I am planning on moving to the Orlando / surrounding area in a year , when my son grads high school because he is interested in attending some type of cooking school there and since we have been there on vacation for the past 2 years in a row, we absolutely loved it. The problem is , we know no one. I can transfer with my job, but need a bit of info, if anyone has tme to help. I would like to get things slowly started so i can be prepared for this move. I live in Louisiana, I am a single mom of three boys, so i definitely need an aprtment or maybe double wide, or even a home, i can afford . I can transfer with my job, so thats not a problem. The 2 times i went visit , we stayed in Kissimee at Studio 6 on Irlo Bronson, so we are familiar with that area. I need a safe place to live and junior high & high school info, other info may be needed such as social sec office, but the main thing is to find a place to live, close to my job and good schools. i work part time as a decorator in my home and part time as a waitress. If anyone is willing to help me because I really would like to help make my kids dream come true and this is what they want. They would love to be a chef at Disney. But Mom has to make the start. Also, I cant send my baby that far away from me, ( Ha Ha ) . I figure i can at least trust someone on here......and god,
just send me a pm.....
thanks
brandy

Okay , can anyone give me a list of apartments in the Kissimee area. I have managed to get that info, it is Osceola County. Any good schools, decent neighborhoods, etc. I have found some listings but the pics of the aprtmts might bot be true. Don't want to move to a bad place. I am starting to gather all my info now, that way , so i can be prepared for this move. Any help is appreciated.....thanks

I've looking into moving to that area for the last 2 years. My uncle moved there about 6 months ago. It is for sure more expensive that I thought it would be to live down there. It seems that owning a house is the way to go compared to renting. My uncle pays $680 right now for a 1 bedroom apartment which is a 7 minute drive from WDW. That was for 6 months only though. This month he told me it goes up to $850 for the very same apartment. He's now looking into buying this year instead, seems the more economical way to go.
Make sure you look at everything cost wise. I know they don't have to do yearly taxes down there but everything and I mean everything gets taxed. Food included.

I still haven't ruled out moving there one day. Just looking at the best options in the meantime. I hope someone who lives there can give you really good advice. Good luck and I hope your son does well in school. Which school is he interested in?

Thanks for the info. Dont know what school just yet, we will decide when we get there, there is not one in particular. He is not going to the college just culinary school and i dont want him to struggle, with school, bills and trying to make it on his own so since we all like it out there, we all decided to go. I found a few apts. but still looking online. I thought more people would have responded to something, to give a little info. Its hard when i dont know where to begin. And dont want to drive there now, since we still have a year. Just trying to get all info i can and figure all this out....thanks

I don't have any help but wanted to wish you the best of luck.. Oh and if you're able try to get a PT job at Disney or at universal to get free tickets.

Rental housing in Orlando and the surrounding areas generally start at around $750 for a decent 3 bedroom apartment. If you go less than that, you are probably not going to be in a neighborhood you want to be in. I don't know a whole lot about the schools in Kissimmee, but they do have some nice neighborhoods. And also some not so nice neighborhoods.
You should really come ahead of time and take a look at the area before you decide where you want to settle. You can go to websites like greatschools.com and and check out the schools. Check out Orange, Osceola and Seminole County school websites for school test scores and other school information.
We do not have a state income tax. Osceola county sales tax is 6%, but does not apply to food bought at the grocery store, unless it is prepared food, such as deli food. There is no tax on medicine. Everything else is taxed.
Hope this helps. I have been here 30 years and usually like it. The traffic is bad, but I just stay out of it as much as possible. And get a good air conditioner.

There are a few culinary school options in the area.
I would love to take the pastry program at Notters.

The schools in kissimee are pretty good. I have quite a bit of family up there. As far as the rent it's pretty much what bharbor says and it can get more expensive with the amenities. Online a lot of apartments look great but when you actually go to the apartments it's different. When I moved to Tampa I went to all the apartments we considered and a lot of them were very nice but the neighbors were very loud and 50% of the time the customers complained about maintenance never being effective. I know it's not easy but ur best bet is going on apartment ratings and reading the comments. It will halp quite a bit.

As far as your son working at disney goes, that is definitly a possibility. The culinary schools usually have a career counselor that searches for available positions in and out of the city. My advice would be to try and come down personally and see what you are getting into (if financially possible) Mobile homes are also a good idea. My brother just bought a 3 bed double wide for 6,000 and his lot fee is $300 a month. I'm not on here as often but if you have any other questions feel free to pm me.