Where is the closest city in FL to Disney?

[L&Lfan]

At the time it was being built it was most definitely portrayed in Disney Magazine and other media as “Disney’s town”.

 

[cinnaminny]

I live in Windermere. I am less than a mile behind Magic Kingdom.

How do you like it here? Do you feel like their are a lot of rental/tourists? I was looking at this area and worried it would be too many rentals near by.

 

[Feralpeg]

How do you like it here? Do you feel like their are a lot of rental/tourists? I was looking at this area and worried it would be too many rentals near by.

Windermere is in Orange County. Orange County does not allow short term (less than 6 months). Lake and Osceola allow short term rentals. That would include Celebration (they may have their own ordinance on this), Clermont, Kissimmee, St Cloud and Davenport. No short term rentals in Winderemere, Winter Garden, Ocoee and Gotta.

 

[NotUrsula]

Celebration is just off 192. That road is just one long tourist trap. Celebration is attractive and the little downtown areas is quaint. Parking is horrible. Celebration is known for its shoddy construction. There was a book written about it. Everyone connects it to Disney, but Disney really has nothing to do with it. The land originally belonged to Disney. That's about the only connection. Tourists go there thinking it is a Disney town. It isn't. I wouldn't live there just because it draws the tourists.

Disney has little to do with it NOW, but the land development company that created it, marketed it, originally (from 1995-2004) managed the public facilities and Town Square, and still has offices there, The Celebration Company, remains a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company. It's still very much in business and an active land development concern. The most recent project I've heard about is a planned build out of about 800 homes adjacent to the current southern boundary of Celebration; Mattamy Homes will be building them in partnership with TCC.

Is Celebration part of the theme parks complex? No, and never was, but it WAS the first major New Urbanist planned community in central Florida, and a lot of people are curious enough about New Urban communities to want to go and see it. (Baldwin Park in downtown Orlando is a larger one, but it lacks the degree of styling in the public areas that Disney's influence originally brought to Celebration.) Is Celebration still connected to the Walt Disney Company? Yep. They are still developing the land, and they won't walk away fully until all of it has been sold/developed.

FWIW, we often go to Celebration to eat at Columbia if we are in town and not planning to get down to Tampa during the trip. DH is very fond of Columbia, and while the Celebration location doesn't have the pedigree of the original in Ybor, he's willing to trade that off in return for skipping the long drive.

 

[kimmar067]

Someplace you like going on vacation isn't necessarily the same place you would want to live full-time.

....always been a believer of that....that's why, when I retire, I'm not sure I'd want to work t WDW because working there is DEFINITELY not the same as being a guest there....

 

[rigs32]

A friend snowbirds in Kissimmee. She rents a vacation home for three or four months every year. Always the same house. She gets a break on price from the owners because they don't have to turn the place.

I like the idea of a long term rental, but I'd get a new place every year or change cities every year. The woman rents the same place assuming friends and family will visit her in such a touristy area, but she herself never does any of the tourist stuff or theme parks.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

We live in Orlando, roughly 20 minutes from Disney.
Between the traffic, high crime, and lack of beach, we cannot WAIT to get out of here.
We are building a house in Sebastian. Close enough to visit, but peaceful town.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

If you are only looking to move down here to be closer to WDW, you might be unpleasantly surprised about the reality of living down here.

I'm intrigued by this comment. In what ways might people be unpleasantly surprised? Please share.

 

[LovesTimone]

Living here is not the same as vacationing here... just some words of advice...

Windermere / Winter Garden are both really lovely communities. I live in Winter Garden, and can hear the fireworks going off nightly...

 

[LovesTimone]

I'm intrigued by this comment. In what ways might people be unpleasantly surprised? Please share.

Local here, Born and Raised Florida girl - I live in Winter Garden directly behind WDW...

Its hot here, really hot, then adding in the humidity it get's even more miserable...

We have lots and lots of bugs - ants of all kinds, roaches indoor and outdoor, mosquito's that can carry you off, lizards, frogs, then you get into snakes lots of type's about half are deadly, gators they are every where you have to be alert... as well as deer, turkeys, hogs, birds lots of large cranes, and ducks and swan...

Lots of lawn pest moles, voles, and a plethora of weed, and you better like mowing, weeding.. because we normally mow year around.

Our weather is super unpredictable... then you have hurricanes, sink holes, tornado's, flooding.. that's the whole state not just the coastal area's.

Florida is a tourist mecca...116.5 million people visited Florida in 2017 - 65.5 million people visited Florida in the first 6 months of 2018

Fishing, Beaches, Theme Parks, historical sites, boating activities, golfing... There is no off season here...

As well we have snow birds, that come for the winter...and are residents for part of the year...

Our cost of living is high and wages are lower.

