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Natural beauty- West Palm Beach. I might be generalizing here but Orlando doesn’t have much natural beauty and WPB is in south Florida, so it’s got more watery vistas, palm trees, and beaches.
Culture- Not sure. Both cities have similar demographics. West Palm is influenced by Cuban and Haitian culture, while Orlando has a large population of Puerto Ricans who bring a lot of their culture, foods, and style to the region.
Entertainment/things to do- Orlando, by a long shot. It’s the major city between the two and therefore has more amenities and activities.
Nightlife- Not sure about WPB nightlife but Orlando nightlife is great downtown and in other places around town. There are rowdy areas great for clubbing and partying downtown and more swanky areas around International that are a bit more low key and subdued.
Food- Orlando gets more natural recognition, with James Beard restaurants and the most food trucks per capita of any city nationwide. This may just be a product of Orlando being a bigger city and WPB existing in Miami’s shadow a bit.
Cost of living- Neither city is particularly cheap but Orlando is cheaper, although I believe pay is lower, so it may be a wash.
I’d pick Orlando to live in rather easily. West Palm has a pretty high crime rate, especially its murder rate. Orlando is much cleaner, newer, and offers big-city amenities, better schools, lower COL, and a better quality of life.
Natural beauty WPB easily on this one. Orlando has some nice spots (particularly a little ways outside the city), but WPB has the beaches just outside of the city limits and Intracoastal. It's much prettier.
Culture Tie. Both have their positives, but I wouldn't call either major cultural hubs.
Entertainment/things to do Orlando gets the nod here because it is such a hub of entertainment. But for my personal preferences, WPB has a lot more. Boating and beaching are a lot more appealing to me than anything Orlando has to offer.
Nightlife Orlando - there's more variety. I do like that the WPB area has a lot of places that are open air with live music by the water.
Food Probably Orlando for variety. But I prefer WPB purely for the "catch of the day" seafood options that are all over the area. I've also spent more time exploring the WPB area, so I've found more local spots that I really like down there.
Cost of living Orlando has more options for less money than WPB.
I'd choose WPB quite easily for the coastal location, relatively low cost of living (relative to where I am now), and access to Miami and Ft. Lauderdale.
Natural beauty WPB, but not by much, and really only because beach > springs. The Orlando suburbs have rolling hills, gorgeous chains of lakes, etc. So, WPB wins, but not by much.
Culture Orlando's Puerto Rican is stronger than West Palm's Cuban culture, IMO.
Entertainment/things to do Orlando. By a lot.
Nightlife Orlando. West Palm is fine, but Orlando is several notches above.
Food Orlando
Cost of living Not sure... Maybe Orlando for having more affordable options in some of the outlying suburbs.
I'd pick Orlando over WP, mainly because, as mentioned above, Orlando has MUCH more big city amenities, is newer, cleaner, and more vibrant.
Despite its inland location, Orlando has more abundant natural beauty than West Palm Beach. In addition to being more heavily forested than West Palm Beach, Orlando has more varied terrain, especially in the area west of town near Clermont. Also, Orlando has hundreds of freshwater lakes and springs within and near its boundaries, which provide additional beauty and recreational opportunities for local residents and tourists alike. Although West Palm Beach is located near the Atlantic Ocean, the natural environment of South Florida primarily consists of Florida scrub, which has a rather sparse appearance. Because of the incredible population density of South Florida, one has to either live on the Intracoastal Waterway or "in the boonies" (i.e., The Acreage, Jupiter Farms, Loxahatchee, etc.) with very limited services (e.g., no sewer lines, no street lights, etc.) to be in close proximity to nature. In the Orlando area, on the other hand, it is much easier to find a home that is located in a nicely wooded neighborhood with relatively quick access to nature.
Another important distinction between Orlando and West Palm Beach are the origins of their respective populations. While there are many transplants from New Jersey and New York living in the Orlando area, there are still enough transplants from other balances to balance out the New Yorkers. West Palm Beach, on the other hand, is so saturated with New Yorkers that it feels like you're living in a city on Long Island. Unfortunately, that was a little too much for me.
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