Information About Avalon Park

written by Carly Sullens

Avalon Park: Orlando, Florida

Located on the east side of Orlando, Florida, Avalon Park offers residents of all ages a modern day Norman Rockwell neighborhood. Avalon Park is a planned community just 40 minutes northeast from Disney, Sea World and Universal Studio Attractions and 40 minutes west from the Atlantic Ocean. Encompassing 1,860 acres of land, 3,000 homes, Avalon Park includes organized villages, single family homes, apartments, townhouses, schools, a town center, restaurants, shops, grocery store, doctor offices, banks, gas station and bars.

By design Avalon Park motivates the foundation for strong families, and strong neighbor relationships. From its aesthetics to its detail architecture, Avalon Park also promotes beauty and diversity as seen by porch swings, garden club, and tree lined streets. Restaurants found in Avalon Park are also diverse they include; Italian, Mexican, Thai, Chinese, American Bistro, coffee shops, subs, hibachi, and ice-cream. From its unique restaurants, schools, shops, landscaping, buildings, and homes, Avalon Park offers intimacy with one's surroundings and more importantly the people in one's neighborhood.

Modern Day Americana

Typical Avalon Park Home

Source: Carly Sullens

Avalon Park Numbers

Zip Code 32828
Zip Code Population 51,342
Approximately 3,400 single-family units
1,431 multi-family units
500,000 square feet of commercial space
240 acres of wetlands
400 acres of upland preserve
250 acres of man-made lakes
Median household income: $63,910

New Urbanism

New Urbanism is the term used to describe planned communities like Avalon Park. The term describes communities that encompass the traditional neighborhood design before the mid-20th century. What makes a new urbanism community like Avalon Park unique is the organization and the planning. These neighborhoods enable neighbors to access almost all their needs in one central location. Here is what makes a planned community different than urban sprawl:

a discernible town center
most dwellings are within a 5 minute walk or .25 miles
a range of housing choices to serve diversity that includes, single family homes, town homes, apartments
diversity of residents include families, young single adults, older people, low income to the wealthy
shops
offices
elementary schools close enough so most or all children can walk to it
playgrounds accessible to every dweller
garages rarely face the street, garages are in the back of the home accessible by alleyways
streets are narrow or allow for street parking to slow traffic

Avalon Park Florida

Map

Satellite

Avalon Park Florida, 32828 -

Avalon Park, 3680 Avalon Park E Blvd, FL 32828, USA

[get directions]

Notice how the houses in Avalon Park are close together.

Source: Carly Sullens

Schools in Avalon Park, Florida

Avalon park is a family community and has the schools to support the needs of the families.

3 Pre-schools:

Kids R Kids
Primrose
Creative World

3 elementary schools:

Avalon Elementary
Stone Lakes Elementary
Timber Lakes Elementary

1 middle school:

Avalon Middle School

1 high school:

Timber Creek High School with Avalon Tech School

1 Technical School

Avalon Center for Technical Excellence

The University of Central Florida is within 10 miles.

Source: Carly Sullens

Avalon Schools Rankings, 2011-2012

School	State Rank	Florida State Percentile
Avalon Elementary School	39th out of 1943	98.0%
Stone Lakes Elementary	18th out of 1943	99.1%
Timber Lakes Elementary	180th out of 1943	90.7%
Avalon Middle School	180th out of 793	86.4%
Timber Creek High School	86th out of 597	85.6%

Data Source: www.schooldigger.com

Downtown Avalon Park

View of Avalon Park's Downtown.

Source: Carly Sullens

Median House Listing Prices, 2012

Number of Bedrooms	Median Price
1 Bedroom	$70,000.00
2 Bedroom	$97,479.00
3 Bedroom	$159,856.00
4 Bedroom	$215,071.00
5 Bedroom	$261,320.00

Source: www.schooldigger.com

Merchants of Avalon Park Within Walking Distance To Your Home.

