CALLING ON ALL LOCALS, may be moving to Florida

[Hayden's Dad]

Ok, I need your advice. Eva and I have made a decision that within the next two years we are going to move to the Orlando area from Greensboro, NC. Eva and I both want to give back to Hospice for all they did with us and Hayden, so we want to volunteer with the area Hospice to be a professional photopass person. We will unobtursively be with Hospice families taking pictures and helping them around the parks. Eva will be doing this part time I have to be our bread winner and will probably only do it ocassionaly. We also want to be closer to WDW in general, and we are ready to be out of NC (been here all our lives). What areas do you suggest we look at?
What is the cost of living?
Any other advice you can give will be appreciated. Thanks

Kyle
(Hayden's Dad)

[dinahvixen]

We looked at moving to FLA from Cincinnati b/c I am originally from Tampa and tired of being in the cold and gray. I did a lot of research and we decided against it mostly b/c pay for us (teacher and zoo keeper) was going to be lower, schools not so hot, and cost of living higher - only a little, but doesn't work well with lower pay. Also for us, coming from lower population to a much more densely populated area, the amount of green space was important and although the Jacksonville area looked good for that, the Orlando area didn't (from what I could tell, I could be wrong - I was looking at googlemaps for that - the locals would know better). There was a lot of appeal in moving to Florida for us, but it just wasn't going to work financially and I think we're going to have to maybe become snowbirds when we retire, instead! We got a lot of our information for various websites - there are some that calculate cost of living and average home costs, population, amenities, etc. I can't remember their names, but I am sure you can google them. Local real estate agents were also able to give a lot of information.

[dnickels]

As for areas to look at, it all depends on what you're looking for. There are a million (I think literally) subdivisions down here where you'll need to drive everywhere. Are you looking for newer construction (probably subdivisions), truly walkable neighborhoods (i.e. walk or bike to the grocery store / restaurants), nearby bike trails, is being really close to Disney (but further from many of the jobs in downtown Orlando) a priority?

I can give three areas I'm really familiar with.

The Subdivision of Independence is just about 2-3 miles north of the rear entrance to Disney (it's not officially a public entrance but there's no gate and it's pretty frequently used). Most of the homes are newer and the area has some short biking trails. In the time I've lived there it feels like a very safe neighborhood, community pool, playground, exercise rooms. The downsides to it: HOA, builder-grade construction, lots of speculative buying during the boom, and it's a long way from downtown Orlando if that's where you end up working. There's a grocery store / small shopping plaza a mile and a half away and a bigger one about 4 miles away, but you really can't bike or walk to anything from here. The good: You can be on the parking lot tram at the TTC in under 15 minutes from leaving your driveway.

Old Winter Garden (the area near Plant Street and north to Lake Apopka): The good - has a wonderful remodeled historic downtown area and many community type events (Friday concerts, monthly car shows, other festivals), bike trail running right through town, walkable neighborhoods, dining, shopping. The bad: still a good distance from downtown Orlando, typically older construction, neighborhood to the south gets worse in just a few blocks (not scary worse, just sorta worse).

Oakland (about two miles further west of Winter Garden): The good - charming little town, huge live oaks with moss hanging from them, little used park right in the middle of town, bike trail through the middle of it. The bad - no real services (shopping) in the area, still a good distance from downtown Orlando.

Both the last two options would probably take about 25 minutes door to tram.

[Hayden's Dad]

Thanks guys this is a big help! Please keep them coming. :mickey:

[Hayden's Dad]

Well I have applied for a position in Leesburg, FL. It is about and hour from the Carribean Beach Resort according to mapquest. Looks like i fI get the job then we may move to Clermont or in that area so we would be about a 1/2 hour from both work and the parks. If anyone has any more advice please let me know, I am very nervous, good nervous, but nervous about this venture. :mickey:

[meldan98]

Kyle - I don't have any advise for the move, but I am so happy that you and Eva will be making this move. You and your wife will be a blessing for the families that you encounter and I wish you and your wife the best. Someday, I hope to make that same move.

