Citrus Tower

Montverde Adademy

Clermont Chain-of-Lakes

Downtown Mount Dora

The Citrus Tower, built in 1956, once drew awestruck tourists to its observation deck for panoramic views of Lake County’s sprawling citrus groves. For as far as the eye could see, there were dark, leafy rows over which a seemingly infinite number of oranges were sprinkled. When the season was right and the wind was gently blowing, the fragrance of orange blossoms could be even more intoxicating than the view.

The tower-now considered a kitschy relic of a bygone era-is still there, but the landscape has changed. Now you’ll see thousands of new homes on the rolling hills that have always distinguished burgeoning Lake County from its topographically-challenged neighbors.

Which isn’t to say that sprawl has destroyed Lake County’s charm - at least not yet. There are still groves, woods, barns and more than 1,400 lakes scattered across 221 square miles. The county’s unpretentious municipalities still boast quaint business districts with mom-and-pop shops.

But like other previously rural areas in Central Florida, Lake County is struggling to accommodate growth without compromising its country credentials. That’s a particular challenge in south Lake County, which has increasingly become an attractive suburban alternative for people who work in more populous Orange and Seminole counties.

The city of Clermont, with a population that recently topped 12,000, is ground zero for the county’s housing boom. The stage was set with construction of the turnpike system’s Western Beltway, which made a once-daunting Orlando commute quite manageable.

Clermont is truly at the crossroads of Florida, located at the intersection of S.R. 50, which runs east and west, and U.S. 27, which runs north and south. Bordered by Lake Minnehaha on the south and Lake Minneola on the north, Clermont is on a chain of 16 lakes connected by the Palatlakaha River in the Ocklawaha Basin of tributaries of the St. Johns River.

“The Gem of the Hills,” as Clermont is sometimes called, is also popular among triathlon enthusiasts. South Lake Hospital’s 15-acre, all-in-one campus is home to the USA Triathlon National Training Center, which is designed to meet the needs of all ages and fitness levels.

Wine enthusiasts may also be familiar with Clermont through the Lakeridge Winery & Vineyards, one of only three wineries in Florida. Located on 35 acres and surrounded by land abundant with grapevines, the winery offers free tours, tastings, and retail sales. At capacity, it produces more than 1,250 cases of wine per day.

Also in south Lake County, small cities such as Montverde and Minneola have personalities all their own and are attracting new residents by offering a balance of seclusion and convenience.

In fact, Montverde, a tiny community that grew up around a century-old boarding school, is home to one of the most posh developments in the region, Bella Collina. As Bella Collina and other projects are completed, Montverde is projected to grow 25 percent by 2015.

Although most of its growth has come in the past decade, south Lake County’s heritage goes back thousands of years, when Timucuan Indians called the area home. Reminders of their presence can be found at more than 1,000 archaeological sites scattered throughout the county.

Settlers of European descent started moving into Clermont immediately following the Civil War. But there was little activity until 1884, when a landowner named T.J. Hooks sold 100 acres to New Jersey investors, who in turn formed the Clermont Improvement Company and began selling lots to other Northerners. Lake County, carved from Orange and Sumter counties, was chartered in 1887.

To the north, Mount Dora (population 10,658) is the center of attention and the focus of development, although Eustis and Umatilla are also attracting attention.

Mount Dora, the aptly named “New England of the South,” was founded in 1874, when homesteaders first discovered the gently sloping lakeside hills that rise to 184 feet—hardly a mountain, but a formidable height by Central Florida standards. The city hugs the shores of 3,600-acre Lake Dora, named for Dora Ann Drawdy, who homesteaded two miles south with her husband in 1846.

In 1884 the Lakeside Inn, still in operation today, was opened for business. The inn was a catalyst for growth, attracting tourists from all over the United States, including such luminaries as President Calvin Coolidge and inventor Thomas Edison.

Today, downtown Mount Dora contains dozens of historic buildings housing antique shops, art galleries, boutiques and restaurants. Tree-shaded Donnelly Park occupies a full block in the center of town, inviting picnickers and tennis players to enjoy its lush surroundings. Within walking distance is Palm Island Park, adjacent to Gilbert Park, which boasts one of the most beautiful nature trails in the state.

Downtown also hosts an annual art festival as well as numerous antique and craft fairs, specialty auto shows and historic home tours. The city has a respected community theater, an art center and an historical museum.

In Umatilla, population 2,500, Wood Song and Twin Lakes Reserve will bring 2,150 new homes to the rural expanses surrounding the sleepy city, which may be the last bastion of old Lake County.

And at The Villages, a huge retirement community that also reaches into Sumter and Marion counties, the population is expected to double to 100,000 people by 2010. Also along the Lake-Sumter border, developers of Secret Promise and Renaissance Trails hope to build 14,000 homes over the next decade.