Featured in National Association of Realtors® Housing Resilience: Challenges and Best Practices
Babcock Ranch was featured this National Association of Realtors® (NAR) On Common Ground article highlighting the importance of smart growth, resilient design and sustainability. Experts from the fields of architecture, engineering, planning and insurance have figured out how to harden houses against the threat of myriad natural disasters including fire, wind and flood. The issue […]
The Future of Hurricane-Proof Construction Is Taking Shape in Florida
The town of Babcock Ranch was built to withstand hurricanes. And it runs almost entirely on solar energy. BY ERIKA THOMAS Imagine an American town that’s powered almost entirely by solar energy, where commercial and residential development is balanced with natural green space and ecosystems, and the infrastructure is specifically designed to withstand natural disasters.You […]
Realtor.com: Inside America’s First Solar-Powered Community
America’s first solar-powered community has had a “mind-blowing” effect on residents’ power bills—and it’s even getting attention for surviving Hurricane Milton unscathed, and without losing power. Billed as “the Hometown of Tomorrow,” this planned community in Punta Gorda, FL, just 15 miles from Fort Myers, is fueled by solar energy, thanks to the 880-acre solar […]
A Hands-On Solar Experience at Babcock Ranch’s FPL Eco-Discovery Center
Babcock Ranch is not just any community—it’s America’s First Solar-Powered Town. With a strong commitment to sustainability, resilience, and technological innovation, Babcock Ranch leads the way in creating a living environment that is both eco-friendly and future-forward. One of the most exciting attractions here is the Solar Ranch – an FPL Eco-Discovery Center, a place […]
Forbes: Hurricanes Helene and Milton Should Motivate Us to Bury Power Lines
Hurricanes Helene and Milton remind us of electricity infrastructure’s vulnerability to extreme weather events. However, at least one Florida community, Babcock Ranch, managed to avoid electricity shutoffs from downed power lines. A newspaper story reported that “All the structures at Babcock Ranch are built to withstand more than 150-mile-per-hour hurricane force winds, and its 150-megawatt […]
SolarButterfly Visits Babcock Ranch
The SolarButterfly, a 30-foot, solar-powered, self-sustainable residential vehicle, visited Babcock Ranch—also known as America’s first solar-powered town, on it’s 4-year global tour to show the world that there are solutions against Global Warming. Read more about their visit in this Gulfshore Business article.
Babcock Ranch featured in New York Times article on solar power
Not every energy-resilient community is classified as a microgrid. Babcock Ranch, a development about 15 miles northeast of Fort Myers, Fla., calls itself the nation’s first solar-powered town. Babcock Ranch has an 870-acre solar farm to power the community, including two solar array systems totaling 150 megawatts of capacity, a transmission substation (with another being […]
Babcock Ranch Featured at Aspen Ideas: Climate Conference
Babcock Ranch, which is powered entirely by solar, was designed for resilience, said Kitson as he spoke to the crowd on the final day of the conference. The 150-megawatt solar facility has 700,000 panels, and weathered the hurricane well. Kitson took a rare approach to developing land. The firm bought the 91,000-acre ranch in 2006, […]
The Hometown of Tomorrow: Four Ways Babcock Ranch is Building a New Model for Sustainable Towns
Sustainable living is the future, there’s no way around it. Living in harmony with the environment around us, built to provide a community with ample resources to thrive not just now, but for generations to come—economically, socially, environmentally—it’s a vision picking up momentum around the world. As the idea becomes a priority to commercial and […]
FAQs: Buying a Home, Sustainability, Storm Safety, and Life at Babcock Ranch
From available homes to storm safety, we’re answering your most asked questions about life in Babcock Ranch. Homes, Builders and Community Fees How do I start the homebuying process? How many available homes do you have? One way to start your homebuying process is by visiting our Discovery Center, where our Town Ambassadors will answer […]
