[Soflosteph]

What is the housing market like in the Denver area vs. Orlando? You mentioned Pueblo is a developing area, how far is that from Denver?

[MaryLou2007]

Originally Posted by Soflosteph

What is the housing market like in the Denver area vs. Orlando? You mentioned Pueblo is a developing area, how far is that from Denver?

Pueblo is developing, it's VERY cheap to get housing there, but it's near Colorado Springs. There seem to be crime issues in Pueblo now, because of "illegal migrant workers" moving in. Northern part of CS is better.

Please check the CO board for info. Post there and I will help you. This is FL only. Sorry.

As for DoggieBus' comment about PF Changs, man, I never go there. It's too crowded and the restaurant manager was shot at night after the restaurant closed. Certainly NOT a good area in Winter Park.

[shedav]

My visit last year to Orlando was exactly how you discribed it. I was suprised at how many nonspeaking english people were there. I know it is also affecting the tourism because we met a very nice couple from London who came over to take their children to Disney they were staying a month and one of the first questions they asked is if the rest of the United States was like Orlando. I had to laugh and told him where I am from everyone speaks english regardless of race and the only time you even HEAR spanish is when you go eat at a mexican restaurant. Considering we are going to move down to FL in the spring I am alarmed at what I am hearing. I knew Orlando was not going to be one of our choices but I figured there had to be some good areas in FL where English was the primary language. Especially when you look at the demographics for some of the other counties they are mostly still white with african american coming in second. Now the driving I experienced in Orlando well...we wont even go there because it was a little crazy I felt like a Motorspeedway racer!!LOL.The sad thing is we all complain about the injustices done to us by allowing these things to occur regarding speaking spanish etc but yet we do nothing about it.

I wonder if you could file a lawsuit regarding your husband was discriminated against because he could NOT speak spanish. Only america would allow them to align the streets like they did with THEIR flag and scream about all the injustices they have hear while being illegal and we just watch it on TV.

Unfortunately when you do try to do something you get slammed. Did you hear about the gentleman who owned a restaurant and refused to serve anyone not speaking English he did not refused to not serve you based on your race only that you had to speak english to be served. The media slammed him. Then there was the lady in NY who had a baby at the beginning of the year and babies are us was giving 15000 scholarsips to the top 3 and originally they denied her because she was illegal and the rules clearly stated that parents had to be US citizens but then the spanish community and everyone got in such an uproar over it that they recanted and caved in and actually apologizing? in my opinion rules are rules and why should they be changed? Sorry about the ranting but I was on a roll!!

[MaryLou2007]

Originally Posted by summergal

MaryLou - you described Tampa Bay perfectly! lol All the same junk here. Good luck in CO. You're definately doing the right thing.

FedUpInFtMyers - If you want to make it to St. Pete before the invasion, ya better hurry, 'cause they are all over Clearwater now. Many many more than just 1 year ago

Thank you, SummerGal. I believe that complaining and not doing anything about it silly. I think that when someone sits down and writes a pros and cons list, they will quickly realize that going out of state and enduring a winter is not that bad.

In response to jeanjr23's rant: You all wanna bad mouthing florida. Denver is no better you lier. I went to denver they have lots of crime but they never make the 9 o'clock news there. Plus the stupid winter in denver sucks

The winters in CO are rather mild. This year because of La Nina, it's been terrible, but normally the weather is in the 40's and the sunshine acts as a buffer, it feels like 60's.

I am not living in Denver, north of that. FYI, the crime in Denver is reported and it's concentrated in major illegal immigrant areas, specially in Aurora where our "guest workers" form gangs and commit crimes. Compared to Orlando, Denver is much safer.

Plus we enjoy the CO weather 9 months out of the year. A small price to pay for a 3-month winter. Better than that being stuck indoors because of the FL heat for 9 months!

[Floridasunshine]

I am sorry the job market has soured Florida for you. I agree with NOmoresubways. You made some gross exaggerations. If you want to stay dont give up keep looking there are jobs out there. Good luck

[MaryLou2007]

Originally Posted by Floridasunshine

I am sorry the job market has soured Florida for you. I agree with NOmoresubways. You made some gross exaggerations. If you want to stay dont give up keep looking there are jobs out there. Good luck

Well, my job market is not THAT horrible, but my husband's it's terrible.

No, we are moving, I am glad to be going.

I wish everyone else luck. I hope you take some of these posts seriously and learn a bit more of the relaity on the ground here than what you hear from a house seller or realtor.

Research hard before even considering moving so you won't come here and have a bunch of broken dreams.

[jbravo]

Originally Posted by MaryLou2007

Finally, we made the decision to move back to Denver. I was offered a job earning almost $130k now (that is only me, not both of us combined). We are entering a contract in a 3/3 house, 2 car garage, huge yard for $210k. The area is very safe and clean. We visited the area and stayed in a hotel down from the house and it is quiet, safe, and the neighbors all talk to each other. No one seems afraid or angry. I talk to people at stores and everyone communicates back in a normal, calm way. Everyone is civilized, everyone was willing to talk, kids actually invited my son to play, it is a complete new worlkd we had lived in and "re-discovered" how good we had in Denver. It took Orlando to show how wonder the rest of the USA is, despite the winter weather!!