Finances

Avalon Park Accounting
Fairwinds Credit Union
Premier Tax & Accounting Consultants
SunTrust Bank
Trustco Bank
Wells Fargo

Restaurants

Avalon Perks
Avalon Pockets
Bamboo Wok
Baryridge Sushi
Brianto's Original Hoagies
Davis Bakery & Company
Eastside Bistro
Margarita's Grill
Milano's Pizza
Mulberry Street Italian Restaurant & Bar
Pizza Hut
Subway
Thunya Tai

Health and Wellness

ARC Surgicals
Avalon Institute of Aesthetic Medicine
Avalon Park Eye Care
Avalon Park Family Medicine
Avalon Veterinary Clinic
The Confidential Ear
CVS Pharmacy
Elite Dentistry
Family and Women's Health at Avalon Park
NeuroRestorative Avalon Park
Orlando Counseling Specialist
Primera Urgent Care
Timber Creek Pediatrics
Women's Healthcare of Orlando

Fitness

Avalon Dance
Cage Fitness
Championship Martial Arts
YMCA
Yoga East

Spa and Beauty

Avalon All Star Cuts
Avalon Regis HairMasters
Central Nails
Groom Grub Belly Rub
In Style Hair, Nails & Day Spa
Nails at the Park
NY Barber Shop 2

Worship

Avalon Church
St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church

Leisure

Avalon School of Music
Paladin Tech & Game
Pottery Pad

Grocery Shopping

Avalon Liquor
Publix

Gas Station

7-11

Other Business

Avalon Park Cleaners
Avalon Park Group Management
Englert, Leite & Martin
Goodwill Donation Express
LFG Corp
MetLife Auto & Home
SOHO Office
Suhaag Garden
The Thompson Agency
Vanguard
Vision Development & Management

View of Power Plant Leaving Avalon Park

Source: Carly Sullens

View of Power Plant Inside Avalon Park

Source: View of Power Plant Inside Avalon Park

Other Insider Information

Prison within 15 miles of Avalon Park.

Prison at the intersection of 528 and Innovation Way.

Waste Water Treatment Facility

Off of Alafaya Trail before Entering Avalon Park. This sewage treatment facility is getting national attention because it is one fo the first to take sewage and get rid of it without dumping it in rivers or landfills. They have found a way to generate pollution-free electricity from the sewage.

Beautiful Morning Sunrise In Avalon Park

Notice how the houses are close together, but each of these houses back into a conservation area. They have no backyard neighbors. This photo is taken from the backyard of my home.

Source: Carly Sullens

The Downside of Avalon Park

Energy plant within a mile of Avalon Park.

First of all, it is not a nuclear power plant. It is a coal-fired power station owned and operated by the City of Orlando, Florida. Air sampling has shown that the emissions from this plant are among the lowest of any coal-fired plant in the nation.

As a resident of Avalon park, I have grown accustomed to seeing the power plant. It reminds me of home. I told my daughter the plant is really a cloud maker, since it makes lots of white smoke resembling clouds. The power plant mission and values include being environmentally friendly and safe to live and work in close proximity of the plant.

Small yards

Some families like a lot of land around their home for privacy and space. In planned communities the goal is to decrease yard size and increase community areas like, parks, town centers and other gathering places. However, in Avalon Park there are many plots of land that directly connect to a conservation area. This gives the homeowner more privacy and a view of water or woods instead of another house on all sides.

Landfill within 10 miles of Avalon Park.

I have never smelled the landfill while living in Avalon Park. If I drive by it on a hot day I will sometimes smell the trash. They tend to the landfill well as seen by burying the trash to keep animals and birds away. The landfill is only seen when you drive by it to get on the 528 or Beach Line.

Homeowner's Association

Homeowner's Association has it's benefits- always making sure the community upholds a standard of aesthetics. However, sometimes the HOA can be peculiar on meager or trivial upgrades to your landscape or home. It can get annoying if you feel the HOA is wrong- sometimes to dispute a notice can be difficult. My family and I choose to abide by the HOA letters. They are often reminders to trim a bush or replant a tree, even though we feel our bush is fine.

On the far, far East side of Orlando

The directions to Avalon park are usually go east on Alafaya Trail, 434, until you fall off the face of the earth and then go some more. Or as my husband would say, "We are the last hair on the dog's tail." However, with recent road developments, getting to and from Avalon Park is easier. The recent opening of Innovation Way now connects Avalon Blvd. with 528 or the Beach Line. Alafaya Trail is currently being reconstructed from a two lane street to a four lane street. I work in downtown Orlando, it takes me 30 to 35 minutes to arrive at work. My husband works near Sea World and it takes him about 35 to 45 minutes to arrive at work. The distance from the city is made up in being closer to Cocoa Beach.

