1. LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION!
SeminoleWay
Click to enlarge
2. QUALITY OF LIFE
Oviedo combines the friendliness and accessibility of a small town with Seminole County’s exceptional educational system and numerous local recreational amenities. The City is surrounded by lush, sub-tropical hammocks with dense trees and fresh water lakes and ponds. The area’s natural resources provide residents with the unique ability to simultaneously experience “old Florida,” as well as, all local retail, entertainment and dining opportunities in their own backyard. Minutes away, downtown Orlando provides a broad menu of cultural, professional sports, and entertainment diversions.
Oviedo is nationally recognized as a great place for all ages and life stages. In 2009 and 2010, Oviedo was listed by CNN’s Money Magazine as a “Top 100 Best Places to Live,” and selected by Relocate America as a Top 100 City to Live. Steve Nickerson, President and CEO of RelocateAmerica.com, explains,
“We selected communities with visionary leaders, improving or thriving economies including housing and realization of “green” initiatives.”
In 2005, the Florida Department of Elder Affairs designated Oviedo a Florida Community for a Lifetime, a program which identifies communities that provide an accessible quality living experience for all residents from infants to seniors. The recognition of these sources demonstrates that Oviedo is “growing in the right direction.”
3. EXCELLENT EDUCATIONAL OFFERINGS
Oviedo is part of Seminole County’s much-lauded educational system, one of the highest rated in the nation. Oviedo offers educational resources from preschool to post graduate, all within five miles of the City! The City has four public elementary schools, two public middle schools, and two public high schools, all of which are “A-rated.” Over 80% of Oviedo high school graduates choose to pursue higher education degrees, and college graduates represent 41% of the City’s residents. The close proximity of Seminole State College, Rollins College, and the University of Central Florida provides readily accessible higher education and research and development opportunities.
4. HIGHLY-SKILLED PROFESSIONAL WORKFORCE
Oviedo offers area businesses the benefit of a highly-skilled, well educated professional workforce. Educational attainment by Oviedo residents exceeds those of both the State of Florida and Seminole County, and boasts the region’s highest concentration of bachelor and advanced degree holders. Seminole State College’s Oviedo Campus and a close proximity to the University of Central Florida enable additional close-by technical training opportunities for employees.
5. HIGH AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD INCOME
At more than $75,000, Oviedo has one of the highest average household incomes in Central Florida, well surpassing the national average of $63,000. A significant demographic of young, professional families combined with this high average household income make Oviedo a hot spot and preferred market for some of the nation’s leading retailers.
6. OVIEDO ON THE PARK: A TOWN CENTER LIFESTYLE
This exciting public/ private collaboration will create a new Town Center and provide modern “live, work, and play” opportunities right in the heart of the City. Phase I is planned to include 430 residential units and nearly 50,000 square feet of retail and commercial opportunities. The City has also secured over $8 million dollars for continued infrastructure improvements and public amenities. Construction of Oviedo Boulevard, the main roadway through Oviedo on the Park, is complete and provides access from Mitchell Hammock Road in the south to Broadway Street in the north. Oviedo Boulevard not only provides vehicular access through the City, but also provides pedestrian street scape amenities such as lush landscaping, decorative paving, decorative street lighting, plazas and seating areas, and safe pedestrian access through Oviedo on the Park from adjacent neighborhoods.
7. ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
The City government is a prudent steward of Oviedo’s environmental assets and natural resources. Tangible measures of this commitment include the City’s H2Oviedo program, which reduces potable water consumption, the City’s successful recycling program reducing solid waste delivered to the County landfill, and the completion of the new “Green” Public Works Administration facility, Oviedo’s first LEED-certified building. Oviedo also participates in Florida’s “Guaranteed Energy Performance Contracting” Program when evaluating capital investment options.
8. TECHNOLOGY-FOCUSED SEMINOLEWAY
SeminoleWAY is central Florida’s newest ‘Technology Corridor’ stretching along the SR 417 corridor and across Interstate 4 to the Port of Sanford. Located on the northern portion of Orange County’s InnovationWAY, SeminoleWAY connects Lake Nona’s “Medical City,” the University of Central Florida’s Technology Research Park, the Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers (CREOL), the internationally recognized Institute for Simulation and Training (IST), several UCF business incubators, and two international airports. Capitalizing on its strategic position on SeminoleWAY, Oviedo is aggressively recruiting related technology–oriented companies and start-ups. Rapidly growing technology and medical industry clusters coupled with proximity to one of the nation’s leading universities and available greenfield sites make Oviedo on SeminoleWAY the right location for your tech company.
9. PRO-BUSINESS CITY GOVERNMENT
Oviedo’s pro-business City government is committed to planned growth, creating job opportunities for residents, and maintaining and improving the overall quality of life for Oviedo residents and visitors. The City collaborates closely with relocating or expanding businesses to provide them with the support they need, and rewards corporate partners who create jobs and invest in the community. In addition, the City has partnered with Enterprise Florida, Inc., the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission, and Seminole County to recruit targeted industries and provide ready access to a range of State, regional, and local incentive programs and services that can make relocating or expanding your business in Oviedo a profitable and business-savvy decision.
10. ASSETS FOR A DIVERSE BUSINESS COMMUNITY
Oviedo’s business community now cites education, health care, finance, insurance, social, professional, and scientific services as the City’s top industry sectors. The Oviedo branch of Seminole State College (SSC) provides access to the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and the network business incubators which make it their mission to support nascent business enterprises. In addition, Oviedo remains true to its historic agricultural base as home to the corporate headquarters of DUDA Farm Fresh Foods, Inc. which operates in 13 states and 6 countries internationally. The diversity of businesses that have found success using Oviedo as a base demonstrates that the City has something to offer every industry. Its close proximity to two international airports, Orlando International Airport and Orlando-Sanford International Airport, as well as nearby deep water Port Canaveral make Oviedo the perfect location for import/export based businesses. Oviedo is home to Seminole County Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) #250 sub-zone. The FTZ sub-zone provides an economic advantage to manufacturers or assemblers of value added products for export.
