Our Namesake
Vida Barnes DePue was born and raised on Wesley Chapel’s DePue Ranch. After the passing of her husband in 1954, Vida singlehandedly ran and cared for the ranch, for over 50 years.
The community name exemplifies Vida’s values and stewardship of the land, along with her dedication to her family and commitment to maintaining the ranch’s enduring legacy.
DePue Ranch Timeline
Fun Facts
Still an active ranch today, DePue Ranch includes the original homestead and four generations of DePue family homes.
Vida grew and harvested many crops, including watermelon fields in the 1980s. At one point, over 100 acres of citrus groves (including tangerines and kumquats) blanketed the ranch.
Vida raised cattle, which her grandson describes as a highlight of ranching for her. “She would work and pin cows with her bare feet,” he remembers.
Vida preferred Brahman cattle and her favorite was a cow named “Tinkerbell.”
Today the Ranch includes crossbreeds of cattle, almost 300 head.
Known as “Big Momma,” a 1976 tractor with no radio or air conditioning still runs today.
It takes 4.5 hours to check the ranch’s exterior fence line, which is over 9.5 miles long.
Fudge & Rusty’s Dog Park bears the name and honors the significance of the DePue family’s beloved, four-legged members.
The street names throughout the community honor the ranch’s history and Vida DePue’s family.
Vida was known throughout the greater community for her tenacity and hard work, which still echoes at the Ranch today.
“Big Momma”
Our Logo
With the earliest recording of livestock branding in America occurring in 1832, the practice has been around for about 4,700 years. It was only natural, then, for the Vida’s Way community logo to symbolize an actual cattle brand with its distinct design.
Vida cared deeply for the cattle of DePue Ranch. The logo was intended to sear her memory and extend the legacy of all who have stewarded this special land.