ORANGE COUNTY
Real Estate 2007 2008 4/2009
Median Price* Single Family Home $ 248,900 $ 201,500 $ 141,800
Median Price* Condominium $ 158,500 $ 117,700 $ 52,700
*Median Price of 101 homes sold would be that price which is lower than 50 of the prices and also higher than 50 of the prices. In other words, there are homes and condominiums available in every price range in Orange County. Median prices shown above are for the Orlando MSA. The statistics are meant to give you a feel for the area as compared to others you may be considering and to show the direction of the market.
Taxes
Visit the Buy a Home in Florida section on our Home Page for comprehensive property tax information.
Weather
Average High/Low in January 63/39, in July 90/71
Orange County is the (Metro Orlando) region's most populous county and includes the City of Orlando, as well as twelve other incorporated cities. The county sits in the approximate center of the state, midway between Jacksonville and Miami. The St. Petersburg-Tampa area on the Gulf of Mexico and Daytona Beach on the Atlantic Ocean are easy drives. Two of the state's major highways, Interstate 4 (east-west) and the Florida Turnpike (north-south), intersect just outside Orlando.
Few places in the nation have experienced the quality growth found in Orange County, which is anticipated to gain more jobs than any other county in Florida through 2010. Much of this explosion has come in the high tech sector. Orange County is home to the fifth largest research university in the nation, one of the top ten research parks in the country, one of only two National Entrepreneur Centers, a world-class international airport and an all new UCF College of Medicine, scheduled to open in 2009.
Here are some population statistics:
Apopka 26,642
Belle Isle 5,531
Eatonville 2,432
Edgewood 1,901
Maitland 12,019
Oakland 936
Ocoee 24,391
Orlando 185,951
Windermere 1,897
Winter Garden 14,351
Winter Park 24,090
Unincorporated areas 596,164
Those who venture into Orlando beyond the world-famous tourist attractions quickly realize that this is a uniquely “livable” community. Distinctive, brick streets and tree lined neighborhoods; year-round outdoor recreation; proximity to beaches, lakes, springs, parks and trails; world-class entertainment options; closets free of winter coats, scarves and gloves … all contribute to an environment that most never want to leave once they’ve called it their home.
The region’s cost of living is significantly lower than many other major metropolitan markets. Its thriving downtown currently boasts $1.8 billion in condo, retail and office development. A trio of state-of-the-art performing arts and sports centers is planned for the region. And for those that prefer to get-away from the city pace, residential acreage remains abundant, offering quiet space with proximity to the urban center.
- Orlando ranks as the 4th most popular city, based on where people want to live, according to Pew Research Center.
- For the fourth consecutive year, the Metro Orlando economy ranks among the strongest economies in the U.S. and the strongest in the state of Florida according to the annual POLICOM Economic Strength Rankings.
- Metro Orlando ranks second on the list of "Six Great Relocation Destinations" published by Retirement Solutions Foundation.
Arts & Culture
Orlando's arts community can best be described as "small, strong and growing." Metro Orlando is the only region in the State of Florida that is home to all three disciplines: symphony, opera and ballet. The aggregate budget of all arts organizations is $25 million annually. The quality of what the community receives for this investment is extraordinarily high.
Some local highlights include the following:
- The artistic director of the Orlando Ballet, Robert Hill, is internationally renowned in ballet circles.
- Orlando is home to one of the top orchestras in the state.
- The Morse Museum is internationally known for its Tiffany glass collection.
- The City of Orlando’s Public Arts division curates three galleries, all of which are free to the general public. Two of the galleries are located in Orlando’s City Hall; the third is housed within the historic Harry P. Leu Gardens Garden Home.
- The Florida Film Festival in Orlando has been ranked among the top 10 festivals in the world by The Ultimate Film Festival Survival Guide, 2nd Edition.
- The Zora Neale Hurston Festival is an internationally known celebration of the cultural contributions that Africa-descended people have made to the United States and to world culture.
- The Orlando Museum of Art boasts a renowned permanent collection and has played host to many world-famous traveling exhibits, including American glass artist Dale Chihuly, China’s Ming Dynasty Collection, and American folk painter Grandma Moses.
- Adding to the rich community fabric of Orlando cultural arts is the Orlando Broadway Series, Orlando Shakespeare Theater in Partnership with UCF and the Festival of Orchestras.
- The Orlando Fringe Festival is a well-known, off-beat cultural event.
