Safe Areas to Live Near WDW 15-25 Min Away

[ford91exploder]

Space coast region? never heard of it? Which might be a good thing

Think Cocoa Beach, KSC area.

 

[Bob Harlem]

The Dr. Phillips area is a park lovers dream, about midway to Disney (including easy access to the back way in on Vista Dr.), Universal and Sea World. Expensive, but generally safe. Windermere is growing rapidly behind the Magic Kingdom, but the really nice section is the part closest to Main street/Chase and adjacent to Dr. Phillips.

 

[pilka214]

I grew up in lakeland, it took me about 40-45 minutes to leave my house and be at one of the parks. It's a full on city with everything you want but also the accessibility of Orlando and Tampa since your right between the two. As a 27 yr old male I was ready to move away to a big city, but honestly lakeland has seen great growth and really has a ton to offer all while being incredibly close to every major tourist draw in central florida.

My brother commutes to MK for work and has no issue with the drive

 

[Allym146]

I went 5 days without power after an unexpected snow storm in October. I've never been more cold in my life. Tomato-tomaato

As soon as you said this I knew exactly where you live haha! I'm also in wny. Don't forget those 7 feet of snow we got a couple years ago ! The winters are really starting to wear on me but our jobs and families keep us here.

 

[Chef Mickey]

Just a reminder..There has to be more than just the parks that tempt you to move to Florida as this video has been posted before..

This applies to basically every place people go on vacation and when they come back say, "Oh, I would totally live there. I want to move there."

Remember kids, living somewhere is WAY different than going on vacation there.

 

[bhg469]

As soon as you said this I knew exactly where you live haha! I'm also in wny. Don't forget those 7 feet of snow we got a couple years ago ! The winters are really starting to wear on me but our jobs and families keep us here.

We lived off of Genesee street for that storm, anything south of us was a disaster, even 2 blocks away was barely passable. We were super lucky and only got about a foot. We live in Depew now, closer to wegmans so life has improved.
My company has been on the verge of sending me down to the st Pete area for a while now. We would never move to Orlando unless it was a perfect opportunity but we would love to get down to FL just because of how awful the state of NY is to us.

I think our families would love a reason to bail out down to Florida for the winter months. The only real downside is no wegmans!

 

[HauntedMansionFLA]

The drive to Disney is a breeze, you basically come out make a left and you are on the main road to the entrance. I live in the north village but all of the different villages are unique. It really depends on the type of home you are looking for.
The homes range from condo's to town homes to estate homes. If you love golf there is a great rated course that snakes through the community. Make a visit and have someone give you the tour so you don't miss anything including the town center.

We will have to do that. Thanks for the information. Any other words of wisdom???

 

[KBLovedDisney]

Who doesn't want to live next to Disney? Seriously!

However, IMHO, being close to things you really like can easily loose their sparkle per-say. For example, moved to a city several years ago, living close to everything I liked and I was like, yay!!! So much goodness. 5 years later? "Oh, I kind of forgot that's here." And then you never really do the stuff you used to do (until you have friends visiting) and become a hermit to stay away from large crowds.

That is one of my fears if I ever did get that option to move closer to the magic, it losing a good bit of its sparkle. (But that is just how I feel about it).

 

[KBLovedDisney]

(Forgot to add) My advice when you go? Take it sloooowww. Absorb the magic little bits at a time, give yourself breaks from the Magic.

 

[HauntedMansionFLA]

I

(Forgot to add) My advice when you go? Take it sloooowww. Absorb the magic little bits at a time, give yourself breaks from the Magic.

I totally understand what you're talking about. That's what I hate about the vacations to WDW. You rush around trying to see different things. Living close would allow you to take your time and take in the little details. Plus, I lived it when we went to SeaWorld. Plus ocean beaches are not far away.

 

[rprvw]

Rarely respond. We moved from Louisville, Kentucky to Clermont, FL in 2014. That being said, We go to Disney area at least once a week. Has it lost it's luster... A little sure. However here is were Fast Pass + for locals is awesome. Book your fast passes. Then take your time doing whatever you want in between your Fast Passes. Clermont is a nice area and you could get a couple of acres off of highway 561 or 33 if you wanted. Or you could live in a densely packed sub division within walking distances to shops and dining. 35/45 minute drive to Disney World.

