The Town of Oakland,
Florida, incorporated in 1887, is a friendly,
unpretentious semi-rural community of about
1,300 residents, located 17 miles / 28
kilometers west of downtown Orlando, and 25
miles / 42 kilometers north of Walt Disney
World.
Oakland's residents often equate the Town to a
"sophisticated Mayberry," a place where
residents are wired and well educated, and "good
'ol boy" politics are a distant memory, yet the
police officers and Postmaster still know most
residents by name, residents wave as they drive
past each other on the clay roads, and the water
clerk calls everyone "sweetie." Drive through
Oakland, and you instinctively slow down -- not
because of the speed limit signs, but because
the town's character instills a slower pace of
life. You notice the way light shines through
the trees, the kids racing their bicycles down
the road, the little old lady walking her dog,
the men walking back from the Town Pier with
their fishing rods, tackle boxes and daily
catch. Day-to-day life scenes seem more special.
In the late 1800s
and early 1900s, Petris Avenue was the heart of
Oakland's then bustling downtown. Today Petris
Avenue is a quiet residential drive, surfaced in
clay and draped by ancient Live Oaks.
Many Oakland
residents commute to downtown Orlando or Walt
Disney World; others run successful home-based
businesses in professional fields and the visual
arts. Oakland residents represent a
cross-section of America, and include
descendants of original pioneer families and
freed slaves that settled in the area,
independent senior citizens, recent immigrants
from Europe, Asia and South Africa, blue and
white collar families, and empty nesters. New
residents are primarily young professional
couples with children and empty nesters, many of
whom have relocated from outside West Orange
County and Central Florida. Most new
residential development consists of move-up and
higher end homes, but the Town is committed to
maintaining the socioeconomic diversity that
contributes to its character.
Strict design
regulations ensure tasteful architecture and
quality site planning in commercial zoned
areas. Town officials are working to ensure
that Oakland will enjoy a diverse, vibrant
commercial environment that will not be
dominated by any particular type of use -- that
West Colonial Drive won't grow to become an
"Auto Row," "RV Row" or "Furniture Row." The
Town's vision is to maintain and enhance the
unique character of Oakland; and shun the
"growth for growth's sake" philosophy that has
resulted in lowest common denominator
development and the loss of a sense of place
elsewhere.
Oakland's local
government is small, accessible, and friendly,
yet skilled and professional. The Town's
elected officials and employees are committed to
maintaining and enhancing Oakland's treasured
small town character, in the face of rapid
growth and increasing development pressure in
West Orange County. |
Oakland, Florida real
estate -
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buying or selling a home in Oakland, Florida,
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