Lake Nona, FL
What Lake Nona is actually like
Lake Nona sits on land that Tavistock Development Company, controlled by British businessman Joe Lewis, began assembling in 1996, purchasing roughly 7,000 acres of former cattle ranch, citrus grove, and pine flatwoods west of Narcoossee Road. The City of Orlando annexed much of the tract and approved the mixed-use build-out through a Southeast Sector Plan adopted in the mid-1990s; Lake Nona Golf & Country Club, a Tom Fazio-designed course, opened first in 1986 on an adjacent parcel, and Northlake Park, the community's first residential neighborhood, opened in 1999. The community has since grown to about 17 square miles within Orlando's city limits, still under Tavistock's ongoing development.
The feature that most shaped Lake Nona's civic identity is Medical City, a roughly 650-acre cluster of hospitals, research institutions, and universities built after Tavistock donated $12.5 million and 50 acres to the University of Central Florida in October 2005, helping UCF win state approval in March 2006 to open a new College of Medicine, which enrolled its first students in fall 2009. Around it grew the Orlando VA Medical Center (clinical operations began 2015), Nemours Children's Hospital (opened 2012), the USTA National Campus (opened to the public in January 2017 after roughly $63 million in construction), and KPMG Lakehouse. Lake Nona Town Center, a roughly 100-acre retail, dining, and office district, opened in phases starting in the mid-2010s as the community's commercial core.
Precise population counts for Lake Nona vary depending on where its boundaries are drawn, since it spans multiple Orlando neighborhood designations and unincorporated land rather than a single Census-defined place; using the Lake Nona neighborhood boundary within ZIP code 32827, the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019-2023 American Community Survey 5-year estimates put the population at 23,262 residents, with continued growth reported as the community builds out toward its planned scale.
Home values in Lake Nona
Zillow tracks home values city-by-city, not for every neighborhood within a city — Lake Nona is one of the pockets that doesn't get its own figure. Rather than publish a citywide number that might not reflect this specific part of town, we're leaving pricing out of this particular guide for now.
Lake Nona FAQ
Is Lake Nona a good place to live?
It depends on what you're optimizing for: Lake Nona offers newer construction, OCPS schools built alongside the neighborhoods they serve, and unusually close access to a major medical cluster (Medical City) and Orlando International Airport (about 6 miles away), but it is car-dependent, has no SunRail or local passenger-rail stop of its own, and new-construction homes generally carry higher price points than older, closer-in Orlando neighborhoods.
Does Lake Nona flood?
Most of the developed interior of Lake Nona carries a FEMA Zone X designation (minimal flood hazard), reflecting engineered stormwater ponds and modern drainage, and no major flooding event specific to the community during a recent named storm is well documented. Lots directly on Lake Nona itself or on smaller ponds can carry different flood zone designations, so check FEMA's flood maps for the specific address.
How far is Lake Nona from Downtown Orlando?
About 15 miles and roughly 25 minutes by car via State Road 417 (the Central Florida GreeneWay) in off-peak conditions; travel time increases during weekday rush hours.
What is Medical City in Lake Nona?
Medical City is a roughly 650-acre cluster of healthcare and research institutions built up since the mid-2000s, including UCF's College of Medicine (first students enrolled fall 2009), Nemours Children's Hospital (opened 2012), the Orlando VA Medical Center (clinical operations began 2015), the nearby USTA National Campus, and KPMG Lakehouse.
Who provides electricity and water in Lake Nona?
Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC), the City of Orlando's municipal utility, provides both electric service and interior water/wastewater service to Lake Nona; Orange County Utilities separately handles reclaimed water for irrigation in parts of the community. Duke Energy does not serve homes inside Lake Nona.