Orlando and Lake Nona: downtown, Medical City and the airport next door

This guide covers the City of Orlando, from downtown and the neighborhoods around it to Lake Nona in the southeast, which the city counts inside its limits.

Downtown Orlando

Downtown centers on Lake Eola Park, where a 0.9-mile sidewalk circles the lake past the Linton E. Allen Centennial Fountain, swan-shaped paddle boats and the Walt Disney Amphitheater. LYNX's LYMMO buses are free in the downtown business, entertainment and shopping district, and SunRail has four stations in the city, including Church Street and LYNX Central.

Around downtown, the city's Orlando Main Streets program supports 12 designated districts, among them College Park, Ivanhoe Village, Mills 50, Thornton Park, the Milk District and the Audubon Park Garden District. If you're relocating, tour two or three of them before you narrow the search.

Lake Nona

Lake Nona, just south of Orlando International Airport, is home to Lake Nona Medical City, Lake Nona Town Center and the USTA National Campus.

The airport next door

From Lake Nona Town Center, it's about 7 miles to the airport terminals by SR 417, and about 21.5 miles to Lake Eola downtown by SR 417 and SR 408. Brightline trains leave from the airport's station beside Terminal C for Miami, with stops in West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and Aventura.

Being close to a major airport also means checking flight paths before you fall for a house. The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority publishes noise contour maps and a flight tracker that lets the public follow flight activity near their homes. Open both with the address in hand, and visit the house at different times of day.

We measured the drives on OpenStreetMap. Test any commute at the hour you'd make it.

Before you tour

  • Special districts. Ask whether the home is in a community development or improvement district, and what it pays each year. If you buy a new home from the builder inside a community development district, Florida requires the contract to disclose that the district may levy taxes or assessments on top of county taxes. On a resale, ask the seller and read the tax bill.
  • HOA. Florida requires an association's disclosure summary before you sign a contract. Read the rules on rentals, parking and exterior changes along with the fees.
  • Flood. The City of Orlando's flooding page links its Information Locator and FEMA's flood maps. Use both for the exact address, or start at FEMA's Flood Map Service Center.

Our Central Florida home-buying timeline walks through the steps from the first consultation to closing.

Selling an Orlando home

If you're selling, start with a written price opinion from a local agent within one business day, not an automated estimate. Selling from another state works too: video walkthroughs, local prep you can see in photos, and a closing you can sign remotely. Request your price opinion.

Buying in Orlando and Lake Nona

See Orlando homes for sale, including Lake Nona. Then start a buyer consultation from wherever you are. We'll cover the written buyer agreement before the first tour, in person or by live video, and help you compare neighborhoods by drive time, costs and flood zone before you fly in.

Ackley Platinum Group is a team at Coldwell Banker Realty, with our office on Park Avenue in Winter Park, and the Ackley family has been in Central Florida real estate since 1984. This page is general information, not legal, tax or insurance advice. Rules and maps change, so check the current source for any property.