Baxter Village is Like a Country Music Song
Seventy two degrees, blue sky and slow breeze. American flag, tall glass of sweet tea, music in the background and a front porch. Life in Baxter Village can’t get much better. It kind of makes you feel like you’re living out some of the songs you’ve heard over the years. When I hear songs that reference home, particularly the in South, it reminds me of what a great place I’m in. Ray Charles found Georgia, or was it the other way around? Lynyrd Skynyrd thinks highly of Alabama. Of course James Taylor keeps coming back to Carolina (at least in his mind he is). But one song that often quietly floats in my head is by Alan Jackson. Where he comes from it’s a lot of “front porch sittin’.” It’s amazing to me what such a simple, common way of passing the time does for a soul. When you sit on a front porch in Baxter, it’s more than just “sittin.” It’s a lifestyle. For some reason Baxter Village has the front porch down to an art. Why is a Baxter Village front porch so inviting that it literally changes your lifestyle? Is it just because or was it planned?
The reality of it is, is that there isn’t one element of Baxter that is accidental. The sidewalks in Town Center, people gathering at night below the lights, the festivities at the Community Center and yes, even the front porches were all planned. You see the Springs Family had over 6000 acres of land in the Fort Mill area for nearly 200 years. A couple of decades ago, the Clear Springs Development Company formed and they wanted to develop a community that focused on three values: Environmental Stewardship, Economic Balance and Community Livability. 
Upholding their value of Environmental Stewardship is the Anne Springs Close Greenway It contains over 2300 acres of trails, forest, ponds and outdoor enjoyment. Whether it’s riding your horse, your bike, camping or spending an afternoon in a kayak on its 35 acre lake, there’s something for everyone at the Green Way. 
opened in 1995.
Providing a place where someone can either start or grow a business is crucial in maintaining economic balance. Being in an excellent sales and property tax environment, affordable property values and superb location, Fort Mill has established and maintained many successful businesses in Kingsley Village, Baxter Village and various other areas inside the City and Township Limits.
So where do the front porches come in? It comes from the value of Community Livability. The members of Clear Springs visited neighborhoods that were built between the late 1700s and early 1900s. They found consistencies in architecture; common areas and other characteristics that made those communities successful; those things that people call home; that when they leave, they can’t wait to come back. From Bucks County Pennsylvania down to Orlando, Florida they researched what could make the perfect place to call home. Guess what? The amenities of Fort Mill, its proximity to Charlotte and the lifestyle of Baxter Village have all come together to form the perfect Small Town USA. Because of the determination to make Baxter a true American neighborhood, you’ll stroll by white picket fences on the way to drop the kids off at school, let your hair down and kick up your heels for a little music on a Saturday night or simply do what Alan Jackson and I do, a little “front porch sittin”….Sweet Tea anyone??
