Tell Me About Clermont, Ocoee & Winter Garden Areas

[Stefecatzz]

I did a search & didn't find what I was looking for. I'm planning to relocate to Orlando & Clermont was high on my list as far as a nice, safe & affordable area but I'm finding pretty affordable priced homes in other areas east of there. I don't know much about the areas surrounding the parks but would like something that is safe & not far away from things to do, grocery shopping, & of course the parks!

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

 

[BrinkofSunshine]

Clermont is nice but it's very "far out", at least from Orlando. It's a really pretty area due to the rolling hills, but it's kind of on the fence between suburban and rural. I'd only recommend Ocoee south of Colonial Drive, near Windermere. Winter Garden has a really cute downtown area with shops and restaurants, but the immediate area surrounding it is a mixed bag- some of it is very low income. Unfortunately it also borders a very bad area to the east called Pine Hills.

I'd add Windermere and Dr. Phillips to your list. They're the nicest communities in the theme park area

 

[ravenclawtrekkie]

I live in a Winter Garden zip code, but I've never actually been to the downtown area - I'm about 10 minutes south of Colonial Drive by car. My gym and my pharmacy are both on Colonial (I think my gym is technically in Ocoee) and there's a fair amount of panhandling around those areas, but I've never really felt unsafe except for the one time I went to the West Oaks Mall for an evening movie. Bad idea, super sketchy.

My neighborhood is very suburban and a short drive to a big shopping center with a Target and tons of dining. I drive out to Clermont sometimes if I want to eat at a specific place (there's a Moe's out there and I like their queso!), and some of my co-workers do commute to WDW from there, but it is a little far out.

 

[Feralpeg]

I live in Windermere, but I would have no problem moving to Clermont. It is really an up and coming area. It has built up a great deal since I moved to Florida 12 years ago. Lots of stores and new housing.

Most of Winter Garden is very nice. There are some areas just north of Highway 50 that are low income and pretty run down. Old Winter Garden is a very nice shopping area. We eat there on a regular basis. There are a lot of new homes going up in an area called Horizons West. It is between Stoneybrook West and the Windermere area. The plans show a new shopping area will also be added to the area.

Ocoee is a mixed bag. The area of Ocoee adjacent to Windermere and Winter Garden is okay. The further east you go, the less nice. The area near Hiawassee I would avoid. It is way to close to Pine Hills (a very high crime area).

Clermont is not far from the parks if you take Highway 27. Winter Garden is about a 20 minute drive. Windermere is about a 10 minute drive.

I started a website about the different areas in Central Florida. Haven't gotten terribly far, but it might help a bit. It is http://pkellogg1.wix.com/livingincentralfl

 

[ChristmasElf]

Winter Garden is a very nice area. There is great shopping outdoor mall with shops, Best Buy, Lowes, Super Target, Home Goods, and several restaurants.
The 429 has several new communities being built. Toll Brothers, Taylor Morrison, Ashton Woods, David Weekley, K Hovnanian, Lennar just to name a few. The added bonus of this area is you are a whole FIVE miles from Exit 8 pff the 429 which takes you straight into Disney.
Winter Garden does not border Pine Hills. You don't want Pine Hills (we call it crime hills)

Windermere will cost you more. Taxes will also be higher. If you were to live near downtown Windermere, it is not uncommon to have a huge house right next door to a little 1800 square ft cottage. Many buy houses, to tear them down and rebuild.
Dr. Phillips. Also known as D.P. The houses are older as most of the neighborhoods are close to 20 or more years old.
There is okay shopping, but the area around Sand Lake Rd gets congested from locals as well as tourists that are checking things out.
Clermont is about a 25 minute drive from Disney depending on how you go. The Florida turnpike to exit 272 is the best way to go. Get off the exit, turn left and you will be in Clermont in two minutes. There are several nice areas on either side of Hwy 27 in different price ranges. Clermont is in Lake county, just an eh on the Lake county schools imo.

