Welcome to Independence
It's What Life Should Be.
Who We Are
Independence is a master-planned, 1,300-acre community located in Horizon West, part of unincorporated Orange County, Florida. Ground was broken for the community in 2003, beginning with the iconic Mall: our 512-foot reflecting pond, 50-foot clock tower, and 10,000-square foot Georgian clubhouse. Over the course of the next twenty years and three phases, the community has grown into a diverse collection of luxurious estate homes, picturesque single-family homes, stately townhomes, and tree-lined apartment homes. In total, there are nearly 1,900 individual properties.
By the Numbers
Independence offers something for everyone.
2004
Founded
2017
Completed
1,300
Acres
1,876
Properties
15
Parks
4
Playgrounds
6+
Miles of Bike Trails & Walking Trails
2
Fully-featured Residents Clubs
2
Boat Ramps
4
Townhome Communities
1
Luxury Apartment Community
2
Orange County Schools
The Independence Lifestyle
Among the villages and communities of Horizon West, Independence is renowned for its world-class lifestyle offerings that bring together families and individuals from all across the community. The physical amenities available to our Residents include:
// Two Residents Clubs, at Town Square and Lake Trail, that are beautifully-appointed with themed décor and each featuring its own fitness center.
// Two Resort-style pools, one at each Residents Club, with the pool at Lake Trail also including an inground whirlpool spa.
// An arcade & game room, located at Town Square, featuring classic arcade games and the latest console games.
// A billiards lounge at Lake Trail Residents Club warmly decorated with dark woods and rich leather finishes.
// The Business Center at Town Square Residents Club, with open-access computers and print/copy/fax capabilities.
// Settler's Landing Boat Ramp on Lake Hancock and the Lake Speer Boat Ramp.
// Regulation-size tennis courts and basketball courts at Lake Trail Residents Club.
// Neatly-manicured parks and green spaces, ponds and nature & bike trails.
// A community room for meetings, fitness classes, hobbies, and more.
In addition to its physical spaces, Independence is unrivaled in its talented Lifestyle Team. Led by a full-time Lifestyle Director, this creative team of professionals is dedicated to outdoing itself with increasingly immersive and world-class community events year after year.
Among the highlights include:
// The Independence Spring Festival, Fall Festival, and Winter Festival... annual events with live character performers, DJs, dance stages, over-the-top décor, and custom take-away gifts.
// The Independence Fireworks Spectacular!... a full-scale professionally-designed pyrotechnic show for July 4, accompanied by a choreographed musical score, and followed by dancing and outdoor attractions.
// Splash Bash!... sunny days at the Resort-style pool featuring DJ dancing and complimentary treats for kids and kids at heart.
// Food Truck Thursdays... a rotating cavalcade of gourmet food trucks serving decadent cuisine from a diverse range of international tastes.
The Lifestyle Team is constantly at work improving both the physical appearance of the community and the range of experiences provided to our residents, all as an exclusive benefit of their membership in our community.
#ThatIndyLife
The History of Independence
Independence was among the first master-planned communities to be built in the sprawling Horizon West region of greater Orlando. Covering over 30,000 acres in western Orange County, this area was once a prolific producer of citrus dating back to the mid-19th century. The historic freezes of the 1980s ended many traditional agricultural uses of the land, and with the popularity of local attractions such as Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Orlando Resort sparking a dramatic rise in residential development, the Board of County Commissioners sought to establish a growth strategy that ensured the land was developed responsibly.
In partnership with large land owners, Orange County created the Horizon West Development Area in 1995, calling for the creation of six self-sustaining "villages" - mixed-density residential clustered around pedestrian-friendly village centers with retail, dining, and civic uses. The village of Bridgewater began with our neighboring community Summerport in 2001, and the development area once called Signature Lakes became Independence when it was purchased by Transeastern Homes shortly after. Seeking to build on the success of The Walt Disney Company's experimental community of Celebration, the design intent for Independence called for micro-villages arranged around green spaces, lakes and parks, all connected by a network of residential roadways, sidewalks, and trails. These neighborhoods would be inspired by the traditional aesthetic of Colonial America, with streets named after agricultural methods, explorers, authors, artists, and more. The "icon" for the community is the Mall, situated at the entrance to the community off Ficquette Rd. Two large stone obelisks, alight with gas torches in the evening, give way to the sparkling 512-foot reflecting pond surrounded by emerald green lawn and stately mature oak trees. At the Tower Green stands the five-story brick Clock Tower, trimmed by ornamental gardens and capped with a copper spire. The Town Square Residents Club ends the Mall, with its colonnaded façade and tall cupola drawing inspiration from Georgian colonial buildings of historic Philadelphia, New York, and Boston.
After nearly two decades of planning and development, Independence Community's major construction was complete by 2017. As of 2022, there are just over a dozen vacant lakeside estate lots left on which to build. The Residents who serve on the Boards of Directors, together with the on-site Management team, are committed to realizing Independence's mission: to be the jewel of Horizon West, the leading community among its peers with a lifestyle and day-to-day operations that are unrivaled in their personalization, attention to detail, and rich quality.