Lakeland Named One of Best Cities in U.S. to Call Home

In a recent list published by U.S. News, Lakeland, Florida ranked as No. 16 of the 20 Best Places People Are Moving to in the U.S. based on net migration over a five-year period. The growing city of Lakeland, one of seven Florida cities ranked in the top 20, offers homeowners a central location with access to world-class attractions, beautiful year-round weather, and an affordable cost of living.

Lakeland is conveniently located between Tampa and Orlando, and allows easy access to both of these big cities, the white sand beaches on Florida’ Gulf coast, and Orlando attractions. In Lakeland itself, residents enjoy a laid-back small-city atmosphere bustling with eclectic charm, dining, and entertainment. Whether it’s enjoying dinner at the monthly Lakeland Food Truck Rally, family-fun and entertainment at the popular downtown First Friday events, or catching a ball game during the Detroit Tiger’s spring training at Joker Marchant Stadium, Lakeland will keep the whole family entertained. For culinary delights, Lakeland boasts a growing foodie scene with a number of local hot spots drawing diners even from its larger city neighbors.

Perhaps one of the largest advantages of calling Lakeland home is the cost of living. According to Sperling’s Best Places, Lakeland’s cost of living is about 8.8 points lower than the national average. The score averages in the cost of groceries, health, housing, utilities, transportation, and more in order to give an accurate representation of the cost of living in the city. The median home price in Lakeland is around $145,000, which makes the city very inviting when compared with surrounding cities, such as Tampa and Orlando, which feature a higher median home price.

For those moving to Lakeland, the Lakeland-Winter Haven metropolitan area leads the state of Florida in job growth. The boom in job opportunities is thanks to growth in the hospitality, financial, and healthcare industries, as well as increasing new home construction.

Florida home builder, Highland Homes, is based in the growing city of Lakeland and proud to have built new homes and contribute to the economic growth and development of the city for more than 20 years. On the south end of the city, Highland Homes builds in Highlands Creek II, a gated community of upscale and spacious homes priced from the $230,000’s. Available homes to be built in this neighborhood offer 2,034 to 3,315 square feet of living space with 4 or 5 bedrooms and a 2 or 3-car garage. Desirable features including open living areas, spacious kitchens, and luxurious master suites. Each home offers personalized design with the professional designers at the Highland Home Personal Selection Studio available to help buyers select the colors and finishes for every room in their new home.

Highlands Creek II is a gated community accessed off a quiet side road, with spacious home sites surrounded by citrus groves that offer a laid-back locale and privacy between homes. In addition, the community is conveniently located near major roadways, shopping, dining, medical facilities, and the best of Lakeland.

The community features a fully-decorated model home, open daily. For more information on the new homes in Lakeland, Florida at Highlands Creek II, contact Highland Homes at 863-510-5989 or visit www.HighlandHomes.ORG.