town of Celebration

[JCorduroy]

I love Celebration.Every time I go to WDW we have to drive through and look at the model homes.My dream houseis there.Im sad to say Celebration is in its final new home stages with Artisan park which ironcally is built by the ST. Joe Company whos CEO is Joe Rummel who used to work for Disney and spear headed building Celebration with the Disney Developement Company.Id love to build there but if I cant due to no more new homes Im going to go to Baldwin Park,Avalon park, Harmony, or Reuinion.

I don't know much of Harmony or Reunion - can you tell me where they are?

Baldwin and Avalon park, however, are absolutely beautiful. I'd lean more towards Baldwin since it's more centralized in town, but Avalon is good in it's own right as well.

 

[manutdfan1]

Is there a hardware store, grocery store, or drug store in all of celebration??? Because if there isnt that kinda sucks.

 

[PeachPrincess]

There used to be a Goodings here but it closed. There is a Publix right outside of here on 192. And on down 192 are a super Target and lots of eating places. We have a Chick-Fil-A down at Water Tower Place which we frequent alot and a Joe's Crab Shack. We also have a UPS store, post office, dry cleaners, and at least 3 banks that I know of. There are still plenty of good shops here. There just isn't a grocery anymore. The Goodings was overpriced anyway. It isn't too bad of a drive to everything else you need.

 

[bgraham34]

I know of two people that were one of the first to move in. One left and the other still lives there as far as i know.

 

[blackerbys17]

Correct me if I am wrong but I believe that Harmony is between St. Cloud and Holopaw on Irlo Bronson Highway (192) east of the Fl. Turnpike, right?

I didn't actually get a look inside the place but I remember driving by and telling DH how much it looked like Celebration. I think it is the same concept as Celebration, I believe the term is "master planned community".

I personally love the look and feel of Celebration. It has kind of become tradition, whenever we go to Orlando (we only live 4 hours away) we drive through Celebration. Yes, it seems a little cold and stale at first but everything is so clean and beautiful, I would LOVE to live there.

Unfortunately, DH is a police officer and he wants to retire from the dept. he works for now so we can't move for another 10 years. He's promised that if we can afford it once he retires, he'll buy me a house there. I hope so, it would be a dream come true! I don't mind if it is a new home or not, I just want to live there. Heck, even the smallest "shack" in Celebration would suit me just fine!

 

[browniebee]

I heard that Nick Carter lived in Celebration at one point, but that was awhile ago.

 

[freediverdude]

At first I thought it would be cool to live there. But then I heard things like even your curtains have to be a certain color, and then I was like, oh puh leeze. And then Disney sold the town center I think, so it wouldn't seem like I was living in a Disney community anymore anyway, so I've kinda given up on the idea.

 

[wedway71]

Correct me if I am wrong but I believe that Harmony is between St. Cloud and Holopaw on Irlo Bronson Highway (192) east of the Fl. Turnpike, right?

I didn't actually get a look inside the place but I remember driving by and telling DH how much it looked like Celebration. I think it is the same concept as Celebration, I believe the term is "master planned community".

I personally love the look and feel of Celebration. It has kind of become tradition, whenever we go to Orlando (we only live 4 hours away) we drive through Celebration. Yes, it seems a little cold and stale at first but everything is so clean and beautiful, I would LOVE to live there.

Unfortunately, DH is a police officer and he wants to retire from the dept. he works for now so we can't move for another 10 years. He's promised that if we can afford it once he retires, he'll buy me a house there. I hope so, it would be a dream come true! I don't mind if it is a new home or not, I just want to live there. Heck, even the smallest "shack" in Celebration would suit me just fine!

My Grandfather was a cop in South Florida for 30 years-what Department is your hubby?He worked for city of Miami Police Dept. and left as Capt. Narcotics Division.When I got out of Air Force I had a job waiting there for me but my wife told me She would kill me if I did that.-lol

 

[blackerbys17]

My Grandfather was a cop in South Florida for 30 years-what Department is your hubby?He worked for city of Miami Police Dept. and left as Capt. Narcotics Division.When I got out of Air Force I had a job waiting there for me but my wife told me She would kill me if I did that.-lol

LOL! Too funny, my hubby works for City of Miami Police too! He is a K-9 Officer and soon to be a K-9 trainer too.

