Thoughts on Poinciana? (Orlando, Deltona, Sanford: transplants, to rent, buying a home)

[GiveMeCoffee]

My in-laws are looking to buy a house in Poinciana. They're a retired Jewish couple from the NYC metro area in their late 60's. They're relatively active and are looking to make some friends.

What's the area like? Is it safe?

What can they do in town and other places nearby? What's there for young families to do? Obviously Disney & Universal are there, but I mean beyond the theme parks. (Just thinking ahead for when we visit).

I spent a summer in central FL and the humidity was brutal. Is it like that all year round?

What's the political climate like? ILs are moderate Democrats but are quiet about their politics.

What else should I know?

Thanks!!

[brinkofsunshine]

Poinciana can be rough. I think inside Solivita (retirement community) is fine, but otherwise it has a reputation for not being the best area. Hopefully others with more intel can chime in. I do know that traffic can be a nightmare in that area. If they’re open to anywhere else I would steer them away from Poinciana.

For things to do, I would check out things around downtown Orlando. Museums, public parks, Leu Gardens, great restaurants, etc. In Winter Park, Park Avenue is lovely.

It is hot and humid for a lot of the year (roughly May-October) but our winters and early spring are mostly lovely, lower temps and much lower humidity. It does get cold here occasionally- I’ve seen it get down to 19 degrees.

Political climate is definitely a spectrum. Orlando itself is a fairly blue bubble in the midst of a lot of red, and it’s gotten redder with so many conservative transplants moving here since the pandemic. Osceola County is an odd mix, it has a huge Hispanic population that tends to lean Democrat and then some areas of conservative southerners.

[Mdfl]

Hope they speak Spanish.

[drive carephilly]

I used to work down there. I would never live there.

Not because it's dangerous - it isn't.

I would never live there because it's in the middle of nowhere, it has very few amenities, it's isolated, and as a result the traffic to get in out of there is a nightmare. For all intents and purposes it's an island. There are a bunch of creeks, lakes, and massive wetlands complexes that serve to cut it off from the surrounding areas.

There are a whole bunch of projects that are underway or in the engineering phase like the Poinciana Parkway extension, the I-4 connector, and the Southport connector that will make the traffic situation a lot better over time but I wouldn't want to wait 10 years for that. Sure, there's basic retail down there but that's it. The nearest movie theater is still a +30 minute drive.

[firmbizzle]

Do they like driving a lot?

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by GiveMeCoffee

My in-laws are looking to buy a house in Poinciana. They're a retired Jewish couple from the NYC metro area in their late 60's. They're relatively active and are looking to make some friends.

What's the area like? Is it safe?

What can they do in town and other places nearby? What's there for young families to do? Obviously Disney & Universal are there, but I mean beyond the theme parks. (Just thinking ahead for when we visit).

I spent a summer in central FL and the humidity was brutal. Is it like that all year round?

What's the political climate like? ILs are moderate Democrats but are quiet about their politics.

What else should I know?

Thanks!!

I wouldn't recommend it. They might find looking in Deltona/Debary/Orange City a better option which also has a considerable NY/NJ transplant population and is much further along than Poinciana in terms of amenities and development. It's an hour from the theme parks which is probably NOT going to be a focus of leisure activity for them, but close enough for out-of-town visitors.

[GiveMeCoffee]

Ugh. Ok. The moment my ILs started talking about inexpensive housing, I knew there had to be a catch.

Thanks everyone!

[drive carephilly]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

I wouldn't recommend it. They might find looking in Deltona/Debary/Orange City a better option which also has a considerable NY/NJ transplant population and is much further along than Poinciana in terms of amenities and development. It's an hour from the theme parks which is probably NOT going to be a focus of leisure activity for them, but close enough for out-of-town visitors.

Yes, Volusia and maybe even northern parts of Lake County are probably a much better move for cheaper housing. Maybe not Poinciana cheap but still a good deal. That Deltona-DeLand corridor there's really everything you'd need plus maybe the occasional trip to Sanford for stuff you might be missing on the other side of the lake.

Also, not a huge fan of Allegiant but SFB has cheap flights to regional airports up north. Way easier than trying to get down to MCO.

[GiveMeCoffee]

Update:

My ILs are officially moving here. They sold their house and are buying a home in Poinciana for cash. I wish they chose a spot that was a bit more accessible, but what do I know?

[Charlie&Rose]

Originally Posted by GiveMeCoffee

Update:

My ILs are officially moving here. They sold their house and are buying a home in Poinciana for cash. I wish they chose a spot that was a bit more accessible, but what do I know?

If it is not to late....talk them into renting first. I wish I rented in the area I moved to first (not FL), I would of made a different dicision.