Where to live in Orlando?

We are considering moving to the Orlando area and would like some input on nice neighborhoods around the area. We are both teachers and are looking for a nice home - nothing fancy....just would like a nice middle-class All American hometown! Any info would be appreciated!!

Avoid Metro-west, Kirkland Ave area, being around OBT (Orange Blossom Trail). Those are the main areas to stay away from. Hunters Creek is questionable, also. In genuine honesty, Orlando is a dangerous city these days, so it's spotty where you'll find good and bad areas. I used to live in Altamonte Springs and loved it, I also lived in Davenport/Reunion/Champions Gate area which was minutes from WDW. Both IMO are nice areas. It is getting expensive, but right now it's a buyers market. Tourist area extends to about where Millenia is. Anything north beyond that it starts to quiet down from tourist. Southbound anything after LBV/World Drive it quiets down. It really depends on what you're looking for to whats going to work best.

A friend of mine lives not to far from the outlets, in between Crossroads and the I Drive area.

My (distant, far off)plans are to move to the WDW area also. I was thinking about Davenport, Kissimmee, Claremont areas. Any input?

Wow. Identifying a "nice area" is so subjective, it's difficult to pin down. What's desirable and nice to you might not be to me. It all depends on your personal criteria.

Having "been there, done that", the best advice I can give you is to spend some time in the area, personally checking out areas you think you might be interested in. Check with the police department or sheriff's office that handles the area. Consider commuting distance and time to and from wherever you think you might be working (if applicable). Be aware of the fact that Florida has many communities that are controlled by very strong homeowner's associations (HOAs) and that many of them have very restrictive rules and regulations on everything from the size of your pet to the color of your front door to the type of vehicle you can park in your driveway. And also be aware of the fact that traffic in and around Orlando can be an absolute nightmare, especially during the poorly-named "rush hours".

An experienced real estate agent who has been in the area for many years can be your best ally in a home search. He/she can quickly narrow down your areas of interest based on your personal criteria, will be familiar with the pros and cons of given areas, will know the local government policies, tax rates, schools, etc., etc. and can thus save you an enormous amount of time and headaches.

I would check out Longwood, Lake Mary, Altamonte Springs, Sanford. my cousin left Orlando due to some gang activity, but that was Conway area. There are some nice areas in Lake County, as well. I grew up in St. Pete and Tampa is nice too and these are the areas we are looking at if we go back.

We just moved down here in Nov. We moved to Clermont which is about 20 mins west of Orlando. From the time we leave our front door we can be walking in the gates of MK in an hour and it is the furthest from us. Clermont is a nice small town but has the amenities of a larger town, WalMart, Target, Movie theater etc... I have heard good things about Davenport too. Let me know if I can help with anything. :mickey:

I agree with another poster-stay away from Hunters Creek. What was a wonderful community when first built has declined greatly. We lived there in 2005-2006.

Clermont, Davenport are lovely areas. Not sure about the schools though.

Thanks so much for the info! I will check out some of the areas suggested. We are heading down this summer and are going to try to roam around a bit.

I've spent a fair amount of time on the southwest side of Orlando, primarily the Winter Garden area. Two areas I'd suggest you check out
-Downtown Winter Garden from about Plant St. north (their old downtown area is wonderful)
-Oakland, FL (real small town feel)

There's an earlier thread where I and others expanded on a few areas.

http://intercot.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=162430