Yeah, take it from me, it can be hard on the wife (me in this case) but his hours have gotten much better. He's home by 2:30 PM most days and only works 4 days a week. The pay is very good too so it is not all bad. As for worrying about him, I used to worry much more but now that he is in the K-9 unit, I fear for the fool that dares to mess with him or our K-9 Vasco, he's a man eating machine! :lol:

 

[BG Rugger]

I've applied for a teaching position at Celebration High School...hope it pans out but no word yet

 

[wedway71]

LOL! Too funny, my hubby works for City of Miami Police too! He is a K-9 Officer and soon to be a K-9 trainer too.

Yeah, take it from me, it can be hard on the wife (me in this case) but his hours have gotten much better. He's home by 2:30 PM most days and only works 4 days a week. The pay is very good too so it is not all bad. As for worrying about him, I used to worry much more but now that he is in the K-9 unit, I fear for the fool that dares to mess with him or our K-9 Vasco, he's a man eating machine! :lol:

Yep K9 dogs are the best partner.Unlike a human partner they wont back down to protect-When I was in the Air Force we used k9s too.Growing up as a kid in Dade and Broward was nice having a Capt as Grandpa especially when I would be pulled over for something by a cop and Id say who my Grandpa was and then I always got "well drive safe and have a nice day"

 

[blackerbys17]

Yes, as they say, membership has its priveleges! :lol: I've been stopped a time or two by a police officer to which I usually reply by showing my "Cop's Wife" badge (yes, they actually make those, lol) and thankfully, I'm off the hook. Actually, I haven't been stopped in years though but just in case I still carry my "badge" you know? :lol:

That's funny that you grew up in Dade, I have lived here all my life. As for K9s, yes, they are THE BEST. A fellow City of Miami K9 Police Officer was shot at a few years back and his dog jumped in front of him and took the bullet for him. Atlas, the canine, died shortly after. He got a hero's funeral because that is what he is, a hero. He saved that officer's life.

Our K9 Vasco is a sweetie and our best friend. But, give him a bad guy and he is something fierce. I'll tell you what, I sleep very soundly at night with him in the house.

 

[jiddng]

Since the OP asked if anyone on the board actually lived here, and was seeking an opinion - I have some observations from "Inside the Bubble".

And I'll address some of the earlier comments and questions as best I can.

Celebration is like most places, it's as good or bad as you choose to make it. And it has it's own built in good and bad as well.

Lawn decorations, I don't know about pink flamingos, but Celebration really gets decked out in a major way for Christmas and Halloween, and in some areas Easter. It's encouraged actually. No problem either with flags, door wreaths, etc, etc.

Look alike houses - not really. the restrictive covenants prevent same design/color homes from being too close. Are the houses too close together? Yes, find me a development in the last ten years where they aren't.

Expensive - certainly. But there's been a real estate bubble nationwide. A realtor neighbor tells me that something like 12% of Celebration homes are worth more than $1,000,000.

Stepford. No. If it were Stepford, it would be perfect and this place isn't even close. Besides, the Stepford joke became stale and yawn inducing about 8 years ago.

The Bucs take over the entire hotel every August. If any of the Braves are here, they're doing it as individuals, not as a team. I've been told they stay on Dis property, but I don't know.

With the exception of restaurants and the theater, downtown is not for residents, except that it's a great place to hang out when the weather's nice. No grocery, no drug store, no hardware store. Frankly, the merchants survive because of tourists, which is a shame.

Town business and common area issues are handled by a confusing collections of boards, committees and companies. To address a town issue is to deal with a dysfunctional beaurocracy that is largely inept and slow to act.

The alligator sign is in the lake because there are alligators in the lakes. I killed a coral snake in my back yard last month. We spray every night for mosquitos because they are fierce. Welcome to the tropics.