Avalon Park Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=A303K0VsdJs

Pools

Source: Carly Sullens

Upside to Avalon Park

Great community
Green, because everything is so close you can walk or ride your bike
Sidewalks
Family oriented
Everything you need is within walking distance or within 1 mile
Schools are in the top 90th percent of the State
Phenomenal parent-teacher relationships
Neighborhood churches
Holiday church services are in the park
Diverse neighborhood
You can see the space shuttle from Cape Canaveral lunch from your own porch
The grocery store, Publix, takes your grocery's to your car and do not accept tips
40 minutes away from Cocoa Beach
40 minutes away from Disney, Sea World, Universal Studios
Community pools throughout the neighborhood
Shop owners know you by name
Shop owners also live in Avalon Park
Splash park for children to play in
Dog park for dogs to run around
Dog bags and trash cans are on every street
Warm and friendly neighbors
Outside tennis and basketball courts
Baseball fields
Soccer fields
Organized Sports
Quarterly festivals
Diverse and delicious restaurants
Chinese food is always ready in 10 minutes
Excellent medical care
Monthly outdoor movies in the pavilion
Publix grocery store

Splash Park

Tanya King Splash Park, in Avalon Park.

Source: Carly Sullens

Holiday Celebrations

4th of July Celebration

Source: Carly Sullens

4th of July Fireworks

Source: Carly Sullens

Avalon Park Festivals

Throughout the calendar year Avalon Park celebrates five major holidays that include:

Absolutely Avalon (April) Vender booths for local artisans, food, rides and bounce houses for kids
Fourth Of July (July) Apple pie and hotdog eating contest, fireworks, live music, food, booths for local artisans, rides and bounce houses for kids
October Fest (October) Two day festival with root beer and beer gardens, rides and bounce houses for kids, food and booths for local artisans
Spooktacular (October) Pumpkin carving, trick or treating, costume parade
Avalon Aglow (December) Santa Claus, sled rides, snow machine that makes a mountain of snow for Florida kids to sled on, food and booths for local artisans, live music, fireworks

During a festival Avalon Park closes the downtown streets so the families can wander and celebrate without worrying about traffic. It is not unusually to run into many friends and families during a festival. They are a lot of fun for the adults, children and a great way to celebrate the holidays with the whole family and community.

Recommendations

A Better Place to Live: Reshaping the American Suburb

This book is recommended to understand why suburbs create more isolation and preplanned communities offer more integration and community living.

Amazon Price: $8.95
List Price: $24.95

My Personal Experience Of Avalon Park

I have lived in Avalon Park for five years now. Honestly, when my husband first told me about the concept of a planned community I turned my head away. As an artist the last place on earth I wanted to live was in a cookie-cutter town. He convinced me to give Avalon Park one year and if I did not like it we could move some where else in Orlando.

I have grown to appreciate the style of Avalon Park and no longer see the homes as similar. I see the people instead of the homes. I see the diversity of young families, single young adults going to UCF, and older adults retiring in a town that embraces them.

I have grown to love being in Avalon Park while raising a family. My children's friends are within 2 minute's drive for a playdate. If I am low on sugar, Publix or CVS is just around the corner. I can drop off the dog to be groomed, shop at the jewelry store next to the groomers, walk a little further and attend a yoga class, then go to a cafe for a late morning snack. After that, I can walk to the dry cleaners, walk to my bank, and pick up Pizza Hut for dinner. If I get ill I can make an appointment to see my doctor or go to the Avalon urgent care.

Everything I need is truly at my fingertips. It makes life as a mother so much easier, especially because our extended family are many states away. I do not feel deprived of my extended family in Avalon Park because everyone is so friendly. We are usually invited to Thanksgiving dinners, or Christmas day deserts. On the 4th of July we all gather at the town center for hot dogs, beers, and fireworks. I describe Avalon Park similar to living on a college campus- only this time it is more grand and is for families. After awhile, you become familiar and then known.

The drawbacks to Avalon Park no longer bother me. Every town has it's positives and negatives, for me living in Avalon Park the positives far out way the negatives.

Kind Friendly Dentists

My daughter at the Avalon Park dentist, called Elite Dentistry, taking care of her bunny.

Source: Carly Sullens

Carly Sullens is a free-lance writer and art therapist. She is a resident of Avalon Park for 5 years. She resides in Village Five behind Timber Creek Highschool. Both her children attend Avalon Elementary School.

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