About 20 minutes from WDW, right near the Orlando airport, is Lake Nona. This is also a very nice area. Lake Nona is really growing. There is more shopping centers going up and a lot of restaurant choices as well. Just hop on the 417 to exit 6 (or 3 if you prefer) and you are right in the thick of things at Disney.

If you have any other questions, I will be happy to answer them. I have lived in Florida 25 years+ and know the area well.

 

[princesspiglet]

I live in Windermere, but I would have no problem moving to Clermont. It is really an up and coming area. It has built up a great deal since I moved to Florida 12 years ago. Lots of stores and new housing.

I started a website about the different areas in Central Florida. Haven't gotten terribly far, but it might help a bit. It is http://pkellogg1.wix.com/livingincentra

Thanks for posting this Peggy- but I think you left off a few characters at the end of the link. I found it though using "livingincentralfl"

 

[Stefecatzz]

Thanks so much everyone for the advice so far, I really appreciate it! And thanks, Peggy for your link! I found it with the help of the PP. Very well put together site & info!

So, it looks like the affordable homes I was looking at in Ocoee were only a few miles from Pine Hills & N of Colonial (which I hadn't realized was the same road as 50 until now..). I will steer clear of that area for sure. Safety is my number one concern as well as affordability for the home. I don't have children, only a dog & 3 birds so school districts aren't really a factor for me. I am sure with a good real estate agent, I will be guided to the right area for me as well. But I always do as much research as I can about the area I will be moving to so I can be a well educated as I can before looking for a home there. I have had experience with those who care more about selling you a home quickly than the area it's in so I know that you can't always put all your trust in an agent.

I am also considering the St. Cloud area & Minneola. I know it may limit my search but I am really looking forward to owning a single family home with no HOA after owning a condo here in S FL for the past 6 years with an HOA. So that means more of an established neighborhood which is fine by me, as long as it is maintained well in general.

The more I hear about Winter Garden, the more appealing it sounds. I've seen photos online of the downtown area which looks great & the location is ideal to the parks & also seems to be not too far from downtown Orlando or Winter Park for things to do. And I also like downtown Clermont as well which is where I would be concentrating more on my search as opposed to most of the newer construction off of 27 which all require an HOA.

A couple years ago, I did some driving around the Winter Park area because I kept hearing good things about that area. It definitely seems well maintained, & I like the look of it. But I was there mid-week in the afternoon & it was so congested, it took me almost one hour to drive a few blocks in the downtown area while looking for a place to stop & eat. I know there will be traffic & congestion at times anywhere in the Orlando area between locals & tourists but that was a but too much for me. I still would have an open mind about seeing a house there when I finally do get up there to begin the hunt so we'll see I suppose... It also does seem like property taxes are higher in Winter Park than other areas so that is something else to consider.

Windermere & Dr. Phillips also seem nice but out of my price range, unfortunately. Same goes for Hunter's Creek (at least as far as my searches have gone so far online).

 

[MouseMomx2]

My son lives in a community called Independence. It is technically in Winter Garden but because of the way the towns are laid out it is really closer to Windermere. It is just north of the CM entrance to the MK and we can be in that park's parking lot within 10 minutes. AK is the farthest away and it takes us about 20 minutes to get there.

I cannot recommend Independence highly enough. It is a beautiful community with homes, townhomes and apartments. When he decided to move to Florida he rented an apartment there and loved it. (The complex is called Falcon Square.) It was a great way to see if he liked the area before buying something. He now has a townhouse in the same community and loves it.

Independence is quite large and has two community centers, both with pools and gyms. There is an elementary school and a middle school right in the community. Every month there are lots of activities for residents. There is a large, outdoor shopping center about 10 minutes away (Winter Garden Village) and a Publix less than 5 minutes away. They will be building another Publix on the other side of Independence in the near future, along with a small strip mall.

