Canterwood is a gated, equestrian friendly acreage community off Imperial Lakes Boulevard near Shepherd Road in Mulberry, in south Polk County just below Lakeland and a short distance from South Florida Avenue (community and brokerage listing guides, 2026). It is laid out across well over one hundred acres of oaks and small lakes with roughly forty large homesites rather than a dense grid of lots.
Listing and neighborhood guides describe the community as dating to about 2006, with most building completed around 2010, and note custom builders such as Olivera Construction and Hulbert Homes (neighborhood and brokerage guides, 2026). Homesites generally run from about one acre to as much as sixteen acres, and the custom homes vary widely in size, with guides citing roughly 3,400 to over 10,000 square feet; confirm the exact acreage, home size, and bedroom count for any specific property.
Because this is an acreage community of custom homes, the money is made or lost on the lot and the house, not on the address. The drivers are the lot acreage and usable land, the HOA covenants and square footage minimums, the equestrian, barn, and outbuilding allowances, and the private well and septic systems, all of which have to be read from the HOA documents and verified by inspection for the exact parcel.
The pitch is privacy and land near the city: a gated entrance, room for horses, pools, guest houses, and outbuildings, with south Florida Avenue, Lakeland, and the State Road 60 and US 98 corridors within reach. The work is the diligence: read the covenants and dues, confirm the acreage and any deed restrictions, inspect the well and septic, and check the flood and wetland lines before you buy the view.
