SperlingViews - Celebration, Florida

When visiting the Orlando area on our vacation we always ensure we visit the town of Celebration. It is peaceful, clean and has a good range of shops selling unique things. It is off the beaten path and just offers a change of pace for the tourist. The rocking chairs by the Lake are most peaceful and there are a wide range of restaurants to please all tastes and budgets. Frequently there are markets with fresh produce n=but also festivals - our favourite being the Pie Festival! If looking for Florida Villas to rent in the area visit www.wannavilla.com and book direct with the owner.[read more...]

I have to agree about the schools. Celebration school is kept up well just like the community but the education system is less than perfect. They did have an accelerated class which they stopped because parents complained all of the smart kids were in one class. (This coming from a community where everyone lives in houses that all look the same and all of the families are in the same economic class) They started a once a week 2 hour pull out program for these kids. We left the school before it started but it didn't offer AR reading or math or any basic subjects. I'm not sure what it was but parents seemed pleased only if their child got into this class. Seems more of a status quoe then education. And yes all of the rumors that compare this place with the Desperate Housewives show are accurate in some circles. Parents do run in cliques and gossip is high on their list. But these people isolate themselves in their clique so you will find there are some really good people in the town besides this. To say the town is safe is partially true. We did have some suicides, many drug busts and even a child pornographer along with several petafiles still living in town and many neighbors arrested for fraud. But you do get to know your neighbors and at least feel like you can leave your door unlocked. You will hear a lot of funny rumors about this place (from residents and visitors) Everything from what next big celebrity is looking to buy a house here (none live here by the way they are off living in 30 million dollar mansions not Disneys little town) But the residents like to throw names around a lot) You will also hear rumors that residents get into Disney free (Not true). The town isn't real, it's all fake props (again not true) It's filled with Disney cast Members (partially true because many live there since it is close) here are some pros beautiful town that is kept up well nice playgrounds for the kids although the equiptment is often broken many town events the parks and rec programs and people are great you can walk into town close to Disney if you bought when the town first opened and homes were 200k then got out when they went sky high(like us) you are in really good shape And the cons many petty crimes (vanadalism by bored teens, robberies) housing market not so good now and lots of mold or hurricane damage too much building has taken away from the small town feel schools aren't as good as they could be (prinicipals have come and gone many run out by parents with petitions but the education hasn't improved) community events are attended more by tourists or curious outsiders town events lack culture (craft/art show, pie festival and exotic car show) 40 minutes to decent mall or shopping you are right off of the tourist strip in Kissimmee, a very ugly view once you leave Celebration. (low end motels, flashing signs and fly by night businesses trying to make a profit off the mouse) The town isn't what it use to be when we first moved in which is why we left. It is still a clean community that is ideal if you have very small children or if you are retired. There are many residents who have been with the town since it broke ground and those are by far the best things about the town. They are good neighbors, passionate about the town and really care. They are involved more in town improvements then town gossip. But there aren't many of these people left. When we first moved in we loved the small town feel but once it grew (and is still growing) the community feeling started to fade. We used to love to see the expression on peoples faces when we said we lived in Celebration. They were curious about the little Disney town. But now when we say we lived there no one seems to know where it is. I hate to say this town has lost it's magic, but it has faded. Once Disney sold it a few years ago, it just wasn't the same for many people. [read more...]

Celebration seems like a nice town, but it lacks any culture or diversity. 98% of the people that live here are white. People do nothing but complain and gossip. Although they have some nice parks they lack areas for bike riding and other outdoor activities. You rarely see families walking or biking together. Instead they lazily load up their SUV's to drive 5 blocks to school. People are very narrow minded and although they want change for their education system, they do nothing but complain. All of their efforts are spent complaining with no action at all to back it up. The school is horrible. Look at the stats and how little they spend compared to the rest of the USA. Celebration residents are fooled because they have the mind set that their community is special therefore their education is superior but it is not. It is the same exact failing education and curriculumn that the rest of Osceola County is getting. If your children are passing in Osceola County, expect them to be behind in other states because Florida education systems falls very last on test scores. If you want your children to have a real education I suggest you don't live here. If you are older and looking for a place to retire this would be nice. Although the weather is hot, humid and the air smells of dirty swamp. Not to mention the bugs. [read more...]