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Florida
Orlando's Sprawl Spreads Ever Farther as Median Housing Price Doubles in 12 Months
The unrelenting home-price spiral in the four-county metro Orlando area -- its median of $117,000 a year ago now at $245,000 -- benefits sellers but forces some city residents who for one reason or another want a change, to expand their search for affordable homes from 10 to 20, 30 or more miles away, to places still rural, quiet and congestion-free, yet unlikely to remain so very long if the next development push outward is not cushioned by planning and left solely to market forces.
''Most are going to these outer areas seeking some kind of relief,'' says Washington-based Smart Growth America Executive Director Don Chen, afraid that those trying to escape traffic, housing costs or whatever they worry about ''are in for a nasty surprise.''
He mentions, reports Orlando Sentinel writer Kelly Griffith, longer commutes taking time from families, a likely lack of transit, difficult access to services like specialized health care and to other amenities, increased delays on more and more congested local roads, and the prospect of rising taxes as rural communities struggle to meet new sprawl-related service demands.
''We do not have a very good record anywhere in Florida, including our region, of containing sprawl,'' points out University of Central Florida's Metropolitan Center for Regional Studies Director Linda Chapin. ''There's no guarantee, no matter where you go in the (larger) seven-county area, whether it's Polk County or Lake County or another more rural area, that it is going to stay that way.''
But for now, those who move dozens of miles from Orlando, especially young families and first-time buyers, think their less costly and usually larger homes are worth it, the writer observes, noting that the population of unincorporated Sumter and Osceola counties jumped by some 28 and 39 percent, respectively, between 2000 and 2004, while their county seats, Bushnell and Kissimmee, gained 10 and 17 percent. -- Orlando Sentinel 10/12/2005
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