Looking for specifics on Longwood/Lake Mary Neighborhoods & Schools (Orlando: relocating, real estate)

[hb703]

Hi,

My family of five is relocating to the Orlando (Seminole County) area next year. I've been following this board for some time and very glad to see that much of the negativity is gone.

I'm looking for some information only locals can provide. We are going down to look at houses and neighborhoods in late January. We've been on one previous scouting mission in early November. We're trying to get an area of focus. I would love any and all feedback on Longwood and Lake Mary areas. Also specific feedback on the schools is really appreciated.

Some neighborhoods we're considering are Wingfield, Wingfield North, Alaqua, Alaqua Lakes, Magnolia Plantation and Heathrow. There are a few other neighborhoods, but I won't bore you with a huge list. We are looking for areas with a lot of children and great schools. We'll have two in elementary school and one in middle school. In my on-line real-estate searches, I keep coming back to Magnolia Plantation properties - anyone know anything about this neighborhood?

I really appreciate any and all feedback.

[Waving]

How much are you looking to spend on a home?

[hb703]

We're actually very fortunate that we'll be making a great profit with our current home here in the Washington DC suburbs. We'll have more than doubled our investment. We want to keep about the same square footage - about 4,500. I've quickly learned that square footage is very expensive down there because you have no basements and it's rare to have two stories. We're prepared to go up to about $1 million. We're not opposed to finding a smaller home and building on if the lot size is good.

[asdasd12345]

I used to live in wingfield reserve. it is a rich snobby area with very expensive houses that were made in the early 90's. for the most part it was a nice place to live, you get your usual spoilt brat rich kids driving way too fast through the neighborhood, sometimes they throw beer bottles in your yard. the people who lived opposite me had kids that got pretty out of control, some of their kids got into a car wreck when they drove drunk. we got a lot of deer running through the neighborhood, and sometimes we had problems with black bears, but nothing too bad. we also got raccoons and snakes. markham woods road became terribly blocked at rush hour, and if i4 shut down, markham woods road was jammed predictably. we got robbed once. hurricane charley wrecked the neighborhood - it was a disaster zone for the following year. however, because it is the rich part of town you will always get your power on first and you get cops driving through the subdivision a lot. if you go just 4 miles down the road, you are in the crap part of altamonte springs, which isnt so hot. the area was becoming noticeably busier as 2005 went on, we were hearing more and more hispanics around playing latin music and crime was going up in the area and all over orlando. lake mary high school is supposably one of the best schools in the area - but i can tell you as a graduate, and knowing many of the teachers who now teach there because they couldnt get jobs anywhere else, the place sucks. however, you probably know that american high school education is a universal joke. wingfield residents are what you would expect - pretentious and forever bragging about something or other. most drive some kind of SUV or Lexus, their kids drive pick-ups, mustangs, low profile BMWs. they keep to themselves, but if you are out walking, they will say hi. Magnolia Plantations has a reputation for poorly built houses.

[Prichard]

The biggest problem with the Heathrow area and schools is re-districting. BTW, I like the Magnolia Plantation neighborhood, as well as the other Markham Woods neighborhoods - very nice houses. Just don't plan on commuting to downtown Orlando. You can live right in the heart of the Lake Mary district and end up going to one of the high schools in Sanford due to redistricting. Same thing with Lyman and Lake Brantly in the Longwood area. In the Winter Springs, Tuscawillia, Oviedo areas its going to be either Oviedo High, Winter Springs High, or Lake Howel. Of these three, Lake Howel is the least desireable. The other two are generally regarded as good schools, with Winter Springs probably being the better one.

TALK TO THE NEIGHBORS, before buying a house wherever you settle on, especially if schools are important to you! Real Estate Agents are too scared to discuss school districts because they lead to discussions of racial issues, which as I understand it is illegal. Trust me on this, there is no way of knowing if you are in an area that is more or less likely to be redistricted than to talk to the people in that specific neighborhood. I can tell you about the redistricting that goes on in the 1 square mile that surrounds me, but wouldn't pretend to be an expert on other areas, as the lines are constantly moving around.

That having been said, I think that the Markham Woods neighborhoods mainly attend Lake Mary. However, Magnolia is pretty far North and closer to 46, so I'm not sure.

FWIW, I find that most people, rich or not, are not snobs - not unless you act uppity, competitive, or snobby to them first. People are generally a reflection of what and who you are to them.

[hb703]

Thanks for the feedback so far! I have become an expert on the Seminole County Public Schools website. I have already researched the high school redistricting in the past and some of what may be coming down the pike. I just love the internet. It can tell you just about everything. Prichard, my research reflects exactly your assessment of the high schools. I fully realize that the lines shift constantly and I'm prepared for that. My children are no strangers to ethnic diversity and go to very diverse schools now. They are pretty adaptable and make friends easily.

I realize that there are not "snobs" everywhere. We're a very grounded family when it comes to that kind of attitude. I'm sure we'll find new friends who reflect our ideals. This board seems to have a lot people making gross generalizations. It's frustrating and annoying and I just filter it out. I think most of the people on this board offer great information and feedback to those of us who are trying to make very important decisions from a distance.

My husband's job will take him downtown, but I've been told that if he leaves a little later and comes home later - that it's not so bad. Hey, we're from the Washington area - I'm sure this will not be a problem. Traffic here is no picnic.

Thanks again for the feedback...keep it coming!

[Rhett_Butler]

I work for the Seminole County Schools and as far as High Schools go Lake Brantley is the crown jewel... The only one I'd really be a bit pensive to send my child to would be Seminole High, but they have been doing a lot of renovating to it recently, but the issue isn't so much the facilities.....

Yes there's a lot of redistricting going on because of new schools coming online, but the county actually experienced negative growth last year (had to slow down or stop eventually) so things are going to level out here and hopefully settle down.....

[hb703]

Thanks VAFury for your take on the schools. Can you elaborate on Seminole High School a little more? Some of the neighborhoods we're looking at feed into it. I was hopeful that it would improve with some of the redistricting and renovations. I will have a child entering high school in 2008.

[Rhett_Butler]

Honestly, I'd say Seminole High has gotten a worse reputation than it deserves (as has Lyman High for that matter). Of all the High Schools it just happens that Seminole is fed by many of the poorer areas of Seminole County. Much of the redistricting gerimandering is the county's solution to the problem by attempting to achieve a better balance of affluent neighborhoods feeding into each of the county High Schools...... Seminole is improving and if you are used to, as you said, a wide racial disparity. Then it isn't really that bad.......

Consider for one thing that one of the feeder middle schools to Seminole High is Millenium Middle School which is a technology magnet school (meaning it contains a technology focused curriculum for those who wish it). Beyond that there's also an alternative High School in Sanford that's an option. The Crooms Academy of Information Technology is a newer concept school that focuses strictly on technical learning and kids can graduate with Microsoft and other highly valued certifications.....

Anyway, bottom line is that I think you might make yourself crazy if you try to pick a home based on school district as most have thier pluses and minuses and there are always options....

Hope that helps....

[pianogal]

VAFury has given wise advice. All Seminole County high schools have their advantages. My son transferred to Lyman to take AP computer science courses. Also, this may not be the cause currently, but when my son was in school, you were allowed to go to any High School in Seminole county as long as you provided your own transportation. That is how my son went to Lyman, he was in the district to go to Lake Howell but in his junior year transferred to Lyman to take the classes Lake Howell did not offer at the time.