Another relocation thread - NEED advice (Orlando, Conway: apartment, to rent, violent crime)

[invinciblesummer]

Hi there,

Family of four relocating to Orlando from NYC...maybe relatively soon (we were supposed to move this summer but that has been pushed back to at least December - Thanks Coronavirus!). One adult is being relocated by their employer, I will work remotely, and there's one more adult who will work as well, but will need to get a job once we get down there (though they are trying to get a job BEFORE we get down there that seems a bit unlikely now due to the mass layoffs, hiring freezes, and furloughs). Finally, there's a 5 year old child currently in Kindergarten coming along too!

I've done a lot of research and there's no way that we'll be able to afford to live in the areas that people keep recommending - Dr. Phillips, Windermere, and Winter Garden. We would like to buy a move-in ready house in the range of $250-300k max, preferably with a private pool and we really need 4 bedrooms so I can have a home office (5 would be better so we can also have a playroom). However the private pool isn't a deal-breaker as some of our group prefer the idea of being in a community instead of a regular stand alone house, with a community pool that we don't need to maintain ourselves. Are there any safe neighborhoods with good schools that we could find in that range?

I found some nice looking houses in Hunter's Creek for at and around $300k that could work, but the school ratings websites made it seem like they were either average schools or just below average. How's the crime in that area? I found more listings in the Meadow Woods Area within the price range but it seems like the schools aren't as good and it might not be that safe? Mostly we are looking for a really safe neighborhood with decent public schools.

The job relocation would be around/near the Disney area so ideally we'd like to not be more than 30 minutes away, but the schools in that immediate area seem terrible. We currently commute about an hour each way into Manhattan on the subway so commutes don't scare us, but it's way different to have to drive when two of us are still learning. Know of any good driving schools down in the Orlando area with reasonable prices? Please recommend if you do!!

I was encouraged by the nice looking houses in Davenport and Clermont that met all our criteria (and more) for a short while, but it seems like they have really terrible schools. Are those suburbs safe? And yes I'm coming from NYC, but where we live right now is mostly stand-alone homes with very few big apartment buildings and it's a really safe with very little crime (and NO violent crime). It's also a friendly and welcoming looking neighborhood so we're looking for something similar in Florida. In our current neighborhood, we rent, but it would be great to be able to own when we move instead of continuing to rent.

Are charter schools an option? How would I find a good charter school? I read briefly about the "School Choice" but it just confused me - and the NYC school system is pretty confusing so that's saying something. Will we have trouble coming in the middle of the school year instead of at the beginning like we originally planned?

One last thing...how concerned should we be about the following things that a google search told me to be concerned about: radon, snakes, sinkholes, and hurricanes? I think I would DIE if a snake got into our house so like...what's the probability of that? Should I be concerned about them getting into the plumbing and walking in to find one in a sink or something?

Any and all advice is greatly appreciated!!! I've only ever lived in NYC so I'm excited about experiencing a different way of living, but also scared of all the things I know nothing about

[boy3365]

I can't imagine how someone will register for school while they're all closed due to coronavirus. With things moving online for now, I wonder if school districts would allow people to stay registered with them until the end of the school year even if they had plans to move prior to the end of the school year.

I am not too familiar with the minute details of Hunters' Creek, Southchase, and Meadowwoods, but I haven't heard anything significantly bad about those areas. I wouldn't be opposed to living in those neighborhoods, but they are far away from work and where I typically socialize. The Horizon West area is convenient to Disney and rapidly growing, but I'd imagine that would be out of your price range since everything is brand new.

Even if a school is not rated so well on some random website, if your child is on the honors, AP, or IB track or whatever it is called nowadays, they'll most likely be fine.

I don't think you'll have much trouble with wildlife in the more dense areas of Orange County, especially in a subdivision. Now, if you live in a wooded area, that may be a problem. Go further north into Seminole, and you might see bears. Bhhwaaaa. :-)

With hurricanes, you'll be in the safest bigger city in the state. Many coastal people come to Orlando to evacuate.

