Vista Lakes?? (Tampa, Orlando, Sanford: crime, mortgage, new home)

[lawchyc]

My husband, two children (ages 4 & 1) and I are relocating to Orlando in the near future. My husband will be working east of the city, so the Oviedo, Winter Springs, Lake Mary, Longwood area is appealing. We visited a Newland Community in Tampa and thought it was fabulous (Fishhawk Ranch) and they also have a community in Orlando - Vista Lakes. Does anyone live there? Can you tell me what's around that area? Is the community on the flight path of the airport? What is the general feel of the community? Who lives there? Older? younger? families? blue collar? white collar? etc.

Thanks so much

P.S. We are relocating from Washington DC, so neither the crime or the cost of living scares me. The cost of living apprears to be about 60% of what it is where I currently live...

[blueoktober]

Well I believe Vista Lakes was built on an old World War 2 testing site and has bombs under it. They found a few on property at a Middle School. People there are freaking out right now. I know it sounds like a lie, but for proof:

Emotions run high over bombs -- OrlandoSentinel.com (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/community/news/unionpark/orl-bomb10x07aug10,0,1603034.story - broken link)

[Brasstec]

Originally Posted by lawchyc

....a community in Orlando - Vista Lakes. Does anyone live there? Can you tell me what's around that area? Is the community on the flight path of the airport? What is the general feel of the community? Who lives there? Older? younger? families? blue collar? white collar? etc.

Vista Lakes contains several communities, each featuring a different builder - Engle, Ryland, and several others. It is a CDC (?) community - i.e., you will automatically have an extra $65/month added to your mortgage payment to help fund public schools. The bomb scare is a recent issue that became a concern because of a local middle school. I don't think they have found any live ordinances. To answer your questions....

This area of town is 15 minutes from OIA, 20 minutes from the Florida Mall and loads of stores and restuarants that surround it. Major roads within minutes include the 417 (Orlando bypass), 408 (runs E-W through downtown Orlando), and the 528 (runs from theme parks to Cocoa beach). All of these roads intersect with I-4 and the Fla Turnpike at various points. All of these roads provide great access to many areas of central FL.

Yes, this whole side of town is in the flight path of OIA. We used to live in Winter Park - had 727's cruising over our roof daily. You would have to move to the west side of Orlando to escape this issue - but you really don't want to do that - crime. This area is predominantly white collar families, but include a real mix of ages.

Personally, I would just go "around the corner" (literally) to one of the Tivoli Woods subdivisions - the Sanctuary or Oak Crest. Both have the same amenities you would find in Vista Lakes, are very close, and are all new homes. The builders here included Cambridge, U.S. Homes and (high-end) Lennar. Check your prices online, but you could get equal house for equal $$ or less.

[rholborn]

Hi and welcome! Oviedo, Winter Springs, Lake Mary, Longwood, Sanford, are great communities east of Orlando. They are family oriented, great schools- especially Lake Mary and Oviedo, and close to shopping too! These are definately worth taking a driving day to see because each has it's own feel. PM me anytime for school links or information!