Founded in 1997, WFNA promotes the safety and welfare of Windsor Forest through engagement, advocacy, and neighborhood building events each and every month. Windsor Forest was a dream that came from the rich forest of the old Cedar Grove Plantation. In 1955, the Delta Land Corporation purchased 1,000 acres of land for $450,000.00 ($450 an acre!) to build a city in the forest. The concept was a 'ci
ty within a city' with schools, churches, and shopping along with close to 3,000 homesites. The dream developed offering beautiful homes beginning at around $10,000 and up. The community included a community club house and pool which would serve as the congregation point for activity within the neighborhood. At the time, Windsor Forest was Savannah's First Planned neighborhood and Georgia's Largest Residential Area. It was truly a pivotal moment in Savannah and the development for neighborhoods of the future. In fact, the young architect that laid out Windsor Forest in 1955 and changed the way we looked at community development here in Savannah went on to get global fame with his work in the Buckhead community of Atlanta. With around 2,000 homes, 3 schools, churches, two shopping centers, 5 city parks, a dog park, and a 9 Hole private golf course, the dream that once was - is. From a dream and a vision sixty five years in the making, today the 'Spirit of Windsor' is alive and well with stable and climbing property values, low crime rates, and nestled right in the middle of Savannah, Georgia just minutes away from shopping, banks, a multitude of dining options, St. Joseph Hospital, Georgia Southern University, Oglethorpe Mall and Hunter Army Airfield. Just 9 miles east of I-95 and 17 miles west of the Atlantic beaches at Tybee, Windsor Forest is the perfect place to Live, Learn, Play, and raise a family. The Houses of Windsor
After World War II, Savannahians went to Windsor Forest to live out the American Dream. That dream continues, with long-time residents and a new group of neighbors. When Savannah dreamed its version of the American Dream, the reality was found in places like Windsor Forest. Its wide open, suburban design epitomized the philosophy that if you worked hard, lived right and saved your money, you, too, could have a practical, solid home, a two-car garage, plenty of space and a good place to raise your children. A handful of local developers conceived the suburban respite of Windsor Forest in a story that became standard in virtually every city in the country in the 1940s and 50s. "We used to think this was the end of the world," said Windsor Road resident Carolyn Thomson. Moving there in 1962 meant a 20-minute commute to her family's business, Ramelle's Florist, on Abercorn and 36th streets, but it was worth the drive. The trade-off was a two-year-old home with large, multi-leveled rooms, vaulted ceilings and lots of space, inside and out, for her young and growing family. Throughout the 1960s and 70s, construction in the neighborhood exploded, creating shady new subdivisions with names like Colonial Oaks, Berkshire Woods and Cedar Grove. "You can be riding down one street there and see houses that are typical middle class structures. ... Then you can drive a little further ... down a street lined with modern mansions complete with backyard tennis courts and finely manicured lawns," wrote Savannah Morning News reporter Albert Oetgen in a 1977 profile of the neighborhood. Larger residences built along Arlington Road contributed to that sense of affluence. "As a kid growing up, if you said you lived on Arlington, people thought 'Oh my God, you're rich!'" said Josie Murphy . Windsor Forest boasted upper-middle-class luxuries such as the LaVida Country Club and the Windsor Forest pool. There were other icons of well-earned leisure - boats, RVs and in-ground pools. "They all have a common denominator ... wheels, wide driveways and two-car garages,"
"If you moved to Windsor Forest," Hall said, "it meant you had arrived." "We're told that we are a very strong, very vocal group," said Jackie Haberman, association president and Arlington Road resident. "We're a good example of what a neighborhood should be." The present, residents say, is a tranquil one. To continue the American Dream.
