Safe family neighborhoods near Disney?

[Feralpeg]

Anyone have a good resource that explains the construction of Walt Disney World? I'm curious about how they built and continue to build on the type of soil they have, and to have the corridors running underneath. I'm sure it's an amazing feat of engineering. Not trying to be 'off topic,' just curious with the sinkhole situation.

As far as I know, the only utilidors are in the MK. The utilidors are actually at ground level. They built up the area to build MK. Therefore, nothing is really below natural ground level. That would be almost impossible due to the water table. Anything below ground level would be prone to flooding.

I don't think Disney has done anything special to prevent sink holes. My understanding is that there is very little that can be done to prevent them. They can do surveys periodically to test the stability of the ground, but that is no guarantee that one will not open up at a later date.

In reality, although it seems like there are a lot of them, sink holes are rare in relation to the amount of occupied land in Florida. Disney has been lucky enough to not have any problems. That is true for most of us living here. There is always that chance that one could open, but not enough of a possibility to worry about it. We just prepare, by having insurance coverage, and keep an eye out for any odd settling. And, while there are some cases of them opening very quickly, for the most part, it takes hours for them to really become dangerous. That gives people a chance to respond and clear the area. For instance, the one in the Publix parking lot moved slow enough that people were able to move their cars from the area before it settled too much.

 

[BebopBaloo]

As far as I know, the only utilidors are in the MK. The utilidors are actually at ground level. They built up the area to build MK. Therefore, nothing is really below natural ground level. That would be almost impossible due to the water table. Anything below ground level would be prone to flooding.

That's what I was previously thinking, but wasn't sure if maybe I was wrong. Thanks for the rest of your reply and thank you to the others who responded about sinkholes, as well. Crazy stuff can and does happen everywhere. All we can do is prepare the best we can for what we know is possible. OP, I think it's fantastic that you have the opportunity to be neighbors with Mickey!

 

[tecdavidt]

We bought a vacation condo, only for us so it was never rented. We lived in a community that did not allow for weekly renters. If you rented your property it had to be for a long term such as one year. We were in Bella Trae, next to the Omni Hotel in Champions gate. It was a great development. We decided to buy a house so we had our own pool on a lot that had a golf course right behind it, literally, the golf course was right behind the house. The crime rate at Champions Gate area was low.

I am writing this to explain not all areas southwest of Disney, such as Four Corners, Champions Gate, Davenport are all rental areas. Our house now is in the gated community of Providence. The golf course is public but there are 6 different communities inside the gate but one HOA. Security is tight. Our development does not allow for vacation rentals but does allow long term renters (again one year contracts). A couple of the other housing areas in this gated community do allow weekly rentals. We have a company that is hired to check our property once a week. We absolutely love it.

As for schools, our children are grown. There are a lot of children in our development. We too have been told the schools in Polk Co. are not the greatest.

We were 15 minutes from driving past the entrance of HS original gate and could hear MK fireworks with no problem at Bella Trae in Champions Gate. We moved 5 minutes to the southwest so we are now on the east side of I-4. We still hear the MK fireworks if the wind is out of the north. Now it is 20 minutes via I-4 and World Dr. to that HS original gate off of World Drive.

You will learn the backroads. If I-4 is a grid lock we know how to take Old Wilson Rd. over to Sinclair onto 429 to Western Way so we bypass 4.

Pay attention to the schools. We know people in the Lake Nona area, they love it. Hunter's Creek is also suppose to be good as the other areas people have told you.

Get a good realtor and do your homework. It is amazing what you can learn on the internet. You can even find out the crime rate for the neighborhood you are looking at. Pay attention to the square footage of the home and the number of bedrooms. If the home was once a vacation rental, chances are the home will have more bedrooms that what it should for the square footage. The bedrooms were small and closets were small. The home was used by vacationers so was not built with long term storage in mind. The garages were converted to game rooms. Research is important. Maybe you might want to rent before you buy to get to know the area. We spent a lot of time on real estate web sites looking at different homes to learn what the homes were like verses what we have here in Iowa.

