What is comparable to Celebration?

[luvdsny]

So let's someone wishes they could live in Celebration but they just can't afford a place big enough for them, what would be a comparable area/neighborhood/subdivision to look at?

And please, no negative remarks about Celebration in this thread. I'm just looking for recommendations on other areas near and around Disney World that are family-friendly, safe and within a stone's throw to The Mouse.

 

[spiceycat]

disney also did king (something) will find it and get back.

the one they are working on now - at eagles pine - is so far out of my budget ---- million dollar homes.

you know the prices at Celebration went up after Disney left.

 

[durango kid]

No Celebration Bad mouthing from me!! The only ones that do that are people who've never spent any time here.

Tell your friend to look in Davenport. A couple of people from our church live there. Celebration is exit 62 (on I-4) Davenport is 58. I hear very nice things about it, including 2x the house and half the price.

 

[luvdsny]

Thanks guys. Actually I'm asking for myself. I keep trying to research real estate online, but there is sooooooooooo much and I don't even know where to start. The most frustrating part is that I keep finding sites that must deal exclusively in 2nd homes/vacation homes/rental potentials. ::sigh::

No, I want a home for me and my family!!

I'm not ready to get a realtor working for me YET, so I am desperate to figure some of this out on my own for the sake of the initial research.

I'm getting a little flack from friends and family that my husband and I are too young to be moving to Florida. Maybe so, but life is short. I don't want to miss out on the good life.

Thanks again.

 

[HeatherPage]

We are kicking around the idea of moving down there in a year or two. I've read some things about the town of Winter Springs (it's in Seminole County which from what I've heard has the best schools) and it looks nice. Has a smaller town feel to it (population about 34,000). Next time we're in Disney this Summer, we're going to take a drive over and look around. I think it's maybe 1/2 hour or so from the Disney area but far enough away that you're not driving through all the tourist traffic, etc. (unless maybe you had a job in Orlando). Check out wintersprings.com or google it for info.

 

[luvdsny]

Thanks Heather...I'll check that out. Maybe we'll be neighbors in a year or two.

 

[HeatherPage]

:

 

[KayR]

You could try looking on www.ZipRealty.com for homes. It covers the MLS generally so is not vacation home specific. It does help if you know what area / zip code you are looking for though.

I hear Winter Gardens is a nice area. I guess it all depend where you need to be for a job and if you need an area with good schools.

-Kay

 

[luvdsny]

I'm sorry, I forgot to mention that my husband works from home and I home school the kids, so job location and good schools aren't really an issue. What is an issue is finding a family-friendly neighborhood and town. We live in a small subdivision in a small town just outside of Boise. It's a very nice place. Why are we leaving? LOL I'm looking for change and I'm running away from freezing cold winters. And the only place I like to visit more than once is Disney World so after connecting these particular dots, I feel like moving to Orlando would be something good to try.

Thank you again for your input.

 

[deejay-55]

I'm not ready to get a realtor working for me YET

When you are ready, there are some good realtors in the area who will be able to help you..

 

[KQAN]

Baldwin Park is a neighborhood in Orlando similar to Celebration. It is not close to Disney but is part of the actual City of Orlando, closer to downtown. Like Celebration, Baldwin Park is a "New Urbanist" community, which means the homes have smaller lots with garages and alleys in the back, the streets and narrower, the architecture is traditional and varied (front porches, shorter setbacks, not cookie cutter, etc), and the neighborhoods are walkable (sidewalks, many neighborhood parks, a grocery store and other retail in walking distance to the homes). More info about new urbanism is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_urbanism and here: http://www.cnu.org/
Info about Baldwin Park is here: http://www.baldwinparkfl.com/web/

Hope that helps!

 

[safetymom]

I live in area behind Champions Gate. It is considered Davenport. Champions Gate is supposed to be expanding with shops, etc. It may have the feel of Celebration when it is done. It's a great area to live.

 

[luvdsny]

Thank you KQAN and safetymom. That is all very helpful. I appreciate it.

