[MrTudo]

Buck and a quarter for a decent 2/2/2 house in Charlotte Cnty, 2 hours from Disney. West coast.

[sunrico90]

Originally Posted by NJBILL

I just started reading these Boards a few weeks ago. I am 50yrs old and wanted to buy a reasonably priced second home to use as a vacation home (under $100K) within an hour of Disney and then possibly use it as a retirement residence a few years down the road when my kids are grown and it's time to retire.. My only exposure to Florida was visting Walt Disney World three times and Port Canaveral a few time while taking a cruise. My "perception" of Florida was a nice ,safe,sunny place to retire and get a part time job at Disney and live Happily ever after...But after reading this forum, it appears my dream is quickly becoming a nightmare if the majority of the postings are true... Is there anywhere in Florida where crime and demographics are not an issue??
We have scheduled a vaction this summer to FLorida to scope out some potential towns to live...any suggestions.

NJBill,

The members of this forum provide replies to many individuals and some are positives and others are negative. Depending on the location and individual the like/dislike of state covers all shades of gray, so I will give you the following advice.

Research at least 3 location, evaluate housing, jobs, education, crime, type community. home owners insurance, and your specific desires. Most of the metro areas are expensive, so getting away from the metro area can save you a lot of money in your relocation process.

But many trusted members enjoy and have a great life in the metro areas.

The panhandle of Florida is a great location that is starting to grow larger every year. As mentioned on an earlier post, this area is what central and south Florida was 15 or 20 years in respect to crime and housing cost.

I cannot tell you that is a perfect place, but for me and my family is the best place in Florida (lived @ Satellite Beach and Homestead). So select 3 locations that YOU are interested and we as a team can give you opinions.

Remember that you will have to live with the decision, so don't based it only on our opinions, visit the locations and get a feel for the area.

Best of luck...

[backtofla]

daniellefort, not sure why i ask those questions anymore. i should already know!!! lol.

[daniellefort]

Someone is reading way too much into the OP question to even bring up the black/white situation. Totally not necessary to bring that subject up unless the OP questions it directly.

[sunrico90]

Get back to the question and don't plant the seed to ruin the post.

[jbcorbin]

A suggestion:

Remove Disney from the request and see what you come up with.

I live in the "Forgotten Coast", east of Panama City and love it. It's not in the tropical area, it's sub-tropical, but it sure is nice in the winter. Oops, no snow-shovel!!!

If you are looking for an area that you can buy a place that you can walk to a nice beach and still afford to eat, this is it.

There are many fine restaurants & stores. More importantly, you can walk down the street and talk to your neighbors and make friends. It is safe for kids and family.

I live in a neighborhood called Beacon Hill, near Mexico Beach, FL. We have a mix running the spectrum from single-wides to $2 million homes. No one mines your income; we just are neighbors and friends.

Look at the MLS at Mexico Beach Real Estate, Beacon Hill Real Estate, Bay County Real Estate, Bill Fauth. Check out other real estate firms along the Gulf coast. You may be surprised.

[sillynilly]

YOU CAN MOVE TO OCALA Dell Webb has some villia 's pretty cheap wonderful pool and spa there new and there having specials good luck also maybe winter garden check it out the old part

[Magnulus]

I'm largely negative about Florida but if that is really your dream... do your research and maybe you can find what you are looking for. However if you were honest you might not find so much bad in a place like New Jersey as compared to Florida.

Disney hires mostly just young people. The pay is also horrible, about 8-10 dollars an hour. You will not be able to afford a home at that price. If you have money saved up... maybe it can work. If you want to live near Disney you will also likely be living in a predominantly Spanish-speaking area of the Orlando-metro area. People do commute further (I know people that spend about 50 minutes to over an hour one way to get down there) but the cost of gas is only going to go up, so it might not be worth it.

Florida, especially Orlando, has a dark side that tourists do not see if they just visit for a few days. My cousin came here from Tulsa, Oklahoma a month ago and was astounded by the amount of traffic. Crime, though while still relatively low, is growing fast. Especially the amount of theft and robbery. Orlando has much higher theft and robbery than many midwestern cities.

[jaersmur]

Try Davenport (Polk County) and South Clermont (Lake County). Also Haines City (Polk County) and Kissimmee (Osceola County).

Davenport has been used to a strong market, insulated from some of the downturn at first because of the presence of overseas buyers (British and German). However, now these folks are looking elsewhere, so sellers are anxious to make a sale. Davenport proper is not so nice, look more for the unincorporated area near Davenport next to Highway 27 and Interstate 4, heading up north towards Clermont. Southern Dunes in Haines City (south of Davenport) also might have some good values, either in a house or long term rental. 20 years ago I could make it to the gates of Disney from my house in Haines City proper in 15 minutes. It's maybe 25 mintues now, depends on traffic. Would be 10-15 minutes from Davenport.

Some neighborhoods in Davenport area: Santa Cruz, THousand Oaks, Lake Davenport Estates, Southern Dunes, LEgacy Park, Providence, just to name a few of differing price ranges. Would you consider a mobile home ? The Ridge would prob. have a few good values. Nothing fancy, but maybe in your price range.

[pirate girl]

I don't recommend Kissimmee or anywhere near there- visit and you'll see why.

Polk might be a nice choice for you............... but take a good look around. Don't limit yourself to being in a certain proximity to Disney as that area really is inferior to the rest of the state.