Real Estate Articles | Published: Friday, January 28 2011

Florida's Top Cities to Live in

Florida conjures up images of palm trees, blue oceans, orange juice, and eternal summer, but being such a large state, there are actually areas that get snow every winter! In the middle of the state are cities whose residents have to drive over an hour to get to a beach. They may be fine with it, but are you? Heres a list of the top five Florida cities to live in, and what they have to offer:

Orlando: Orlando is the third largest metro area in Florida, and boasts over 235,000 residents in the city limits. Located in central Florida, Orlando's temperatures and climate stay within a comfortable range of 60 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit year round. It is home to major tourist attractions, such as Universal Orlando and SeaWorld Orlando, and offers tons more to its residents. Local amenities include the main campus for the University of Central Florida, Orlando International Airport, and numerous golf courses. Orlando has a large population of Puerto Ricans, which has led to 16% of its population speaking Spanish.

Kissimmee: This Florida city is located in Central Florida, and is home to approximately 50,000 people. Kissimmee is not on a beach, but it is on a large lake, Lake Tohoe. An Amtrak Station is located in Kissimmee, and it is scheduled to also be a stop on the planned SunRail commuter rail system. Kissimmee students attend a variety of schools, including high schools that offer the International Baccalaureate Program. Located near Orlando, Kissimmee offers the same climate, and features the Houston Astros' spring training facilities, and the Osceola Softball Training Complex.

Winter Park: Winter Park is located near both Kissimmee and Orlando, but is recognized as the first centrally planned community in Florida. As a result, its main street area features not only stores but art galleries, a liberal arts university (Rollins College), train station, and country club. The city's historic emphasis on art, underlined by the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art which contains the world's largest collection of Tiffany glass, have attracted many different types of residents, and today the city is inhabited by approximately 25,000 people.

Lakeland: Though located in South Central Florida, on Interstate 4, the town has plenty of water with its namesake lakes. Lakeland is a sizable community of approximately 78,000 people, supported by a variety of industries. Though still important, citrus is no longer the economic backbone of Lakeland. Today, Publix Supermarkets is the cities largest employer, employing over 6,500 people in their Lakeland headquarters and warehouses. A hub for Fedex, many Lakeland residents also are employed by the shipping company. The town is also host to the Detroit Tigers spring training, which makes for great rental opportunities.

Tampa: This large Gulf side city is home to over 343,000 people. The city is split into a number of neighborhoods, some of which date to the 1920s. Tampa is home to many colleges, including the University of South Florida which has nearly 45,000 students enrolled, making it the fifth largest college in the United States. Tampa's residents are served by over 20 hospitals and 4 trauma centers in and around Tampa, and boasts its own Major League Baseball Team, the Tampa Devil Rays and National Hockey Team, the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Apopka	345 Homes
Zellwood	63 Homes
Ocoee	134 Homes
Sorrento	66 Homes
Altamonte Springs	77 Homes
Winter Garden	172 Homes
Maitland	117 Homes
Longwood	282 Homes
Gotha	19 Homes
Casselberry	96 Homes
Mount Dora	274 Homes

Florida's Top Cities to Live in

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