Saint Cloud

Neo City is a booming community in one of the fastest-growing counties in the nation. In fact, Osceola County’s population has more than doubled since the year 2000. Neo City’s proximity to East Lake Tohopekaliga has propagated a burgeoning housing market, and St. Cloud, sitting only a few miles east, has put locals close to ample locally-owned restaurants. The area is a rapidly growing center of manufacturing research and development, showing promise to be a leader in technological innovation and inviting a swarm of new job opportunities. “It’s a newer area showing a lot of potential for growth,” says Realtor Samir Naim of self-owned Naim Real Estate LLC. Naim has over 15 years of experience selling homes across the region. “They’re planning to build new schools and supermarkets. It’s starting to become its own little area.” Neo City’s rapid growth has triggered an explosion of new construction, allowing buyers to scoop up a brand-new home for as low as $300,000. These new developments, like the massive Kindred community, feature New Traditional homes and contemporary colonials with stucco exteriors, stately entryways and attached garages. Subdivisions like Kindred feature sidewalk-lined streets where locals often enjoy a stroll or bike ride. Between $400,000 and $600,000, buyers will find sprawling ranch styles and multi-story homes with vaulted ceilings and elaborate entrances. The closer to the lake, the higher the price. Along the lake’s shore are million-dollar mansions in Mediterranean styles. Only a few miles from several big lakes, it makes sense that locals spend their free time by the water. Many residents relax on the beach, take a dip in the lake or go waterskiing at Lakefront Park, which sits along the shores of East Lake Tohopekaliga. Lakefront Park also features a marina, fishing pier and boat ramp. Locals ride horseback or hike on a nature trail at Ralph V. Chisholm Park. Adventurers get up close with nature at nearby conservation areas, including Twin Oaks and Cherokee Point. Locals enjoy bank fishing and strolls along the boardwalk at Cherokee Point, while horseback riding, paddling and more fishing are enjoyed at Twin Oaks. Neo City is home to Osceola Heritage Park, an indoor and outdoor entertainment center that hosts concerts, rodeos, festivals, professional sporting events, trade shows and conventions. Kids growing up in the area attend schools served by the School District of Osceola County. Students attend many different schools, but a standard pipeline starts with Neptune Elementary School, which has a student-to-teacher ratio of 15-to-1 and a C-plus on Niche. Many students head to Neptune Middle School next, which got a B-minus on Niche. High schoolers attend Gateway High School to earn their diplomas. Students can join various clubs, like theater club, literary magazine club and baking club. Niche gave the school an overall B. Locals mainly head into downtown St. Cloud to shop or enjoy a bite to eat. The Catfish Place is a family-owned diner that serves all-you-can-eat fried catfish among gator bites, frog legs and fried green tomatoes. East Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway has all sorts of additional shopping and dining spots. Shoppers hit the racks at Marshalls or Ross or pop in Publix to grab groceries. Locals roll up their sleeves and dive into the massive mofongos at Grillers Puerto Rico Restaurant, a tropical-themed spot entertaining guests with live music. Residents enjoy the all-day breakfast at Rodeo Diner, the crispy wings at Wing Alley and Dominican cuisine at Punta Cana Restaurant. While there’s minimal access to public transportation in Neo City, the community is near busy fairways and interstates. “People here like being close to the Turnpike, which can take you anywhere,” Naim says. The Florida Turnpike traverses the area’s eastern border, leading north toward Orlando. Orlando’s heart is about 25 miles north of Neo City. The Orlando International Airport is about 17 miles away when locals need to catch a flight. The Orlando Health St. Cloud Hospital is about 5 miles away.

