Moving soon, working at UCF, spouse at Disney...where to live? (Orlando: apartment, rentals)

[mirunr]

So looking at this potential relocation in the next couple months. Heavily leaning towards renting to ensure we don't regret a quick house purchase. One person working at Disney, the other at UCF...best places for a 3bed rental wether townhome/house...not an apartment. Looking at rentals seem to be around $2500 for the type of place we'd be looking at. Thanks!

[brinkofsunshine]

I would look around downtown Orlando, especially close to the 408, neighborhoods like Lawsona/Fern Creek, Milk District, Thornton Park, Delaney Park, Lake Davis/Greenwood, Lake Como, Colonialtown, etc. I live in this area and I’m about 20 minutes from either UCF or Disney.

[kyle19125]

Check out Vista East near the intersection of the 417 and 528, just north of Lake Nona. It's a good commute either direction minus the worsening traffic issues of Lake Nona.

https://www.trulia.com/for_rent/Orla...SE_type/14_zm/

[drive carephilly]

Originally Posted by mirunr

So looking at this potential relocation in the next couple months. Heavily leaning towards renting to ensure we don't regret a quick house purchase. One person working at Disney, the other at UCF...best places for a 3bed rental wether townhome/house...not an apartment. Looking at rentals seem to be around $2500 for the type of place we'd be looking at. Thanks!

Schools?

Also . . . Disney as in WDW? Or Disney as in Lake Nona? Those two places are about 15 miles apart.

If schools don't matter and if it's WDW then yes, somewhere close to downtown, near 408 would be the best.
If it's Lake Nona then I'd stay near Lake Nona.

[bmw335xi]

I'd also look around downtown neighborhoods. You want easy access to 408 & I4.

[kyle19125]

OP, some of the worst and most unpredictable traffic in Orlando occurs on I-4 between the 408 and Disney. I would exercise some due diligence in considering that as a daily commute.

[brinkofsunshine]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

OP, some of the worst and most unpredictable traffic in Orlando occurs on I-4 between the 408 and Disney. I would exercise some due diligence in considering that as a daily commute.

I commute this route often and rarely hit traffic; the express lanes have made a huge difference. Hardly a reason to rule out a great area.

[Arcenal813]

Originally Posted by brinkofsunshine

I commute this route often and rarely hit traffic; the express lanes have made a huge difference. Hardly a reason to rule out a great area.

Yeah the heavy traffic is normally right around the 429 going into Polk County, which is past Disney.
I routinely drive from Downtown to I-Drive/Universal and traffic isn’t bad at all there. Not to mention the express lanes, which are always clear.

[bmw335xi]

As the two members mentioned above, the main traffic problem happens South of Disney where all the vacation homes are... sometimes it expands to 535, which is the exit you'd most likely be taking if commuting from downtown. The express lanes on I4 have done a great job. Another option might be around Winter Garden Village. You can take 429 to Disney easily or even local roads and then 408 to UCF.

[drive carephilly]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

As the two members mentioned above, the main traffic problem happens South of Disney where all the vacation homes are... sometimes it expands to 535, which is the exit you'd most likely be taking if commuting from downtown. The express lanes on I4 have done a great job. Another option might be around Winter Garden Village. You can take 429 to Disney easily or even local roads and then 408 to UCF.

Seconded.

I used to commute from near downtown to Kissimmee. I took the train most of the time but drove to work maybe once a week (408 at Bumby to I-4 to Turnpike but sometimes 408 to I-4 to 192). It's a reverse commute - all the traffic is going in the opposite direction in the morning and again in the afternoons. 408 is also jammed up heading towards downtown but not a problem going away from it so for me I would only deal with a minor slowdown approaching the I-4 west ramp and then it was free flowing the rest of the way.

It's really the arterials that are the problem. In the morning, when I drove, it would take me a reliable 40 minutes (+/- 2 minutes) to get down there but if would take me 55-60 minutes to get home. On the way home it would take me 30 minutes to get to the Turnpike at Osceola Parkway (about 5 miles) and then only another 30 minutes to go the next 23 miles. It's a combination of having a lot of lakes everywhere mixed in with the fact that large parts of the metro area don't have any alternate routes that aren't wildly circuitous. So many neighborhoods only have one, maybe two ways out, and don't even connect to other neighborhoods. Everyone has to use the same, 6-8 lane traffic sewers even just to go 2 or 3 miles. The world inside 436/JYP/Michigan is pretty well gridded. Not that there's no traffic or busy highways, just that there are multiple ways to get anywhere. I feel like Lotte Plaza Market is the one place I drive regularly that's kind of far (about 7 miles) and that never takes me more than 20 minutes, no expressways.

Anyway, what I'm saying is, living 28 miles from work vs living 7 miles from work doesn't quadruple the amount of time it takes. The closer you are to downtown the less of the mess you'll experience.