Florida-Central Florida

NWR - Recommend areas to live in CFL

DH and I will be relocating to Central Florida in Nov.  I am from Tampa, but not too familiar with the Orlando area other than the Disney traffic.  Can you recommend areas that you would want to live in or where to stay away from?  I know Central FL is huge, but we don't have time to check out all the areas individually. 

Any advice you can give would be a huge starting point for us.  We don't have kids nor do we want to be in an area close to UCF with a lot of students.  We both work in law enforcement and just want a nice quiet place to settle down.  Thanks for any tips you can give!

Re: NWR - Recommend areas to live in CFL

  • cjbwifey2010cjbwifey2010 member
    Fifth Anniversary 500 Comments
    edited December 2011

    I'm from Tampa too and when i was looking i thought about the types of areas that I wanted to live in...one that really stuck out to me was Meadow Woods. i think it is considered South Orlando? West? I dont know...but it's the Orlando closest to Kissimmee. I wanted to move there because 1) my parents live in Kissimme, 2) it is close to the airport 3) FI is going back to school and it wasn't ridiculously far from Le Cordon Bleu (approv 20-25 mins). We started looking at houses there and LOVED the neighborhoods! It was really nice and quiet and came with a lot of ammenities! It was perfect! But for the price range in which we were looking...not too many houses were available anymore. We did bid on one house, but they rejected our offer, i guess because it was too low. Anywho...the zip code for that area is 32824.

    Some of the communities around there that are nice also is Beacon Park. Nice and quiet and close to the airport as well. Crime rate is like 32 when the average is 100.

    We ended up moving to Kissimmee (right on the other side of the county line that separates Orlando from Kissimmee) because homes were a little cheaper and so were the taxes. We still get great amenities and were able to move into a brand new home! So far...we LOVE it!

    Hope this helps!

  • edited December 2011
    I live in Hunter's Creek.The zip is 32837.It's lovely lots of parks,low crime rate,good schools,and every restaurant you could imagine.
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  • edited December 2011
    Hmmm I guess a lot depends on your price point. I have lived in CFL my whole life so I'm pretty familiar with the area. If you're looking for nice family areas maybe Oviedo, Winter Springs, Winter Park. But you can end up paying high taxes for those areas, at least Winter Park for sure. Are there any other specifications you're looking for? There are a lot of nice areas around. Stay away from the UCF area, like you said. Unfortunately there's no specific name for that area since Orlando is HUUUGE! lol Bad areas? Ummm well you'll see them if you visit them. A lot of them are in Orlando city limits. I don't want to start naming off places in case someone lives there, lol. I can only think of a few though. 
  • cjbwifey2010cjbwifey2010 member
    Fifth Anniversary 500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Oh yea Hunter's Creek is down the street from Meadow Woods. We looked in there too! Very nice area!
  • edited December 2011
    I like "North Orlando" Longwood/Lake Mary.

    They're really nice areas, they have some of the best schools, etc.

    Also, I prefer Seminole County over Orange County.

    I have a lot of real estate connections if you want anymore help, feel free to PM me or page me.

    Good luck!
  • edited December 2011
    I suggest Lake Mary as well.  The zip code is 32746 if you are looking for places to rent/buy.

    Let me know if you have any questions :)
  • USCoastieWifeUSCoastieWife member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Thanks girls.  I will take a look at these places.  We currently live in Key West, and we are ready to get back closer to family and civilization.  We are looking to rent for 6 months to a year so we can get a feel for where we want to settle down. 

    We are looking for a place close to tons of shops and restaurants without being in the city.  Oh, and what is Poinciana?  Every rental wesbite I use has tons of Poinciana locations for cheap.  Is this like a housing authority location?  Again, I appreciate all your thoughts and will check them out. 
  • edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_florida-central-florida_nwr-recommend-areas-live-cfl?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:66Discussion:d9324ff3-5cc4-4b6f-be08-b5c010aea90ePost:9459b013-ff69-434d-9662-fbdc74d488b7">Re: NWR - Recommend areas to live in CFL</a>:
    [QUOTE]Thanks girls.  I will take a look at these places.  We currently live in Key West, and we are ready to get back closer to family and civilization.  We are looking to rent for 6 months to a year so we can get a feel for where we want to settle down.  We are looking for a place close to tons of shops and restaurants without being in the city.  Oh, and what is Poinciana?  Every rental wesbite I use has tons of Poinciana locations for cheap.  Is this like a housing authority location?  Again, I appreciate all your thoughts and will check them out. 
    Posted by USCoastieWife[/QUOTE]

    It's kinda in between Kissimmee and Haines City, it's (IMO) in the middle of nowhere.

    It's probably cheap because it's not a high demand location.

    Are you going to continue working in law enforcement when you move here?  If so, maybe you should check out jobs before picking a place to live.
  • cjbwifey2010cjbwifey2010 member
    Fifth Anniversary 500 Comments
    edited December 2011

    Like Alexia said...Poinciana is in the middle of NOWHERE. You wont be next to any shops or restaurants at all. People who live in Poinciana mostly stay in Poinciana for everything.

    It's pretty cheap there...i mean dirt cheap and the houses are HUGE (kind of like Clermont). We looked at the same floor plan for the house we have now in Poinciana and it was like 20,000 cheaper.

