[Goenforcers53]

Hello everyone,

My family and are looking to relocate to Florida some time in the near future. Most of my friends have told me to look into the Orlando metro area. We plan on going down to Orlando in July. (yes we know it's going to be very hot but we figure if we can handle the hottest months, the rest is cake) The other day I was told to look into the Tampa metro area because it has a nicer tropical climate. Would it be too much of a drive to check out Tampa while I'm down there? I'm only staying for about a week.

What are these areas like as far as crime and weather?

Also I have a son beginning college in a year, which one is the better college? UCF or USF?

Thanks everybody

[kyle19125]

It all boils down as to whether you're after a more tropical feel/access to the beaches or life in sunbelt suburbia. The Tampa Bay area also includes St Petersburg/Clearwater which is equal in size to Tampa, and sits on a peninsula surrounded by Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. It's also the second largest metro in the state behind Miami/Ft Lauderdale. It would be my first suggestion as it tends to get the breezes off the water and has a distinct Florida feel. It's a 2.5 hour drive from Orlando. Check out the northern suburbs of Safety Harbor, East Lake and Palm Harbor. In terms of USF and UCF, both are on the rise and considered a draw in terms of quality comparison. They're widely considered along with FIU and FAU (also pretty much equal) as Tier 2 Florida schools behind UF and FSU...though I think they've narrowed the gap on FSU considerably.

http://www.city-data.com/city/Safety...r-Florida.html
http://www.city-data.com/city/Palm-Harbor-Florida.html
http://www.city-data.com/city/East-Lake-Florida.html

[Crane's Rooster]

You could easily visit both and decide for yourself. The two areas are only 90 miles apart but traffic can push the drive time. Usually though, barring no back ups and normal congestion, you can do the drive in just over an hour in no rush hour times. Biggest difference is the water. If you're a beach person, Tampa, if you're a more Cosmopolitan person, Orlando.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by Crane's Rooster

You could easily visit both and decide for yourself. The two areas are only 90 miles apart but traffic can push the drive time. Usually though, barring no back ups and normal congestion, you can do the drive in just over an hour in no rush hour times. Biggest difference is the water. If you're a beach person, Tampa, if you're a more Cosmopolitan person, Orlando.

There is absolutely no way it's just over an hour unless it's like 3am. I have a very good friend in Safety Harbor I visit frequently (and vice versa), and on a good day it takes 2.5 hours, in which 30 minutes is the drive from Tampa to Safety Harbor and 15-20 minutes to Orlando from Lake Mary. So the net time Orlando to Tampa best case scenario is just under 2 hours. If that special window of opportunity is missed, add 30-45 minutes or more. Lastly the suggestion that Orlando is more cosmopolitan than Tampa is at best hysterical. Orlando minus the theme parks (and hotels) would be a mostly suburban backwater while the Tampa Bay area has the second largest metro population in the state and a diversified economy.

[Crane's Rooster]

Everyone has their own experiences and is entitled to their own opinion. On a good day you can leave downtown Orlando and be in downtown Tampa around 1 hr 15 mins. (I can't say that no speed laws were not broken but it's been done). I am not trying to insult anyone in any way. I love the Tampa Bay area and go there frequently to see my friends. In my opinion Tampa is great seaside community. A large metro on a beautiful bay and beaches. Orlando IMO is more cosmopolitan than Tampa. Downtown Orlando and Downtown Tampa just aren't comparable. Westshore is nice for shopping and dining but it's not Park Ave. or Windermere/Sand Lake. South Tampa is up and coming but it's not quite what Thornton Park or even College Park are. JMHO.

[mcdrew88]

@kyle. You are talking about going from the far end of Orlando to the far end of Tampa, it doesn't take nearly 2 hours to get from one metro to the other. I'm from the southeast suburbs of Tampa (Bloomingdale) and to get to Disney (not Orlando, but a stone's throw from the city limits) takes an hour or less, and that's just because it takes 20 minutes to get to I-4. Like you kind of said, Lake Mary and Safety Harbor are both ~20 miles from their respective city's downtown. Downtown to downtown is only about 80 miles, you can easily do that in a little over an hour if it's not rush hour.

