Columbus OH vs. Orlando FL (living, cost, state, better)
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COL
Culture
Safety
QOL
Education
Economy/Job Market
Scenery
Transportation
Location
Housing
Dining
Entertainment
Shopping
Better Future
Other (feel free to describe something that makes you prefer one over the other)
COL: Columbus
Culture: I always question what one means when talking culture. But, if we are talking museums, performing arts, etc... Columbus
Safety: Columbus has a higher murder rate, but less violent crime overall, I think even, there are plenty of safe places in both.
QOL: Subjective
Education: Columbus (even though I'm a proud UCF alum, Ohio State is more established.. also Columbus has a higher proliferation of liberal arts schools and highly rated high schools based on my impression)
Economy/Job Market: Not sure.. guess it depends which field
Scenery: I tend to prefer Columbus.. objectively I think they are even.. I know many would pick Orlando because being in tropics and proximity to ocean.. but I think for varying tastes it could go either way.
Transportation: I'm actually gonna lean towards Orlando on this one-not sure how good Columbus bus system is though relative to Lynx.. which seems pretty good for a new Sun Belt bus system. Orlando also has SunRail and soon arriving Virgin Trains to Miami.
Location: Columbus.. per my tastes at least. Within a weekend drive from Columbus (5.5 hrs.), you can get to: Chicago, Outskirts of DC Metro (Hagerstown), Nashville, 4/5 Great Lakes, Niagara Falls, Mammoth Cave, the High Appalachians/AT, and many other closer places that fall within that range. 5.5 hrs. from Orlando could get you to Miami, Savannah, or the Keys.. but I think you can get to more, closer from CBus.
Housing: I've never known what to comment on this one since I'm not intimately familiar with the housing stock enough in these cities and areas, even Orlando which I know well. They both have a variety of selection is all I can say.
Dining: I'm gonna say Orlando here. It could be wrong.. but I assume it's more diverse internationally.. Puerto Rican and Vietnamese dishes, in particular, are ubiquitous.. It's also a tourist town which means almost all national chains have outposts here.
Entertainment: Columbus... obviously. LOL-but yeah Orlando definitely on this one as the city was literally built around theme parks. That doesn't mean someone wouldn't have a great time in Columbus or enjoy it just as much or more, though.
Shopping: Columbus has Easton Town Center which individually, might be better designed and as impressive as any of Orlando's shopping complexes. Orlando though makes up for it and wins on volume though. It punches above it's weight here.
Better Future: Hard to say.
I have a natural preference for northern cities.. and grew up frequenting Columbus for Buckeye games.. but yet Orlando has a soft spot for me still as I lived 6.5 years and went to college there. Interesting to compare these two-they are actually somewhat more similar than I would've thought.
COL: Columbus
Culture: Columbus
Safety: Columbus
QOL: Columbus
Education: Columbus
Economy/Job Market: Orlando
Scenery: Columbus
Transportation: Orlando
Location: Columbus
Housing: Columbus
Dining: Orlando
Entertainment: Orlando
Shopping: Orlando
Better Future: Not sure due to Covid-19
Other: Columbus is a jewel of a city with a low cost of living, youthful energy, is family friendly, and overall is a nice place to live. I would choose Columbus.
I've lived in both cities and like them both. The answers are per my own preferences and my experiences in each city/metro.
COL - Columbus
Culture - n/a
Safety - Columbus
QOL - Orlando
Education - Columbus
Economy/Job Market - Orlando
Scenery - Orlando
Transportation - Orlando
Location - For me, Orlando (near Atlantic and Gulf beaches and near the Tampa Bay area)
Housing - Columbus, but close
Dining - Orlando
Entertainment - Orlando
Shopping - Orlando
Better Future - Tie. REALLY close. If I absolutely had to choose, I'd go with Orlando
Other (feel free to describe something that makes you prefer one over the other) - I prefer Orlando's climate
Though I liked both, I would rather live in Orlando.
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