Orlando suburbs (Tampa, Sarasota, Clermont: transplants, apartments, low crime)

[RedWingsFan]

I'm trying to find some good Orlando suburbs for my family to move to. I'm looking to be able to buy a new home for $275,000 - $300,000. I would like good schools, low minority population, average to low crime, and yet be close enough for working in the Orlando area. Any suggestions?

Thank you!

[backtofla]

i'd say, look into oviedo/winter springs/tuskawilla area. apartments, homes, shopping malls, restaruants, golf courses, tennis courses, old neighborhoods, new neighborhoods, lakes, fishing, not too far away from orlando city limits

pretty safe and should be able to get a nice house for that price too.

[RedWingsFan]

Great, thank you for your response, I appreciate your input.

[nRitzy]

To find out about schools in the area you are looking at try www.GreatSchools.net - put in eg. Orlando, FL Schools - it will list all the schools in that area and you can click on the school you're interested in and it will give you the grade the school has for the state. It also gives the demographics for that particular school, teacher to student ratio, etc. i found that site to be really helpful.

[RedWingsFan]

Great, thank you. I have seen that site before but forgot about it. Thanks for the reminder.

[sunshine girl]

Why orlando, you guys? It's a crazy place. My daughter has lived there for the past 5 years, and I have spent as much time there as I ever want to because of visiting her. Too many tourists, too many foreigners that don't speak english, and I'm talking ALL nationalities here, way, way too much traffic: read that, road rage, and roads that are far from the normal city grid system which therefore makes the city and surrounds burbs hard to navigate. It is not cheaper to live there, it's hot without any coastal breezes, and you have to wait in LONG lines for anything you do there. My daughter has learned to visit me in Sarasota to get personal things done because it's so difficult in Orlando. I must have missed seeing that special something about orlando, because as you can tell, there is NO way I would ever live there or suggest that area for anyone else. And that includes any of the surrounding areas. Clermont used to be beautiful rolling hills and countryside, and now is a burgeoning suburb that has houses upon houses all up and down the once pretty landscape. The orlando sprawl is large, and the population is ever increasing. I don't get it, what's the appeal.

Oh yeah, how could I forget. The crime. Just try to get away from it anywhere even near orlando. Good luck with the school system search, too.

[RedWingsFan]

Well that's a good question sunshine girl. I was originally interested in going to the Tampa area, but the hurricanes scare me to death. So I was trying to find something more central to get away from the hurricanes some. It being a tourist town doesn't bother me. I've lived in Las Vegas for the past 9 years and it's the same way. How about in Sarasota? What's it like during hurricane season?

[richkat]

To each his/her own. It's so funny, too. We were chatting with a woman in Tampa who knew we were moving back to Orlando and she said she hated Orlando but her sisters loved it!!!

There's a lot to love in Tampa, too, but for us, being from California and having that Disney connection, the Orlando area just feels like home. I'm used to tourists - that's what feels normal to me - and so many more California transplants are in Orlando than other parts of Florida. So a lot depends on where you're from and what feels like home to you. Midwesterners often move to the Gulf side - the Gulf reminds them of their Great Lakes. Northeasterners used to go to South Florida but because it's so developed now, they're also heading for Tampa Bay. Sarasota is quite lovely - we enjoyed visiting but didn't want to live there. I think it's quite interesting why people move to where they do. I'm a writer and I'd love to write a book about it some day.

[CURT]

Originally Posted by backtofla

i'd say, look into oviedo/winter springs/tuskawilla area. apartments, homes, shopping malls, restaruants, golf courses, tennis courses, old neighborhoods, new neighborhoods, lakes, fishing, not too far away from orlando city limits

pretty safe and should be able to get a nice house for that price too.

unless you are looking for a new townhome you will not find anything new in oviedo, winter springs, tuskawilla for that price. you will find nice older places in good areas but not new.
you can view citydata.com for crime and other information.

[RedWingsFan]

I agree richkat, it's funny...some people love and others hate it. It's the same with Las Vegas though. They say there are 7,000 people a month that move here. I've lived here for 9 years and can't wait to see this place in my rear view mirror. People all like different things. I'd love to try Tampa but the hurricanes seem worse there. Orlando seems like a good fit for having a family, there's lots to do and not as hurricane prone.