Traffic... We have all the traffic of a big city.... Then add in all the tourist, who don't have any idea of what or where they are going, as well as people who drive completely different that we do here, like for instance a stop sign is a suggestion where they are from.... On top of that add in the snow-birds - Land Yachts, 5th wheels, plus they bring their cars or get their cars out of storage when they come back... so you have then on the road as well...

Road maintenance - add in the fact the our roads are constantly under construction... I-4 is a disaster... by the time they finish it if they finish it... it will not be able to handle all the traffic at the time...

If you want a heart stopping experience... get a estimate on what homeowners insurance will cost you... more than likely you will have to get extra policies, for things like flooding, or hurricanes, or sink holes.. and list goes on and on...

In certain areas you compete with the tourist when shopping... As a local you might have to drive a bit out of the way to stop at the grocery store or wal-mart /Target... Why you wonder, a lot of visitors from other countries do a major shopping here, for things that they can't get in their own country, or that are priced much less here... Clothing and personal care items are always in high demand...I have seen with my own eyes, clearing of the shelves of some items... I'm not debating it one way or the other... Just giving you a real glimpse of what it is like living here.

The thing is that when you are on vacation you have that vacation state of mind, rose colored glasses... plus around the parks everything is taken care of for you, and visual it just stunning... Plus when you are in the parks everyone is really nice, and helpful.. Once out of the bubble that's not how daily life works...

You probably are wondering why do I live here...maybe I don't know any better... and this is all I know and love...
We love the water, boating and fishing, swimming, snorkeling, laying on a float with a drink in your hand, we Love Mickey and the Gang, and love our families- they are here... ... so this is home... Living here is a completely different lifestyle, You have to be willing to change your life style...

Like with any move there is the good and bad... You have to decide what is going to work for you... looking at the big picture... not the vacation pictures...

 

[Feralpeg]

I love living here. Yes, there are a lot if bugs in Florida. They are really not a problem as long as you treat your property. We have regular pest control. The only problem we have is occasional ants in the house.

I love the other wildlife. We've had no problem with moles and gophers, but again, we have our yard treated on a regular basis. Sadly, the wildlife in the area is dwindling due to all the housing expansion.

The area has changed significantly since we moved here 14 years ago. According to the Orange County zoning commissioner, approximately 900 people move to this area per week. Construction is everywhere. New homes and apartments going up constantly. Before long, there will be nowhere for the wildlife to go.

Unfortunately, the infrastructure cannot keep up with the people moving here. Schools are over capacity as soon as they are built. Traffic is horrendous. Crazy drivers are the norm.

As mentioned by another poster, jobs are a problem. This is the land of haves and have not. Very wealthy people with high paying jobs offset the majority of people working minimum wage jobs. It is not unusual to see people working multiple low paying jobs to survive. One of my sister's friends works three jobs. She works seven days a week. One of her employers is Disney. She can get in free, but has no time to visit the parks because she is always working. It is also no unusual to see multiple families living in one house as they can't afford housing on their own.

Low cost housing is in huge demand. Long waiting lists are the norm for anything under $1000 a month. Housing prices have risen since we moved to the area. You rarely see new housing starting at less than $250k. Apartments are expensive.

Cost if living here is high. The cost of meat and produce has doubled in the past few years. I just bought three chicken breasts. They cost me over $8.00. A pound and a half of ground beef was almost $7.00. I guess the bright side is that our gas prices are usually slightly less than the national average. Currently, a gallon of regular is $2.00.

I have annual passes for both Disney and Universal. This past year, I went to a Disney park twice. I went to Universal City Walk once to attend a concert. That's it. I am considering giving up my passes. I never thought I'd say that. It is just so crazy busy in the parks year round that it isn't any fun going. When you're local you're not planning your trips like you do on vacation. By the time you decide to go, there are no fastpasses available and no way to get into any if the table service dining locations. We end up just walking around. We rarely manage to get on a ride. We eat overpriced, less than stellar counter food. The magic gets kind of dull under those conditions.

I don't mind the weather. It does get hot and humid. Not that much different than many areas of the country. I've said this before. Since I've lived here, the actual temperature has only hit 100 degrees once. The heat index is often more. It was actually hotter in August each year when I lived in Missouri. I love the winter months here. Cool mornings. Afternoons range from 69s to low 80s. Occasionally, we get a mid 80s afternoon even during the winter. Do I like hurricanes? No, but I disliked tornados more. At least you have warning with a hurricane. You can take precautions.

All in all, I still love it here, but my reasons for loving it has changed. Now, it isn't about the parks. It's more about the weather and the people. I have very good friends here that I would hate to leave.

In summary, the area us not what it was. It will continue to change as more and more people move here. I don't see it improving. If you are considering moving here, do your research. Put the parks aside and consider if you would move here if the parks didn't exist.

 

[bcla]

In summary, the area us not what it was. It will continue to change as more and more people move here. I don't see it improving. If you are considering moving here, do your research. Put the parks aside and consider if you would move here if the parks didn't exist.

