Who else likes living in Orlando even with the crime problem? (Miami: highrise, insurance)

[THASPECIAL]

I just wanted to post this because i have tryed to argue with out of state-ers about us really having a major crime issue....and now i just wanna say why i like it here and hope others will tell your stories of why you like it here in Orlando.

I have lived in the Orlando area for about 7 years now and seen alot change (people getting more aggresive and higher crime) and seen some things stay the same (bad traffic, nice weather, lots of things to do, and good looking women)


No matter how many times i hear someone say ther's nothing to do or this/that closes to early...i know that this is a destination that millions of people come to year round.....


We have awesome weather and personally i think only california can really compete with our weather as far as sunshine and nice sunsets......


We have some of the worlds best beaches only 45 min to an hour and 20 minutes away on both sides of the state.....i personally love the gulf coast beaches more than the east coast beaches but they are really different from each other and that gives us some diversity and choices of what kinda sun-n-fun we want to enjoy here in Florida...




We have a ton of clubs in Orlando......if that's your flavor....we have the "Citywalk" clubs at Universal studios which are more layed back for vacationers or just people that want to relax....we have the "Pleasure Island" clubs for a more party type of atmosphere......then there are some Clubs on I-Drive like "Glo" or "Destiny Nightclub" or "Hush"....these are alright but they seem to be more for the local crowd and do have some good set-ups for the way they look except for club "HUSH"....that is a ghetto club near the tourists.......then there are the real ghetto clubs....places like "Tropical Magic" ,...the "1,2,3, club" in Altamonte....among many others i don't even know the name too.....then there are the strip joints located throughout Orlando for those perverts out there who wanna get thier dry hump on.....i used to go so i won't lie...i went to "Diamond Club" and " some of the other strip joints off of Colonial and up in Altamonte and Cassleberry....but not "Racheal's" ....remember that is the club where the Magic players got caught in sexual acts.......and then there is Downtown Orlando...which is the true club scene in Orlando...lots of different clubs and bars of all different genres........ive seen ambulances out there alot and pepper spray being used in "Tabu" a couple times but if you just chill out you will be ok....just watch your surroundings near the parking areas and side streets......





Then there are just beautifull diverse areas of town.....like Winter park, Doctor Phillips, Altamonte by Cranes Roost Park, Oviedo is pretty nice too, and I like Waterford lakes too.....and Maitland is a nice area by the Sportsplex.....Then there is that section near downtown with all of those old houses and it has a nice feel to it......but dont get me wrong ive heard on the news and seen for myself and heard stories about crime and other bad things in "all" of these nice areas.....



Well who else out there likes living in O-Town?

[Prichard]

I live in Seminole County, work in Orlando - spend about 10 hours a day there, so I guess that constitutes living in Orlando.

To answer the question, I like it quite a bit here in Orlando.

[blueoktober]

I live downtown Orlando, work in Altamonte Springs and I love both. Downtown is always the talk of such high crime but I see none of it. The only thing I see is rude & crazy drivers but that's just about all that I dislike about Orlando. I love the weather, the beautiful greenery, the countless things to do, the unique downtown, etc... Orlando has a lot of bad things but for the most part it has so many great things that it completely makes up for it.

[backtofla]

it's good, aside from crime and rude ppl.

btw, not to bust any bubbles, but orlandosentinel.com came out with new crime stats by county for the entire state of fla. on a per 100,000 basis, orange co was the worst. dade co i believe was second. it sucks.

[champa]

Hey, just like any growing city, we'll have some increase in crime. Just try to stay off the rough areas.

...and yes I've noticed a larger number of aggressive drivers and such, unlike when I moved here 10yrs ago but fortunately they tend to live all together so (this profile of characters), so just avoid the areas...

[riptoman]

i love orlando, i've lived here for 18 years.

[ktownbound]

Orlando is nice. But the driving does have to mature and calm down a little bit.

[silvio]

I have posted a few grips about the crime here, but overall I like Orlando. I've lived in New Jersey, Sarasota, Los Angeles for a few months, well acquainted with Miami-Lauderdale, and next on the list will be St. Petersburg. Orlando defintely has a major problems but I like it here. I've lived here for 5 yrs now and have seen explosive growth in that short time, and that's the part of the problem. Too much growth, too soon, and not having the proper infrastructure to keep up with everything. Downtown is going thru a renaissance of new construction and I can't wait till most of the new highrises are done, it's going to be beautiful. However, there's alot of places that need a giant makeover and face-lift.

As I've posted before, I can only describe Orlando as Los Angelami (a mix of Los Angeles and Miami).

