Well, I promised that I would make Clermont my next featured city of Lake County, Florida. So, here it is...
Geography: Clermont, aka "Gem of the Hills", is located at the states true crossroads. State Road 50 (divides the state into north and south) and U.S. Highway 27 (divided the state into east and west) literally intersect in Clermont. The city is approximately 25 due west of Orlando and 25 miles northwest of Disneyworld. Clermont has a high elevation of 300 feet and a low elevation of 100 feet. It is 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 Ocklawha Basin of tributaries of the St. Johns River, the only river system in the U.S.A that flows north.
History: In 1868, a man by the name of Herring Hooks became the first settler of Clermont. He went on to establish a 40-acre grove which became Florida's first commercial nursery. In 1884, he sold off about 100-acres to the Clermont Improvement Company. Its general manager, named the settlement Clermont after his birthplace in France. For those wanting to visit the historical sites of Clermont or want to read up on them, I have come across Clermont's Historical Trail Guide. There is a lot of history in this little town.
Agriculture: Well, you guessed it. Oranges are one of the main staples. But, at one time Clermont was the number one tomato producer in all of Florida (yes, we grow more than just oranges and grapefruits.) Here is one that most may not know: Clermont boast a 127-acre estate winery and vineyard. Lakeridge Winery & Vineyards has on the estate a 77-acre vineyard that has allowed the winery to win over 300 awards in winemaking excellence.
Growth: To put it very simple, Clermont quickly became the third largest city in the county. The reason for the growth is because of its proximity to Orlando. It offers a huge selection of housing choices to suit anyone's tastes and price range.
I would love to tell more about this charming town, but I want to leave that for one of our fellow ARers. Ann Cummings is a native of Clermont. In fact, if memory serves, she said her family built the first house there and one of them was also the first school teacher.
Ann, since you are a native and I am not personally knowledgable of Clermont, would you mind posting a few comments about the area that may be of interest?
Comments(5)