Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Florida > Orlando
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 04-26-2012, 10:49 AM
 
Location: Celebration wannabe...
1,000 posts, read 3,346,605 times
Reputation: 408

Advertisements

Big Disney nut here...we should probably just take the plunge when our lease is up and get a rental in Celebration but keeping our options open as we could probably only afford a condo/townhouse in Celebration compared to possibly townhouse/smaller single family home in Independence. Plan on taking a ride out to Independence this weekend.

Anyone have any thoughts or opinions on a comparison?

Thanks in advance!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 04-27-2012, 08:52 AM
 
388 posts, read 790,538 times
Reputation: 167
Independence is NOTHING like Celebration except for the fact that it is a master planned community. Pictures make it look similar but the homes are MUCH nicer in Celebration but you will pay a premium. Years ago we were looking for the perfect area to live and thought that Celebration would be it. We wanted to see if there was anything similar so we looked at some homes in independence. The stucco and colors on the outside of the homes is nothing like the nice siding you get in celebration. The overall vibe is so different. I would urge you to actually drive around both communities. That being said, I wouldn't buy a home in Celebration unless I was retiring. The area around it (Kissimmee) and 192 are pretty awful, but if you plan on staying in Celebration most the time, going to disney, and taking 417 in and out, then I think it would be a great place to live. Your other option in a better area is Baldwin Park on the East side of town in Winter Park. That's the closest thing that will come to Celebration IMO.




Quote:
Originally Posted by JustinsMama View Post
Big Disney nut here...we should probably just take the plunge when our lease is up and get a rental in Celebration but keeping our options open as we could probably only afford a condo/townhouse in Celebration compared to possibly townhouse/smaller single family home in Independence. Plan on taking a ride out to Independence this weekend.

Anyone have any thoughts or opinions on a comparison?

Thanks in advance!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-27-2012, 09:03 AM
 
24 posts, read 63,007 times
Reputation: 51
And don't forget Avalon Park.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-27-2012, 09:29 AM
 
193 posts, read 623,762 times
Reputation: 76
There is no town center in Independence like there is in Celebration. There is a community center building, walking trails, dog parks, people parks but no shopping district.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-27-2012, 10:13 AM
 
388 posts, read 790,538 times
Reputation: 167
Quote:
Originally Posted by BostonAccent View Post
And don't forget Avalon Park.
Yet another area that falls quite short of Celebration standards, though I do like it more than Independence. I haven't been but I heard Harmony is nice.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-27-2012, 08:07 PM
 
Location: Orlando
331 posts, read 1,052,025 times
Reputation: 201
I lived in Independence for a over 2 years and overall I liked it. I think it just depends what you are looking for in a community. You can't beat the proximity to Disney, it is literally right behind Magic Kingdom and you can see the fireworks every night. I don't have children so I don't know about the schools or anything and the only other downside is for me personally, it was kind of "off the beaten path" as far as getting to downtown Orlando. It also depends on what your budget is too as Independence is way cheaper then Celebration. Other posters mentioned Baldwin, great location and probably about a 30 minute drive to Disney..I love Baldwin Park and if I could pick anywhere in Orlando to live, it would be there. Avalon Park is nice too I just find it to far east for me personally.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-01-2012, 06:05 AM
 
35 posts, read 80,529 times
Reputation: 26
We have lived in Celebration for the last 9 months and love it. (minus a few issues with our landlord ;-) It is a great, safe place to live. There is always something to do. This weekend it was a pie festival. We live in walking distance to downtown. There are always people walking around downtown, locals, tourist. I never wanted to live in a subdivision where you never see anyone. It's a great place to get out and meet people. It might not be for everyone, but the people I know that live here love it.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-01-2012, 09:39 AM
 
Location: Altamonte Springs, FL
2,168 posts, read 5,052,083 times
Reputation: 1179
I would choose Baldwin Park of any of the master planned communities. You are close enough to Disney to go anytime you want, but you are also close to downtown Orlando, Winter Park and the other real areas for locals.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-01-2012, 02:29 PM
 
207 posts, read 1,033,918 times
Reputation: 142
Quote:
Originally Posted by BostonAccent View Post
And don't forget Avalon Park.
Avalon Park was partly modeled after Celebration, Harmony and Tradition as far as the whole New Urban movement and traditional setting. I think Avalon gets a B for effort but a C- for execution. Avalon looks nice on the surface when you first drive through but there are a lot of details missing (which I blame squarely on the developer), and as soon as you start driving back in the fully residential villages it is not always a pretty sight. That said, it IS very affordable, it's very family friendly, has all A rated schools, it's near UCF so you see a lot of young people around, its got a very nice shopping plaza up the road, Alafaya Trail is finally being widened, and now that Innovation Way connects Avalon Park's front door to Rt. 528/417 you can get to the West side, e.g., Disney, in much less time and hassle, talking 30-45 mins max. 15-20 mins to the airport door-to-door.

As far as Baldwin, I have driven through many times and explored the side streets, and although it "feels" more upscale than Avalon Park, it also feels much more condensed and claustrophobic to me. And it's more expensive. Plus, you have to deal with being so close to Rt. 50 and all the eyesores there. It's all subjective, I know. And I'm not taking commutes into consideration. If you work downtown Avalon Park would not be good.

In any event, like others have said, do your own drive-by of each community, and make sure you drive the side streets and get your own feel for the place. If you are a Disney nut then Celebration is probably best and honestly it's quite nice there.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-01-2012, 11:30 PM
 
Location: Winter Garden, Fl/Waxhaw, NC/Leonardo, NJ
135 posts, read 439,500 times
Reputation: 149
Hey @JustinsMama - How are you?? Just wanted to let you know we are in the process of buying in Independence!! If you want info send me a message and I will give it to you!! I just like the Winter Garden/Windermere area!! Celebration is nice but right outside is still soooo touristy and that turns me off!! Its a very safe area around Independence and they are going to be building more retail and medical, etc right behind Independence which is going to be part of the "Horizen West" project. Our realtor is on the planning committee and he has been telling us whats going in and that we are buying at a good time because when that comes in, it will raise the values of the homes in that area.

There will also be a new highschool being built right next to Bridgewater Middle! Also I havent heard the best about the Celebration schools! And that is from people I work with at Disney!!

Good Luck in your decision!!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Florida > Orlando

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top