A Little Bit on the Big Tiny at Orlando Lakefront

People join the tiny house movement for many reasons, but the most common themes seem to be economic security, environmental concerns and improving one's quality of life. Tiny housers living in Orlando Lakefront at College Park have joined the movement for at least one of the above reasons, if not all. Just like the houses we live in, our growing tiny home community is made up of folks of all shapes and sizes. We are diverse in age, gender, religion, creed, sexual orientation, political affiliation... the list goes on. BUT (<-- big but) we all have a similar mindset. And it's not a tiny one. 

The common thread of the tiny housers at Orlando Lakefront is that we share a philosophy of living intentionally. We only possess what we truly need, or value. The choices of what is a necessity and of worth is as individual as our homes. In fact, our tiny houses often reflect those choices in the "form follows function" relationship. Perhaps what is most exciting about fostering a community of tiny houses is that we are able to share our personal visions of living tiny. Our personal decisions are greeted by other community members with respect, enthusiasm and humor. (I mean, some of the choices I've made for my tiny life are absurd. My ridiculously large entertainment center comes to mind.)

When tiny housers decide to form a community, I think something special happens. Maybe it's that it reminds me of a  more idyllic time, when neighbors borrowed a cup of sugar. (Hey, it happened to me one morning when a neighbor asked me for cream for their coffee because they ran out.) Romanticized notions of "suburbia 2.0" aside, there is a connection to one another that feels like the memory of a grandparent's story about living in the "old" neighborhood. Whether you're homesteading, living in an eco-community, or in an RV park that is making a grassroots effort to transition into a "TH park," tiny communities will form reflecting their own functions and members' values.

Tiny houses are a social movement, not a fad. We're here to stay, and so are the tiny housers who make them home.

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Author: 
James moved from Colorado in February '15 just to park his tiny house "The Company Store" at Orlando Lakefront. Reminiscent of the 1880's miner cabins dotting the Rocky Mountains, James brought a piece of Colorado with him. He enjoys kayaking on the lake and relaxing in his TH. You can learn more about his adventures in THing at  http://www.thecompanystoreonwheels.com/ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/thecompanystoreonwheels.