[newleaseonlife]

I was looking at a new developement in this area by Cambridge builders. I have 3 young children in Middle and Elementry school. Can anyone provide me the good, bad and ugly on this area. We would be moving from the Tax Me State of Maryland. My biggest concerns are school's and public safety. Please be brutually honest. Thanks

[newleaseonlife]

Anybody live here?

[Keeper]

I moved your post here.. hopefully someone can help you in the FL forum

[jbravo]

Safety, no problem.
Schools, problem....
Search this site under "Mount Dora" "Lake County" "Eustis"
Lots of data.
Then ask again more specific questions.
Yes, people have lived there or are living there.

[pirate girl]

I don't know if you're in a suburban/metro/rural area in MD but Eustis could be a culture shock for kids who are in a typical suburban area. It's very rural, it's quite a distance to Daytona and even the interstate. Please visit the area first- I'm not familiar with that neighborhood but Eustis is way way way different than alot of typical northeastern areas.

[SouthernBelle3]

I live in Eustis and have a child who went to Eustis Middle and Eustis High. There are the typical problems that you will find in all public schools, but generally, she had good teachers. Eustis is small town, but not isolated. We are 15 minutes from the 429 toll road in Apopka and 45 minutes to WDW. I can't really think of anything bad about living here. It is nice IMO. I guess it all depends what you expect. It isn't really that rural. More of an Orlando suburb. We have a WalMart, Target, many chain restaurants etc..
The Seminole Town Mall is about 25 minutes and the LAke Square mall about 15 minutes.

[Jcasper]

I will be moving here shortly, anything else about the area anyone can tell me? We will be very rural and in "the boonies" so to speak . Great eateries? Work availability? I know WDW (woop!) but ..local stuff. I see there is a new farmers market and I am very excited about that!

[thunderkat59]

Originally Posted by Jcasper

I will be moving here shortly, anything else about the area anyone can tell me? We will be very rural and in "the boonies" so to speak . Great eateries? Work availability? I know WDW (woop!) but ..local stuff. I see there is a new farmers market and I am very excited about that!

I suffered FL for three loooong, painful years, but southerly in the West Palm area. There is only one reason why I dont go get a labotomy to remove all memories of FL, and that is the Eustis/Mt Dora area. Very nice~ without a doubt my favorite area in FL. I could/would live there, no problem. "Rural" depnds on your interpretation. I dont think those areas are rural, but relative to FL, I can see where some might. Lake Dora at christmas time is magic! Your kids will go nuts! The huge international flea markets are lots of fun. To me, if you have to come to FL, you are going to the right place, from a quality-of-life standpoint.
Jobs, will be 'nother story, though

[OrlFlaUsa]

This part of Lake County is very nice but more exurban than suburban. Mt. Dora is a gem and fun to spend the afternoon in. Orlando is not terribly far away when you need bigger city stuff to do. All in all I'd recommend the area to anyone who doesn't mind a long commute, or smaller town life near a big metro.

[Crane's Rooster]

Eustis is pretty much a suburb or Orlando now. It's not as rural as it used to be but still relatively small compared to the rest of the Orlando metro. The good thing is although it feels smaller, slower and isolated it's really not. It's about 20 mins to Apopka or Altamonte where you can find any and every thing you need. With the new expressways your only about 30-45 mins from Orlando. I can't really tell you much about the schools. Another positive, this area tends to be slightly cooler than the rest of Central Florida. It's usually about 5 degrees cooler and has a breeze most of the time. I think it's due to the location and topography but it's really nice there this time of year until about April.