Sebring - where is that?

It's 2 1/2 hours driving southbound from Orlando and 3 hours northwest of Miami. Somewhat more elevated than most of Florida and located central, it is less vulnerable to damage of hurricanes and the flooding that comes with it.

Downtown Sebring dates from the early 20st century. The centre is the Circle, a big roundabout with a park in the middle. It is east of Lake Jackson, one of the numerous lakes of the area. On the west side of the lake is U.S. Highway 27 (Orlando-Miami). The only thing most people see of Sebring is the vast amout of companies, malls, restaurants, motels and so on that are on Hwy 27.

The most important feature of this sleepy little town is that it's a sleepy little town. Only once a year, in March, it wakes up when, on the International Raceway, the 12 hours of Sebring is being held. This is a world class racing event.

Being one of the last towns with a population over 10,000 southbound on Hwy 27, it functions as a regional centre. From there up to greater Miami, the area is sparsely populated. Going south on Hwy 27, you get a few last towns and numerous orange orchards. South of Lake Okeechobee there are huge agricultural areas and desolate wilderness up to Highleah, a suburb of Miami. You are advised not to feed the alligators.

Spring Lake village is a 'residential area', kind of a village without a centre, between the area of the Raceway and the Regional airport (an air strip where small planes can land) and Lake Istokpoga, the second largest lake in Florida. It is divided in ten zones, numbered Village I through Village X. Our lot is in Village IV. In parts of the village, like our zone, only some 10-20% of the lots have been built on.
Spring Lake is located between Sebring and Lake Placid (the next town southbound), on U.S. Hwy 98. Look for the pink spot on the map.