[joanna71985]

I don't have any advice. I just want to wish you both the best of luck (and hopefully I'll get to meet you down in FL). :)

[Skippy]

Best of luck!

can't say that I'm not a little green with envy

[beksy]

:ditto:

I have absolutely no advice but good luck! I'm sure it will all work out well (of course how can being closer to Disney not work out well :confused: ) because you both seem so kind and generous. And I could be persuaded to house-sit for you anytime after you move--no pay needed! ;)

[Tink#64]

WOW! Like others have posted, I have no advice, but lots of good wishes for you & your wife! I'm sure you will find your way and things will work out for you to start this new chapter in your life! You are such an inspiration for so many, this is a fantastic thing you are doing!

Good luck & Pixie dust to you both! :pixie:

[MickeyMousse]

Kyle,

Leesburg is about 45 minutes from WDW...I've driven it many times as my mom lives one town over from there. It's a doable commute for the 2 of you. So is Clermont, which is a nice area. We looked at houses there and there were many price ranges/ammenities to choose from. My DH was transferred to Orlando back in 2005 and we lived only 10 minutes from WDW in Hunters Creek. It was nice but I understand it has changed since we were there. We loved being close to Disney and went every chance we got. I think it is wonderful for you and Eva to want to give back to the people who helped you and Hayden. Wish more people were like you!!! Much luck!

[Hayden's Dad]

Thank you all for the thoughts and prayers. Turns out the Leesburg job has already been filled. :( But the recruiter said that another position will be opening closer to the area we want to be which is Lake Buena Vista so we will see how that works out. :) Keep the pixie dust and happy thoughts coming.

[badkitty]

Good luck with the LBV job! :pixie:

[RedSoxFan]

Good luck to you Kyle.:)

[BluewaterBrad]

Hey Bro! Good luck with your dreams! I have lived in Florida from the first grade ( I am now 42) I have lived in West Palm,Gainesville, Tampa, Lake City, Punta Gorda, and Port Charlotte. PM me if you really have any specific questions about living here. I have always enjoyed your reports, and would help you anytime.:mickey:

[Kathy Jetson]

I wish you all the best:pixie::tink:

[jaredkari]

I am not from Florida but have been toying with the idea of moving there. We have really been looking at the Lakeland area. There are a lot of nice houses that are selling for cheap right now around there.

[Not2Loud]

I lived in Titusville for quite some time, nice little area. On the eastern coast of FL, can watch the space shuttles go up from your yard, and about an hour or less from WDW.

[TennesseeTink]

Over the last few weeks, I've been looking online at homes in the Clermont area. TONS of good deals right now. It seems like a nice area, newer homes and plenty of shopping close by.

Good luck with your search!;)

[Ed]

Kyle ~

We moved down here in '02 and haven't regretted it at all. Like any place in the world, it has its good and not-so-good aspects. On the good side, the year-round weather suits us well, the proximity to both the ocean and the gulf are pluses, and the fact that there's no state income tax is a good thing. On the negative side, there's the threat of hurricanes and tropical storms ('04 was a bear!) and the resulting high insurance costs, utility costs are fairly high (since you use A/C 80% or more of the year), and the major metro areas such as Orlando, Tampa and Miami are a traffic nightmare a lot of the time. The overall cost of living is very close to what we were used to in our former hometown of Baltimore.

Clermont and Leesburg areas are very nice, and convenient to the parks areas. Housing prices have dropped appreciably, and you can get some great deals; lots of homes are selling for 50~70% of what they cost 2 years ago. A lot of the housing in those areas is very new - 3~5 years old.

Your commitment to "pay back" is most commendable; I'm sure Hayden is proud of you both. Such opportunities will be expanding in the near future; the Nemours Children's Hospital is under construction in the Lake Nona area just east of Orlando airport, Give Kids the World has been a major presence for many years, Make-A-Wish is very active, and there are lots of opportunities for volunteers at all those organizations.

You haven't mentioned what line of work you are in, but I imagine you've already learned that at the present time the job market in Central Florida is pretty dismal; hopefully there will be some improvement in the not-too-distant future.

We wish you the very best in your quest. If we can help in any way, drop me a PM.