Meadow Wood Farms is a friendly neighborhood of more than four hundred home sites and small horse farms located in Marion County, Florida, approximately 12 miles west of the city of Ocala, “Horse Capital of the World.” With 1,800 acres of wooded, rolling terrain, interspersed with rich green pastures, and laced by more than 15 miles of winding, tree shaded paved roads, the community provides a wonderful place to walk, jog, cycle or ride your horse away from the perils of city traffic. Many of our roads are named for famous racehorses or racetracks, further highlighting our connection with the equestrian nature of the local environment and economy. Although a significant number of our residents do not own or ride horses, almost every equestrian discipline is represented within the neighborhood from driving to dressage, show jumping to reining. Western pleasure to hunt seat equitation and combined training.
We are not without our own small role in Florida history. The first occupants of Meadow Wood Farms were the Seminole Indians, sent to reservations in the Ocala area by the United States government after Florida became a United States territory in 1822. General Zachary Taylor, later our 12th President, commanded Fort King, Fort Hook (located on what is now Needles Drive) and Camp Izard on the Withlacoochee River southwest of Meadow Wood Farms. A network of state roads brought additional settlement, and Fellowship Baptist Church was built in 1844 followed by St. John’s United Methodist Church in 1852. The local settlers grew cotton, giving a name to the “hamlet” of Cotton Plant, located near the present intersection of SR40 and CR328. In the early 1930s, phosphate was mined in Meadow Wood Farms, evidenced by the phosphate pits and piles of rock found on some of the properties. Mining gave way to the grazing of beef cattle when the phosphate proved to be of poor quality and too expensive to extract.
In 1971, Meadow Wood Farms was developed into essentially the same configuration we see today, with home sites ranging from 1.25 to 8 acres in size. Meadow Wood Farms is a deed restricted community, and membership in the Meadow Wood Farms Property Owners Association is voluntary. Operating costs are covered by a combination of modest annual dues and a variety of fundraising activities.
We have our own neighborhood “Friendship Park” consisting of two acres of nature with a safe and welcoming children’s play area with a slide, swings, monkey bars and seesaws. All year long it provides a friendly place to bring your children or grandchildren to play or just spend the day in a natural setting. The park also contains a pavilion, dedicated to long time residents, Hazel and Henri Bowen. It is in this setting that we hold our annual dinner dance and various other events throughout the year.