Orlando - Valencia/Seminole CC for employment (Oviedo, Longwood: HOA, condo)

[dismom2hann]

Hi!

Like so many other people we're considering a move to Orlando. Both Seminole and Valencia currently have openings for my husband's field. He's a successful comm. college prof. here in northwest Florida. Assuming he gets an interview and/or an offer (not always easy in academia), we would possibly be looking at a move.

Our reasons for leaving our little town are varied but I think it comes down to the fact we just miss living in a larger area. We have a "twice exceptional" (gifted and with Asperger's) eleven year old and she could greatly benefit from being in the greater Orlando area. Therapy and other activities for special needs kids are almost nonexistent where we live. She's also heavily into arts activities like musical theater. Lastly, she seems to get a lot of peace from being at Disney - I realize being a resident is vastly different from being a visitor as we only go to the beach when family comes in. But Disney is different for us.

Based on all that and assuming we'll buy a house in the mid to upper 200's, what advice do you guys have. Dh could commute as far as 45 minutes if we lived in the "right" location. Being close to Disney is not necessarily a consideration as much as living in an area where our daughter could feel like she is relatively comfortable - where she sees the same people at church as she sees in school and at the store. She thrives on that here.

Thanks.

[pianogal]

You mentioned Avalon Park in another post and that sounds like a perfect location for you. Harmony is closer to Disney I think, but you are not far from the 417 in Avalon Park and that takes you straight to I-4 almost at the Disney entrance. Avalon Park is so new I don't know how many churches are in the area yet. I do know they have A schools. It would also be an easier commute for your husband for Seminole or Valencia. Valencia is very close and he could take the 417N staight to Seminole - however it is a toll road.

Another community that I personally like better than Avalon is Waterford Lakes. I know the music teacher at Waterford Lakes Elem. She is young, energetic and delightful. The schools are also A. Waterford is a little older more traditional neighborhood, it's not as much of a walking neighborhood, although I see lots of kids walking and riding their bikes to school. There are lots of shopping, restaurants, medical offices, centra care, etc. right at the entrance to the subdivision - there are also a couple of nice condo/townhome complexes. It's a little older community than Avalon and overall the lawns are much nicer and larger and I'm fairly certain the HOA dues are less. Also, you could probably find a better price on a home there. Avalon tends to be pricey for what you get - although it is a beautiful community. The entrance to the 408 is 1 block away from Waterford Lakes so it is VERY convenient to get to most any place in Orlando.

That may be another option to consider. Avalon Park is further out and does have traffic issues due to the one entrance/exit road.

[faithcj02]

I posted above about Harmony--email is: faithjohnston0@gmail

That is a zero after johnston

[SMWfamily]

Based on all that and assuming we'll buy a house in the mid to upper 200's, what advice do you guys have. Dh could commute as far as 45 minutes if we lived in the "right" location. Being close to Disney is not necessarily a consideration as much as living in an area where our daughter could feel like she is relatively comfortable - where she sees the same people at church as she sees in school and at the store. She thrives on that here.

Thanks.[/quote]


I also have an 11 year old into musical theater, but my son is the one who is "twice exceptional" being on the spectrum/ADHD and a high achiever in scholastics. I might sound like a broken record on this board, but look around Lake Brantley/Longwood. The middleschool over there looks like it would work for kids like ours. The neighborhoods over there are very family oriented, but I know what it's like to have a kid who " acts different". A tight knit, kid filled neighborhood isn't always a good thing. Best of luck.

[theoldnorthstate]

Just returned from a trip out and passed by Valencia. It occurred to me, does your husband know if he will be hired for a single campus or will he cover all campuses?

Both Seminole and Valencia have multiple campuses and depending upon which one he will most often work you can find many good homes in good school districts.

For example, I live in Oviedo which has a campus of Seminole. If he were going to work there, you couldn't do better than to live in Oviedo. But if he worked on the main campus, then Lake Mary would be the place to look. Good schools and homes in both.

Same with Valencia.

Good luck