Getting paid in “sunshine” just wasn't cutting it out. We sold our home here, took a loss due to the cold housing market, but we are still moving. I must add that people might think I am bitter about living down here, but I am not. I never lived in the ghetto down here and thank God, we never scrapped for food, but I feel bad for anyone moving down here unless thay have locked a $100k+ a year job in Central Florida. If you come here with less than that, you will live in the ghetto. MOve down here with an IT job or medical jobs that you are used to get paid $100k in your state, get ready to get paid $40k here. Believe it, or not, it's your choice. You may have a good life where you are now and here it will be a living hell. Heck, you might get stuck in a condo for all you know.

I'm not coming from a position of bias or ignorance. I understand some people will love this place. But a lot of the out-of-state folk I know that live here (25+ people) are ceasing to function in Orlando and slowly loosing their minds and souls. Most have expressed such concern of how this place has made them angrier, made them less tolerant, more harsh, more distrusting, & more depressed. Not to mention more stressed, the stress levels here are very high, people seem like that a lot. It is just extrmemely sad to hear such commentary from people you know.

Yes, I am going to leave like lots of people I know. By April 2007, I'm gone back to Denver. The weather out there is much nicer, cold in the winter, but the rest of the year enjoyable, no more crazy humidity for me!

I must also add that it is just extremely sad that the aggressive people, the lack of culture, the lack of trust, lack of friendliness, lack of manners, lack of safety, lack of positive urban-energy, lack of a decent sense of community is indeed “The Florida Lifestyle”. My overall well-being comes first and this place is draining every good ounce of my being. I want to smile again, to know my neighbors, to watch my kids play safely outside. I do not want to continue to watch acts of violence in traffic or muders/robberies on TV. I just saw on TV tonight several murders and robberies, people being strangled over a DVD movie or over a pack of cigarettes. I actually found this board searching online and deicded to write this book.

I wish the locals would wake up and smell their kitchen burning. Central Florida is gone downhill, still going downhill. South Florida, well, it's been TRASH for years, no news there.

At least you know there are cheap motels with microwave and 'fridge waiting for you! You can always live there!

Thanks for reading. Good luck, everyone!

Wow!! Drats!
And you did'nt even live in South Florida!
Some comments:
1. You did'nt do your research (I see that often, you're not alone)
2. You never did find the best areas to live in. (there are beutiful, safe and community minded areas in Florida but because of number one above you failed to find these)
3. Unfortunately, a lot of what you say is true!
4. Unfortunately, if you go to U.S. census dot gov you will find that Colorado is going the way of Central Fl with unbridled latin immigration, sorry. I do mean that, sorry.
Still, I wish you and your family luck... I may follow you up North in a couple of years.

[2peaches2oranges]

I did not read all of the other responses, but you will find that the demographic migration of Hispanics effects many states, including Colorado. According to Wikipedia, the Hispanic population of Denver is almost 32% and Orlando it is almost 18%. Change is going on all over the US, you have to change or accept change to meet the demands. Florida is not perfect, but there is no perfect place!

[noahj1102]

first time post

I'm a lifelong Floridian who is downright sick of this state. I wouldn't even know where to begin to list the issues with this state. Economy, education, real estate, etc., etc., etc.

I live in Central Florida and the wife and i are moving in a year and a half when our daughter graduates high school. I would move tomorrow but my daughter would kill us.

I actually live in Ocala and the people (extremely rude and disrespectful at that) that has moved in and has overcrowded our city is beyond ridiculous. The traffic here is to the point i don't go anywhere unless i have to. Making a simple 10 minute run to grab some dinner with my family turns into a 30 minute treck of frustration of horrendous traffic.

I don't know how the rest of the country is, but folks here are rude and disrespectful. As mentioned earlier, don't even think someone is gonna be kind or courteous while driving. I flat out scares me sometime to drive with my 4 year old son in the backseat. I nearly get run over on a daily basis.

Don't even get me started on the real estate and economy. I just graduated from Nursing school and my starting salary is $18.50! Not too bad for 15 years ago here. Try to go out and look for a decent 1800 sq ft home here and you can't look at anything for less than $250k. Gimme a break. The wife and i are looking to move into a newer home, but not in this city (or state from what i understand). I'd have to work 2 extra shifts a week to support a mortgage and enjoy life with our kids.

I could write pages and pages of things to describe the problems with Central Florida, but it would put my blood pressure over the edge.

I came to this board because the wife and i are looking for ideas to relocate. I'll go wherever, the wife refuses to go where it gets below 70 . I'm just going anywhere but here.

[Jammie]

Noah, I'm sorry to hear that you and your wife will have to leave the Ocala area. We had originally been doing some research on that area, but then it seemed that it became such a popular place to live that it's surely becoming overcrowded by now. So do you have any idea which state you will be heading for?