Rotonda West Oakland Hills

Rotonda West, the circular community, consists of 8 pie slices representing seven neighborhoods and a nature preserve. Rotonda Oakland Hills is one of seven neighborhood slices located at the 9 o’clock position. Once the Rotonda Oakland Hills Golf Course, the first out of five courses, opened in 1973, the Oakland Hills community began to grow.

Oakland Hills is the First Community 

Oakland Hills is the cradle of Rotonda West because it all started here. Further south of the community is a beautiful nature preserve with abundant wildlife. Coral Creek runs through the preserve and connects with Charlotte Harbor further south. Only Oakland Hills and Pine Valley are the lucky ones bordering to that large nature preserve. Pebble Beach is the next community further north. But don’t expect a beach there; the Gulf of Mexico is still 5 miles away.

Rotonda has an extensive Canal System  – and Oakland Hills is Part of it

Oakland Hills is the only section of Rotonda West with underground utilities. Many canals and a picturesque Golf Course surround the homes. Many canals are boatable; however, they do not connect to Charlotte Harbor or the Intracoastal Waterway. Nevertheless, few residents have boats, overwhelmingly pontoon boats, which they use for fishing or cruising in the canal system. Fish are abundant in the canals. The canals are part of Rotonda’s stormwater drainage system; therefore, the system is very important and needs to be kept in perfect condition. Although residents are permitted to use boats, all waterways are rated “no-wake zone.” Captains will not be thrilled by speed. Instead they will be overwhelmed by the beautiful surrounding. There were talks about digging a channel to Charlotte Harbor at one point, but it never materialized. Extensive cost and risk assessments did not support the idea. 

Homes are older and smaller in Oakland Hills

Most homes are older with one-car garages. Of course, they are from the 70s, 80s, and 90s, which was the standard in those years. The homes are generally smaller, and many come with single-car garages. In the past few years, homes have changed ownership, and many homes have been renovated and updated. Only a few vacant parcels of land are still available.