Moving to the world

[bkgrim]

My wife and I would like to retire in a few years from our teaching profession, move to Disney area and work for the mouse. We would like to live in an area with in a 15 to 20 minute drive to work, live in a condo (we have 10 acres, horses, etc now and want to be able not to shovel poop every day). Where should we look at for nice homes. Not interested in moving next to tiger woods but don't want to live in an area where I can not go out for a run without packing "heat"

 

[tare]

I would be interested in hearing some info too.

 

[disneydavey]

errrrrr... Celebration
http://www.celebration.fl.us

 

[bethymouse]

The Villages aren't too far away about an hour maybe in the Ocala area. It's also near Silver Springs.

 

[rob0519]

The Villages aren't too far away about an hour maybe in the Ocala area. It's also near Silver Springs.

The Villages are between 65 and 70 miles from WDW. A 130-140 mile daily commute to work at almost a minimum wage part time job seems a bit excessive. On the other hand, my cousin and her husband just moved to The Villages and cannot say enough good things about it. So if you don't mind the long drive, it may be worth a look. While probably more expensive, if you're plan is to work a the resort, Celebration is much closer. I'm sure the Florida residents on this board will have a number of good suggestions.

 

[kfergdisney]

That sounds like an excellent plan. I hadn't thought of moving to WDW upon retirement! Of course, I have 35 years until that may happen, God willing.
Good luck on your endeavors!

 

[luv]

What do you want? Sounds like an easy question, but so many people really don't know. Many end up selling houses and moving to another area because they didn't know they'd be unhappy with the one they chose.

Do you want to deal with tourist driving every day? Do you want to be near tons of shopping? Are you happier driving past fields of land than being closer to an Olive Garden? Etc, etc.

Orlando is not organized like other cities its size, where the areas tend to get better the further you get from the city. Good and bad neighborhoods mix and mingle in most cities.

You have to know what you want in an area, then start whittling it down. And a good realtor, obviously, is a big help.

Do you know yet?

 

[matt9112]

there are plenty of nice community's around the Orlando area...look for the semi gated community's off of the sunshine parkway... like luv said above orlando...as a trend with southern citys..can go from nice to not so nice LITERARY blocks away...Tampa takes the cake here.... this is why i pointed out the mass produced community's that often have at a minimum a nice wall around the grounds and often have lawn care included as part of an association fee. (without being judgmental these community's often tend to be out of the price range of locals but dirt cheap to retirees and those from the north)

edit: also note that geographical local to what you wont to live (near) is slightly less important in the area since the transportation system for cars is often far better than elsewhere....roads are very straight and long stretches of nothing are abound with higher average speed limits than many places allowing you to travel faster and even though I4 can choke up during rush hour it is easily avoidable and not as crippling as a boston or atlanta.

 

[Lightyear999]

My wife and I would like to retire in a few years from our teaching profession, move to Disney area and work for the mouse.

We have the same plan after the kids are grown and out. I do not really care what job it is, even sweeping trash, but DW and I desperately want to work for the mouse as it has always been a dream. I have always dreamed of driving a water taxi or the boats at Epcot around WS lagoon. DW wants to do the same. But it can be anything as long as we get to work for and be close to the magic!

 

[wogwog]

My wife and I would like to retire in a few years from our teaching profession, move to Disney area and work for the mouse. We would like to live in an area with in a 15 to 20 minute drive to work, live in a condo (we have 10 acres, horses, etc now and want to be able not to shovel poop every day). Where should we look at for nice homes. Not interested in moving next to tiger woods but don't want to live in an area where I can not go out for a run without packing "heat"

15 to 20 minutes will get you Celebration, Windermere, and Dr. Phillips. All fit your general description and have a wide price range of housing. Yes, Dr. Phillips is a real town and not my dentist.