- Home to exciting, hands-on exhibits, amazing giant-screen movies and engaging live programming, Orlando Science Center is a place where visitors can explore and discover science and technology together.
Visit the websites below for more information:
City of Orlando Arts & Cultural Affairs
Orange County Arts & Cultural Affairs
Parks & Recreation
Orlando’s famed attractions will have you spinning, plunging and twisting on an adrenaline-pumping adventure. But, Orlando also offers unique outdoor adventures that will get your blood rushing and your spirit soaring.
Orlando’s varied landscape is breathtaking from the air. Green grass, spotted with lakes, rivers and natural springs, tall native palm trees and untouched forests are just a few of the sights you will enjoy as you sail over Central Florida. Enjoy the view from more than 2,000 feet (600 meters) in the air as you glide gently back to earth. No experience is required. You will be tethered securely to a two-person hand glider with an instructor by your side. The ride may last only 15 to 20 minutes but the experience will stay with you forever.
Perhaps you would like a longer ride? Check out the scenery from a hot air balloon excursion at sunrise, complete with champagne. Several companies offer flights in the attractions area.
With more than 2,000 lakes, rivers and springs, you’ll find that any outdoor adventure in Orlando will likely lead to water. Luckily there are lots of ways to explore our waterways from the peaceful paddling of a kayak to the wind-blown excitement of a jet-engine-propelled airboat ride. Or rent a pontoon boat for the day and explore on your own.
Several companies offer airboat tours of area waterways where you are sure to see alligators, turtles, snakes, native birds and bald eagles. You can partake of a bouncy, off-road trip through a working cattle ranch in search of deer, alligators, snakes, birds and spiders.
How about a manatee tour that allows you to learn, interact and experience the manatees in their natural environment? These small tours are capped at only six people to ensure a quality experience for participants.
You can also experience the natural beauty of the Orlando area on horseback. You can choose from a nature trail ride for those with little experience to an intermediate trail ride for the more skilled riders to advanced trail rides for the more expert rider.
Or grab some wheels – two of them – and explore miles of paved bicycle trails on your own. Explore the West Orange Trail – 19 miles (30 kilometers) of paved trails near beautiful Lake Apopka. Looking for a little more speed? Rent a motorcycle for a day, week or month from Orlando Harley-Davidson.
Whether you prefer to soar through the air, to skim through the water or to keep your feet on solid ground, you’ll find plenty of outdoor recreation options in Orlando and throughout Orange County.
For more information on County and City parks visit the websites below:
Orange County Parks - more than 92 parks to choose from.
City of Orlando Parks - over 80 parks.
Beaches
You’ll have to drive to a coast for an ocean or the gulf, but the following County Parks can accommodate you with a lake beach!
For comprehensive Beach information check out The Florida Beach Book!. It also has gift certificates to the best Florida restaurants on or near the beaches.
Golf
Eagles, birdies and pars are filling the scorecards at the region’s more than 100 top-rated golf courses that are designed by famed architects such as Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Robert Trent Jones and Tom Watson. Signature holes designed by these pros ensure that you find just the right degree of challenge on Orlando’s links.
PGA TOUR superstars like Vijay Singh, Jim Furyk and Tiger Woods regularly battle it out at Orlando’s two annual tournaments, The Arnold Palmer Invitational in March and the Walt Disney World Classic in October. It’s no surprise that several PGA TOUR and LPGA pros including Tiger Woods, Arnold Palmer, Chris DiMarco, Se Ri Pak, Ernie Els and Mark O’Meara call the area home.
Known for his guidance of PGA professionals, David Leadbetter, voted the second-best instructor in the nation by Golf Digest in 2005, has made Orlando the world headquarters of David Leadbetter’s Golf Academy at Champions Gate. In total, Orlando boasts 22 golf academies, many featuring nationally recognized instructors including three – David Leadbetter, Mike Bender and Fred Griffin – who were selected by Golf Digest among the “50 Greatest Teachers” in 2005. Other top academies include the Arnold Palmer Golf Academy at Bay Hill; The Faldo Golf Institute by Marriott; The Golf Academy at Celebration Golf Club; Phil Ritson’s Golf Your Way at Orange County National Golf Center; The McCord Golf Academy at Orange Lake Resort and Club; and the Graves Golf Academy at Eagle Creek Golf Club. The newest addition to Orlando’s golf instructional offerings is Annika Sorenstam’s Academy of Golf & Fitness at Ginn Reunion Resort.
