070-079 Citrus County FL.Indd
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Best Neighborhood: Relocate Using Your Florida’s Citrus County Waterways in Richmond Hill, GA Home Sale Proceeds North of Tampa The Authority on Retirement Relocation March/April 2020 8 Cities for Hikers &Walkers Las Vegas, NV: Blue Ridge Splendor Diving Into a A Retiree Haven In Lynchburg, VA New Dining Scene Cathedral Rock in Sedona, AZ US $5.95/CAN $6.95 | DISPLAY UNTIL APRIL 7 | WhereToRetire.com WTR_MA20_cover_FINAL.indd 1 1/14/20 3:25 PM PROFILE by Alan Macher CITRUS COUNTY, FL Florida still has some pastoral land as well as acres of preserved properties, and plenty of both are in Citrus County, north of Tampa. e county now is seeing growth, partly due to master-planned communities for retirees. URSULA CASETT VON BATEMBERG-CVB PHOTOGRAPHY/DISCOVER CRYSTAL RIVER FLORIDA CRYSTAL PHOTOGRAPHY/DISCOVER BATEMBERG-CVB VON CASETT URSULA HE “SWEET SPOT” of Florida living is how Cynthia Oswald describes ru- AL GA ral Citrus County on the state’s Gulf Coast. “I call it that because we enjoy Jacksonville the wide-open spaces, but we’re also the northern gateway to the Tampa Tallahassee Bay region, with all of its attractions at our doorstep,” she says. “Here, you Gainesville Atlantic Ocean can do everything from swim with the manatees in Crystal River to kayak along inland waterways.” CITRUS Orlando Citrus County, 75 miles north of Tampa, is a wonderland of natural COUNTY beauty featuring miles of waterways, wildlife refuges, state forests and nature Tampa preserves. Residents like to call this region the Nature Coast, since large swaths of FL county land is in the public domain and therefore protected. Gulf of Mexico The county, so named for its onetime dominance in citrus groves, is a mix of the old and new Florida as well as the developed and undeveloped. Homosassa, at Miami the mouth of the Homosassa River, is one of Florida’s oldest fi shing villages. Just a few miles upstream are the river’s headwaters and the community of Homosassa Springs. Visitors to Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park can observe manatees as well as Florida panthers, black bears, bobcats, alligators, river otters and many others from an elevated, winding boardwalk. One of the things Farther inland, the county seat of Inverness, which celebrated its 100th anniversary we love about last year, features a chain of lakes along the eastern edge of the county and a charm- ing and walkable down- living here is that the town with quaint shops days are almost always and cafes. The majestic 1912 county courthouse bright and sunny.” features a copper cupola — Cynthia Oswald with a clock on all four sides. After a new court- house was built in the 1970s, the Citrus County Historical Society sprang into action to save the building. Today it houses the Old Courthouse Her- itage Museum, which has exhibits tracing Citrus County history. Also inland, south of Inverness, is Floral City, Bordering the Gulf of Mexico, Citrus County tempts which dates back more boaters and fi shermen with plenty of lakes and than a century to the era rivers, many in protected preserves or parks. of phosphate mining. Wealthy owners created architecturally unusual homes, many of which remain. The Historic Duval House, built in 1860 by John Paul Formy-Duval, is considered the oldest surviving structure in Citrus County. 070-079 Citrus County FL.indd 70 1/14/20 7:34 AM FROM TOP: URSULA CASETT VON BATEMBERG-CVB PHOTOGRAPHY/DISCOVER CRYSTAL RIVER FLORIDA, CAROL GRANT/DISCOVER CRYSTAL RIVER FLORIDA CRYSTAL GRANT/DISCOVER CAROL RIVER FLORIDA, CRYSTAL PHOTOGRAPHY/DISCOVER BATEMBERG-CVB VON CASETT URSULA TOP: FROM The newer, developed parts of the county include Terra Vista at the Villages of Citrus Hills, a massive master-planned community in Citrus County, consistently drawing droves of relocating retirees. It was named one of Where to Retire’s 50 best master- planned communities in the July-August 2019 issue. And the development is growing, too. “This year, three new neighborhoods, totaling approximately Renovated cottages 405 home sites, will be opened at Terra in downtown Crystal Vista,” says Doug Wornick, vice president River house a nostalgic of marketing. general store, stained A benefi t for the community and all glass studio and more. of Citrus County is in the works. “Travel time to Tampa from Citrus Hills will be They moved into their new 3-bed- did buy a golf cart. So if you see some- signifi cantly reduced when the Suncoast room home in 2018. “It’s designed for one toddling around the neighborhood, Parkway extension is completed in retirement,” Sue says. “It’s all on one lev- it’s likely me.” 2022,” Wornick says. “The extension will el, compared to our three-story