relocating to Orlando (Lake Buena Vista: apartment, rent, crime)

[FloridaNative35]

I love Colonialtown, but I doubt you'll find a rental there for $800 (or even $1000).

You'll need to spend a few hundred more per month or live far from the city. You can find something (utilities NOT included) for about $1000 in the Milk District area or for $1200 downtown (not many available, though, but several apartment complexes are being built right now). In fact, a friend said the new Steel House is renting 1/1 for $1100. That price *may* include water.

[blancheb]

Some places I have found online: The Place on Millenia Blvd, Sabal Palm @ Lake Buena Vista, The District Universal Blvd, and Middlebrook Farms.

If anyone has any thoughts on these places, would love feedback. Also, I found a place downtown called City View.

Thanks!

[FloridaNative35]

The first places you mentioned are all south. Tourists and traffic and whatnot. I don't know anything about them, though.

City View is on the wrong side of I-4. The surrounding area is not good, although it is improving. If you don't mind the area, it is walkable to downtown, to the train that will be up and running in a little over a year, and to the free bus (Lymmo).

Generally, stay east of I-4 in your search when looking in and around downtown (with the exception of College Park).

[tricon7]

You might want to consider Altamonte Springs off Hwy. 436. It's in a nice area and it's surrounded by everything you could possibly want (I'm 48 and love the area).

Here's a picture I took of some apartments/condos at the Crane's Roost boardwalk area in Altamonte Springs. I have no idea what the apartments run, but they're sure nice to look at, and they're right on a lake and by shopping. If you don't like these, there are plenty of others to choose from. I go to Gold's Gym right across the street, and I-4 is also nearby.

[blancheb]

I will check those out, thank you! And I also belong to Golds gym, so maybe I could transfer my membership to that one. Thanks so much!

[annerk]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

Clermont, Hunters Creek and Oviedo are family-oriented suburbs and not exactly known as singles hot spots. Colonialtown is smack dab in the middle of Orlando and would require an extensive drive time just to get in/out of the city at rush hour.

Most people in regional sales arrange their schedules to not be driving during the peak of rush. I had a meeting at Universal yesterday, scheduled it for 10:00 am to avoid morning rush and the bulk of the tourists headed to the parks on I-4. Last week I had a meeting in Vero, I planned it for 9:00 am, leaving at 6:30 am to avoid morning rush and was home around 4:00 pm to avoid evening rush.

[FloridaNative35]

I second Altamonte if you want to be outside of Orlando. Maitland and Winter Park are other options.

College Park might be a good choice for you, too.

This page has a list of apartments and condos, some of which have 1 bedrooms that you might find affordable: STEELHOUSE

Also, if you don't mind living in an older (meaning not updated) apartment or in an apartment behind someone's house (some of which are *very* nice), you might want to check out Thornton Park.

Maybe Winter Park Village would work, too. No idea what the rent there is like, though.

All of these places have walkable areas with restaurants and shops, and all have some rental possibilities.

[FloridaNative35]

BTW, that was not a link to Steel House specifically. I must have been on that page of the realty site when I grabbed the URL. Steel House is new and in your price range, I believe, but it sits at the intersection of two very busy roads.

[blancheb]

I was told that most of my travel will be flying, I believe due to many of the accounts being in the southern part of florida. But they said that being based in or around Orlando would be best. Thanks for the advice on the rush hours, and how to schedule meetings and drive times. I have no idea what the traffic is like in this area.

I will check out places in the towns you have mentioned. This is a great forum - a wealth of knowledge!

[annerk]

Generally speaking it will take longer to fly than to most of the state, unless you are talking about the Keys or west of tallahassee. MCO is a notoriously slow airport to get through security (one of the worst in the country--makes Logan look like a dream). You need to drive to the airport, park your car, take the shuttle (unless you are parking in very expensive short-term parking), and get through security. You need to allow 90 minutes minimum for all of that. If you live in the Hunters Creek area, you're already halfway to Miami at that point.

Once you take the flight that is scheduled for an hour due to tarmac wait times, you need to pick up a rental car and possibly get your luggage. That's another hour or longer (on the return to MCO plan on an hour average for luggage to appear on the carousel--worst airport in the country--make that WORLD for luggage delays. It's slower in Orlando than FCO in Rome--which is the second slowest in the world.

At any rate, bottom line it's quicker to drive from the Orlando metro area to anywhere north of Homestead, Jacksonville south, the I-75/I-10 intersection and south or Fort Myers and north than it is to fly.