Holly Lake Ranch, Texas facts for kids

Holly Lake Ranch is a special community in Texas. It's a private, gated area with a golf course. A group of homeowners helps manage the community. There's also a resort called Silver Leaf Resorts here.

Holly Lake Ranch is known as a census-designated place (CDP). This means it's an area that the government counts for population, even though it's not a city or town. It's located in Wood County, Texas. In 2010, about 2,774 people lived here.

Exploring Holly Lake Ranch's Location

Holly Lake Ranch is found at coordinates 32.713177 N and -95.199372 W. The entire area covers about 9.1 square miles (23.6 square kilometers). Most of this area, about 8.7 square miles (22.5 square kilometers), is land. The rest, about 0.4 square miles (1.0 square kilometer), is water.

How Holly Lake Ranch Started

Early Beginnings in the 1900s

Around 1900, a man named D.B. Contes moved to this area. He was a cotton buyer from central Texas. He settled near Holly Creek, which flows into Big Sandy Creek.

During big events like World War I and the Great Depression, Contes leased out land. People from cities would come here to hunt and fish. He owned about 2,700 acres around what would later become Holly Lake.

Creating Holly Lake

Later, a dam was built on Holly Creek. This created the beautiful Holly Lake we see today. Small cabins were also built near the lake and along Big Sandy Creek.

Growing and Developing the Community

New Owners and Big Plans

In 1964, D.B. Contes sold his land to E.G. Rodman. Rodman was an oilman from Odessa, Texas. He built a large home by the lake. He also bought more land, adding to the original 2,700 acres. This larger property became known as Holly Lake Ranch.

In December 1969, two real estate developers from Dallas, Bill McKenzie and Jack Wilson, bought the 4,165-acre Holly Lake Ranch. Alex McKenzie and Allen Campbell helped fund this project. They named their new company Holly Lake Development Company.

Building the Community's Design

The Holly Lake Development Company started to create a big plan for the area. This plan included how the community would be laid out. Much of what you see in Holly Lake Ranch today follows that original design.

Between 1972 and 1973, they built several important places. These included an administration building, a restaurant, an activity center, and places for people to stay called condominiums.

Life at Holly Lake Ranch Today

Current Management and Features

Today, the cabins and lodging at Holly Lake Ranch are managed by Holiday Inn Resorts.

Holly Lake Ranch covers a total of 4,165 acres. It has many great features for residents and visitors.

Fun Things to Do

• An 18-hole golf course for playing golf.
• A large 210-acre lake, plus another 43-acre lake.
• Three smaller lakes for fishing or enjoying nature.
• Sports courts and ranges for different activities.
• Plenty of open grounds for outdoor fun.
• A sandy beach where you can relax.

The community was officially started in 1971. The golf course was designed by a famous person named Leon Howard. As of January 1, 2010, there were 3,342 lots for single-family homes. About 2,050 homes had already been built.

Population of Holly Lake Ranch

The table above shows how the population of Holly Lake Ranch has changed over the years. In 2010, the population was 2,774 people.

Images for kids

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  A friendly robot, representing the Spanish version of this article.

See also

• In Spanish: Holly Lake Ranch para niños