Most people move where there are jobs. I understand there are some really good jobs in the Orlando area, such as at Apple. Not retail, but they've actually set up an engineering worksite.

 

[Feralpeg]

Most people move where there are jobs. I understand there are some really good jobs in the Orlando area, such as at Apple. Not retail, but they've actually set up an engineering worksite.

That is true. Some people move here for jobs. Unfortunately, the competition for these goid jobs is enormous. So many of my friends have kids who are college grads who can't find goid jobs because the number of candidates looking for positions out weighs the number if these positions available.

Sadly, many move here without jobs. They think they will work for Disney and live the dream. Often, the dream turns out to be not so good.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

That is true. Some people move here for jobs. Unfortunately, the competition for these goid jobs is enormous. So many of my friends have kids who are college grads who can't find goid jobs because the number of candidates looking for positions out weighs the number if these positions available.

Sadly, many move here without jobs. They think they will work for Disney and live the dream. Often, the dream turns out to be not so good.

I used to be a large point holder with DVC when I lived in Connecticut.
I became a bit underwhelmed by Disney after the 2008 closure of Pleasure Island. From there it has been a steady downhill imo.
I sold my DVC points, then got transferred to Orlando, so here I am.
As I said earlier, I can’t wait to get out of Orlando, but love Florida. We are building a house in Sebastian.

 

[bcla]

That is true. Some people move here for jobs. Unfortunately, the competition for these goid jobs is enormous. So many of my friends have kids who are college grads who can't find goid jobs because the number of candidates looking for positions out weighs the number if these positions available.

Sadly, many move here without jobs. They think they will work for Disney and live the dream. Often, the dream turns out to be not so good.

Honestly - right now I think I could probably sell/rent my house in California and could afford to live in Orlando on a service job if I couldn't manage to find an electronics industry job. It's just how wacky the real estate market has been here.

With an electronics industry job (and possibly just renting out my house in California) I think I could live very comfortably in Orlando. I've thought about moving before, but I think I would need to know I had a job first.

 

[dish rag]

Honestly - right now I think I could probably sell/rent my house in California and could afford to live in Orlando on a service job if I couldn't manage to find an electronics industry job. It's just how wacky the real estate market has been here.

With an electronics industry job (and possibly just renting out my house in California) I think I could live very comfortably in Orlando. I've thought about moving before, but I think I would need to know I had a job first.

I know quite a few who have moved to Orlando from high cost areas of California and New York. Sell a house for $1.5 million and buy the same type of house for $350,000. Housing is cheap here. They bank the rest or use it to supliment investment income. I can walk to downtown Orlando from my place here. I got back Saturday night after being out of the country for a month. Going around Sunday reinforced what a crappy place Orlando is. The crime and traffic are awful. Blue tarps on roofs are common. Moving here for a job would be a very bad idea. I'll be leaving again in a few weeks and I can't wait to get out of this traffic mess.

 

[bcla]

I know quite a few who have moved to Orlando from high cost areas of California and New York. Sell a house for $1.5 million and buy the same type of house for $350,000. Housing is cheap here. They bank the rest or use it to supliment investment income. I can walk to downtown Orlando from my place here. I got back Saturday night after being out of the country for a month. Going around Sunday reinforced what a crappy place Orlando is. The crime and traffic are awful. Blue tarps on roofs are common. Moving here for a job would be a very bad idea. I'll be leaving again in a few weeks and I can't wait to get out of this traffic mess.

I might actually do it for the right job, but I understand that there are parts of this country where it's not all rosy. Here in California I can see everything including homeless tent cities, nice low-crime neighborhoods, and areas with a lot of boarded up houses.

 

[kdonnel]

Honestly - right now I think I could probably sell/rent my house in California and could afford to live in Orlando on a service job if I couldn't manage to find an electronics industry job. It's just how wacky the real estate market has been here.

With an electronics industry job (and possibly just renting out my house in California) I think I could live very comfortably in Orlando. I've thought about moving before, but I think I would need to know I had a job first.

Many in my neighborhood are people who left New York and New Jersey. They marvel at how much cheaper everything is here in Georgia (Metro Atlanta), housing, food, taxes, etc. They decided they could semi retire here for a few years prior to a full retirement vs several decades more of full time working in NY and NJ.

 

[L&Lfan]

Aren’t NY, NJ, IL and CA the most “left from” states?

 

[bcla]

Many in my neighborhood are people who left New York and New Jersey. They marvel at how much cheaper everything is here in Georgia (Metro Atlanta), housing, food, taxes, etc. They decided they could semi retire here for a few years prior to a full retirement vs several decades more of full time working in NY and NJ.

Don't a lot of people do that to escape cold winters? Granted I understand Atlanta has hot summers and some freezing winters, but it sounds better than the really cold winters around NYC.

The weather where I live is part of the appeal. I've heard jokes that "you don't have any real weather". Snow in my community is a once in 25 years event.