[OrlFlaUsa]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

There is absolutely no way it's just over an hour unless it's like 3am. I have a very good friend in Safety Harbor I visit frequently (and vice versa), and on a good day it takes 2.5 hours, in which 30 minutes is the drive from Tampa to Safety Harbor and 15-20 minutes to Orlando from Lake Mary. So the net time Orlando to Tampa best case scenario is just under 2 hours. If that special window of opportunity is missed, add 30-45 minutes or more. Lastly the suggestion that Orlando is more cosmopolitan than Tampa is at best hysterical. Orlando minus the theme parks (and hotels) would be a mostly suburban backwater while the Tampa Bay area has the second largest metro population in the state and a diversified economy.

First off, no it wouldn't be. If the theme parks vanished tomorrow, we'd still have nearly 2.1 million people in the metro, a more vibrant DT than Tampa, a far better and busier airport, the NBA, and all the other cultural events/festivals that make Orlando a great place to live. Now if they had never been built, then that's another story, but I think the same could be said of any metro if you take away some of it's main "things." Compare present day Orlando (and all that entails) to present day Tampa/St. Pete, and I think you have a pretty good case for Orlando being the better place. However, it still comes down to personal preference as the areas are very different and cater to contrasting lifestyles. For instance, if you like football and the west coast beaches, I'd suggest Tampa. If you prefer basketball and inland lakes and/or east coast beaches, I suggest Orlando. Those are only examples, but hopefully it illustrates a point.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by OrlFlaUsa

First off, no it wouldn't be. If the theme parks vanished tomorrow, we'd still have nearly 2.1 million people in the metro, a more vibrant DT than Tampa, a far better and busier airport, the NBA, and all the other cultural events/festivals that make Orlando a great place to live. Now if they had never been built, then that's another story, but I think the same could be said of any metro if you take away some of it's main "things." Compare present day Orlando (and all that entails) to present day Tampa/St. Pete, and I think you have a pretty good case for Orlando being the better place. However, it still comes down to personal preference as the areas are very different and cater to contrasting lifestyles. For instance, if you like football and the west coast beaches, I'd suggest Tampa. If you prefer basketball and inland lakes and/or east coast beaches, I suggest Orlando. Those are only examples, but hopefully it illustrates a point.

Where is Orlando's "vibrant downtown"? If you're referring to Church Street, that's around a block or two. Ybor City in Tampa is similar. South Tampa and the areas around the inner core of Tampa are pretty much equal to Orlando's offerings. Neither is especially vibrant IMO. Overall I find definition of the word vibrant varies considerably, especially for those who have lived in truly vibrant locations. By general definition, Orlando's nor Tampa's downtowns would be considered vibrant. Tampa International Airport has routinely been named best airport by frequent travelers. Orlando Int'l of course handles more traffic and has a larger facility due to DW, but doesn't have the design element of TPA. Tampa in fact has three professional sports franchises...the NFL's Bucs, the NHL's Lightning and MLB's Rays. Typically sports franchise placement is placed upon demographics, population and overall outside perception of "better place". Orlando has just one franchise, the NBA's Magic. I'm not lambasting Orlando, rather attempting to illustrate it's not widely considered head and shoulders above Tampa.

[annerk]

Maybe the OP should concentrate on finding a JOB and then decide where they'll be living...

[Mike1306]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

There is absolutely no way it's just over an hour unless it's like 3am. I have a very good friend in Safety Harbor I visit frequently (and vice versa), and on a good day it takes 2.5 hours, in which 30 minutes is the drive from Tampa to Safety Harbor and 15-20 minutes to Orlando from Lake Mary. So the net time Orlando to Tampa best case scenario is just under 2 hours. If that special window of opportunity is missed, add 30-45 minutes or more. Lastly the suggestion that Orlando is more cosmopolitan than Tampa is at best hysterical. Orlando minus the theme parks (and hotels) would be a mostly suburban backwater while the Tampa Bay area has the second largest metro population in the state and a diversified economy.

From UCF to USF is under 75 miles and can easily be done in about 1hr 15 minutes
That is from UCF Rosen College to USF, the main campus add about 5-10 minutes.