    Like Alexia said, if you plan on working, find out where and then maybe see what is close to it...no point in driving 1.5hrs to work everyday! That may help narrow down your search.

  • AileeneGAileeneG member
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://orlando.weddings.com/Sites/weddings/Pages/main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_florida-central-florida_nwr-recommend-areas-live-cfl?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:66Discussion:d9324ff3-5cc4-4b6f-be08-b5c010aea90ePost:9d9eb61a-b324-476b-81b1-7014acaa1ce8">Re: NWR - Recommend areas to live in CFL</a>:
    [QUOTE]I like "North Orlando" Longwood/Lake Mary. They're really nice areas, they have some of the best schools, etc. Also, I prefer Seminole County over Orange County. I have a lot of real estate connections if you want anymore help, feel free to PM me or page me. Good luck!
    Posted by AlexiaANDRobert[/QUOTE]

    This is 100% my preference, too. We're in Longwood right now, but I lived in Winter Springs almost all my life. Seminole COunty is what I have been looking at, but I would also look at Oviedo or WInter Park/Maitland area, too if I needed to venture out to Orange County.
  • edited December 2011
    My parents live in longwood, grew up almost all my life in Seminole county. If you are looking for safe on crime, great school, nice mature neighborhoods with lots of oak trees and such go to seminole county. It might be slightly more expensive but truly worth it.  it is good for families though, and less tourist.

    If you are looking to rent a place actually my parents own two places that are both available for rent currently so if you want to pm me I can get you in contact with them. They can send you pictures and information better than I can.
  • USCoastieWifeUSCoastieWife member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_florida-central-florida_nwr-recommend-areas-live-cfl?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:66Discussion:d9324ff3-5cc4-4b6f-be08-b5c010aea90ePost:83d7990e-196b-4982-9feb-e61e530b476b">Re: NWR - Recommend areas to live in CFL</a>:
    [QUOTE] Are you going to continue working in law enforcement when you move here?  If so, maybe you should check out jobs before picking a place to live.
    Posted by AlexiaANDRobert[/QUOTE]

    Obviously, this goes without saying, but we will not be moving until November and it is too early to start applying, so I am looking at areas until it gets closer.
  • edited December 2011
    I love Winter Park, but as said before, it is a LOT more expensive than the other areas. The taxes and house prices, but it has a small town feel with Park Ave. There are lot of rentals in Baldwin Park (just on the Orlando border of Winter Park). It has everything there- shops, grocery, rentals, houses, HUGE houses, townhomes, etc. It is really nice, an almost community setting, lots of families and green areas.
    Lake Mary/Longwood is really nice too, I am not too familiar with it but there are some really nice gated communities and is very nice and safe as well.
    Good luck looking!
  • AileeneGAileeneG member
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Where is Erica? Is she in Aruba still?

    Anyway, USCoastieWife,  Erica is a realtor, so I'm sure if you check back in a few days she might be around if you need a realtor in the area.
  • edited December 2011
    What kind a LE are you in? I work at one of the academies and jobs are tough here right now. I don't think 5 months is too early to start the application process with some of the larger agencies (Orlando PD, Orange County SO). Those applications take MONTHS to go through HR.  
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  • edited December 2011
    I've lived in Oviedo my whole life and even though it is 5 mins from the UCF campus, it is def. a place for ppl who want to settle down and have families- not a crazy college student area at all, like Gainesville would be to UF or something. Good schools and everyone knows their neighbors pretty well (atleast we did growing up). Really friendly area.
  • AlisonrvAlisonrv member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    We live in the Windermere area and I love it!! It's very quiet and behind the attractions..... it's still close to everything but hidden away....
  • vedikavedika member
    500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I do recommend the Hunter's Creek/Meadow Woods/South Chase (yes, we're considered South Orlando) areas..There are great schools and subdivisions in the area. We are pretty local/centralized to everything! We are also a 20-25 minute commute from the county jail and correctional facilities if those were in your area of expertise. I also like Lake Mary and Sanford areas. Much more quaint & quiet areas but still very much worth looking into. Let me know if you'd like to get together once you're in the area and I can show you around! I didn't know there were so many other Knotties close to me! :]
  • edited December 2011
    I recommend Hunters Creek.  I live here and love it.  However, though not far away...I would not live in Meadow Woods.
  • cjbwifey2010cjbwifey2010 member
    Fifth Anniversary 500 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Spring--why not Meadow Woods? Not the OLD meadow woods but the newer Wyndham Lakes area that is part of Meadow Woods. Those areas are definitely better taken care of than the older homes in Meadow Woods. Anywho, i was just curious as to why you would say you wouldn't live there...
  • ericak926ericak926 member
    Tenth Anniversary 100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Um, I'm in Real Estate. Email me at RealtorErica at Yahoo dot com if you need some help deciding. =)
  • MrsDthatsMeMrsDthatsMe member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I live in the Altamonte Springs (west) and I love it. I agree with taxes when it comes to the different counties, but it is more about convienence to me. I have everything I need around the corner from me. In Orlando, no matter where you have to drive, it will take about 30-45 minutes to get there if it is not close to you. I would suggest, Windemere, Hunters Creek, Lake Mary/Heathrow, but I also would suggest certain parts of Winter Garden, South Kissimmee or St. Cloud.
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