Nalcrest, Florida facts for kids
Nalcrest is a special place in Polk County, Florida, designed just for people who used to deliver mail! It's a retirement community, which means it's a neighborhood where older people live after they stop working. The people who live here are retired mail carriers from all over the United States. Nalcrest is part of the larger Lakeland–Winter Haven area in Florida.
What is Nalcrest?
The name "Nalcrest" is actually a secret code! It's an acronym, which means each letter stands for a word. It comes from National Association of Letter Carriers Retirement, Education, Security and Training.
This community was created and is still run by the Nalcrest Foundation, Inc. This foundation is part of the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC). The NALC is a union, which is like a club or group that helps people who do the same job. In this case, it helps city mail carriers who work for the United States Postal Service.
The idea for Nalcrest came from a man named William C. Doherty. He was the president of the NALC for many years. He even became the first United States Ambassador to Jamaica!
How Nalcrest Started
Building Nalcrest began in July 1962, and the community welcomed its first residents in 1963. When it first opened, anyone could live there. This was because of rules from a government group called HUD (United States Department of Housing and Urban Development).
However, in 2002, something changed. The community finished paying off its building loan. This meant the HUD rules no longer applied. Now, only retired members of the NALC who are in good standing can live at Nalcrest.
Life at Nalcrest
Nalcrest is built on about 253 acres of land. About 153 acres are developed, meaning they have buildings and roads. The other 100 acres are natural areas. These undeveloped areas include a man-made lake that is 15 acres big. The community is built around this lake. This lake also connects to a much larger lake called Lake Weohyakapka, which is about 7,500 acres!
There are 500 apartments at Nalcrest. They are all on the ground level, so no stairs! Some are small "efficiency" apartments, and others have one bedroom. People rent these apartments for a year at a time. The rent includes things like water, trash removal, basic cable TV, and maintenance. However, residents pay for their own electricity.
There are a few important rules for living here. Residents cannot have pets. Also, Nalcrest is not like a nursing home or an assisted living facility. This means residents must be able to take care of themselves. They need to do their own housekeeping chores. There isn't a doctor living on-site to provide medical care.
One very interesting thing about Nalcrest is that even though it's for mail carriers, there's no mail delivery to the homes! Residents have to go to the post office in the Town Center to pick up their mail.
Fun Things to Do
Nalcrest has many fun things for residents to do. There's a swimming pool where people can relax and exercise. For sports lovers, there's a tennis court, a driving range for golf, and a softball field. They also have special courts for bocce and horseshoe pits, which are popular games.
