A Country Paradise

Tom never got Grandpa Lange’s farm out of his mind. He grew up in Detroit and loved to visit the pastoral setting in Sebewaing, just off Saginaw Bay in the Michigan Thumb area.

Tom Lange recalls, “I was a city boy who went to the country and loved it. I was living in a city where houses were stacked on houses. It was a big bonus to watch things grow out there and see the harvest of corn and other crops.” “Grandpa’s farm was 160 acres, and it was called The Lange Farm on Lange Road. I really enjoyed it. When Grandpa Lange retired and the farm was turned over to his oldest son, Walt, who had no children, the farm eventually was sold to others.

I told my wife I missed the whole concept of the farm and in an effort to continue the tradition we eventually found acres of rolling hills and big oaks outside Dade City. We ended up buying 80 acres in February 1988.” That was the start of something big just outside of San Antonio, Florida.

Susan and Tom Lange accumulated 233 acres, and their land is becoming a city unto itself with education, entertainment and housing opportunities.
They donated 10 acres for Academy at the Farm, a pre-school to eighth grade facility that opened in 2002 and has 17 modular buildings. The student population has risen to 260 with well over 100 on a waiting list.

In 2003, the Langes opened The Lange Farm Special Events Center, a peaceful country setting for weddings and corporate and social functions with The Garden House and a two-story converted Antique Barn. The Garden House provides a more formal setting with air conditioning, valet parking and other ammenities while the Antique Barn offers a more casual setting.
There are horse paddocks and a Boarding Barn as well as riding lessons for young and old. Hay rides, bon fires and a petting zoo are available as well.

Farmington Hills, a different kind of gated community where Lange says nobody will look out their back window and see another house, but rather an occasional horse on the bridle paths that meander through the community.
Thirty seven lots, each more than an acre and up to 2.4 acres, have sold and completed Phase I. Plans are in motion to continue with Phase II to further develop the number of luxury homes spread across the remaining acreage.