Auburndale

Tucked between the Tenoroc Public Use Area (PUA) and Auburndale, Hamptons has a more private feel than downtown Auburndale, with quiet suburbs and a retirement community while still staying close to the area’s shops and historic district. Lakeland and Winter Haven, other larger towns in the area, are also close by, so Hamptons residents are well-connected and never short of activities and shopping. “In all these little communities, everybody’s got these little historic areas with little antiques and local shops,” says Broker Angela Worachek with eXp Realty. In the northern portion of Hamptons, residents can fish on piers, boardwalks and platforms at Tenoroc’s PUA’s 29 lakes. Along the Blue Loop Trail, birdwatchers can find several species of birds, including white ibis and snowy egret, but there are 38 other trails for biking, hiking and even horseback riding. In downtown Auburndale, the Historic Downtown Park offers the Auburndale Rotary Butterfly Garden, which supports pollinators with local flora. Lake Myrtle Sports Park is the place for athletes, sporting nine baseball diamonds and ten soccer fields. Most homes in Hamptons are simple stucco ranches and bungalows. Streets here are often shaded with mature trees, some dripping with Spanish moss, over more narrow streets without sidewalks. The neighborhood is also home to The Hamptons Golf and Country Club Resort of Auburndale, a 55-and-up gated community with its own golf course and other amenities. The community features manufactured siding ranch homes with carports. When it comes to moving to the Auburndale area and Hamptons, Worachek highlights that affordability is a big draw. Most homes here list between 150,000 and 250,000 for a three-bedroom house. In the retirement community, properties list between 50,000 and 100,000. “When it comes to houses here, you definitely get more bang for your buck,” Worachek says. “It allows families to get in and invest in the future. You live in a house for two years, sell it and then move up. In Polk County, Winter Haven, Auburndale, it’s more realistic.” On the weekends, folks in Hamptons can head to International Market World Flea and Farmers Market for countless stands featuring fresh produce and local creations. In the afternoons, the market also features a circus complete with clowns and acrobats. Auburndale’s CityFest celebrates the city with games, food vendors and live music from local artists, including Sister Hazel. Touch-A-Truck is a classic at the event, allowing residents to get up close to firetrucks, police cruisers, garbage trucks and others. At Sweet Magnolias Tea Bistro, Auburndale residents can enjoy gourmet teas and seasonal menus in a historic building. For classic barbeque favorites, Peebles Bar-B-Q has served the area since 1947 and has sampler platters to honor over 70 years in business. Crave and Copper serves local beers and has a microbrewery on site, which people can enjoy in their beer garden. Aldi and a Walmart Supercenter are both just over 2.5 miles from Hamptons. Publix at Auburndale is the nearest chain, about 5 miles away. Students can attend Lena Vista Elementary School, which receives a C-plus from Niche. They then graduate to Jere L. Stambaugh Middle School, which Niche grants a C-minus. With a C-plus from Niche, Tenoroc High School offers specialized academy programs covering topics like electric power, construction and agriculture. Downtown Auburndale is just 4.6 miles from Hamptons, connected to the city through U.S. 92. Residents in Hamptons will likely have to rely on cars because the neighborhood doesn’t have any public transportation. Southampton Boulevard is the main access point for Hamptons’ neighborhoods, linking them to U.S. 92. Lakeland is about 7.6 miles away, but Lakeland Linder International Airport is 15.6 miles from Hamptons. For a closer option, Winter Haven Regional Airport is 7.4 miles away. Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center is the nearest hospital, 8 miles away.