home in Cynthia, 61, and husband Robert, 64, have an interchange less than 5 miles Alexandria. I don’t miss the stairs.” discovered Crystal River in the 1990s from Terra Vista’s front gate.” The couple are active socially, with and visited many times over the years. Sue and Earle Smith are two who bridge games, daytrips and cruises. Earle “We fell in love with the area and always made their way to Terra Vista. When walks 6 miles a day and Sue takes a spin- dreamed of living and retiring here,” they began searching for a place to ning class. Both work out in the fi tness she says. retire, they knew they wanted a location center daily. The dream came true in 2016. Cynthia in west-central Florida that was less The Smiths have two children, a son accepted a position as Citrus County’s congested than Alexandria, VA, where in Charleston, SC, and a daughter in the public information offi cer. Robert had they lived. Sue and a friend visited 10 Jacksonville, FL, area. “Both are pleased retired in 2005 as a fi lm tech at Eastman communities in Florida, staying two we are in the Sunshine State, and have a Kodak Co. in Rochester, NY. days and two nights in each. wonderful place to visit,” Sue says. Earle “Robert’s hobby is nature photogra- Sue and Earle eventually chose Terra retired as business manager for a DC- phy,” Cynthia says. “Since we moved to Vista. “We were impressed with the based engineering fi rm, and Sue’s latest Florida, he’s like a kid in a candy store natural beauty of the area, the design job was a marketing coordinator for a with all of the birds and other wildlife to and layout of the homes and its wealth technology company. capture with his camera.” of amenities,” she says. “We don’t play golf,” Sue says, “but I The couple built a lake-view home in the small community of Beverly Hills, 12 miles northwest of Inverness. “One of the things we love about living here is that the days are almost always bright and sunny,” Cynthia says. “In upstate New York, from fall through winter, it seems that the days were always gray and cloudy. … People would be indoors and you wouldn’t see them all winter. Here, people are always out and about.” The lifestyle also suits Dann Campbell, 69, and his wife, Patti, 67, who retired here from Roanoke, VA, in 2018. Before Roanoke, they had lived the “congested In winter, hundreds of wild beltway life” in Washington, DC, for manatees migrate from the Gulf to Crystal River, the seven years. only place in the U.S. where “Avoiding living in places with high people legally can swim auto congestion has been a longtime with the gentle giants. goal,” says Dann, former director of the 070-079 Citrus County FL.indd 72 1/14/20 7:34 AM MILES SAUNDERS/DISCOVER CRYSTAL RIVER FLORIDA CRYSTAL MILES SAUNDERS/DISCOVER Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing money here than in a more urban envi- Chassahowitzka River, nicknamed “the Authority. Patti was a manager for ma- ronment,” Doug says. Chaz” by locals. It fl ows through the terials management at Norfolk Southern Activities are bountiful, they say. Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Ref- Corp. railroad. Vonnie is a member of Women of uge. Other public lands in the region are Pine Ridge Estates, their subdivision Sugarmill Woods, which raises money the Withlacoochee State Forest, the third- in north-central Citrus County, was de- for scholarships, and Doug plays golf. largest forest in the state; Crystal River veloped as an equestrian community, The country club often charters buses Preserve State Park, with 27,500 acres of with home lots ranging from 1 to 5 acres. to Tampa Bay Rays MLB games at Tropi- trees, salt marshes and mangrove islands; The Campbells have a 1-acre fenced cana Field in St. Petersburg; the Rosts and Flying Eagle Preserve, with 16 miles dog training ring on their property for enjoy leaving the drive to others. of trails and bird-watching spots. their two Kerry blue terriers: Topper, 14, Their favorite beach is Fort Island Gulf Kathy, former manager of a Fort Lau- retired from competition, and Ginghi, 5, Beach in nearby Crystal River, and a go- derdale environmental waste company, who is still racking up agility competi- to dining spot there is Seafood Seller and sought to escape to a more rural area tion medals. Cafe, a New Orleans-style eatery. when she retired in 2017. She shares a “We started vacationing along the St. Johns River in northeast Florida, and The 1912 Citrus County then several winters in Daytona Beach Courthouse in Inverness on the east coast,” Dann says. “Over the now serves as a museum years, we moved our visits westward with displays on early toward the Gulf, since we loved kayaking pioneers and the citrus with friends along the Crystal River.” industry.