[Prichard]

Personally, I don't think Tampa is anything like Miami. It really has it's own flavor - you just have to live their to understand. It's more conservative than Miami and you still have a southern influence in Tampa that is virtually non-existant in Miami. Tampa is also much more middle class than Miami - it doesn't tend to be "super rich" and "super poor".

Also, anyone who thinks of Orlando as "Disney-Tourist" really hasn't spent any time in Orlando. I live north of Orlando and work Downtown. It is a rare occasion that I come into contact with any tourists. In fact, I used to come into contact with far more tourists in Tampa - St. Pete when the snow birds would flock down for the winter from Canada, and the midwest.

[miamiblue]

Originally Posted by slcuervo

So what about a place in between? Any suggestion?

Maybe if you list the attributes that you are looking for in a city, that might be more helpful for us to make suggestions. Do you want a big city feel? Is housing a big concern? Do you want access to park and natural areas? What is important to you?

Originally Posted by Prichard

Personally, I don't think Tampa is anything like Miami. It really has it's own flavor - you just have to live their to understand. It's more conservative than Miami and you still have a southern influence in Tampa that is virtually non-existant in Miami. Tampa is also much more middle class than Miami - it doesn't tend to be "super rich" and "super poor".

Also, anyone who thinks of Orlando as "Disney-Tourist" really hasn't spent any time in Orlando. I live north of Orlando and work Downtown. It is a rare occasion that I come into contact with any tourists. In fact, I used to come into contact with far more tourists in Tampa - St. Pete when the snow birds would flock down for the winter from Canada, and the midwest.

Everything you said about Tampa is very true. I haven't been there in a few years, but when I did go, I actually liked the feel of it and the traffic didn't bother me as much as the Miami traffic did. However, a friend from Miami moved to Tampa last year and said that there are some Miami elements that are now starting to show up there.

As far as Orlando goes, I have to say that the downtown there is very nice. It is very clean and there are fun things to do downtown. I guess it's the residential areas that turned me off, since it seemed like there was nothing but cookie cutter subdivisions that made me feel like I was in the Truman Show or something. It wasn't for me, but I know that for some people that is perfect.

[slcuervo]

Originally Posted by miamiblue

Maybe if you list the attributes that you are looking for in a city, that might be more helpful for us to make suggestions. Do you want a big city feel? Is housing a big concern? Do you want access to park and natural areas? What is important to you?

Well, good question. I would like to be near to a big city (within a 30-45 minutes ride), in a quiet residential area. Regarding housing, I would look at 200-275k houses.

I cannot give more details, because I don't quite know what I want myself. The thing is I live in Spain right now, but I work in Africa in the oil industry. I hence have 6 months holidays' per year (alternate months), and would like to live in Florida during those 6 months. Dunno if this will help you to help me...

[Prichard]

guess it's the residential areas that turned me off, since it seemed like there was nothing but cookie cutter subdivisions that made me feel like I was in the Truman Show or something.

Unfortunately, most people who come to Orlando pass through some areas that have large cookie cutter type subdivisions (especially west along the Turnpike), and tend to think this defines "Orlando". Really, Greator Orlando's residential areas couldn't be more diverse. The "cookie-cutter" subdivisions are not the norm, especially in Downtown Orlando, Winter Park, Oviedo, Winter Springs-Tuscawilla, Heathrow, Windermere, Dr. Phillips and a bunch of other places I'm sure that I've forgot. I do hate the track housing that popped up west of Orlando in S. Wintergarden and N. Clearmont. They are built nicely - solid, but they look all the same, no trees, kind of ugly to me.

The problem is that when people visit Orlando, they usually only see a few things: Disney; The I-Drive corridor; Turnpike; and I-4. You'd have to live here to understand what I'm talking about. Even though the areas that I've named are substantial areas, they are only a small percentage of wwhat makes up Greator Orlando.

Greator Orlando is perhaps one of the hardest areas to get your bearings and discover what all is out here for a couple of reasons. First, our main road, I-4 generally runs SW to NE, but North-South right through downtown Orlando - this makes things confusing from the get-go because its not a North-South road, but it is intersected by the 408 which is the "East-West" Expressway. Next, the Turnpike doesn't really go through Orlando, but grazes it as it connects to the 408 and I-4 on the south side. Then we have this "belt-way" that is more like a meandering superhighway that is missing an large and important link in the North-West quadrent - making it more of a 3/4 way rather than a beltway.

