Where to live that is fairly accessible to Pine Hills (Orlando: 2015, apartment complexes)

[laprofe]

Hello all,

My husband will be hearing from a possible job in a couple of weeks. He will be heading a non-profit organization located in or around Pine Hills. From reading some of the comments here and in other forums, it seems that Pine Hills is not a nice place to live. However, since husband might have to commute there for work, we would want to live in a place that is fairly accessible to it. We have been to Orlando many times and know I-4 well, so a commute that avoids it entirely would be nice.

A little about us - we are in Arlington, VA currently and LOVE it. If this job comes true for husband, it will be extremely bittersweet to leave where we are. We are used to diversity, superb public schools, a county that really seems to work, etc., and of course, we enjoy DC. I particularly enjoy all the conveniences like shopping at Whole Foods, My Organic Market and Trader Joes, as well as having Starbucks at almost every corner, in addition to mom and pop coffee shops. My kids' friends are from every corner of the Earth.

We are considering Orlando mainly due to the fact that we have family in the Caribbean. Eventually, aging parents will spend considerably amount of time with us and Orlando seems like a happy medium. In addition, we do like Orlando. Husband has been a gov't lawyer, but is ready to do non-profit work and is excited about this possibility. As for me, I am a Spanish instructor and will eventually look for a college teaching job. I will be staying at home with our kids at first.

What we want:
-The best public schools possible all the way to high school
-Safer neighborhood, but not necessarily a gated community
-A newer built home with a pool and hot tub, and with a decent size backyard for some serious soccer play
-Access to shopping/dining/entertainment

Budget is 500K, but would like to spend more like 400K and keep more for college savings/retirement.

Thanks in advance for your replies.

La profe

[EndersDrift]

College Park is very nice and accessible to Pine Hills. There's lots of other options too, kinda depends on how far of a commute you want to make. I'm also not sure about the schools in College Park, a buddy of mine moved from there to Wekiva area somewhat because of the schools so that might mean they're not great --- but again I know nothing about the schools in College Park.

[laprofe]

Thank you! My husband's commute is fantastic right now, as we live in Arlington and he works in DC. He takes the Metro. I work in Arlington and literally, my commute is 10 minutes from my house to my classroom. We could not dream of a better commute scenario. Sixteen years ago we used to live in Pittsburgh and my husband commuted about 12 miles from the suburbs to downtown Pittsburgh, so we have done that too. In terms of Orlando, we have mainly stayed in the Reunion area, but don't know much about the other areas.

La profe

[Soup Not See]

You might try some of the subdivisions off Apopka-Vineland north of Conroy-Windermere. Or maybe Gotha ...I doubt you'll meet your third criterion in College Park, but I could be wrong. As for schools, check out SchoolDigger - pretty accurate as to school rankings and ethnicities.

[Lamigra1200]

Just my two cents of advise. Take it or leave it, no personal interest here. Don't know your specifics but I would sincerely reconsider not moving here permanently for whatever reason. You can rent out your house up North and rent a nice SFH 3000 sq. Feet house in any Orlando location within your budget. After a year or two once your husbands assignment ends then you guys can safely return to your abode. Have a great,"New Year 2015"

[brinkofsunshine]

Look at Dr. Phillips and Windermere. You can't really go wrong with either one. In Dr. Phillips, there's a Whole Foods and a Trader Joe's opening up soon. Tons of restaurants, Starbucks, and major shopping/entertainment is nearby. There's some of the best schools in Orange County; beautiful neighborhoods with mature trees and nice landscaping. You wouldn't have to get on I-4 to get to Pine Hills, either.

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by Lamigra1200

Just my two cents of advise. Take it or leave it, no personal interest here. Don't know your specifics but I would sincerely reconsider not moving here permanently for whatever reason. You can rent out your house up North and rent a nice SFH 3000 sq. Feet house in any Orlando location within your budget. After a year or two once your husbands assignment ends then you guys can safely return to your abode. Have a great,"New Year 2015"

No need to be a hater in the thread.

Renting before buying is always a good idea in an area someone doesn't know. Dr Phillips or Windermere would be a good place to look, esp for "newer" homes.

[volk2k]

You may want to check out Metrowest for some great values.

Folks like to "hate" on the community, but virtually all of the Single Family Home communities are great and well maintained... Also, most of the negativity comes from the apartment complexes and the Walmart that are on a major road called Kirkman.

As long as you stick to what's officially listed here you'll be in good shape:
Homes « MetroWest Orlando, FL

Communities like Palma Vista and Vista Royale are gated/tile-roofed with some very nice homes within your price range.

You will be zoned for Metrowest Elementary, Gotha Middle, and Olympia High Schools.... which are all basically A schools and shared with Windermere.

Metrowest is convenient to Pine Hills, which is why people are "afraid" to live there, but as long as you don't go to the Walmart on Kirkman, you can live the "Dr. Phillips and Windermere Lifestyle" that everyone on here loves

[laprofe]

Originally Posted by laprofe

Hello all,

My husband will be hearing from a possible job in a couple of weeks. He will be heading a non-profit organization located in or around Pine Hills. From reading some of the comments here and in other forums, it seems that Pine Hills is not a nice place to live. However, since husband might have to commute there for work, we would want to live in a place that is fairly accessible to it. We have been to Orlando many times and know I-4 well, so a commute that avoids it entirely would be nice.

A little about us - we are in Arlington, VA currently and LOVE it. If this job comes true for husband, it will be extremely bittersweet to leave where we are. We are used to diversity, superb public schools, a county that really seems to work, etc., and of course, we enjoy DC. I particularly enjoy all the conveniences like shopping at Whole Foods, My Organic Market and Trader Joes, as well as having Starbucks at almost every corner, in addition to mom and pop coffee shops. My kids' friends are from every corner of the Earth.

We are considering Orlando mainly due to the fact that we have family in the Caribbean. Eventually, aging parents will spend considerably amount of time with us and Orlando seems like a happy medium. In addition, we do like Orlando. Husband has been a gov't lawyer, but is ready to do non-profit work and is excited about this possibility. As for me, I am a Spanish instructor and will eventually look for a college teaching job. I will be staying at home with our kids at first.

What we want:
-The best public schools possible all the way to high school
-Safer neighborhood, but not necessarily a gated community
-A newer built home with a pool and hot tub, and with a decent size backyard for some serious soccer play
-Access to shopping/dining/entertainment

Budget is 500K, but would like to spend more like 400K and keep more for college savings/retirement.

Thanks in advance for your replies.

La profe

Well, husband just informed me that the location of the non-profit organization IS NOT in Pine Hills. It is in downtown Orlando

Do you think that these options are feasible:
Windermere
Dr. Phillips

We could do points north if that gets us more house and great schools. We don't really want to be in a place that is too rural/middle of nowhere.

The plan so far is for husband to relocate in January 2015 if he gets the job and the kids and I will join him in the summer once they are out of school. Renting first is definitely an option.

La profe

[EditorJul]

If you love life in Arlington, you might find Lake Mary right up your alley -- it has a very similar vibe and wouldn't be the world's worst commute into downtown, and Sunrail might be an option as well. Schools and community are good, and it certainly isn't in the middle of nowhere.

That said, I'm in the Windermere area after moving from the Maryland side of the top of the Beltway and absolutely love it here, but the commute to downtown Orlando wouldn't be quite as nice from here.