 

[becca_]

We lived off of Genesee street for that storm, anything south of us was a disaster, even 2 blocks away was barely passable. We were super lucky and only got about a foot. We live in Depew now, closer to wegmans so life has improved.
My company has been on the verge of sending me down to the st Pete area for a while now. We would never move to Orlando unless it was a perfect opportunity but we would love to get down to FL just because of how awful the state of NY is to us.

I think our families would love a reason to bail out down to Florida for the winter months. The only real downside is no wegmans!

I love hearing people mention wegmans!! I used to live near the Depew/Cheektowaga area but moved a few years ago. The October storm was no joke but it was fun having 5 days off of school...

 

[bhg469]

I love hearing people mention wegmans!! I used to live near the Depew/Cheektowaga area but moved a few years ago. The October storm was no joke but it was fun having 5 days off of school...

I grew up in Depew, just got a house off of George urban near St Barnabas. As much as I love the area for 3 months out of the year, I dont want to spend the rest of my life here. Wegmans is by far and away the best grocery chain in the country. Publix fans are clearly in the dark but I would gladly give up wegmans for a decent home in a nice town in Florida.

 

[bhg469]

Who doesn't want to live next to Disney? Seriously!

However, IMHO, being close to things you really like can easily loose their sparkle per-say. For example, moved to a city several years ago, living close to everything I liked and I was like, yay!!! So much goodness. 5 years later? "Oh, I kind of forgot that's here." And then you never really do the stuff you used to do (until you have friends visiting) and become a hermit to stay away from large crowds.

That is one of my fears if I ever did get that option to move closer to the magic, it losing a good bit of its sparkle. (But that is just how I feel about it).

I work in florida for a few weeks every year and during the trip I usually visit the parks for a day when I have off. This year I got in for free and even that, it wasn't that great. I feel like I probably will go back to check out pandora, but beyond that, it wears off more and more each time I visit. The company is doing a terrible job at making a visitor like me feel welcome though. I usually cannot go for more than one day and I often don't know what day I am going until its maybe a day or two before I can go.

 

[Allym146]

We lived off of Genesee street for that storm, anything south of us was a disaster, even 2 blocks away was barely passable. We were super lucky and only got about a foot. We live in Depew now, closer to wegmans so life has improved.
My company has been on the verge of sending me down to the st Pete area for a while now. We would never move to Orlando unless it was a perfect opportunity but we would love to get down to FL just because of how awful the state of NY is to us.

I think our families would love a reason to bail out down to Florida for the winter months. The only real downside is no wegmans!

Oh man, you really missed out we were in west seneca during the storm, now in Lackawanna. It takes me 8 minutes to get to Wegs now instead of 3 hahah.

 

[21stamps]

I grew up in lakeland, it took me about 40-45 minutes to leave my house and be at one of the parks. It's a full on city with everything you want but also the accessibility of Orlando and Tampa since your right between the two. As a 27 yr old male I was ready to move away to a big city, but honestly lakeland has seen great growth and really has a ton to offer all while being incredibly close to every major tourist draw in central florida.

My brother commutes to MK for work and has no issue with the drive

Wait, are you suggesting for someone to move to Lakeland.. intentionally?!

 

[bhg469]

Wait, are you suggesting for someone to move to Lakeland.. intentionally?!

When I come down for work I keep seeing Lakeland as being the perfect city for someone looking for an inexpensive home in fl while avoiding hurricanes and excessive tourism. Not to mention one of the best vietnamese restaurants in FL.

 

[OvertheHorizon]

No one has mentioned the Champions Gate area (off of Exit 58 of I-4). It is about 15 minutes from Disney, and there are grocery stores, restaurants, and other shops in the immediate area. Lots of real estate development going on in the area.

 

[mj2v]

No one has mentioned the Champions Gate area (off of Exit 58 of I-4). It is about 15 minutes from Disney, and there are grocery stores, restaurants, and other shops in the immediate area. Lots of real estate development going on in the area.

Problem with that area is traffic. We lived out there before Reunion and Champions Gate and it was awesome, although not convenient.

 

[disney4life2008]

When I come down for work I keep seeing Lakeland as being the perfect city for someone looking for an inexpensive home in fl while avoiding hurricanes and excessive tourism. Not to mention one of the best vietnamese restaurants in FL.

Whats the name of it?