[germanoricua]

For Meadow Woods you might want to read this thread:
https://www.city-data.com/forum/orla...ek-meadow.html

[kyle19125]

I'd recommend the Avalon Park or Vista East neighborhoods on the Southeast side. Avalon Park is part of the Timber Creek HS district which ranks a "7" on Great Schools which is about as good as it gets in Orlando. Vista East is part of the Colonial HS district (ranks just a "4") but for grades K-5 you have Deerwood Elementary that ranks an "8" and is in the section north of Curry Ford Rd and south of Lake Underhill Rd. Vista East in spots can have a lot of airport noise so if you're not used to that might be a deal breaker though.

[brinkofsunshine]

You might look at the Conway area. Boone High School is great, as is Blankner K-8 and I’ve heard good things about Lake Como elementary. Here’s an example of a house I found: https://www.realtor.com/realestatean...2_M69548-34514

[boy3365]

I was only thinking Disney area in my previous recommendations, but you said 30 minutes away.

If so, Conway is a good area where you may find something in your range. However, on a bad traffic day, the commute may be 45 minutes. The Avalon Park area that Kyle mentioned is good as well. That just seems so far away from everything. You might[ be able to find something in your range in the Lake Nona area.

[germanoricua]

In Avalon Park I would be concerned about the coal plant right in front of this neighborhood.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news...218-story.html

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/class-...-residents-say

Airport traffic causes a lot (!) of noise in the Vista East area. You should check it out yourself. When plains land at the airport, you feel like standing right next to the runway in Vista East.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by germanoricua

Airport traffic causes a lot (!) of noise in the Vista East area. You should check it out yourself. When plains land at the airport, you feel like standing right next to the runway in Vista East.

It's as bad or worse in Conway, Belle Isle, Baldwin Park and even Lake Nona so it's not exactly exclusive to Vista East, or all of it for that matter. There are also neighborhoods in Vista East that are quieter.

[you_keep_me_safe]

Hi. I have no idea am I on the right topic. But I am planning to come to Florida (Orlando) with my family. Husband and I are 32 years old and we have two small kids (3 and 5 years old). We have one friend in Orlando, but he is there only 2,3 months, so he can't help me about all my questions.
Here in Europe my husband has 6 restaurants some of them are with domestic food and some of them are fast foods. I would like to know is a small restaurant or a fast food or a catering a good idea for Orlando? He is an international chef and he doesn't want to work for others. He wants to open his own restaurant, fast food, pizza bar etc.
Second question is about me.
I am dipl.ecc Hospitality and my work experience is more than a good. I also speak Spanish language. But I also know to design a web sites, to create a web sites, to work with PS and AI and my hobby is a furniture restoration. And actually I started to sell some of my furniture, and it was better than I expected. Yes, all these jobs are opposite one another, but that's me.
So, the queation is which job could be the best solution in Orlando for me? The money would be a priority because all of those thing I love to do.
And my last queation is about kids. How much is a kindergarten for two kids?
Sorry if I made some grammar mistakes (which I did 1000%)

[boy3365]

Originally Posted by you_keep_me_safe

Hi. I have no idea am I on the right topic. But I am planning to come to Florida (Orlando) with my family. Husband and I are 32 years old and we have two small kids (3 and 5 years old). We have one friend in Orlando, but he is there only 2,3 months, so he can't help me about all my questions.
Here in Europe my husband has 6 restaurants some of them are with domestic food and some of them are fast foods. I would like to know is a small restaurant or a fast food or a catering a good idea for Orlando? He is an international chef and he doesn't want to work for others. He wants to open his own restaurant, fast food, pizza bar etc.
Second question is about me.
I am dipl.ecc Hospitality and my work experience is more than a good. I also speak Spanish language. But I also know to design a web sites, to create a web sites, to work with PS and AI and my hobby is a furniture restoration. And actually I started to sell some of my furniture, and it was better than I expected. Yes, all these jobs are opposite one another, but that's me.
So, the queation is which job could be the best solution in Orlando for me? The money would be a priority because all of those thing I love to do.
And my last queation is about kids. How much is a kindergarten for two kids?
Sorry if I made some grammar mistakes (which I did 1000%)

Restaurant: You can start a restaurant here.....after the virus blows over.

Kindergarten: Public school is free. Private schools can be anywhere from like $5,000 to $15,000.


You could build a website that showcases your furniture lol.