Living in Montverde, Florida: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 1.4% above the U.S. average in the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 5.4 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Montverde itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
Schools in townNo public schools inside the town. The nearest high school is Lake Minneola High School, about 3 miles away.
A hospital close byOrlando Health South Lake Hospital in Clermont, about 4 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityOrlando is about 23 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Montverde meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

A suburb, not a stand-alone small town

Montverde runs into the built-up area around Orlando (Census Bureau, 2020 urban areas). We include suburbs under 20,000 people because some still feel like small towns, but daily life here is closer to the suburbs than to the towns Frank and Dave's book describes. Weigh it against towns farther out.

Boom town. The population is up 10% since 2020. Growing fast, with rising home values. Watch for chain stores and big apartment complexes: the small-town feel may not last.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $523,300U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 14%Lake County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,893 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $97,031U.S.: $80,734
Typical property tax bill: $3,529 a yearFlorida: $2,730
Homes built before 1940: 2%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 14%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 4%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 101.4U.S. average = 100 (the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 14% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford metro area, not Montverde alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 1,8362020: 1,662
Median age: 41.5 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 18%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 22%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 40%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 5%U.S.: 6%
College students: 6%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Schools, health care and social services (24%); arts, recreation, lodging and restaurants (14%); professional and business services (14%)
Unemployment rate: 1%U.S.: 5%
Work from home: 24%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 4%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Orlando Health South Lake Hospital, Clermont, FL, about 4 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 3 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

There are no public schools inside Montverde itself. The nearest public high school is Lake Minneola High School, about 3 miles away.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Florida's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 81%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 95%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 49°F
July average high: 93°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 129 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 2 a year
Rain and melted snow: 50.6 inches a year
Snow: 0 inches a year
Elevation: 72 feet

Weather stations: Orlando W (10 miles away) and Clermont 9 S (11 miles away, rain and snow). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Orlando Health South Lake HospitalEmergency room4

Clermont, FLCity of 53,0006

Orlando, FLMetro of 3 million23

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Orlando Health South Lake Hospital, Clermont, Orlando.

Lake County is in a metro area of 1 million people or more (USDA rural-urban code 1, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Canaveral National Seashore53 miles

Read about Montverde's history on Wikipedia.

Know Montverde?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Oakland, FL3,800 people, 4 miles
Astatula, FL2,300 people, 8 miles
Howey-in-the-Hills, FL1,900 people, 10 miles
Zellwood, FL3,200 people, 10 miles
Lake Butler (Orange County), FL17,100 people, 10 miles
Clarcona, FL3,900 people, 11 miles

Smaller places

Ferndale, FL (unincorporated)359 people, 2 miles
Tildenville, FL (unincorporated)183 people, 6 miles
Paradise Heights, FL (unincorporated)877 people, 8 miles
Gotha, FL (unincorporated)1,124 people, 11 miles
Yalaha, FL (unincorporated)1,404 people, 13 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.