[frazzlee16]

Hello! Looking for Advice!

My boyfriend and I will be moving to Lakeland, Florida in August and I am just looking for advice on where to live and what people in their late 20s early 30s do in the area.

We are both medical professionals and from my understanding I wont have trouble finding a job and he has a job there.

We are interested in renting for sure until we make sure that we love the area, as well as to figure out the best place to buy. How far is it to disney stuff? where and how far is the nicest beach??

Any advice on lakeland you would like to share is welcomed!

thanks!!

[straw71]

hi there,
the best part of lakeland to live is the south lakeland area, zip code of 33813...
the hospital is on the north part of town, but the southside is a better area.
disney is about a 45 min drive or so , sometimes less or more depending on traffic, ( i-4 traffic and get very congested towards orlando). the beaches on the gulf are about an hour away, if you want the east coast you are looking at atleast 2hrs maybe more depending on where you want to go.
the are some local bars in downtown lakeland, and the southside has a mall called lakeside village, that has a movie theater, restaurants, starbucks, and some decent shopping. not a lot to do , however you can drive into brandon, about 30 min from s. lkld, which offers wayyyy more to do. or you can drive to orlando (45 min or so ).
oh yes there is 2 nice apartment complexs on the southside, one is village at lake highland, and one is alexan at lakeside village, the alexan is a little more money however you can walk to lakeside shopping, the movies, starbucks, because it is right beside the mall.
certain areas of lkld you want to stay away from, combee road area, crystal lake area, anything near 10th st, and wabash ave..... not safe at all.
not sure where you are moving from , but lkld does have its fair share of crime, so you do have to be careful, ie. don't leave your doors unlocked, be aware of your surroundings that kind of thing.
if you need anymore advice you can pm me if you'd like, i have been in this area for over 30 yrs now.

[ferret111]

I'd imagine lot of Lakeland's younger people go to Tampa or Orlando for fun once Lakeland's venues get worn out. You'd be an hour or so away from the Pinellas beaches on a good day.