Celebrities? Don't know of even one - which doesn't mean they aren't here. Bill Gates looked here once, as did Julia Roberts (allegedly).

Random factoid - we go to PI for a movie every Halloween because buying candy would break me. My neighbor had 1200 trick or treaters last year. People come in from far and wide, and they are welcomed.

Ok, thanks for letting me ramble a little too much.

I love this place - wouldn't live anywhere else right now.

I totally agree!!! I'm only a PT resident for now, until retirement, but I can't wait for each next trip to Celebration. When I was touring the town and mentioned the closeness of the homes to the real estate agent, I was told the reasoning behind it was to go back to the '40s era where you didn't live in your own self-contained "compound"... the concept was for you to come out and meet your neighbors, kids would play in the community playground together, not just on their own personal swingset in the backyard. I hear they used to have "porch light parties" - to welcome a new neighbor, one person would leave the porch light on, and all the neighbors would get together to welcome the newcomer. It was that good neighbor concept they were trying to bring about.

 

[justducky78]

We always visit Celebration on our way to the airport. We usually grab lunch at the diner there or one of the other restaurants. I love the store that smells like grape bubblegum!

Cute houses and I'd love to own one of those little vehicles that the drive around Celebration - sort of like a golf cart but cuter!

 

[wedway71]

I totally agree!!! I'm only a PT resident for now, until retirement, but I can't wait for each next trip to Celebration. When I was touring the town and mentioned the closeness of the homes to the real estate agent, I was told the reasoning behind it was to go back to the '40s era where you didn't live in your own self-contained "compound"... the concept was for you to come out and meet your neighbors, kids would play in the community playground together, not just on their own personal swingset in the backyard. I hear they used to have "porch light parties" - to welcome a new neighbor, one person would leave the porch light on, and all the neighbors would get together to welcome the newcomer. It was that good neighbor concept they were trying to bring about.

I also agree.Celebration founders wanted to promote a community feel with neighbors being close and they wanted to promote pedistrian freindly streets thus putting garages in the back of the houses and alleys.When a freind of the family built a home there and moved in his neighbors welcomed him with a gift basket.I hear some of the negatives that people think it is too restrictive.I saw a promotional video around 1996ish and one of the first residents was asked by the reporter if he felt that people had a lack of freedoms living there and his response was"freedom to do what????" meaning alot of people who live there live there for a reason.Maybe they got sick of neighbors keeping houses trashed or not upkeeping their homes making the property values go down. I live in a community in Indianapolis called Chessington Grove which is very restictive like Celebration and I like the fact that I feel pride with my neighbors about how nice our community looks.:sohappy:

 

[mkt]

And mkt, where in Celebration did you live? I didn't know you ever lived there.

Market Street, right above Goodings. It was my first apartment... shared it with 5 guys and 1 girl. I left before the end of the lease and moved to Hunters Creek.

 

[seabelis]

I recently read a book written by a couple who moved to celebration called Celebration, U.S.A.: Living in Disney's Brave New Town by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins. It seems honest enough; they have some very positive things to say about the place but are also honest about the less successful aspects of the community. It's an easy read.

 

[Piebald]

I've been to Celebration and it's really nice. It reminds me of where my parents live back home in South FL and where I used to live. White picket fences, horticulturalists everywhere taking care of all the plants/trees. We aren't allowed to have pick up trucks (only in the garage) no matter how nice or how new/expensive they are. They are strict on their code violations and will fine you. The houses are ridiculously expensive too. Way more expensive than Celebration, but of course the surrounding area has a lot more to offer methinks. I'd like to live in Celebration if I moved to the Orlando area. It's one of the fewer places that is not incredibly crappy in Orlando. Lee Vista and Avalon Park is pretty nice as well. Never been to Metrowest and don't know where Hunters Creek is but heard that they are nice too.

 

[yazmin182]

Does anyone know the population?

 

[manutdfan1]

its coming up on 12,000. The goal is 20,000 and they plan to stop there.