Forest City

Based around a scenic recreational lake, Forest City might not actually be a city, but nonetheless has much to offer for folks looking for a home in Central Florida. Forest City is close to the suburban municipalities of Altamonte Springs and Apopka. Once a center of Florida’s signature citrus industry, the Forest City area has since become a residential haven serving commuters near more populous commercial city centers, including downtown Orlando, less than 10 miles away. “It’s an established community that really started coming together around the 1970s,” says Todd Schroth, a real estate agent with eXp Realty based in Altamonte Springs. “It’s kind of like a city within a city with Altamonte Springs there. It’s got top-of-the-line schools, lots of shopping and a community feel. Once we move in we don’t move out.” With Bear Lake at the center and spanning more than 300 acres, the natural feature makes Forest City an even more appealing place to live, offering opportunities for swimming, boating, jet skiing and other fun, exciting and relaxing activities. As an almost exclusively residential area, Forest City has a plethora of condos, family homes in subdivisions, gated communities, retirement homes and ranch-style houses, with prices reflecting the architectural diversity. Home prices start at around $150,000 for condos in gated communities near one of Altamonte Springs larger shopping centers. Closer to Bear Lake and the smaller ponds and lagoons scattered throughout the community, older bungalows and ranch-style homes range from around $250,000 to $350,000. Still with ample space for development and growth, the community also features some spacious, contemporary builds with homes around 2,500 to 3,500 square feet. Prospective buyers can expect to pay between $400,000 to $800,000 for those properties. Forrest City includes the public Bear Lake Elementary School and Teague Middle School. Niche gives both schools in the Seminole County Public Schools district a B-plus. From there, students can advance to Lake Brantley High School, which earns an A-minus rating from Niche. At the high school, students can choose from 35 different Advance Placement courses and participate in in various clubs and activities, including dual enrollment in the Academy of Construction Technology, the Academy of Finance and the Aerospace Science JROTC program. Additionally, the Altamonte Springs campus of Seminole State College is adjacent to the neighborhood. Bear Lake is partly accessible through the Bear Lake Clubhouse, a family-friendly recreation area with covered picnic areas, docks for boats, lawn chairs on the beaches, playground areas for small children and even pool tables. Hanging out in the water swimming or jet skiing is also exciting but Schroth advises caution. “I’ve been on that lake since 1990, and I haven’t been bit by a gator yet,” he says. “You just need to be careful.” For fun out of the sun, the community also has a large number of indoor athletic venues, from The Athlete Factory training facility and the Altamonte American Karate Academy to the batting cages at the All Stars Sportsplex and the indoor trampolines at Rebounderz Orlando. These entertainment options give casual exercisers and athletes-in-training access to workout space and equipment, each with a different flavor of activity. Local shopping options include strip malls at Hunt Club Corners and West Town Corners, featuring major retailers such as Costco and Publix. For a wider selection of organic groceries, the Sprouts Farmers Market store is open 7 days per week at the Wekiva Riverwalk. In addition to a few national retailers and sit-down restaurants, the shopping center includes a Regal movie theater. While there are plenty of fast-food and casual franchise restaurants all around Forest City, folks can also patronize local family-owned eateries and shops serving international cuisines and goods, such as Sherry’s Trini Flavors and La Granja. State Route 436, in the north of Forest City, links the area to both Apopka and Altamonte Springs. Interstate 4 in the east provides drivers with quick access to Orlando, so Bear Lake is well-situated for commuters looking for a quiet, sunny home in a bedroom community.