Central Florida-what Are The Best Cities? (Orlando, Spring Hill: relocate, cheap home, travel)

[bbills03]

I have read through so many posts & threads and it doesn't look like there is a compiled list of cities in Central, FL that have been recommended and backed up w/facts. We are looking to relocate fron Buffalo, NY in 2 years because my job will offer me the opportunity to relocate to Florida and to avoid major hurricane damage we thought central would be best. I definitely want to be close to Disney, and have great high schools, but I do not want a major culturally divided neighboorhood with questionable crime. I would obviously like a nice suburban, geeky area similar to where I am now thats not overpopulated. Please help us with our quest. Buffalo has become very ghetto and jobs are scarce. Every corner has a Walmart and a bus stop, there is crime everywhere and our weather sucks! Don't even get me started on our taxes. I have a 1,026 sq ft starter home taxed out at $5,600 a year. Utility bills are also a whole other story. Thank you all for your time and input!!!!
here is where I have considered-
*Apopka
*Celebration
*Lake Mary
*Winter Springs
*Oviedo
*Ocala

[House4Sale]

And although I know my way around FL somewhat, I've been sidelined for a few years as far as travel goes. Incident., if you think NY taxes are high now, well, if a certain person becomes prez., it's going to be like that all over the country. We cannot give out all those promised freebies w/o it costing the taxpayers. Nothing's for free. It's all paid by our taxes. High taxes in some cases. Anyway, I've recently visited Winterhaven and I was saddened to see how bad it's gotten. Then again it just might be the area I went through. I hear Orlando has bad crime but opportunity so that's a trade off. Ocala seems best as far as I can tell, maybe Celebration and you might want to look into Spring Hill, FL esp. if you want to grow with a town, however it would be more than an hour's drive to Orlando.
I'm much more south than all the above but if we got price out, I'd probably would go Ocala and maybe St. Augustine, Amelia Island but then I'm use to the east coast.
Best wishes finding your place in the sun.

[compelled to reply]

Although horse country is beautiful, I still don't see how anyone can actually see any appeal to the city of Ocala except for the humongous supply of cheap homes and it's "Southern", like that's a good thing to EVERYONE (not saying that isn't good for some). Oh yeah, and few Hispanics, since that seems to be top priority on here. The surrounding areas are just a bland mishmash of strip malls and cheaply built cookie cutter homes, and sorry, hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Ocala is second only to the city of Orlando in it's crime rate. The schools are not good either.

That being said, the scenery is beautiful compared to other parts of Florida, but actual quality of life is totally lacking, except for the cheap (in more than one way) homes and land. Winter Park, Winter Springs, Oviedo and Lake Mary are much cleaner, more attractive, safer and all around better places to live. Winter Park even has some living history and charm to it! Actually, all of those cities are better. Yes,however they are more expensive except for Winter Haven which is another overrated "Southern" town with high crime, NO career opportunities and generally poor schools. Not putting down the people that live there, it's just that those areas seem overrated to me.

[LauraB]

Celebration is owned and commanded by Disney. In order to live in celebration you have to sign a 216 (approx) page rules and regulations order set up by Disney. It's very cute, very upscale. I don't see why Ocala is appealing, but to each their own. Personally celebration is really cute and quaint, but it's not a bigger city. And the cheapest rent is probably around 1700 a mos.

[Alphaman]

I would go with winter park myself.