Our goal is to move there full time in 8 to 10 years. Bugs, yes they are there but then that is why there is pest control. Snakes, bears, you name it Florida has it but not having snow, and being close to WDW makes it worth while.

Happy House Hunting and welcome to Florida Kathy

 

[DisneyDreams4]

bump

 

[phorsenuf]

If the home was once a vacation rental, chances are the home will have more bedrooms that what it should for the square footage. The bedrooms were small and closets were small. The home was used by vacationers so was not built with long term storage in mind. The garages were converted to game rooms.

Yep. Our house that we rent was a vacation home converted to a long term rental. The garage was converted to 2 rooms. It's why we ended up choosing this home actually. I have a hobby, as does my husband so we each have our own room now and we didn't have to sacrifice any bedrooms. If we had looked for a 'real' 5 bedroom home it would have been way out of our price range. Doesn't bother us any we don't have a garage. Yes, storage and cabinet space can be a little tight at times but I guess that's where you get a bit creative. We built and island for the kitchen (made from cabinets and counter from Ikea and spent under 100 bucks), which gave me more counter work space and storage, and we put up shelves in the laundry area. It was a trade-off for the extra rooms.

 

[delmar411]

That's what I was previously thinking, but wasn't sure if maybe I was wrong. Thanks for the rest of your reply and thank you to the others who responded about sinkholes, as well. Crazy stuff can and does happen everywhere. All we can do is prepare the best we can for what we know is possible. OP, I think it's fantastic that you have the opportunity to be neighbors with Mickey!

There is a utilidor at Epcot as well.

 

[vcgirl925]

We have been browsing school websites and realtor websites checking on what's available. Found out someone from my town has a vacation home in Windermere and she gave me her realtor's information. He deals with Windermere, Dr. Phillips, and Winter Garden. My husband has to go to Orlando in two weeks on business, i'm hoping to go too and we can spend a day driving around the different areas to get a better idea.

 

[OKW Lover]

Just wanted to add that once you've decided the basic criteria you are looking for, a good realtor will be a huge help in narrowing down your search. Be sure to get one that knows the area.

 

[MickeyMinnie1971]

My husband just got a job with Disney as well. Disney relocation has been very helpful with helping us to figure all of this stuff out. Our pre-move visit they had someone come to our hotel that gave us information on the area and also gave us a tour around Orlando. She could provide information we needed on schools, drivers licenses, property taxes, or whatever. They also set us up with a great realtor. We are in temporary housing in Windermere right now and just signed paperwork to buy a home in Windermere yesterday. We chose Windermere because of the proximity to Disney and the schools.

 

[rlu929s]

For the post above did you husband get a job in IT?

My wife and I have really been thinking about this lately. We currently live in MO and have been here our whole life, but our love of Disney and the Orlando area brings us there at least once per year and it gets expensive. It would save quite a bit of money if we just moved there lol...maybe.

I think it's true that you'll find things wrong anywhere you go. We have sinkhole issues in MO.

Do you really feel the effect of hurricanes if/when they hit the Florida mainland? We have heavy thunderstorms and tornadoes here.

The biggest thing would be finding a job and deciding to make the move We're trying to gauge the cost of living in Florida. It seems like it might be a bit more than MO.

 

[MickeyMinnie1971]

For the post above did you husband get a job in IT?

My wife and I have really been thinking about this lately. We currently live in MO and have been here our whole life, but our love of Disney and the Orlando area brings us there at least once per year and it gets expensive. It would save quite a bit of money if we just moved there lol...maybe.

I think it's true that you'll find things wrong anywhere you go. We have sinkhole issues in MO.

Do you really feel the effect of hurricanes if/when they hit the Florida mainland? We have heavy thunderstorms and tornadoes here.

The biggest thing would be finding a job and deciding to make the move We're trying to gauge the cost of living in Florida. It seems like it might be a bit more than MO.

If you are you were referring to my post, no my husband isn't working in IT. We have found it is a little more expensive here, but we visited 2-3 times a year and bought annual passes. The CM perks may help offset the added expense LOL! It has been my husband's dream to work for Disney, so he is thrilled!