 

[cinderella73]

Not to hijack.. But I am in a similar situation and also homeschool ,so schools dont matter but crime rate does. I am curious about the difference between winter garden and Winter Springs. Is one nicer than the other? Also which areas are best crime wise? I dont mean to take over and hope the OP doesn't mind. I figure she might want this info as well. So far I heard that Windermere is nice and Lake Mary. But Windermere seems pricey and Lake Mary has older homes. Any other ideas?

 

[luvdsny]

Yes, I do have the same questions. Weird. I've heard that Lake Mary and Winter Springs are 'the best' places. But I've heard a lot. ;-) Crime rate is a biggy. Huge! It's so difficult to know from a distance. I do appreciate all of this feedback. I'm a Google fool these days. LOL

 

[cinderella73]

Yes, I do have the same questions. Weird. I've heard that Lake Mary and Winter Springs are 'the best' places. But I've heard a lot. ;-) Crime rate is a biggy. Huge! It's so difficult to know from a distance. I do appreciate all of this feedback. I'm a Google fool these days. LOL

I will have to give you the link to the site I have been using to check out houses. I think Windermere sounds nice. But it is in general pretty pricey. You mentioned Winter Springs and I did do a search on houses but found that so far they were not as nice as I would have thought. Then again maybe I typed Winter Springs by mistake! Been doing that all day! lol

I used to live in the Daytona area . And thats about 45 minutes away. But I know Ormond Beach has some nice areas. But I think like you I would rather live a bit closer to WDW.

If you go to the Orlando Sentinal News website it has a spot where you can type in a zip code and get a idea on the crime in the area. Needless to say one thing I do know thats extremely important now as it was back when I lived down there was to stay off of Orange Blossom Trail.

If I find anything good I will PM u the link since I am on the same search anyway. By the way I think its cool u also homeschool . Seems like there are more of us these days. Have you checked out Florida's homeschool laws yet?

 

[luvdsny]

Have you checked out Florida's homeschool laws yet?

I've briefly scanned them. They seem easy enough. Idaho is one of THE easiest states to HS in so I'm a bit spoiled, but Florida doesn't sound too unreasonable. I think I just need to inform the district, keep a record of their work (which I have since we use a lot of workbooks) and then have them take at least one standardized test per year. Of course I'll have to check it out more closely, but for now it seems do-able. I've heard that PA HS laws are pretty tough, so maybe Florida will seem more lax to you. I don't know. Have you looked at the FL laws yet?

And yeah, we can't do pricey. Would love to, but... I'll be down there in May with some friends and I hope to take a day to drive around. That's why I need to collect some ideas of WHERE to look. LOL

Some of the blogs I've read are very depressing. A lot of people don't care for it down there. My mom's investment guy told her that Florida is in a 'depression' right now. Eeek. Good for buying homes, but...

I think my main problem at the moment is that I don't know how spread out all of these recommended places are. This summer I hope to get a better handle on that by paying attention to those little 'distance scales' at the bottom of the maps. At the moment I'm trying to concentrate on finishing the school year, but admittedly I am so excited about this potential move that I keep sneaking off to Google things.

 

[kerrynic78]

We live in SE Orlando in an area called Avalon Park. www.avalonpark.com. When we were looking to buy we loved Celebration but it was just too expensive. Someone told us about Avalon and it is very similar to Celebration. We are very happy here and love having stores, restaurants, and schools within walking distance. We are about 45 minutes from Disney, so not in a tourist area which I love.

ETA: Lake Mary is a very nice area. I used to work there and liked it a lot. I really don't know anything about Winter Springs.

 

[luvdsny]

Avalon Park looks lovely! Thank you.

 

[cinderella73]

I was just about to check out Avalon Park . It certainly sounds pretty. Not to far from Disney. At least not to someone who lives in PA and drives 45 minutes to everything as it is.

As far as HS laws go , yes we are one of the toughest states for that. But I don't like all the reporting you have to do in Florida. Sounds like a bit of a drag. Here we have to do standardized tests in grades 3 , 5 , and 8 . We also submit yearly portfolio's to the School District ( a bit of a conflict of interest if you ask me) .I do need to check on it but I heard you do quarterly reporting in Florida? I have to investigate it further. I am planning this move over the course of a year so I haven't gotten to far into that yet. I did also hear that you dont submitto the school district just he evaluator . I guess I better get cracking. I have the link here somewhere that lists the Fl HS laws.