Lakewood Ranch, Myakka City and East Manatee County

East Manatee County is generally defined by those communities east of I-75 and west of the Hardee and DeSoto County lines. This area of Manatee County is largely rural and dominated by the vast agricultural wealth it generates. The languid plains of east Manatee are put to the plow and driven to produce every kind of agricultural product from citrus to strawberries to ornamental plants by the numerous agri-businesses located here.

The largest community in east Manatee is Lakewood Ranch. In the early 1900s, John Schroeder of Milwaukee, an owner of furniture, turpentine, milling and lumber businesses, began assembling the beautiful land, rich in natural resources, that is today Schroeder-Manatee Ranch (SMR).

In 1922, the Uihlein family, founders of Schlitz Brewing Company, acquired the land and continued to expand the agricultural operations still active today, which include cattle ranching, vegetable, citrus, timber, and turf farming as well as shell mining.

In 1994, after years of planning and approvals, real estate development began with the introduction of Lakewood Ranch. The stewardship of a great American family, a history of successful land management and a strong financial plan make Lakewood Ranch a sound investment and a great place to live.

Lakewood Ranch in its entirety is 32,000 acres, or approximately 48 square miles, consisting of 7 villages, 6,000 homes and 16,000 residents. Of the total 32,000 acres to date only 8,500 acres have been developed into what is now the master-planned community of Lakewood Ranch, leaving the rest for future development and conservation. Furthermore, Lakewood Ranch is the largest green-certified community in the U.S., boasting hundreds of lakes and nature preserves, parks and green spaces, and more than 100 miles of interconnecting sidewalks and trails.

And if you like golf you'll love Lakewood Ranch. The ranch is teeming with greens and fairways, so much so that you can play golf here all week and not play the same hole twice! There is the 18-hole Palmer-designed Legacy Golf Course, the 18-holes of Rick Robbins-designed golf at Country Club East and the 36-hole dream course designed, again, by Arnold Palmer at the private club & athletic center.

Lakewood Ranch is simply an amazing place to live and work and we would love to show it to you.