Located on the northern edge of Osceola County is Canoe Creek, a St. Cloud neighborhood that offers the benefits of modern suburbia at traditional costs. “A lot of people are drawn to the area because the taxes are a lot lower than they are in Orange County,” says Jorge Alverio of La Rosa Realty in neighboring Kissimmee, who adds that proximity to the rapid expansion of Lake Nona in southern Orange County will create an appealing trickle-down effect. “If you get in now, it’s a great investment,” he says. “The growth of the Lake Nona area has been exponential, and that is filtering all the way into St. Cloud. You get all the perks.” Most notably, an increase in home values. Alverio says homes he has sold in recent years have doubled in value. While progress is inevitable, residents also enjoy access to Old Florida amenities, as the neighborhood is somewhat insulated by the lakes that surround it. Residents do not have to leave the neighborhood to enjoy the comforts of the waterfront, as the community is dotted with small bodies of water. Waterfront homes are among a variety of residential options. “You have a lot of traditional homes, but also a very large increase of subdivisions with new homes,” Alverio says. Neighborhood streets offer their share of architectural diversity, as it is not uncommon to see multi-level contemporary homes mingling with established ranch-style homes and single-story Spanish Revival designs. Acreage homes offer a more spacious alternative for those seeking more privacy. Prices typically range from the high $300,000s to the low $700,000s. In contrast, the average home value in Lake Nona is more than $700,000. Townhouses in Canoe Creek start in the low $300,000s. East Lake Tohopekaliga, which separates St. Cloud from the Lake Nona area, comprises almost 12,000 acres. Tiffany Greer, a Realtor with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services and longtime neighborhood resident, says Lakefront Park on its southern shore in downtown St. Cloud is a popular gathering place for swimming and splash-pad activities. Lake Tohopekaliga, the largest lake in Osceola County, spans 22,700 acres, and its reputation as a sport-fishing destination precedes it. “Lake Toho is one of the best bass-fishing lakes in Florida,” Greer says. A canal connects Lake Toho to Cypress Lake, whose shore is home to the Wild Florida Drive-Thru Safari Park. Lake Gentry and Alligator Lake are among the other nearby options. Peghorn Nature Park & Trail, named after the type of cattle that used to roam the area, is located just north of the neighborhood and offers 58 acres of nature-watching, relaxing recreation and history. The facility includes replicas of a pioneer village and an Old Florida schoolhouse. Royal St. Cloud Golf Links is the neighborhood’s premier modern amenity. The sprawling layout features 27 holes of American links-style golf with varying levels of difficulty among sparse, wide-open fairways, sand traps and water hazards. Open to the public year-round, the highly rated course is known for its reasonable rates and is considered the top links-style course in the Orlando area. Additional amenities include an on-site dining at Stone Bridge Tavern and the Royal Crest Room, which can be rented out for special occasions. Ted Broda Memorial Park is a popular community green space that features a nature trail, children’s playscapes, tennis courts and a skate park that is one of the city’s newest recreational amenities. Students can attend St. Cloud Elementary, a B-rated school by Niche, St. Cloud Middle, a B-minus-rated school, and St. Cloud High, a B-plus-rated school whose featured academic offerings include career and technical education and JROTC. Convenient shopping and dining options are located throughout the neighborhood. Winn Dixie anchors a community retail center on the south side of the community, and Publix is available at nearby Crosscreek Village. The north side is home to a Walmart Neighborhood Market. Popular neighborhood eateries include Canoe Creek Tavern, known for its award-winning wings, and Pizza City, which has been in business for more than 30 years. Nearby Historic Downtown St. Cloud is home to an array of eclectic dining and entertainment options. The Black Squirrel Bookstore & Speakeasy stands out among the buzzy district’s several speakeasy-style venues. Those also include Phyre Steakhouse & Speakeasy and Bone Sack Speakeasy. Thee Doghouse, which serves up comfort food and entertainment seven nights a week, and Loading Gastrobrunch, known for its revolving variety of Southern-style specialties, are other featured destinations. Established restaurants downtown include The Catfish Place and Fat Boy’s Bar-B-Q. St. Cloud Twin is a popular movie theater housed in an early 20th-century venue. Downtown also hosts regular community events. “We have a monthly farmer’s market on Saturdays, and every other Wednesday we have a small-business market, where the downtown bars and restaurants have discounts,” Greer says. Residents enjoy easy access to the Florida Turnpike, which provides a convenient route north toward Orlando, whose Central Business District and cultural attractions are about 30 miles away. Nearby U.S. Highway 192 in downtown St. Cloud leads to Kissimmee and the region’s many theme parks. Disney World is a little more than 20 miles northwest of the neighborhood. “We’re at the theme parks three times a month,” says Greer, who adds that Florida residents receive discounts. Orlando International Airport is 25 miles north. Closer to home, those seeking public transportation will find bus stops concentrated along Highway 192.

Kissimmee Park, located in the far west end of St. Cloud next to Lake Tohopekaliga, is a quiet, rural enclave where its residents find homes on sprawling lots—sometimes as many as five acres—and have the freedom to do almost whatever they want on them, including having their own small farms. "Many people have horses, pigs or goats,” says Erika Brown, a Realtor with Keystone Residential Group who has lived in Central Florida for most of her life. While there is a large master-planned community sprouting up on the neighborhood’s east side, overwhelmingly, Kissimmee Park is a landscape of marshes, rolling farmlands and trickling creeks. Crossprairie, the master-planned community on the neighborhood's east side, features contemporary-style homes with three, four, or five bedrooms, energy-efficient appliances, and other smart home technology. Prices for these homes range from $350,000 to $600,000. Three-bedroom townhomes with similar amenities are also available, priced in the mid-to-high $300,000s. Despite all the new construction, Kissimmee Park is still rural at heart, and many residents live on two to five acres of land, which they use for farming or to house animals. The homes on these large lots range from Colonial-style and ranch-style to traditional farmhouses and are priced between $500,000 and $960,000. Regarding crime, Kissimmee Park scores a 1 out of 10 on the CAP Index, which is three points lower than the national average. Lake Tohopekaliga (or Lake Toho, as the locals call it) hugs the neighborhood's west side and is a significant point of outdoor recreation for the community, ideal for fishing and boating. While many residents have their own watercraft, some let local business Wild Willey’s Airboat Tours, located on Kissimmee Park Road, do the driving for them. "We get locals who bring their families or friends visiting from out of town. It gives them something fun to do that’s in the neighborhood,” says Manager Alex King. The Cherokee Point Conservation Area, which sits along Lake Toho’s marshy shoreline, is another popular recreation spot. Birders enjoy catching glimpses of bald eagles, cranes, and pelicans, anglers enjoy catch-and-release fishing, and families with young kids enjoy the small playground. Students in Kissimmee Park attend schools in the Osceola County School District, which earned an overall B-minus on Niche. High schoolers often attend St. Cloud High School, which has a B-minus on Niche and serves just over 2,000 students. It features an Advanced Placement Scholars Program, providing students with college preparatory courses. Neptune Elementary School, which has a C-plus on Niche, and Neptune Middle School, which has a B-minus, also serve the area. Two private, faith-based schools also serve the area. Kissimmee Park is entirely residential, so residents travel about 10 miles northeast to run errands at Walmart and Publix near Highway 192. They can also head into Kissimmee, about 15 miles northwest, to shop at the many stores along West Vine Street. While in Kissimmee, they find dining options, like FL Bakery, a locally owned bakery and restaurant serving authentic Puerto Rican dishes, and The Fox & Hounds Public House, a festive, traditional English pub offering regular drink specials. Florida’s Turnpike is located just east of the neighborhood and travels to Kissimmee, about 13 miles northwest, and Orlando, about 30 miles north. The Orlando International Airport is a little closer, about 25 miles north.