is the name of your county and the names of the schools students from your neighborhood attend.

Use links from the DOE home page for general information about entrance requirements, immunizations and so forth.

For the nitty-gritty details that really matter, click on the logo for the "Florida School Indicators Report."

Getting Around

It's not a problem. Get in your car and go. Don't wait for rush hour; there isn't one. For most practical purposes, you can also forget mass transit, although Annett Travel provides some local transportation links and charter bus rentals. Say hello to convenience. U.S. Highway 27, north/south, and U.S. Highway 98, east/west, quarter the county and connect with four superhighways nearby--Interstates 4, 75 and 95 and the Florida Turnpike. Several motor freightlines serve Highlands County; so does CSX railroad.

Greyhound Bus Lines sends it fleet buses to pick up passengers in Avon Park, Sebring and Lake Placid. Amtrak schedules arrivals and departures from Sebring, which is both the county seat and its most centrally located town. Small municipal or executive airports operate in Avon Park and Sebring. Excellent international airports are about an hour away in either direction--west to Tampa or east to Orlando.

Great Outdoors

One of the state's oldest--and best--parks is right here in Highlands County. Founded in 1931 to preserve a precious stand of trees or hammock, Highlands Hammock State Park became one of the state's first four parks when Florida's park system was established in 1935. The pristine 4,694-acre area got additional help during the Great Depression because the Civilian Conservation Corps built a camp in the park. It's a great place to introduce your children to nature up-close-and-personal because the trails are both beautiful and short, so outdoor education about plant species and wildlife can be fairly relaxed and casual yet exciting for the kids, who will probably see--with some help from mom or dad--alligators, white-tailed deer, scrub jays, otters and eagles. The endangered Florida panther is spotted here from time to time, but you'll be very lucky if you see one. Don't count on it. Camping sites and picnic areas add to the fun. A paved loop through the hammock can be used by cyclists. They aren't allowed on hiking trails. Highlands Hammock is only four miles west of Sebring.

Nature also reigns serene elsewhere in Highlands County, which has 72 freshwater lakes that cover 50,000 acres. East of Avon Park, a 150,000-acre wildlife management area is accessible for hunters in season and fishermen--with the appropriate licenses and permissions, of course. South of Lake Placid, a private, environmental research center called the Archbold Biological Station conserves an unspoiled portion of south-central Florida that's known to biologists around the world, although to few Floridians.

Good Sports

Several tennis courts and clubs plus at least 15 golf courses are open to the public. Additionally, there's a golf and tennis resort and several private clubs where locals enjoy a set of tennis or a round of golf. But the biggest sport here in Highlands County is probably fishing on the many freshwater lakes or the Kissimmee River. Runners-up include other water-centered sports: boating, waterskiing, swimming.

Professional athletes don't play for pay here. Folks enjoy watching high school players or maybe watching a big pro game on television. Pro sports simply aren't a priority here--and the area isn't populous enough to support them. If you get an itch to see the pros tangle live and head-to-head, you can travel to Tampa for football or Orlando for basketball.

Hot Times in the City

Many social and cultural events emanate from the Allen C. Altvater Cultural Center on the shores of Sebring's Lake Jackson. In addition to the civic center and library, several arts institutions are headquartered here, including Lakeside Playhouse Theatre, Highlands Museum of Arts and the Highlands Art League. Another important player on the county's cultural stage is South Florida Community College in Avon Park, which sponsors a cultural series featuring performances by musicians, dancers and theatrical groups.

If you like small towns, you'll love Lake Placid. In 1996, it was named Florida's Outstanding Rural Community of the Year by Enterprise Florida and the Department of Transportation. DeVane Circle is the site of numerous civic, social and cultural events. Also in Lake Placid, visit the Historical Society Museum, a renovated 1926 railroad depot housing several historic exhibits. Best of all, this little town celebrates daily with popular art in the form of 25 murals in its small downtown area, known locally as "uptown." Seeing all these attractive murals provides a good excuse for a pleasant walk around town. On the way, you won't miss Placid Tower, a 270-feet high concrete-masonry structure that rises 360 feet above sea level--very high by Florida standards.

Major events on the local calendar include the world-famous Twelve Hours of Sebring Grand Prix of Endurance, held every March. Roaring Twenties Day is a May costumed event that includes lots of sales put on by Sebring merchants. Avon Park celebrates its annual Avon Park Mall Festival in April. In November the Highlands Art League hosts the Annual Arts Festival on the Circle in Sebring. Avon Park, Sebring and Lake Placid all do big patriotic parties on the Fourth of July. Lake Placid, a.k.a. Caladium Capital of the World, hosts the Lake Placid Caladium Festival each October. In December. enjoy Christmas on Main Street in Avon Park, Carousel of Lights in Sebring or a Christmas Parade in Lake Placid.

Shop 'til You Drop

Avon Park features a mile-long Mall on Main Street, but it's not quite what you first think of when you hear the word "mall." It's an outdoor area landscaped with 1,000 varieties of plants, shrubs and trees near the shops of local merchants. Its focal point is a lovely gazebo. For a mall that's more conventional, shop at Lakeshore Mall in Sebring. It contains 65 stores in a 600,000-square-foot retail center. In downtown Sebring, a variety of small shops dominate the retail scene. For a fun day browsing and shopping, combine your mural walk in Lake Placid with visits to uptown's craft, gift and antique stores.

Nightlife

If you're looking for "a hot time in the old town tonight," look elsewhere. It's peaceful and quiet here. Besides, too much partying interferes with early morning walks around the lake and 7 a.m. tee-off times. If you want to enjoy dinner with friends, invite them over or go out to a restaurant, but don't expect to find any four-diamond establishments. You will, however, find good food and good fellowship. When the occasional longing for nightclub-style entertainment hits you--if it ever does--grab your keys. It's an easy drive to several big cities--Tampa, Orlando or Miami. And Sarasota's high-culture offerings are a short drive straight west. Eighty percent of the state's population lives within a 150-mile radius of Highland County according the its Economic Development Commission, so people, crowds, clubs await nearby. Highlands County's residents, however, usually manage to resist the lure of urban nightlife; instead, they cultivate their own gardens.

College Scene

Located in Avon Park, South Florida Community College (SFCC) is part of Florida's comprehensive, statewide system of two-year community colleges. Nearly 15,000 enrolled for at least one class this year. About 4,500 are full-time students. Data processing, horticulture and hotel management interest many of the students. There's a Vo-Tech Center at SFCC. Here, too, students can take basic college classes and earn an Associate of Arts degree, which usually provides entree to one of the state's 10 major four-year universities. The newest of these, by the way, just opened and isn't far from Highlands County. Called Florida Gulf Coast University and located in southern Lee County, it's about two hours from Sebring. The University of South Florida in Tampa and the University of Central Florida in Orlando are close, too, especially to Avon Park.

Just for Seniors

Over one-third of the Highlands County population is older than 65. In fact, it's second only to Charlotte County in the comparatively high median age of its citizens -- 51.3 years. That may be why the regional Area Agency on Aging decided to established three Elder Helplines here rather than only one. All three Information and Referral (I&R) lines are staffed by people who are knowledgeable about the resources available for seniors in their area. I&R specialists will refer you to personal care providers, places to eat congregate meals with other seniors and to senior center locations and activities; they also know about respite care, home-delivered meals and transportation to medical service providers. Call 941/452-1288 in Avon Park; ring 941/382-1288 in Sebring; and dial 941/465-1199 in Lake Placid.