Rosemont

Lake Orlando is at the heart of the Rosemont neighborhood, and residents walk, bike and jog around the lake regularly. The homes here are custom built homes, not the cookie cutter homes common in many Orange County neighborhoods, shaded by stately old growth trees. There is no mandatory HOA, so there is more of a live and let live attitude here. While there are some that don't keep up their property, in general this is a community of people who do take care of their homes. Built in the late 80s and 90s as a suburban style community within the City of Orlando, Rosemont has a golf course and has homes of a wide range of prices, from $400,000 homes down to affordable rental homes, with everything in between. You'll find be able to buy twice or three times the home that you would be able to afford in the more trendy College Park, just minutes away from here, and you'll likely have a more peaceful neighborhood and be able to visit College Park when you want to dine out.
The neighborhood has a community center run by the city of Orlando which has a beautiful pool, tennis courts, playground, basketball, a fitness center, senior programs, computer center and game room. You can play tennis for free, and the courts are almost always available. They also run summer camps for kids which are the most affordable child care you'll find.
Rosemont Elementary school had a bad reputation, but pulled itself up to an A rated school from a failing school. The school has had a great turnaround, so don't believe everything you hear about the school, as it may be outdated information.
Also, remember, that you can send your children to magnet programs that Orange County public schools has to offer which are free, or to charter schools, so there are many options to find the best educational fit for your kids.
The Rosemont neighborhood is ideal if you work in downtown Orlando. Rosemont is 10-15 minutes from downtown. Housing values did not skyrocket in this neighborhood the way they have in other neighborhoods close to downtown. There is good public transportation. When in need, there is a little shopping plaza with a Save-A-Lot and dollar store and a little Jamaican take out place, but Wal-Mart is about 5 minutes away on John Young Parkway, Publix in College Park is about 10 minutes away, Winn Dixie and Aldi a bit further, but not far.
Most of the people living on my block are older folks who spend a lot of time taking care of their property. There are a few families with children. I feel safe having my kids play outside here. What we enjoy most about the neighborhood is the beautiful lake and natural habitat for birds, the relatively large homes, the community center and the peacefulness.
There is a proposal to have a passenger train come from Mt. Dora area down OBT to downtown -- I hope that they are able to develop it, as it will make the area even more attractive.
We also use nearby Trotter's park a lot for soccer, and Lake Fairview park has a boating club.