A Guide to Moving to Fort Myers
The history of Starkey Ranch is rich in the concept of chasing your dreams and creating a legacy. In 1922, that’s just what Jay Starkey set out to do. He resigned from his post office job in the search of something bigger than himself. He purchased 10 acres for $50 down, plus 1 horse and 1 one cow, and started his own cattle herd company in partnership with another family.
Over time, as the ranch grew and moved to what is now known as Starkey Ranch, Jay Starkey, who had become the sole owner, was committed to preserve much of the Ranch as wilderness so that future generations would be able to see what real land looked like.
After his death, his son Jay Starkey, Jr. and his family continued to live and work on the Ranch. The goal was the same: to keep as much of the Ranch from being developed into tract strip shopping centers and overdeveloped communities, not wanting to lose the integrity of the Ranch itself.
As portions of the Ranch have been sold off to protect from future development, in 2013 Wheelock Communities purchased the remaining 2,500 acres of Starkey Ranch from the family with pans to co-create a vibrant, thriving community that paid respect to so much of the history the Ranch holds.
With over 800 acres of parks and open space as well as more than 20 miles of trails that connect the existing Starkey Ranch community to the adjacent Jay B Starkey Wilderness Park, Wheelock continued to honor the commitment by Jay Starkey Sr. Furthermore, street, park and neighborhood names within the Starkey Ranch community pay honor to the friendship and families that impacted the beloved Starkey Ranch so their legacy will live on as new generations grow and blossom within.
Thriving at Starkey Ranch
As the saying goes, home is where your heart is in Starkey Ranch and community is where your lifestyle thrives. There is no place in the Tampa Bay area that exemplifies lifestyle living more than the award-winning master-planned community of Starkey Ranch. With over 20 miles of trails, 150 acres of parks, three amenity centers and a full team of lifestyle planners that curate events every week of the month for all ages, Starkey Ranch’s commitment to a thriving community is nothing short of enthusiastic.
Why Starkey Ranch?
Here at M/I Homes we pride ourselves on being more than just a home builder—we’re dream makers. We know how meaningful a home is: it’s where your life unfolds and your family creates traditions and impactful memories to last a lifetime. In the beginning planning stages of Starkey Ranch, M/I Homes knew the alignment of our shared values and commitment to strength of a community as the foundation of Starkey Ranch, were the perfect match.
Exclusive Home Plans
Our commitment to homes designed for the way our customers live today is so vital to what we do that we created three specific home plan line ups exclusively for Starkey Ranch. We wanted to take a step forward to maximize the livability and lifestyle, and to complement the overall flow of the community.
- Traditional Neighborhood Home Plans: Park Homes We offer two home plan line ups that make the most of the front patio space by offering rear garages. That’s right, the garage is at the rear of the home. This allows the front of the home to open up to sprawling front porches that match up perfectly to the inviting sidewalk pathways, open green spaces, and neighborhood parks (spoiler alert: the opportunities to connect, interact, and thrive with your community are endless with this setup!). Each home plan aligns with our commitment to ensuring maximum living space for homeowners of all family sizes. To answer your burning question, yes there are still backyards, but remember—this entire community encourages and supports your outdoor living with its incredible views and walking trails: the whole Starkey Ranch is your backyard so get out there and explore!
- Two-Car Garage Townhomes: Starkey Towns Every one of our exclusive Starkey Ranch Townhome plans has a full two-car garage. These home plans are the only homes within our townhome line up anywhere in the Tampa Bay area where every single plan includes a two-car garage. At this time, these are the only townhomes offered in the community and each home faces either the Starkey Preserve or one of the many parks and ponds as we continue to take advantage of all the nature views Starkey has to offer. The best part: these homes are maintenance-free, meaning you can live more, do more, and enjoy more of community and all it has to offer with the convenience of maintenance-free living.
- Most Popular Homes: Redesigned We’ve even gone the extra step and redesigned some of our most popular home plans to fit in perfectly with the commitment to community connection that is the real center of living at Starkey Ranch. With enhanced exterior features including enlarging our front and rear patios, we knew that our homeowners needed to be fully prepared to entertain their new friends and family as they start creating new traditions in their new homes.
Events, Activities, and Community Building
M/I Homes has partnered with Starkey Ranch from the beginning and it has been such an honor to see the community flourish. There are events of all levels: annual events like the Starkey Ranch 5K, seasonal events like Cookies with the Clauses, monthly events like Yoga, weekly events like Sunday Markets, and even offsite events like Residents Night Out.Our commitment goes beyond the joy we get from co-creating your dream home in this dream community: we give back by investing and partnering with Starkey Ranch for its larger events so that together, we can reach higher.
Get More With M/I Homes
Together we’ve helped over 341 homeowners build the foundation to their new lives in Starkey Ranch. From our exclusive home plans to some of our most popular ones, we’ve spent time ensuring we are complementing the kind of lifestyle that exists seamlessly between home and community.
And now, there’s more. In 2020 we will open yet another phase of Starkey Ranch Albritton Park. That means more community, more connection, more dream building, more memory making, and—that’s right—even more nature. All from your front porch.
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