Oviedo or Winter Springs? (Orlando, Seminole: crime, house, neighborhoods)

[smb5575]

I have finally decided to move back to Florida. Yes I will miss my family, but my husband misses it so much and after this damn snow storm today I am starting to miss it too. I love Florida weather and we love the outdoors, but here I feel as though I am a prisoner in my house...and I hate it. I have already done the Orlando thing and I am over it, if crime starts to lower I will be more than willing to move back. It is a beautiful vibrant city with so much potential, but currently I have a 2 year old and I need to do what is best for my family. With that being stated, I have narrowed my choices down to Oviedo or Winter Springs. I am 24 and am currently going to school to become an RN. Me and my husband have a two year old and want to live in a safe town, with good schools, a good place for families, and not in the boondocks. I love to shop and don't want to travel miles to reach a store or plaza. Any help or insight to these two towns would be greatly appreciated.

[CURT]

Originally Posted by smb5575

I have finally decided to move back to Florida. Yes I will miss my family, but my husband misses it so much and after this damn snow storm today I am starting to miss it too. I love Florida weather and we love the outdoors, but here I feel as though I am a prisoner in my house...and I hate it. I have already done the Orlando thing and I am over it, if crime starts to lower I will be more than willing to move back. It is a beautiful vibrant city with so much potential, but currently I have a 2 year old and I need to do what is best for my family. With that being stated, I have narrowed my choices down to Oviedo or Winter Springs. I am 24 and am currently going to school to become an RN. Me and my husband have a two year old and want to live in a safe town, with good schools, a good place for families, and not in the boondocks. I love to shop and don't want to travel miles to reach a store or plaza. Any help or insight to these two towns would be greatly appreciated.

If you have already narrowed your choice down to those 2 than you can pretty much flip a coin. They both have what you are looking for

[the Sellers Connection]

I do a lot of business in both Oviedo and Winter Springs. They are both excellent areas, with grade A schools, and top-notch shopping very close by. I understand your concern, I have a 4 year old myself! I don't think you can go wrong with either community, it would just be a matter of finding the home you like. Do you plan on coming to Florida soon?

[ucfjtm]

Originally Posted by the Sellers Connection

They are both excellent areas, with grade A schools, and top-notch shopping very close by.

The OP should keep in mind that grade-A here is only grade-A compared to the rest of the Orlando area, and not compared to other parts of the country. For the Orlando area, Winter Springs and Oviedo are among the better schools. However, two of my sisters teach and have families (Belleville-area, Illinois & Alexandria-area, Virginia), and after comparing educational statistics of their location compared to Seminole county in Orlando, they've decided to not even bother leaving their fantastic school systems.

I live in Oviedo, and have a bunch of friends who graduated from Oviedo High over the past 10 years, including my roommate. Most of them seem to think higher of the Winter Springs area than Oviedo as a whole. One of them went through elementary and middle school in Oviedo then moved to Ohio for high school, and she said when she got there she felt two years behind most of her class even though she was at the top of her class here. She moved back here for family while she begins her career, but she's dead set on having a family elsewhere.

If you're set on moving back, I'd lean toward Winter Springs - it's a bit newer of an area with overall nicer neighborhoods.. but either are fine choices compared to the rest of the city.

[CURT]

Originally Posted by ucfjtm

The OP should keep in mind that grade-A here is only grade-A compared to the rest of the Orlando area, and not compared to other parts of the country. For the Orlando area, Winter Springs and Oviedo are among the better schools. However, two of my sisters teach and have families (Belleville-area, Illinois & Alexandria-area, Virginia), and after comparing educational statistics of their location compared to Seminole county in Orlando, they've decided to not even bother leaving their fantastic school systems.

I live in Oviedo, and have a bunch of friends who graduated from Oviedo High over the past 10 years, including my roommate. Most of them seem to think higher of the Winter Springs area than Oviedo as a whole. One of them went through elementary and middle school in Oviedo then moved to Ohio for high school, and she said when she got there she felt two years behind most of her class even though she was at the top of her class here. She moved back here for family while she begins her career, but she's dead set on having a family elsewhere.

actually when it comes to seminole county, the schools are rated higher than most public schools in the country. oviedo, winter springs are in the top 3% in the country. seminole county schools has nothing to do with orlando. florida schools as a state is rated somewhere in the middle.

[Aviendha]

Originally Posted by ucfjtm

The OP should keep in mind that grade-A here is only grade-A compared to the rest of the Orlando area, and not compared to other parts of the country. For the Orlando area, Winter Springs and Oviedo are among the better schools. However, two of my sisters teach and have families (Belleville-area, Illinois & Alexandria-area, Virginia), and after comparing educational statistics of their location compared to Seminole county in Orlando, they've decided to not even bother leaving their fantastic school systems.

I work in an Oviedo elementary school that has a very high population of Northerners who have relocated. I can't tell you how many times I've been told by parents how they were "warned" about the terrible schools in Florida only to discover that they were more impressed with the education their children were receiving from our little school in Oviedo. I can't speak for every school in Seminole, or Orange, but all schools are not lagging as far behind as one may think.

[Magnulus]

Massachussettes no doubt has its downsides, but so does Orlando. What exactly do you like doing outside that's so important you couldn't sacrifice a few months? Bicycling or motorcycling? That's the only things I think you can't really do in winter up north (and I have lived in the snow too, as a kid I spent some time in Nebraska and used to play in the snow all the time... I even walked home from school on my own). Snow can be fun, and being near family is more important than you think- unless you hate your family.

I have lived in Oviedo for 13 years and I'd love to move... if I had the money. It is a nice area to live in that has very little crime, but it is also very boring for a free-thinking adult. You also are never far from the blight of the rest of Orlando.

On the plus side nursing seems to be about the only good job around here. They always need more nurses.

[CURT]

Originally Posted by Magnulus

Massachussettes no doubt has its downsides, but so does Orlando. What exactly do you like doing outside that's so important you couldn't sacrifice a few months? Bicycling or motorcycling? That's the only things I think you can't really do in winter up north (and I have lived in the snow too, as a kid I spent some time in Nebraska and used to play in the snow all the time... I even walked home from school on my own). Snow can be fun, and being near family is more important than you think- unless you hate your family.

I have lived in Oviedo for 13 years and I'd love to move... if I had the money. It is a nice area to live in that has very little crime, but it is also very boring for a free-thinking adult. You also are never far from the blight of the rest of Orlando.

On the plus side nursing seems to be about the only good job around here. They always need more nurses.

i happen to like simple things outside like just sitting there looking at plants, etc. I like gardening and kayaking. I lived in the northeast for 33 years before moving here. a sacrifice for me was about 6 months a year for all activity and 8 months a year for my favorite activity. now I can do what I enjoy anytime. If I were a couch potato than I guess alaska would even work. Some people like outdoors year round.
Being close to orlando is a good thing for many. We are not exactly that close. East orlando, which is really just orange county isnt too far. I personally have not experienced any drama from living here.

[smb5575]

Well lets just start with the fact that im not just sacrificing a couple of months. Its always cold up here unless it's from June through the beginning of October. I have family in Orlando as well. My mom has the money to visit us every couple of months so visiting family is not a problem. I hate the feeling of being trapped in our house for months. My daughter is 20 months old and loves playing outside. She likes the snow, but sometimes it is too cold to take her outside. We like to sit outside a lot and just relax. We also love to take walks outside and sometimes we snorkel during the summer. There is not much to do up here. It's very old and ugly up here and even the museum's around my area are small and not very interesting.

[amax41]

Hey SMB, take Oviedo I don't need any competition on the stuff in Winter Springs we are looking at LOL!