....I haven't figured out how to combine L.A, Miami, and Orlando into one yet but give me a few days and a martini or two.

[backtofla]

la+miami+orlando = lamiando!!! i have said it before, and i'll say it again, orlando is mini-miami!!! not a good thing if you ask me, but nobody asked...

[Nirvana-Guy]

Originally Posted by THASPECIAL

I just wanted to post this because i have tryed to argue with out of state-ers about us really having a major crime issue....and now i just wanna say why i like it here and hope others will tell your stories of why you like it here in Orlando.

I have lived in the Orlando area for about 7 years now and seen alot change (people getting more aggresive and higher crime) and seen some things stay the same (bad traffic, nice weather, lots of things to do, and good looking women)

No matter how many times i hear someone say ther's nothing to do or this/that closes to early...i know that this is a destination that millions of people come to year round.....

I think there is a consensus right now that orlando has an ever-growing problem with violent crime, violent street gangs, and rampant illegal drug trafficking and use. Things are NOT getting better, they are getting worse by the day and crime is becoming a lot more violent and blatant.

As an objective person, I see only two solutions:

1. Stay and deal with it. Hopefully you will buy a gun and learn how to use it and carry it concealed for self-defense, as you really need it in Orlando. Maybe Robocop will come down and start enforcing the law because Orlando Police is a pathetic police dept that rather go after a boyfriend having an argument with his girlfriend in the car than arrest the crackdealer with two stolen guns on the streetcorner. It is run by imbecils... Orange County sheriff is ran by a corrupt moron called Kevin Beary... scandal after scandal and this guy is still in power because he is hooked up with Disney (another scandal broke out a few months ago when they found out Beary was "selling police services" for Disney for 1/3 of the price it cost taxpayers - and then Disney gives Beary a big cmapign check in the end of the year)... so he has unlimited campaign funds and stays in power despite several investigations of corruption and eithics. Orange County Sheriff is an embarassment to the deputies, who do a MUCH better job than OPD....

2. Move away and live somewhere else. The Carolinas for example, have nice weather, just as much sunshine, homes cost less, jobs pay more, and there is a LOT LESS crime. Trust me, I almost moved there and we did a ton of research and we have a couple of friends that moved there from Uhlandu (Orlando).

There are 49 other states to choose from, but if you are dead set on Orlando, fine, but you have to be ready to face the consequences of "a wrong turn in the road in the wrong direction" can seriously cost your life.

Yes, Orlando is a destination for millions of people, and yes TOURISM to Orlando is a lot of fun, but is it fun to pay $1,000 to live in a tiny studio in Orlando? Is it fun to get paid something like $10,000 - $20,000 LESS than what you get paid where you now live? Is it fun to shill out $2,000 - $10,000 a year in Homeowner's Insurance?? How about paying for the 4th highest car insurance premiums in the USA?

Visting Orlando seems like magic - you only go into save areas, you don't have to deal with the crime, road rage, fights on the streets, hurricanes, robberies at every 7-11 in town, carjackings, crazy crackheads, low wages, high cost of living, tons of bugs, summers that last 9 solid months of misery..... see when you visit, everything is fun. You don't have to worry about competing with 30 people for 1 job opening or have an illegal alien hit your car and then run because he has no insurance.

Not to mention horrible schools jam packed with illegal kids (1 out of 9 students in my old HS were Brazilians - good people, but is it fair that all of these people just spring up out of nowhere and take up that much school space, granted most of them were illegal??). Traffic in Orlando is nothing to sneeze at. Dallas/Ft Worth have horrendous traffic and one of my friends was from Ft Worth and he was going INSANE in Orlando traffic because it is worse, in his opinion. Not to mention the lack of infrastructure. These guys in Orlando don't build schools or roads until the situation is so chaotic, people have pitchforks and torches and they are headed fro City Hall. The mayor in Orlando is a blowhard moron. He only cares about arts and not about police and roads, which the town really needs.

Trust me... I have lived in Orlando and in the pristine Lake Mary (north of Orlando) and I would NOT go back, unless cops would drag me back there and chain me to an apt or something in Orlando. It is too much of a hassle, too many rude and crazy drivers, illegals everywhere (feels like you are in LA) and horrible job market. I seriously think people should REALLY think things over before packing up the truck and moving to Orlando because they had a nice time on their last family vacation.

It will be a different ballpark and some of the new realities in Orlando might not be what people expect or want to deal with.... I say this witha heavy heart as I loveD Orlando, but it has become a nasty town to live in.