Anyone live in Orlando?

[cmh06]

We're thinking of buying a vacation home in Orlando to use in the summers and and when I'm on breaks from school.  We want to be close to the theme parks, shopping, restaurant, etc.  We have a 5 year old too so we want something family friendly.  We also want to make sure it's a safe place to live and the schools in the area are good for resale.  If you live in Orlando, can you give me any recommendations of towns or neighborhoods around the Orlando area that you would buy in.  We'd like a single family home, but if the condo fees weren't too bad, we'd consider a condo too.  Thanks.

[bluetopaz]

I was working on a response for you on my computer, then my kid came along and kicked me off, lol, so I'm letting you know from my phone I'll send you a real response later tonight. My short answer is to look at zip codes 32819, 34786, 32806 (where I grew up, lol), and maybe parts of Lake Nona and some communities in west Orange county.

[sara76]

My H is from there. I'll ask him later but right now thinking Metro West possibly.

[tamarindy]

Metrowest is not the greatest for safety factor. I would pass.

I would look at Dr. Phillips, Winter Garden, Windermere, or even Celebration (if you don't mind everything looking exactly the same). If you didn't need to be close to theme parks, I would recommend Winter Park. Both Windermere and Winter Park are $$$$, but great schools and neighborhoods.

I would stay away from MW (crime) and College Park (crime on the upswing, schools are "meh").

[rupertpenny]

It depends on how close to the attractions you want to be. I grew up in Orlando and if I ever moved back there I would pretty much only be interested in 32806 (I also grew up in that area bluetopaz, right outside that zip code), but it is very much in town and not close to Disney. I would also live in Winter Park, but that is even farther from the attractions.

I don't think I would ever buy a house close to Disney unless I wanted to make it a vacation rental.