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Carrollwood plans 50th birthday bash

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 2, 2009

CARROLLWOOD - When Muriel and Harold Haviland decided to move to Florida 50 years ago from Long Island, N.Y., they were in search of a peaceful, safe place to raise a family.

Drawn to Tampa by the expansion of large companies and a housing boom, they began their hunt for a home. Their tour took them to a new neighborhood where roads wound through citrus groves and lots surrounded a pristine lake.

They had found Carrollwood and immediately fell in love. The Havilands bought the first home in the community in 1959 on Korina Lane, and that's where Muriel Haviland remains today.

"It was a strange experience when we first moved here because there was nothing around and it was so quiet," she said. "There were no shops or traffic. All you heard were the sounds of the peacocks."

The peacocks remain, but the silent rural surroundings have disappeared, swallowed by Tampa's growth during the past five decades.

This weekend, residents of Original Carrollwood will gather to celebrate the community's 50th anniversary.

The event promises something for everyone. There will be a carnival for the children, sports tournaments for the adults and a formal ceremony on Sunday to recognize the community's founding members.

Carrollwood was the vision of developer Matt Jetton, a South Tampa resident who had a plan to turn the orange groves north of Tampa into a community with modern homes and the latest amenities.

He named it Carrollwood for Lake Carroll, the centerpiece to the 925-home community. It later would be known as Original Carrollwood.

Michele Sager

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