Question about Orlando suburbs (Sanford, Winter Park: low income, crimes, houses)

[INeedAChange]

Is it possible to live in the outlying part of the Orlando suburbs and not be adversely affected by the Disney tourist "scene" (other than the traffic they cause)?

[pianogal]

We are in east Orlando/Orange County near Narcossee. There are many newer communities here...Lake Nona, Vista Lakes, Tivoli Woods, Waterford Lakes, Stoneybrook East and Avalon Park. We are not at all affected by Disney traffic. We're 30 miles from Disney.

[INeedAChange]

Thanks! I would not want to live in a neighborhood where I have to deal with tourists the moment I walk out the front door...

Do you like living in the Orlando area? There are so many people b*tching about it on this board that it's hard to separate fact from fiction...

Originally Posted by pianogal

We are in east Orlando/Orange County near Narcossee. There are many newer communities here...Lake Nona, Vista Lakes, Tivoli Woods, Waterford Lakes, Stoneybrook East and Avalon Park. We are not at all affected by Disney traffic. We're 30 miles from Disney.

[arctanx]

Originally Posted by pianogal

We are in east Orlando/Orange County near Narcossee. There are many newer communities here...Lake Nona, Vista Lakes, Tivoli Woods, Waterford Lakes, Stoneybrook East and Avalon Park. We are not at all affected by Disney traffic. We're 30 miles from Disney.

How is Waterford Lakes? I was actually looking at some places that area. Is Waterford Lakes considered "East Orlando"?

[BeenAroundTheBlock]

East Orlando is a great place to live, work and shop. Some people call East of I-4, East Orlando... others reference East Orlando as the Waterford Lakes area. I've lived in this area for almost 3 years and I feel this area has a lot to offer. I also like being away from the tourist area, over here it feels more like a regular suburb. IMHO, keep your search south of Rt 50, east of Alafaya and as Pianogal says the Lake Nona and Vista Lakes areas are nice too. That area is going to be exploding in the next few years with all the medical research and hospital facilities being built. They will also be getting their own towncenter, like Waterford Lakes.

Just remember, any large area has pockets of low income residents with more crime... and only take advice from people on these boards who actually live in the area.

[Nirvana-Guy]

I like Lake Mary a LOT, but you need to be able to afford it. To me, Lake Mary has the perfect combination of nearby businesses, plenty of green and open spaces, and proximity to major attractions and things to do.

Lake Mary is more snazzy and really, there are no ghettos around (Sanford to the north, but only minor crimes spill over).

It is also clean and it is not nearly as crowded as some of it's neighbors, like Altamonte.

Quality of life in lake Mary is far, far superior than in Orlando. Schools in Seminole county are much better than Orlando too.

Check Lake Mary out. It is, in my humble opinion, the last bastion of niceness in the Orlando metro area. The rest has really gone downhill (or is super expensive, like Windermere or Dr. Phillips).

[pianogal]

Originally Posted by INeedAChange

Thanks! I would not want to live in a neighborhood where I have to deal with tourists the moment I walk out the front door...

Do you like living in the Orlando area? There are so many people b*tching about it on this board that it's hard to separate fact from fiction...

I love living here. I have lived in East Orlando (Lake Nona area) for 2 years. Before that I lived in Winter Park for almost 20 years, lived near downtown for several years prior to that and my husband grew up here. So we have deep roots.

Read carefully on this board and watch the authors of the different posts. It won't take long to discover the attitude behind the posts. We have some who have an agenda - they are not interested in helping others. They are the ones who spew the same negative garbage in every post - no matter what honest questions have been asked.

Please ask any specific questions you have about the area. There are people here who don't have an agenda and they will help as much as possible.

[pianogal]

Originally Posted by arctanx

How is Waterford Lakes? I was actually looking at some places that area. Is Waterford Lakes considered "East Orlando"?

Waterford Lakes is in East Orlando. IMHO the best part of east Orlando would be the communities from Narcossee east (Vista Lakes, Tivoli Woods, Lake Nona, Cypress Springs) to the communities fronting Alafaya..i.e. Waterford Lakes, Stoneybrook East, Avalon Park, The Woodlands. I wouldn't look at anything west of Narcossee, although they are currently building 1Million+ homes on 1 acre lots at Curry Ford and Chickasaw. There are a number of older not especially well kept communities between Chickasaw and 436. I would NOT buy in that area.

Although there a few nice communities even further east (Cypress Lakes (Engle and Ryland builders) and Corner Lakes. I wouldn't want to go that far out because the roads just aren't in place yet and the traffic is a nightmare.

I love living in the Narcossee/Lake Nona/Vista Lakes/Tivoli Woods area because we are so centrally located to the 417 and the 528. There are also a couple of nice communities just east of the 417 off Curry Ford....Cypress Springs and The Woodlands (almost to Alafaya). I would suggest looking in the 32825 or 32829 zip codes as well as 32828 (waterford).

[Ash5705]

Originally Posted by arctanx

How is Waterford Lakes? I was actually looking at some places that area. Is Waterford Lakes considered "East Orlando"?

Waterford Lakes is a very nice area. I live in Avalon Park, and drive through Waterford every day. I actually looked at several houses in the area, but most home are 10 years old, and I wanted a newer home.

[redsonja]

I have read numerous post regarding east orlando vs. seminole vs. osceola etc. The bottom line is where do you work? All of the areas have wonderful, safe places to live but traffic on I-4 and even the expressways make commuting time consuming and frustrating. (Yes, I know you people from other cities are used to it and think we are winers)