The historic town of Windermere was established in 1889. In 2004 the census estimated the population at 1,958. Known for its dirt roads and quaint atmosphere, Windermere is one of a dying breed of towns that has maintained that unique small-town feel that visitors and locals alike find so endearing.

Located in the town of Windermere, the Butler chain of lakes is considered one of Florida's most sought-after areas of lakefront property. The chain encompasses eleven lakes (Lake Butler, Lake Tibet, Lake Down, Lake Sheen, Lake Louise, Lake Chase, Pocket Lake, Lake Blanche, Wauseon Bay, Lake Isleworth, and Little Fish Lake), which have been recognized for their high water quality and animal habitats as "Outstanding Florida Waters" by Florida's Department of Environmental Regulation.

Windermere's Growing Pains - The areas of the southwest corner of Orange County and adjacent Lake County have exploded in growth in recent years, and Windermere with its small town charm has found itself wrestling with increasingly difficult issues of growth management.

This map does a nice job of explaining the crux of the issue - the close proximity of Lake Down, Lake Butler and Lake Bessie combined with the layout of Main Street (fed by Maguire Road out of the Ocoee area) and Conroy-Windermere Road (out of the Metrowest area) has created a situation where so much of the traffic heading to the newer communities on the southwest part of town funnels through downtown Windermere. Despite these issues of growth, most everyone we know in Windermere wouldn't trade it for any other location. Soaring property values, the serenity of the natural settings, and the small town charm combine to create one of the State's most desirable lakefront communities.