South Orange

In the area south of Downtown Orlando, the main highway here is the always busy South Orange Avenue, which runs directly through the heart of downtown and can take commuters south towards Orlando International Airport. This particular stretch of South Orange Ave. is now known as the SoDo (South Downtown) district is comprised of a newly-built shopping center with luxury apartments, several restaurants, and lots of traffic. One of the city's largest hospitals (and employers), Orlando Regional Health Center (ORHC) is located here and is adjacent to the ancient (but still running) Amtrak station.

The major intersections in this area are Kaley Ave. and Michigan Ave., and this area is dotted with many single-family homes. This area used to be considered a 'bad neighborhood' because of the crime, but over the past decade the city has really transformed this area into a very desirable part of town. Home prices are moderate in this area.

This is also a great area for commuters; newcomers to Orlando will quickly realize that you must commute EVERYWHERE because the city is so spread out. The South Orange area has great access to major highways like the 408 (East/West Expy) and Interstate 4, giving commuters the ability to get around Orlando in almost any direction.