1. Located in the center of Florida just north of Orlando, 15 minutes. Easy to drive east and west for one or two hours and enjoy the coasts! About 8 hours to Atlanta by car. A couple hours more into the Blue Ridge Mountains. If you want more sizzle, Miami is a 3.5 hour drive south, or 45 minutes by jet. We have an international airport that allows you to go directly to Europe or the Caribbean and South America, Canada. We took a direct flight to Iceland a few years back and several trips to central and south Europe.
2. We are 25- 35 minutes from the doors of Disney, Seaworld, and Universal Studios! Proximity but no tourist traffic unless you are going there in high season. There are golf courses EVERYWHERE.
3. Close to downtown Orlando for cultural events or drive north to Daytona Beach for car races, etc. We have NBA basketball here and top-billed musical acts. Paul Simon just came through. We watched Paul McCartney back to back three years ago.
4. Fresh-water spring streams nearby for superb kayaking and going from 110 degrees to a 65 plunge.
5. Reasonably priced close-in real estate available north of a downtown area and within 4 minutes of an interstate so easy off, easy on and down a shady road to the house. Taxes easy on the wallet. Nice homes available from $300K to $650K. Several lakes where larger homes on the water can go from $900K up.
6. The city of Altamonte Springs to north and Winter Park to south with every possible desired business, shopping, entertainment and restaurant option possible. It takes us less than 8 minutes to get to virtually anything we need: bank, food store, automobile dealerships, upholstery shop, cremation (ha), movie theaters, hospitals, parks, computer stores, gas stations, blueprinter, ethnic restaurants and chains, body shops, auto parts, etc. You name it, it is within 8 -10 minutes away.
7. The neighborhoods are quiet, heavily treed, low trafficked. We are on a loop of about 20 houses. Easy to walk or ride bikes. Very little crime. Demographics are equally balanced.
8. If you would like to retire and buy a condo or upscale apartment, there are 4-5 NEW complexes nearby allowing you to do the same things you always have.
9. Extremely pet and children friendly. There are two great walking parks within 7-8 minutes from our house. There are two or three more within 10- 12 minutes. Some include nature trails, small lakes, etc.
10. It's Florida weather and we do not take direct hits from hurricanes. Flooding is manageable and getting out of Dodge very easy. There is summer heat but fabulous drier and cooler weather for about 7-8 months.
Every time we think about moving somewhere, we just shake our heads and realize we have everything here in an amazingly convenient location that keeps going up in value. But it is about lifestyle and saving time to do as much as you can every day! Our secret sin is going into Winter Park to eat at a French pastry place for breakfast. In cooler weather, we take the dogs and sit outside, then walk them in a gorgeous lakefront park.
No, you can't snow ski here but you can water ski and go deep sea fishing within an hour or so!
Never heard about Maitland, Florida? Now you know! There's only 17,500 of us, so --- Come visit!
by Florida Luxury Home Architect John Henry https://www.dreamhomedesignusa.com/
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