If that area is something that appeals to you you can also look into Summer Lake. While Independence is currently building it's final phase, Summer Lake is right in the beginning of its building process. There are also several other developments going in in that area.

Hope that helps. Feel free to PM me with any questions.

 

[anticipating]

There are a lot of toll roads in some of those areas, you may want to look into how much it will cost you to get places you will need to travel to frequently. Some can add up.

One complaint I've heard of WG is the access to I4 isn't ideal depending on the area you're in.

WG is nice, and these certainly are not dealbreakers, but just giving you some other items to consider.

 

[Feralpeg]

Minneola is a pretty area. The lake is enormous. You will find many homes in that area with a lot of land and no HOAs. You might also look at Mt Dora and Travaras. They are a little further out, but quaint.

 

[Stefecatzz]

There are a lot of toll roads in some of those areas, you may want to look into how much it will cost you to get places you will need to travel to frequently. Some can add up.

One complaint I've heard of WG is the access to I4 isn't ideal depending on the area you're in.

WG is nice, and these certainly are not dealbreakers, but just giving you some other items to consider.

Thanks for the heads up! Is 429 more expensive than taking the turnpike? I don't mind a couple dollars here & there for a day of travel but it definitely might also be something else to consider if the tolls are $5 or more each because that does add up. Being in S FL, I already have SunPass but it still would add up. I live close to the turnpike now & took it to work every day but the tolls here one way are less than $1 locally so that wasn't a big deal for an easier & quicker commute.

Minneola is a pretty area. The lake is enormous. You will find many homes in that area with a lot of land and no HOAs. You might also look at Mt Dora and Travaras. They are a little further out, but quaint.

I like the Minneola area because of the points you've made & also it doesn't seem like it's that far out of the way from parks & areas with things to do. I've heard about taking back roads to go to the parks as opposed to toll roads but I guess that's something I will learn when I'm there. When I put addresses in Clermont into google maps, it shows to take a road called Shell Pond Road which looks like it's a dirt road for several miles. I thought that was pretty interesting..you don't see that much anymore.

I did look into Mt. Dora which seems like a great place to live. But it's about 50 miles to the parks which is too far. It does seem like a nice place to visit though.

 

[OhMari]

I live in Windermere, but I would have no problem moving to Clermont. It is really an up and coming area. It has built up a great deal since I moved to Florida 12 years ago. Lots of stores and new housing.

Most of Winter Garden is very nice. There are some areas just north of Highway 50 that are low income and pretty run down. Old Winter Garden is a very nice shopping area. We eat there on a regular basis. There are a lot of new homes going up in an area called Horizons West. It is between Stoneybrook West and the Windermere area. The plans show a new shopping area will also be added to the area.

Ocoee is a mixed bag. The area of Ocoee adjacent to Windermere and Winter Garden is okay. The further east you go, the less nice. The area near Hiawassee I would avoid. It is way to close to Pine Hills (a very high crime area).

Clermont is not far from the parks if you take Highway 27. Winter Garden is about a 20 minute drive. Windermere is about a 10 minute drive.

I started a website about the different areas in Central Florida. Haven't gotten terribly far, but it might help a bit. It is http://pkellogg1.wix.com/livingincentralfl

We were East, north East in the Orlando area. We could not believe how built up that area is. Actually. North of the airport. Is that still Orlando, or is that a suburb.

 

[Traveliz]

There are a lot of toll roads in some of those areas, you may want to look into how much it will cost you to get places you will need to travel to frequently. Some can add up.

One complaint I've heard of WG is the access to I4 isn't ideal depending on the area you're in.

WG is nice, and these certainly are not dealbreakers, but just giving you some other items to consider.

I find that access from Windermere area to I4 isn't ideal a plus; not a negative. I find using the 429 and paying the tolls well worth it.

Liz

 

[ChristmasElf]

There are no $5 tolls in Florida, most will be 75 cents to a $1.00-1.25. If you have a sunpass, then you will get a discount on the tolls as well.