The region’s mild climate makes outdoor recreational pursuits a year round lifestyle choice in Metro Orlando. This is one reason that more professional golfers live here than in any other city in the United States.
Visit the Your Florida Lifestyle section on our Home Page for additional golf information.
Sports
But, there are plenty of sports and recreation options for amateur sports enthusiasts and spectators as well. Highlights include the following:
- The NBA’s Orlando Magic play on their home court in the Amway Arena in downtown Orlando, as do the Arena Football Conference champion Orlando Predators. The Orlando Magic’s corporate home is based at Orlando’s RDV Sportsplex, a sprawling sports and entertainment destination that houses a fitness club, ice skating rink, tennis courts, salon and spa, retail and restaurants, corporate event facilities, and is adjacent to a Florida Hospital therapy and medical complex.
- The region’s park network is extensive and well maintained, providing space for activities ranging from youth to adult recreational sports programs to corporate picnics and family reunions. A growing number of hiking and bike trails also dot the region; providing safe, traffic-free expanses for weekend exercise as well as for athletes in training.
- Orlando Speedworld is Central Florida's most active stock car racing speedway. And, nearby Daytona Beach is home to the world-famous NASCAR and Daytona 500, as well as to the annual Bike Week gathering of motorcycle enthusiasts.
- The Atlanta Braves, of MLB fame, host their spring training at the state-of-the-art Disney Wide World of Sports Complex. That unparalleled sports mecca is also home to hundreds of other annual sports competitions, ranging from youth lacrosse to professional fast pitch softball and the annual Disney Marathon.
- Lake County is home to the National Training Center, a facility where local residents, national and international athletes of all levels gather to train and build strength. The USA Triathalon Team and United Kingdom Olympic Track Team are among those who have taken advantage of this stellar resource.
Visit the Your Florida Lifestyle section on our Home Page for additional sports information.
Hospitals
Healthcare in the region is comprehensive, with internationally recognized programs in cardiology, cancer, women’s medicine, neurology, diabetes, orthopedics and rehabilitation. According to the American Hospital Association, two of the nation’s largest healthcare systems are headquartered in the region, which will soon be home to a brand new medical school and leaders in health science research.
Florida Hospital is an acute-care healthcare system with more than 2,800 beds at a comprehensive network of 17 hospitals and 13 Centra Care walk-in urgent care centers. Owned and operated by Adventist Health System, Florida Hospital is the second busiest system in the country and treats more than one million patients each year.
Orlando Health is a 1,780-bed, private, not-for-profit healthcare network. Established in 1918 on the heels of World War I, and in the midst of the Spanish Flu epidemic that raged across the world, the system today cares for more than two million local patients and 4,500 international patients each year.
Orlando Health’s locations in Metro Orlando include Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies and the world-class M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Orlando
Visit the Florida Medical Resources section on our Home Page for comprehensive information including Florida hospital ratings.
Colleges
The exceptional quality of technology research and training at Central Florida colleges and universities is increasingly recognized as an extraordinary community asset. Working in tandem, the University of Central Florida in Orlando and the University of South Florida in Tampa anchor Florida's High Tech Corridor, providing undergraduate, graduate and doctoral program options in specialties ranging from microelectronics to bio-med. In addition to the multitude of specialized high tech curriculums, graduate degrees in business administration and law are also available through local universities.
For information on Lifelong Learning, visit the Your Florida Lifestyle section on our home page.
Airports
Orlando International Airport is one of the region’s crown jewels. Among the fastest growing major international airports in the world, Orlando International ranks as the 10th busiest airport in the U.S. and the 20th busiest in the world.
Shopping
Orlando is an exciting affair with a dizzying array of options. You can choose from upscale The Mall at Millenia showcasing premium brands such as Betsey Johnson, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co. and more or Prime Outlets International Orlando, where bargain hunters can find 175 luxurious brands including the only Victoria’s Secret Outlet in the southeast. You’re in for a real treat when you visit Central Florida’s largest mall, The Florida Mall. This retail showcase features an impressive array of more than 250 stores including Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Coach, The Apple Store, the M&M Store, Sephora and MAC Cosmetics. Orlando Premium Outlets is home to one of only three Dior outlet stores in the country.
Many of Orange County’s smaller towns have wonderful shopping areas as well. Winter Park’s Park Avenue is one that you’ll enjoy visiting.
