Any Info on Winter Garden Area (Lakeland, Winter Park: renting, neighborhoods, schools)

[Bearyjoy]

Originally Posted by brinkofsunshine

So are you looking for an apartment or a house? Most houses built in Orlando, at least recently, start at 3 bedrooms. A downtown bungalow or a townhouse will usually have 2 beds.. but not the new construction single-family homes.

I just looked up some of the apartment communities in Windermere and they all seem to be in the $1,200 range for a two-bedroom. There's not really any apartments in Dr. Phillips (The Landmark and Montevista are the only two I would consider to be a part of the community), although there are some older, two-bedroom townhouses going for the same price.

Schools are graded yearly based on the student population's FCAT scores. The best schools fetch A's and B's while the worst schools will get F's and D's. Generally, the more affluent the area the better the schools.

I am looking to rent either an apartment or house. We will rent first and then look to buy. I was thinking 2 bedroom is enough for us. But I can do 3 if it is the best bang for your dollar. Are Windermere and Dr. Phillips more affluent communities?

[annerk]

Originally Posted by Bearyjoy

I am looking to rent either an apartment or house. We will rent first and then look to buy. I was thinking 2 bedroom is enough for us. But I can do 3 if it is the best bang for your dollar. Are Windermere and Dr. Phillips more affluent communities?

Yes.

[Bearyjoy]

Originally Posted by annerk

Yes.

I see. So I need something a bit more affordable. They sound like lovely areas, but it sounds like it would be in comparison to Scarsdale, NY here. and that is where Beyonce and Jay-Z have a house. Maybe one day I will graduate to that status, but for right now, I need a nice affordable neighborhood, where I could rent a house or apartment for about 1000 a month. Any other suggestions

[annerk]

Not my favorite place but safe enough, Cagan Crossings in southern Clermont.

Vista at Lost Lake in northern Clermont is supposed to be really nice but might be out of your price range.

I do'nt remember the names of them, but there are apartments and condos behind the Magic Kingdom that should fit your price range.

[Mr Idealism]

Originally Posted by Bearyjoy

Yes, I want to rent first. I have a 1 year old, but my sister is also relocating as well. She has middle and High school age kids. So I had her in mind as well. But I see still no Kissimmee. We rented vacation houses there once and it seemed like a nice place. I guess it has declined a bit.

Vacationing and living here are two different things. Years ago my family used to vacation at a condo in Kissimmee. Now I drive through that whole area and want nothing to do with it. Forget the crime for a second and just think about the fact that 192 is tourist central. After a while that will get old.

$1000 for a 2 bedroom is going to rough. Most nicer apts in safe areas with good schools will run you $1200+ and that's on the low end. The renters market here is not good, and I imagine it's not going to get any better. There are a couple apts near winter garden village off 535 that might fit the bill and there's altis off 535 in the newer section of windermere, but I imagine a 2 bedroom is at least $1300. The Landmark (Dr. Phillips) is hovering around $1300 and The District is the same. I would check out some of the better places in the Hunters Creek area or Lake Buena Vista if price is really an issue.

[Bearyjoy]

Thank you all for your responses. This is more difficult that I imagined. I am just going to have to make plans to take a visit around these areas and see what suits us best. I did not think $1000 was a lot for a 2 bedroom, but that is coming from a NYers perspective. A 1 bedroom apartment runs about 1200 a month. NOT in an affluent neighborhood.

I have another question. When you say somewhere is far out, how far do you mean? It could take me anywhere from 30-45 mins to drive to midtown manhattan (depeding on traffic) on the train 25-30 min. That is not far out to me. When I was working it could take a 25 min ride about 45 mins. depending on traffic. but to me that was not far out. So can someone explain what that means

[annerk]

I live in Clermont near the intersection of 27 and 50. Morning rush it can take between 45-75 minutes to get into downtown and parked, depending on exactly where I'm going. In the evening I can be parked at the corner of Central and Orange in 40 minutes unless Orange is really backed up for some reason (big Magic game for example.)

With no traffic it takes a full hour to get to Maitland (Enzian Theater area) or most of Winter Park. I can be to some parts of Disney in 30 minutes, other parts are closer to an hour, and that all depends on traffic. I can be to Restaurant Row in about 35-40 minutes, again, depending on traffic. Universal parking deck is 40 minutes unless there's bad traffic.

[Mr Idealism]

Originally Posted by Bearyjoy

Thank you all for your responses. This is more difficult that I imagined. I am just going to have to make plans to take a visit around these areas and see what suits us best. I did not think $1000 was a lot for a 2 bedroom, but that is coming from a NYers perspective. A 1 bedroom apartment runs about 1200 a month. NOT in an affluent neighborhood.

I have another question. When you say somewhere is far out, how far do you mean? It could take me anywhere from 30-45 mins to drive to midtown manhattan (depeding on traffic) on the train 25-30 min. That is not far out to me. When I was working it could take a 25 min ride about 45 mins. depending on traffic. but to me that was not far out. So can someone explain what that means

I think most locals that have lived here for a while consider anything more than 30 minutes to be "far out." Personally, I find the traffic here to be a cakewalk compared to the DC metro and tri-state areas. When people talk about "far out" they also might be referring to the distance traveled to/from your job or recreation. For example, I could never live as far out as Lakeland or even Clermont, because I go to downtown and Winter Park often. For the most part, if you live near one of the toll roads you can get to where you want to go with relative ease. You may rack up miles on your car and spend a bit in tolls, but you'll travel on a great highway system with little to no traffic. The I4 corridor on the other hand, can get pretty bad during peak vacation season, and rush hour. This is all relative though, because like I said earlier, it's nothing compared to the aforementioned areas.

[Bearyjoy]

Originally Posted by annerk

I live in Clermont near the intersection of 27 and 50. Morning rush it can take between 45-75 minutes to get into downtown and parked, depending on exactly where I'm going. In the evening I can be parked at the corner of Central and Orange in 40 minutes unless Orange is really backed up for some reason (big Magic game for example.)

With no traffic it takes a full hour to get to Maitland (Enzian Theater area) or most of Winter Park. I can be to some parts of Disney in 30 minutes, other parts are closer to an hour, and that all depends on traffic. I can be to Restaurant Row in about 35-40 minutes, again, depending on traffic. Universal parking deck is 40 minutes unless there's bad traffic.

Okay, I think I get it. Thanks for the info!

[sp2007]

Maybe I'm too late, but we used to live in Winter Garden, south of 50. My commute to downtown on the 408 took less than 20 minutes. It was great. Coming home was good too, especially when they connected the N/S on the Turnpike to the 408. Oh happy times. We moved only because of a better job else where. Oh and there were some crime problems...

Good luck on your decision.