RP: Moving between Orlando and Tampa...

NatPhoto09

Hey girls.  Does anyone live in Lakeland?  My DH and I will be moving somewhere between Orlando and Tampa b/c I will be working in Orlando and he will be working in Tampa.  Where in Lakeland do you recommend living (near I-4)?  I'm also looking for a daycare for my son.  Any recommendations would be appreciated.  TIA!

MrsChelseaP09

I used to live in Lakeland and we hated it (sorry). South of I-4 is really nice though, if we could have afforded to move there we probably would have (the housing market was still going strong when we bought & sold). They are building a lot of new neighborhoods in South Lakeland. We lived about a mile north of I-4, off of Socrum Loop Rd. Most of our neighbors were great but the renters out there were HORRIBLE and they were everywhere in the older communities. Everyone we met either just got out of jail, had spent most of their lives in jail or were currently addicted to drugs. If you are planning a visit soon, downtown Lakeland has a huge lake with tons of beautiful swans. You will see swan statues all over the city, they recently added butterflies as well. 98 - north of I-4 is where most of your shopping is (Best Buy, Target, 1 of the malls, etc).

We also had chosen Lakeland because my husband wanted to be closer to Orlando for school and I wanted to be closer to Tampa for my family & friends.

amazingkel

MEMEMEMEME!  Thanks for letting me know about this post Chelsea!  we are in North Lakeland (about 10 minutes from I-4).  We love it.  we have lived on the south side of Lakeland, and while it is nice, the traffic there is horrific.  you would probably have to jump on the polk pky to get to I4 and thats a toll road.  You have easier access to I 4 from the northside, and there are tons of great neighborhoods up their.  If you want to send me an email I can tell you about our neighborhood, which have TONS of young families and kids and has a few houses for sale VERY reasonably priced right now...as in, we paid 150,000 last year for a 2300 sf house, and our neighbors across the street just bought their 1600 sf house for 85000.  There are some our size now going for 125000.  It is a quiet neighborhood, more of a rural area, but still close to shopping/dining.  Our son went to a daycare nearby here (The Children's Village), and our neighbor's daughter went to Bethel Baptist Church's daycare.  Our son goes to a babysitter now in Davenport where I work, so he left the daycare he was at to be closer to me since he will be going to school here.  My email is knigro1011@gmail.com

Feel free to email me!

Melissa2004

I live in S. Lakeland and we love it. We're from Tampa and moved here because of how much more affordable it is.  I still work in Tampa and make the commute daily. It takes between 45-60 minutes, depending on what time you leave.

 I think there's nice places on the North and South side, although it seems like there's newer stuff on the South side. I admit, I know S. Lakeland well but I don't really know any other areas.

For daycare I recommend Little Footsteps Academy.  We're currently going to Early Childhood Learning center on Pipkin and are on the waiting list for Footsteps. 

GL!
Melissa