Attending UCF soon, Some advice on places to avoid? (Orlando: section 8, apartment complexes)

[UCFStudent]

Hey everyone, i'm new to this forum so nice to meet ya'll =)

anyways, i'm from New york, i've lived there my whole life, and in quite a nice neighborhood too. So i'm 18 years old, and in about 10 days i'm off to Orlando to begin classes, and can't be more excited.

unforutantely, the one thing i keep hearing about florida is the crime.. (and i guess for good reasons, i see its 11th? in crime)

now, while i'm not someone who's usually scared of people, the idea of moving to a new and unfamiliar city is somewhat intimidating... and my main concern is not knowing where to avoid.. i know in my home town there are very low crime rates, but even though they are low, everyone knows what streets and places to avoid, but with moving into a new city, i'm nervous i might take a wrong turn and be in quite a shady area

I'm going to be staying just off campus, on University Blvd.. and i was hoping people could give me some street names/certain areas that i should avoid, i'm there for an education and don't want it to go wrong over something stupid

again any help is appreciated, thanks

[dotnetdotcom]

I am moving to orlando soon too and I have been researching good places to live (or, more importantly, where not to live).
To sum up what I have learned thus far:
stay away from the west side of orlando, especially northwest (near orange blossom trial). Avalon park area is new and nice but potentially going downhill due to the recent addition of section 8 housing near by. Northeast of ucf (ie oviedo) is nice as well, but can be a bit pricey.
Remember, I don't live there, this is just stuff I have read and been told by residents

[pianogal]

Originally Posted by dotnetdotcom

I am moving to orlando soon too and I have been researching good places to live (or, more importantly, where not to live).
To sum up what I have learned thus far:
stay away from the west side of orlando, especially northwest (near orange blossom trial). Avalon park area is new and nice but potentially going downhill due to the recent addition of section 8 housing near by. Northeast of ucf (ie oviedo) is nice as well, but can be a bit pricey.
Remember, I don't live there, this is just stuff I have read and been told by residents

You can't believe every thing you read here...much of it is greatly exaggerated IIMHO. I would check out Arden Villas. They are gated and security seems good. They have a nice pool and adequate work out room - although you won't need it - UCF has an amazing state of the art fitness center. They are literally about 2 blocks from UCF. My son stayed there for awhile during the time he was at UCF. They were the only apartments I saw that close to campus, I would want him to stay.

If not these, there are some nice ones a little further away - south on Alafaya in the Waterford Lakes area.

[Breucklyn]

Unfortunately, there are very few "safe" places to live at rents that a person can afford anymore. Glad to hear you want to live off campus and none of the sites on Alafaya Trail near the man campus.
You may want to check the Security Office on campus to ask for their recommendations.

[riptoman]

there's not really many bad areas around UCF. UCF is on the eastside. the only areas on the eastside I would avoid are south semoran. As for the westside, that's where the real slums are. i'd just stay away from that part of town altogether if you have no business there. that's the side of town i'm from, and trust me, it's not happy over there.

[eeyore13]

Arden Villas is very pricey and rather nice. Tivoli is a good compromise. Anything campus-affiliated is terrible. As far as areas to avoid around UCF - there are none. UCF isn't actually in Orlando, it is in Oviedo - so anything around campus is safe overall, but you always run the risk everywhere of the stray crime.

[Wilshire81182]

I think the worst areas east of I-4 potentially in areas that you would be looking at are along Semoran and Goldenrod between about University and Hoffner. I would also avoid a lot of places in Union Park along Colonial between Semoran and Rouse. You can kind of tell when you drive through there that the area is not as nice as Oviedo or Waterford. I think you still need to be aware of your surroundings wherever you are, but you do not need to be paranoid. I think people complain and exaggerate about crime in Orlando because there is a lot more than you would expect since most of Orlando is tidy and attractive and the Orlando metro is not a huge area. There is not always a telltale sign that a neighborhood will be free of problems or that it will be plagued with problems. Most areas if bad are susceptible to a nearby criminal of some sort who is casing the places and does not live there. Orlando needs more police and better funding so the crime will decrease as well as better economic times so there is not so much desperation. It is what it is right now, but I would not tell you to be afraid to move here, just be cautious and really look at where you are moving to and then take a look of what types of apartment complexes and neighborhoods that surround it! There is another recent Crime forum entitled Orlando Crime that will help with an overview of the Orlando area as well and where safe and unsafe areas lie throughout. Oviedo and Winter Springs are usually the best bet on the eastside while still allowing you to be close to UCF!

[pianogal]

I would second the advice on Arden Villas. We lived there while building our home. The apartments are quite large. It is literally 2 blocks from UCF - but is gated with a guard on duty at all times. If I was a student living there - I would bike to campus.

They have a decent pool area and covered parking. At the time we lived there (2004) they had a good mix of students and young professionals. There were not as many students living there as I expected. Perhaps due to the expense. This was actually a good thing - I think. It was much quieter than I would have expected that close to the university.