Despite the name, Jones Corner doesn’t require residents to “keep up with the Joneses.” In fact, it’s quite the opposite. This spacious residential area features an eclectic mix of midcentury and contemporary homes, with sizes and prices for many budgets. Thick forests separate the area from neighboring Auburndale, and wide lots give the community an almost rural look. “Auburndale is already a smaller city, so anything outside of that, like Jones Corner, is going to have even more of a small-town feel,” says Angie Reynolds, a lifetime resident of Polk County and a Realtor with Porchlight Homes LLC. “Even though it’s small, Auburndale has a lot of annual events and community get-togethers. They have farmers markets on the weekends. It’s a great little town, and people want to live close to it.” And that’s precisely why folks choose Jones Corner, she says. Besides the local church, an elementary school and a few local businesses, the community has almost no commercial offerings, creating a quiet suburban environment. Homes in Jones Corner span the decades, ranging from 1960s ranch-style properties to newly constructed Craftsman builds. Older homes tend to be smaller, with most two- and three-bedroom options selling between $200,000 and $350,000. “Some of those houses have their own water system,” says area local Andrea Friedmann, Realtor with Keller Williams Realty, explaining how many properties still pull from underground wells. Newer homes often cover much more of their 2-acre lots, allowing ample space for five-bedroom Colonial Revivals with prominent second-story overhangs. These options usually cost between $400,000 and $600,000. At 200 acres, Simmers-Young Park is the largest — and closest — park with dedicated fields for team sports. The grounds include the Auburndale Softball Complex, more than a dozen soccer fields, a shaded playscape and even a fishing lake, which sits beside a popular fenced-in dog park. Lights from the nearby Auburndale Speedway are often visible on Saturday nights when locals meet for stock car races. But signs of modern technology fall away at the entrance of Marshall Hampton Reserve, a 1,100-acre wildlife area where Reynolds says there’s always something to experience. More than 11 miles of dog-friendly trails skirt Lake Hancock, and visitors may spot gopher tortoises, bobcats, foxes and even the occasional alligator by the lake. Clarence Boswell Elementary, which receives a C-plus from Niche, serves the community, although select households to the north may be zoned for C-rated Auburndale Central Elementary. After attending C-minus-rated Jere L. Stambaugh Middle, students can enroll in career academies at B-minus-rated Auburndale Senior High. Options include the Digital Graphics, Medical Science and Agritechnologies Academies. Jewett School of the Arts is available as a magnet program for kindergarten through eighth grade students and receives a B-minus from Niche. Within the community, shoppers won’t find much more than Dollar General, a few convenience marts, gas stations and auto shops. A quick drive up Thornhill Road reveals Aldi, Lowe’s Home Improvement and Walmart Supercenter along U.S. Route 92, where diners will also find popular eateries such as The Pantry Modern Diner. This no-frills restaurant serves everything from homestyle omelets to roast turkey dinners, and there’s even a library at the front where children can choose a book to read while waiting for their meal. Closer to downtown Auburndale, Highway 92 becomes Magnolia Avenue, leading past city staples such as Main Street Diner, which opened its doors in 1993. The establishment may have changed owners in 2008, but that hasn’t stopped it from being one of the city’s most beloved restaurants. The Auburndale Farmers Market is held outside City Hall on the first Saturday of each month. It offers a selection of locally grown produce, handmade goods and art. In Spring, the community gathers at Lake Myrtle Sports Park for Auburndale CityFest, an annual celebration with live music and the popular Touch-A-Truck event, a favorite among kids who adore fire trucks. Winter brings a crowd to International Market World for Wonderland of Lights, and the party continues with a massive Christmas parade down Havendale Boulevard. With no bus stops within walking distance, Jones Corner is primarily car-dependent. Thornhill Road and K-Ville Avenue are the community’s main thoroughfares, connecting drivers with U.S. Route 92 and the Polk Parkway toll road. From here, it’s about 5 miles to Winter Haven Regional Airport or 15 miles to Lakeland Linder International Airport. K-Ville Avenue links with Avenue G Northwest, providing a convenient 6-mile route to Winter Haven Hospital.

