Lady Lake and Water Oak #1 (intro)

Lady Lake with a population of over 14,000 is on the northern edge of Lake County. Over 50,000 population is in an eight-mile radius and 30,000 growth anticipated. Boating abounds on Lake Griffin and Lake Harris. Golf courses and recreational facilities are available for all ages. Nearby are community college, medical facilities, museums, theaters. Lake County has a population over 200,000 and includes about 1200 square miles. Tavares is the county seat with county officials, courthouse and tax offices. St.Johns Water Management District manages water usage.

Early Lady Lake residents thought they could manage to always keep any and all growth at abeyance. They didn't want to become a real town, much less a city with six traffic lights and long lines of noisy cars. They had a longing to stay small and unchanging.

For years, they lived their dream, and the population hardly increased at all. In fact, from 1930 to 1970, the numbers inched upward by only 76 new residents, from 233 to 309.

In 1978, the town leaders decided to meet to develop a comprehensive plan for managing the wild-fire growth. It was predicted that the daily traffic count on Highway 441 would be 24,000 vehicles. In 2003, it was well over that—33,500. The report also predicted that by the year 2000, the town's population would reach 3,000. Today, Lady Lake is on its way to becoming the largest town in the county and already is one of the fastest growing in the nation. Population July 2000 14,940. Median resident age 68.4 yrs. Estimated income $39,747.

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