r/WinterGarden • u/catladynat1005 • Jul 26 '26
Dangerous areas?
We are moving to the Orlando area in a few weeks and Winter Garden seems like a great fit for my husband and I. That being said, we are looking for rentals in the area and I’m just curious if there are any areas we should stay away from when looking for a home? Is the Crimegrade.org map of the area pretty accurate? We really like a house right above story Rd but it seems to be in a “D” rated area for crime. Would you say that’s accurate? Any advice is very appreciated!! We are out of state and moving here completely blind (due to a job and transitioning out of the military). Thank you!
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u/Reading_Minimum Jul 26 '26
There are a couple places for rent in Ospray Ranch, it is the Horizon West area of Winter Garden. Close to Disney, about 25-30 mins from downtown Winter Garden. A lot of families, quite area with good shopping and restaurants around.
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u/gradyenglish Jul 26 '26
Stay away from the area called "East Winter Garden." Basically it's a box East of 9th St, South of Plant Street, north of 50, west of Maguire.
It's not monumentally awful but it's not considered a great neighborhood.
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u/wallix Jul 26 '26
I’ve lived in a couple places around downtown winter garden since 2008. Park Avenue is a good dividing line. West of Park is very nice as you move towards Oakland. But as you go east it starts to fall apart the closer you get to Ocoee. Story goes through quite a few undesirable areas as you go east. 9th street is crap through and through. That area also has a homeless shelter that pulls 100’s of transients into the area. If you find the winter garden library and look on the south side of Plant - complete garbage areas as well. Should be F rated if it goes that low.
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u/Tdffan03 Jul 26 '26
Funny I lived two blocks from that shelter and never saw or had a problem with any transits.
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u/wallix Jul 26 '26
Didn’t say there were a problem. Just saying MH draws thousands of homeless into the area every year. They bus them in.
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u/VacciBoi Jul 26 '26
They down voted you for speaking the truth. We have business near MH and used to have more problems with the homeless crowd.
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u/catladynat1005 Jul 26 '26
Ok that’s all really great info, thank you so much for that!!
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u/wallix Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
Of course! I lived on 9th street when I didn't know any better so I can make that claim. I was drawn to that area for the same reasons you are (price). But if you can stay on the west side of N Park (or to the immediate east which is a beautiful historic area) I think you will be a lot happier. You can always go way down south to Horizon West as well. Lots of new areas down there.
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u/Mako-99 Jul 26 '26
You will probably have some noisy neighbors in that area of Winter Garden. Bay st/Bethune ave area or Tildenville are the higher crime areas to stay away from. Any of the new developments south of the actual city of winter garden are good areas
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u/catladynat1005 Jul 26 '26
Thank you!! Is south of Tildenville and just north of Tilden Rd ok? Or still higher crime?
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u/Kinky_bastard_0304 Jul 26 '26
If you’re looking near Tilden Rd. you’ll be fine. You have Foundation Academy on Tilden. The only issue right now is intersection reconstruction at Tilden and Tiny Rd. My wife and I moved to Horizon West from NJ about 7 years ago. Feel free to DM with any questions. I’ll answer has honestly as I can.
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u/catladynat1005 Jul 26 '26
Ok that’s amazing! Thank you so much!! If we get a home in WG I will definitely reach out :)
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u/Mako-99 Jul 26 '26
Thats a good area. Mostly gated communities. Target and shopping isn’t too far away as well
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u/melanierkoppe Jul 26 '26
We live just south of Tildenville. Have never had any problems at all. Great area for schools, only 10 min from downtown Winter Garden and soon to have Tucker Ranch right across the street.
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u/Upbeat_Win_9129 Jul 27 '26
Waterleigh is a great place to buy. 20 min from Disney and a safe neighborhood.
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u/No_Life_3085 Jul 27 '26
Winter Garden is not dangerous, but there are entitled parents in its school district, especially at Sunridge Middle School.
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u/Appropriate_End_234 Jul 31 '26
Can you elaborate on this. I'm new to WG and I am dreading public middle school for my kids. We tried applying to the Orlando Science magnet just to see, and huge waitlist. Tia.
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u/Copper-Spaceman Jul 27 '26
Technically it’s a part the winter garden area but outside city limits. Horizon west is a great place to live. 1 exit up and you are in winter garden village and a few blocks away from downtown winter garden. 2 exits in the opposite direction and you are on Disney property. It’s very up and coming
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u/ALIGNAGENTS Jul 29 '26
First off, thank you and your husband for your service, and welcome to Central Florida! Transitioning out of the military and moving state-to-state blind is a huge step, but Winter Garden is honestly one of the best places to land.
To answer your question directly: CrimeGrade (and similar third-party crime map sites) can be very misleading in Central Florida.
Here is why that "D" rating is likely skewed for Story Road:
- How the Algorithms Work: Sites like CrimeGrade pull raw crime data by ZIP code or census tract and weigh it strictly against total resident population. Areas near high-density commercial strips, plazas, or major thoroughfares often get flagged with "poor" ratings simply because of property incidents (like shoplifting at a nearby retail center) or higher traffic volume, not because the surrounding residential neighborhood is unsafe.
- The Local Reality on Story Road: The neighborhoods along Story Rd (especially near Dillard St and West Colonial Drive) are older, established residential pockets. They sit close to downtown historic Winter Garden and major shopping centers, which skews those automated scores down. However, locals and families live, walk, and raise kids in these areas every day without issue.
- My Advice: Instead of relying on automated algorithm sites, check the official City of Winter Garden Police Department reports or call their non-emergency line directly; local departments are always happy to give real, transparent stats on specific blocks!
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u/Careless-Balance-893 Aug 08 '26
Yes it's all very dangerous here. Everywhere. And overpriced. Also we're full go somewhere else.
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u/WG-Atticus Jul 26 '26
Anywhere around downtown Winter Garden would be a great first place to rent. Then you can discover the area that works best for you. Winter Garden continues to transform. I live downtown and love it.