# Orlando & Central Florida, Florida — Real Estate & Living Guide > The theme-park capital and its real neighborhoods — an hour from our home sand. Canonical page: https://7wavesrealestate.com/service-areas/orlando-central-florida Published by 7 Waves Real Estate (https://7wavesrealestate.com) · (321) 775-5515 ## Should you move here? 7 Waves serves buyers and sellers across metro Orlando and Central Florida — a 2.8-million-person market spanning Orange, Seminole, and Osceola counties. Beyond the theme parks are strong job growth, lake-filled neighborhoods, and home values that pair naturally with Space Coast moves an hour east. ## Key facts - Region: Central Florida (Orange County) - Approximate median home price: $390K - Community size: ~2,800,000 residents - Drive to the beach: ~55 minutes - Public school rating (curated from FL DOE grades): 6/10 - Share of homes in FEMA flood zones: ~5% - Wind/flood insurance exposure tier: 1/5 - County property tax rate: ~0.94% ## About the area Central Florida is more than the parks: it's one of America's fastest-growing metros, with a diversified economy across tech, healthcare, aviation, and entertainment, and neighborhoods from brick-street College Park and Winter Park's oak canopies to Lake Nona's medical-city new builds. We work Central Florida for two kinds of clients: locals moving coastward to the Space Coast (our specialty commute — the Beachline runs both ways), and relocators choosing between Orlando energy and beach-town calm. Having one brokerage that knows both markets means honest comparisons, not sales pitches. ## What makes it worth it - **Walt Disney World Resort** — Four parks and an economy of its own — the reason the world knows Orlando. - **Universal Orlando & Epic Universe** — Universal's newest gate made Orlando the theme-park arms-race capital. - **Lake Eola & Downtown Orlando** — The swan-boat skyline postcard, farmers markets, and a genuine urban core. - **Winter Park** — Brick streets, the Morse Museum's Tiffany glass, and boat tours through oak-lined lake canals. - **Lake Nona** — The master-planned "Medical City" — autonomous shuttles, USTA's national campus, and new-build neighborhoods. ## Fun facts - Orlando welcomes over 70 million visitors a year — the most-visited destination in the United States. - The metro area contains more than 100 named lakes; entire neighborhoods are laid out around chains of them. - Walt Disney secretly assembled 27,000+ acres in the 1960s using shell companies — locals thought the mystery buyer was Howard Hughes. - The SR-528 Beachline was built in 1967 largely to connect the new theme parks to the Space Coast's beaches and port. ## Moving & relocation notes - **Two-market advantage:** We price your Orlando home with Space Coast comparisons in hand (and vice versa) — invaluable when you're trading city for coast. One team, one strategy, both closings coordinated. - **Neighborhood range:** College Park and Audubon Park character homes, Winter Park prestige, Dr. Phillips restaurant-row living, Lake Nona and Horizon West new construction — we'll match the lifestyle brief, not just the budget. - **Insurance & flood:** Inland elevation generally means Florida's friendlier insurance tier, though lake-adjacent and low-lying streets still warrant checks. No state income tax applies statewide, of course. - **Commute & getting around:** SR-528 to the coast, I-4 through the metro spine, Brightline rail from MCO to Miami — and MCO itself, one of the busiest airports in the country, for everywhere else. ## Frequently asked questions ### Does 7 Waves work outside the Space Coast? Yes — our broker is licensed throughout Florida and our team actively serves metro Orlando and Central Florida alongside our Brevard County home base. Cross-market moves between Orlando and the coast are a specialty. ### Should I live in Orlando or on the Space Coast? Orlando wins on jobs density, dining, and flight options; the Space Coast wins on beaches, water access, and price-per-square-foot with launch views. They're only an hour apart — many of our clients work one and live the other. We'll show you both honestly; we sell in both. ### What is the typical home price in Orlando? The metro's approximate median is around $390,000, with wide spread: Pine Hills and east-side starters from the $200s–$300s, College Park and Dr. Phillips $500K+, Winter Park often $700K to well past $1M, and new construction across Horizon West and Lake Nona in the $400s–$600s. --- Data notes: prices and population are recent approximations, labeled as such on the page. For live market stats see https://7wavesrealestate.com/market-news. To talk to a local agent: https://7wavesrealestate.com/contact.