Turkey Creek Forest, Gainesville, Florida

Built in the 1980s, 55+ Turkey Creek Forest is a modest single family home community spread across 80 acres of lush landscape in the northwest quadrant of Gainesville in north central Florida. It has an entrance on US 441 and is only a few miles from shopping, city services, pharmacies, banks, a senior center, and medical services.

The 300 or so homes are manufactured and site-built, and most feature single-level living with two bedrooms, two baths and 800 to 2,000 square feet. The community is not a fancy place, but its lots are wooded with tall pines and hardwoods, creating a secluded sense of privacy. A few houses have a screened room, a laundry room, a deck and/or an RV port.

Prices start in the mid-$100,000s. HOA fees are very reasonable at about $410 to $468 per year. Please verify this with a Realtor as prices will change.

Run by a volunteer board, Turkey Creek calls itself “eco savvy” and progressive. Its 25,000 gallon swimming pool is solar heated. Other outdoor amenities include shaded tennis courts, shuffleboard courts, and a horseshoe pit. A complete kitchen, game room, and library highlight the community’s spacious clubhouse. Mahjongg, quilting, yoga classes, a Kentucky Derby party, and cruise nights are a few of the activities that homeowners enjoy.

Gainesville, an Arbor City, is the home of the Hippodrome State Theatre, the Gainesville Community Playhouse, and the University of Florida. The Harn Museum of Art and the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts are two institutions the university supports. Gainesville celebrates a wide variety of arts. Among its well-attended parties are the Hoggtowne Medieval Faire and the Downtown Festival and Art Show.

North Florida Regional Medical Center is accredited by the Joint Commission.

Summer temperatures are in the 80s and 90s, and winter temperatures are in the 50s, 60s and 70s. On average, the area receives 52 inches of rain per year.