To make things more confusing, we have thousands of lakes that cause the city roads to dead end or meander around. In fact, some roads dead end to one side of a lake, only to pick up at the opposite side of that same lake. We have an Orlando Avenue, Orange Avenue, and Orange Blossom Trail, which for the most part are different roads, but merge together on the very South side of town (except Orange Avenue?). We have a Maitland Blvd. which intersects Maitland Avenue. Then roads with 3-4 different names; eg: Fairbanks - Winter Park Avenue - Aloma; 436 - Semoron Blvd.; 441 Orange Blossom Trail, SOBT, NOBT. We even have a small area on the South side of town that is actually on a grid of some sort. Then there's College Park, Winter Park, Baldwin Park, Avalon Park - more parks than you can shake a stick at.

I dread giving out-of-towners directions from one area to another. There are so many areas that an unfamiliar out-of-towner just wouldn't know how to get to, so they think Orlando is all about what they can observe from a couple of highways, Disney and I-Drive.

[Nirvana-Guy]

Originally Posted by slcuervo

I am looking at the possibility of moving to Florida, and I think a main city such as Orlando, Tampa, or Miami would be the best place for me.

What do you recommend? I have seen several posts about crime, about housing problems, and so on. So all togother, what would your choice be and why?

Oh man, I'd live in either Lakeland (outside of Tampa) or in Lake Mary (outside of Orlando).

MIami is a disgusting urban-sprawlled ghetto. And if you do not speak Spanish or at least Haitian Creole, there is NO WAY you can make it in Miami. English is not used very much in Miami.

Also Miami has a LOT of crime (well so do Tampa and Orlando), but the 2 suburbs I mentioned (Lakeland and Lake Mary) are very clean and safe. Miami is very violent and illegal alien gangs run the streets! The infamous "Liberty City" north of Miami is a LOT more dangerous than El Paso or downtown Los Angeles.

The downtowns of all 3 (Miami, Orlando, and Tampa) as disgusting and extremely dangerous. I know a gal from Detroit who said downtown Detroit feels safer than downtown Miami. So that goes to show you.

[pianogal]

I have lived in both Orlando and Tampa - just visited Miami. Miami is just not my cup of tea for a number of reasons, but let's just say for one - it's too expensive and the HOI has to be exorbitant.

Between Tampa and Orlando, I prefer Orlando for the following reasons....
(Please bear in mind these are my impressions and opinions only, please do not flame me if you do not agree)

Orlando seems newer and 'cleaner'

I live in NEW east Orlando - I hardly ever see tourists - but I can drive to the tourist areas and have access to all the great entertainment there

Somehow, Orlando has always seemed 'greener' to me. More of the type of forests and woods that I grew up with in SC.

Many won't agree...but I think Orlando is easier to get around. I never did quite get the hang of the road system in Tampa.

The two things I liked better about Tampa were: USF (sorry UCF, I'm partial to USF) and the proximity of the Gulf beaches. I used to spend almost every Saturday at Clearwater Beach or Ft. De Soto Beach. Gorgeous!

Either city would be a good place to live IMHO - just depends on what you're looking for. If beautiful beaches are important to you...look into Tampa - unless you like to surf and the waves...then you need to be in Orlando or one of the east coast beach areas.

[blueoktober]

Downtown Orlando is abouit as nice of a downtown in a city as you can get. Only Chicago has a cleaner downtown. It's beautiful down here and don't listen to Chicken Little, this area is a great area but it's about 1/10th as crowded as the rest of Orlando. The only downfall is that it has gotten very expensive to live downtown.

[slcuervo]

Thank you all for the answers!

[Prichard]

Only Chicago has a cleaner downtown.

For a big city, Downtown Chicago is quite nice and clean. I even saw people swimming in the big lake (with wet suits on) - was wondering about that. Honestly, I couldn't tell you whether Orlando or Chicago was cleaner. Chicago (except south side) is a world of difference from New York as far as cleanliness.

[Strel]

Originally Posted by slcuervo

I am looking at the possibility of moving to Florida, and I think a main city such as Orlando, Tampa, or Miami would be the best place for me.

What do you recommend? I have seen several posts about crime, about housing problems, and so on. So all togother, what would your choice be and why?

None of the above.

There are dozens of better places to live in Florida than any of those places.

But within the choices provided, I would say Tampa - especially the NW and NE parts. I grew up in Temple Terrace, which is in NE Tampa, and back then (I'm 40 now), crime was VERY low, it was nice and clean and safe.