When it comes to celebrating community events, Inwood may have the best seat in the house. This Polk County suburb sits between Auburndale and Winter Haven, two cities known for hosting lively festivals throughout the year. Despite the proximity of these larger municipalities, Inwood maintains its small-town charm with central parks, schools and local establishments. “There’s a lot of little diner restaurants and small businesses, which gives Inwood a great community feel,” says Angie Reynolds, a lifetime resident of Polk County and a Realtor with Porchlight Homes LLC. It's not uncommon to see bikers cruising down the recently paved 1-mile trail that skirts Avenue O Northwest, and anglers are often spotted casting a line from the dock at Lake Cannon Park. The community is also home to walkable churches on 34th Street Northwest and a handful of industrial employers along Recker Highway. Winter Haven is well-known for its chain of lakes, a massive collection of interconnected waterways that Reynolds says attracts boaters and fishers across the county. Inwood residents have easy access to a number of those lakes, including Lake Cannon, which is bordered by a grassy, linear park stretching beside private docks. Paved pathways, dappled with shade from moss-tangled trees, wind between picnic areas, a boat ramp and a fenced-in playground. Lake Blue Park has a similar appeal, but its paved trail includes fitness stations. Although it’s not on a lake, Westwood Park is particularly popular for its spacious fields and central playscape. Simmers-Young Park, a destination for softball and soccer, sits right beside the Auburndale Speedway, where locals meet on Saturdays for stock car races. Inwood offers an eclectic mix of midcentury architecture and new construction. Recent developments include the gated Lake Deer subdivision, where Craftsman-inspired homes sell for between $250,000 and $350,000. Reynolds says many of the ranch-style and cottage homes built before 1960 are finally getting the attention they need, reinvigorating the market. “There’s a lot of opportunities in that area to get an updated home that’s still affordable. Investors are fixing up properties, so you’re able to get a home that’s like new for a much better price.” Since 2023, home prices have risen by 9%, with most homes selling between $200,000 and $280,000. Lakefront properties, including homes with private docks on Lake Cannon, are often the most expensive, selling between $300,000 and $500,000, while mobile homes provide the cheapest options at around $50,000. Inwood students belong to two distinct school pathways, one for Auburndale Senior High and another for Winter Haven Senior High, both of which score B-minus on Niche. Students on the north side of the community may attend C-rated Fred G. Garner Elementary and C-minus-rated Westwood Middle before enrolling in Auburndale’s Agritechnologies Academy, Digital Graphics Academy or Medial Academy. Students to the south may attend C-rated Inwood Elementary before joining their peers at Westwood Middle. In ninth grade, however, these students can join Winter Haven’s Advanced International Certificate of Education program developed by the University of Cambridge. Polk County is also known for its magnet school options, which include B-minus-rated Jewett School of the Arts. Faith-based schools, such as the K-8 Immanuel Lutheran Church and School, are nearby. Most of Inwood’s commercial options sit along Havendale Boulevard, where furniture stores, locally owned markets and auto shops mingle with casual spots like Family Dollar and the occasional restaurant. Dino’s Drive-In is a blast from the past with a traditional park-and-order setup, and Smokin’ Jim’s House of Bar-B-Q is home to one of the largest smoker pits in the county. There’s also a Publix Super Market at the corner of Havendale and 42nd Street. Along Avenue G Northwest, shoppers will find family-run establishments such as Green’s Market, a full-service grocer and butcher open for nearly 50 years. Down the street, Cabana Boy Ice Cream is making a name for itself as the area’s newest dessert destination, serving up a weekly rotation of tropical flavors amid tiki décor. Auburndale and Winter Haven are known for hosting lively events, and Inwood residents are at the heart of the action. Folks can spend the Fourth of July at the City of Winter Haven’s Rockin’ Freedom Fest or head to Auburndale’s International Market World for the annual Wonderland of Lights event in winter. But it’s the Havendale Christmas Parade, an event organized by both cities, that draws the largest crowd, Reynolds says. “They block off all lanes of Havendale between the two cities, and people come and sit out in chairs along the roadside. They have vendors selling cotton candy and glow sticks, and a lot of the businesses give out candy.” Although some residents use Citrus Connection buses to navigate Polk County, Inwood is primarily car-dependent. Major roadways such as Recker Highway connect drivers to U.S. Route 92 in Auburndale and Highway 17 near Winter Haven. Interstate 4 is about 10 miles away, giving commuters non-stop routes to Tampa and Orlando. Traveling by plane usually means a 20-mile trip to Lakeland Linder International Airport, but some local flights may be routed through Winter Haven Regional Airport.