Casselberry, FL

The fern trade is built into Casselberry's origin story. In the 1920s, Gordon Barnett developed Fern Park Estates as small lots with individual ferneries that grew decorative ferns for buyers across the United States and Canada. Hibbard Casselberry arrived as Barnett's sales agent in 1926, then bought adjoining land, developed Winter Park Ferneries, and helped incorporate a tax-free Town of Casselberry in 1940. Today's city covers about seven square miles and includes more than two dozen lakes. Water, parks, and civic arts make that compact geography tangible. Casselberry maintains 17 parks totaling 122 acres. Nine-acre Lake Concord Park surrounds City Hall and concentrates an amphitheater, sculpture garden, interactive water feature, boardwalk, playground, and the Art House; its calendar includes free outdoor concerts and community events. Secret Lake Park, set among three lakes, adds fishing piers, a boardwalk, playgrounds, courts, a multipurpose field, and the Recreation Center, whose regular offerings include exercise, yoga, tai chi, Zumba, dance, clubs, and games.

ATTRSeldom4 / Public domain

The five-mile Casselberry Greenway links four parks, two schools, and shopping areas and connects with Seminole County's Kewannee Trail. Recent capital work has broadened those choices: the city's January 2026 update reported Wirz Park and both halves of Wheel Park complete and open. The Jean Rhein Central Branch, headquarters of the five-branch Seminole County library system, is also in Casselberry and opens seven days a week, with storytimes, free internet and Wi-Fi, meeting rooms, digital collections, language learning, and small-business resources. During 2020-2024, 60 percent of occupied homes were owner-occupied; the median owner-occupied value was $299,200, monthly mortgage costs were $1,724, and median rent was $1,674.