Moving to Central FL this Fall (Orlando, Casselberry: apartments, rental, home)

[MassHome]

I will be moving to the Central FL area sometime around September/October of this year and am thinking of checking out the Leesburg/Mt.Dora area and would like any information anyone has regarding employment and rental housing.

[CJG]

Mt. Dora is a great community! Moderator cut: recommendation

[gypsystar]

Yes, Mt. Dora is nice. We just moved here from Los Angeles last month and have liked living here so far. We will most likely be moving back to Los Angeles within in year, though, due to my husband's job situation. I work from home, so I am ok, but there aren't really any good jobs for him. He was making over $30 an hour in the carpenters union in L.A., and there isn't anything that even comes close to that here. We thought the Orlando union would be better, but it has disapointed us - not much work, very low pay, etc. Housing is cheaper here, but with the pay cut, it just doesn't make sense for us to stay here. Food prices are the same as in California, and we have to pay for our water, which we didn't have to do with our rental in L.A. Cable and internet seems to be more expensive here. I would say that you only save money on housing and gas, so keep that in mind. We save about $700 a month living here, but my husband makes $2000 less a month-- doesn't add up for us.

I would def. suggest living in Mt. Dora -it is a beautiful little town and we enjoy frequenting the coffee shops (although they close by 5 pm every day!) and walking by the lake downtown to see gators. It is a different way of life for us, that is for sure. While we enjoy the slower pace, it sometimes gets annoying that we can only get Starbucks at Target, and that a lot of places are closed by 5pm. The mall in Leesburg is AWFUL so you will have to drive into Orlando for mall shopping - we love the Mall at Millenia.

I love that there are so many state parks in the area and that we can go swimming in springs, kayaking, etc. There are many things to do outside -- although we are waiting for it to cool down a little!

We are a young-ish, childless (so far) couple so the slower pace of Lake County probably isn't the best for us, but it may suit you and your family just fine.

I wanted to add that there seems to be a lot of home for rent in the area, although you have to be careful as to what area they are in. There are some shady areas of Eustis and Tavaras that I would avoid - it would be best for you to come and check things out before moving here. Also, Bristol Lakes Apartments in Mt. Dora are nice.

[MassHome]

Thank you very much for the information. Do you know anything about the Bushnell or Clermont area? I will be looking for work in the accounting field and not sure where I will find a job but really don't want to travel a long distance especially with the low pay scales down there. Any information regarding employment opportunities in the general area of Leesburg? Any other information that you can provide would be greatly appreciated!!

[gypsystar]

Hmmm, I am not too sure about employment opportunities anywhere here, since my husband just looks for carpentry jobs (although he is getting CA unemployment and isn't in much of a hurry to take a job for $10/hour when he was getting $30/hour in L.A.) and I work remotely for a company in L.A. I will let you know if I hear anything about the accounting industry here.

I don't think that Leesburg is a big career hub, I may be wrong, but it seems like mostly retirees live there. They may have a bustling employment scene that I don't know about, though. It seems pretty small town-ish to me and places like the mall aren't really on the up-and-up.

I have been to Clermont a few times and we really like it there! It is really hilly, which surprised us, and has a rural feel. There is a lot of construction going on and new stores being built, so I don't know how long feeling will last, but everything will be nice and new! I would def. suggest checking out Clermont. I know of a couple that lived there and worked in downtown Orlando and they ended up moving closer to work due to the commute and gas prices, though. It is a little out of the way, but certainly closer to everything than Leesburg or Mt. Dora is.

I would be happy to answer any other questions you have!

[MassHome]

Thanks so much, GypsyStar. As I mentioned, I will be moving down in the next several months but I am a little concerned with the employment. The purpose of my relocation is primarily due to employment since I have been unsuccessful on that front where I currently live. I have lived in S. FL before and really did not like it so thought that the Central FL area would be a nicer, small town environment. I was thinking of the areas I mentioned because of that, but also don't want to have to travel too far for work. Many locations seem attractive for living but employment can be another story. I would appreciate any other feedback in the future regarding employment because that is a major concern. Thanks Again!!!

[Blondie621]

Mt. Dora is pretty far out there. I took a ride there from Deland and it took me forever to get there. Mt. Dora also would scare me during hurricane season. It always shows up on the local weather and traffic channel with tornado watches. Same with Leesburg! Living in North Central Florida for over 3 years now, tornadoes worry me. One hit not to far from me in Deland, wiped out a whole shopping center and took many roofs off other building nearby! I always see Leesburg and Mt. Dora come up for tornado watches! Scary!

[Magnulus]

Nothing in Central Florida feels small town. It's almost just like South Florida.

Mt. Dora has no jobs, really. I wouldn't live out there. It is boring, everything is overpriced, and there's really nothing for young people to do at all. It's a retiree town.

[beckycat]

What kind of work are you looking for?

[MassHome]

I am looking for work in the accounting field and am concerned that I will not be able to find without a long commute from the Leesburg/Mt. Dora area. Have also been thinking of the Lake Mary/Casselberry area since it is relatively close to Orlando. Any thoughts would be appreciated!!