Orange County, Florida, Cities & Towns
Incorporated
- City of Apopka
Plymouth (part of Apopka)
- City of Belle Isle
- Town of Eatonville
- City of Edgewood
- City of Maitland
- Town of Oakland
- City of Ocoee
- City of Orlando
- Town of Windermere
- City of Winter Garden
- City of Winter Park
- City of Bay Lake (part of Walt Disney World)
- City of Lake Buena Vista (part of Walt Disney World)
Unincorporated
Additional Resources
Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission http://www.orlandoedc.com/
City of Orlando www.cityoforlando.net
Featured Towns/Cities
Orlando
Much of what we talked about in the Orange County section above relates to Orlando. It is the County Seat and the largest city in the County. However, there is much more to Orlando yet to be discussed and much more to Orlando than Walt Disney World!
Downtown Orlando, at first glance is new, with high rise office buildings and condominiums dominating the skyline. Upon further investigation, you’ll find quaint neighborhoods with brick streets and older restored homes within walking distance of shops and restaurants. The City is very green with flower gardens and trees along the sidewalks. Lake Eola Park is popular destination in the downtown area, with many people taking advantage of the beautiful surroundings to walk at lunch or the evenings. You can rent a Swan paddleboat, feed the live swans and other birds inhabiting the park, see a concert or a play in the Amphitheater or just relax amid beautiful flower beds and a spectacular view of Orlando's skyline.
There is truly every housing option available to you in Orlando. From renovated downtown homes and condos, to new mid rise and high rise condos; gated communities with amenities to country club communities and resort style living; it is all here and reasonably priced. Hundreds of lakes are scattered throughout Orlando providing many homes and condos with beautiful water views.
If you would like to get a feel for home prices in Orlando, visit www.zillow.com and search for recent homes sold.
If you would prefer to save precious time and would like personalized assistance, call or email us today to take advantage of our free Florida Relocation Services. We’ll answer all of your questions and if the timing is right for you, we’ll introduce you to one of the best real estate agents in Orlando who can provide detailed information and professional assistance.
Winter Park
Winter Park offers a small town quality of life with all the attractions and conveniences of being
in a major metropolitan area. From world-class shopping and dining to an abundance of parks and
beautifully landscaped avenues, Winter Park is a place that anyone can call home. Year-round arts
and cultural events, nationally recognized museums, and serving as home to Florida’s prestigious
liberal arts school, Rollins College, make Winter Park the perfect location for those who enjoy
a high quality of life in a rich environment.
Downtown is bordered by three lakes that are part of a chain of 17 lakes all connected by canals.
Winter Park is an elegant town, with its own Park Avenue. In years past the ultra-wealthy wintered here. Now it can be yours to enjoy! In Winter Park, you’ll have access to:
- Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens - Explore the inspired world of internationally acclaimed Czech sculptor Albin Polasek.
Tour his home, galleries and sculpture gardens located in the heart of Winter Park
on Lake Osceola.
- Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art - Houses the world’s most comprehensive collection of works by Louis Comfort Tiffany as well as a major collection of American art pottery and decorative art (late 19th
to early 20th centuries).
- Cornell Fine Arts Museum - The Cornell Fine Arts Museum of Rollins College is accredited by the American Association of Museums and
boasts one of the finest collections of art of any college museum in the country.
- Rollins College - The oldest recognized college in the state of Florida, Rollins offers world-class undergraduate and graduate programs in a picturesque lakeside setting as well as a variety of cultural offerings for the
benefit of the greater Central Florida community.
- Valencia Community College - Valencia’s Winter Park Campus offers the entire range of student services and the courses required for an Associate’s degree in a personalized environment.
- Winter Park Historical Museum - The Winter Park Historical Museum is located in the historic Farmers’ Market building. Admission is free and open to the public. By preserving Winter Park’s history, the museum
brings it back to life with the exhibits, programs and gift shop
merchandise.
- Winter Park Playhouse - The Winter Park Playhouse, Winter Park’s only professional theatre, is an Off-Broadway style theatre that specializes in new, rarely seen and original musical comedies and cabarets with live instrumentation.
If you would like to get a feel for home prices in Winter Park, visit www.zillow.com and search for recent homes sold.
If you would prefer to save precious time and would like personalized assistance, call or email us today to take advantage of our free Florida Relocation Services. We’ll answer all of your questions and if the timing is right for you, we’ll introduce you to one of the best real estate agents in Winter Park who can provide detailed information and professional assistance.