 

[vcgirl925]

My husband just got a job with Disney as well. Disney relocation has been very helpful with helping us to figure all of this stuff out. Our pre-move visit they had someone come to our hotel that gave us information on the area and also gave us a tour around Orlando. She could provide information we needed on schools, drivers licenses, property taxes, or whatever. They also set us up with a great realtor. We are in temporary housing in Windermere right now and just signed paperwork to buy a home in Windermere yesterday. We chose Windermere because of the proximity to Disney and the schools.

Oh that sounds so exciting! We are pretty sure we are leaning towards Windermere. Do you have school aged kids?

 

[vcgirl925]

For the post above did you husband get a job in IT?

My wife and I have really been thinking about this lately. We currently live in MO and have been here our whole life, but our love of Disney and the Orlando area brings us there at least once per year and it gets expensive. It would save quite a bit of money if we just moved there lol...maybe.

I think it's true that you'll find things wrong anywhere you go. We have sinkhole issues in MO.

Do you really feel the effect of hurricanes if/when they hit the Florida mainland? We have heavy thunderstorms and tornadoes here.

The biggest thing would be finding a job and deciding to make the move We're trying to gauge the cost of living in Florida. It seems like it might be a bit more than MO.

OP here. My husband is in IT and starts on the 23rd. We are in nj, so Orlando is cheaper. Even if we purchased a home that cost exactly what we are paying here, we'd be saving roughly 10k a year in property taxes. Plus we went to disney go vacay every year. Working for Disney saves thousands on our vacation as well.

 

[MickeyMinnie1971]

Oh that sounds so exciting! We are pretty sure we are leaning towards Windermere. Do you have school aged kids?

We have two boys 13, and 17.

 

[rlu929s]

That is SO true. I work in IT,so I'm sure there is need for IT at Disney. Actually, 20 pages worth if you look on their job site LOL.

Part of me wonders if working for Disney would take away some of the magic when going there.

It would be so awesome to be able to attend all the special events they have at Disney and Universal.

 

[DisUniversal]

Please remove or move if this post is not allowed here. But, I know there are many fl residents here and therefore a wealth of information. Since my husband will be working for Disney and we will need to relocate to the Orlando area. We need info on good safe neighborhoods within a half hour of disney. Of course safety and schools are our biggest concerns. So, for those of us disers that are moving to Orlando or would love to one day. Where to start looking? I'd live to move to Oviedo bug it's too far, 1 hr is more than my husband is willing to commute.

Oviedo has some of the best schools in Central Florida, but you're looking at a 45 to 60 minute commute depending on what end of the town you'd live at...and the majority of that is on toll roads. Avalon Park which is in Orlando, just a bit south of Oviedo area is quite a bit closer and most of the schools in that neighborhood are very good as well. Not familiar with the area right around Disney. Make sure you check the ratings at greatschools.org before committing to anything.

 

[Disneylovingdad]

For those that live there, may I ask the cost of utilities? I've been told electric is much cheaper than where I live but water is a lot more expensive.

 

[Feralpeg]

For those that live there, may I ask the cost of utilities? I've been told electric is much cheaper than where I live but water is a lot more expensive.

IMHO, utilities here are very reasonable, but it depends on where you live in Central Florida. My water, which includes water inside our home and six sprinkler zones that run twice a week, runs about $50.00 a month. My home is all electric. It is about 2400 square feet. The highest electric bill I have received in the ten years I have lived here was less than $250.00. During the winter months, it tends to be about $100.00. My home is a single story. People who have two story homes have higher bills because they usually have a second air conditioner.

 

[chapie1968]

We are thinking of buying a home with the intention of moving there eventually(10 years or so) but using it as a vacation spot a couple times a year and using it as a short/long term rental the rest of the time to try to pay down the mortgage as quickly as possible. What would be the best areas for this?
We have stayed in gated communities such as Emerald Island and Windsor Hills.

 

[staceyrhood]

We moved to Celebration in 2001, it is a great community. Beautiful, great school (our son is in 2nd grade), friendly people, wonderful restaurants, and 8 minutes to Disney! We just love it! There are no short term rentals allowed which makes is nice, some of our friends in Davenport and Reunion have different "neighbors" every week because their neighborhoods are almost all vacation rentals.