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You are comparing apples to oranges as these two cities have very little in common other than that they are both in Florida and their houses are way overpriced. I used to live in Orlando and I have family in Ft. Myers and Cape Coral.
What are you looking for in a city? Do you have younger kids, are you about to retire, are you planning to work, if so in what field, are schools important to you, etc?
Orlando is a massive overcrowded city that exists solely for tourists. It is about 35 minutes to the nearest beach which is on the Atlantic side. The schools are crowded and housing is pretty expensive for what you get. If you want newer housing for a better value you have to look in the outer suburbs which would mean a pretty lengthy commute to Orlando proper. There is certainly no shortage of activities for kids but trips to the big theme parks get pretty pricey even with a resident discount. There are typically plenty of jobs in nursing, high tech, and hospitality. It's pretty cheap to travel from there. Orlando International Airport is one of the busiest in the world so flights are pretty reasonable. I hated living in Orlando and was happy to leave. I wouldn't want to raise my kids there. I'm happy to drive there once or twice a year to go to the parks and then head home.
Ft. Myers is a pretty slow place. Not much to do there. There are a lot of retirees and baby boomers about to retire. There isn't much in the way of industry there. I think the majority of jobs are in medicine or hospitality. You are very close to the beach on the Gulf and near Sanibel island which has some outstanding shelling. I prefer the gulf beaches to the Atlantic beaches. While there isn't much to do there you are about 2 hours drive to either Tampa or Miami. If you travel, it is cheaper to depart from the airports in these cities vs. Ft. Myers. Housing is expensive but prices are starting to drop in this area pretty fast.
If you have kids or are retiring and you want a slower pace of life, smaller school class sizes, easy access to the beach, and still be within easy driving driving distance of big cities and theme parks, I would say Ft. Myers is the place.
If you prefer a faster pace of life, lots of shopping, theme parks, nightclubs, or you need more job opportunities and beaches and schools are less of a concern then Orlando is your place. JMHO.
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08-18-2007, 06:05 PM
Orlando or Fort Myers? How do they compare to you?
What would you say are the pros and cons of moving to one of these metro areas compared to the other?
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