Orlando, fl or fresno, ca??? (Kissimmee, Clermont: sex offenders, houses, job transfer)

[tanialr78]

HELP! My husband & I have 4 kids (ages 11, 9, 7, & 5) and we finally moved out of cornfield IL to beautiful Castle Rock, Colorado. Now a year later my husband might be getting a job transfer. His choice is in the Orlando, FL area or the Fresno, CA area! I have been to Florida many times and actually my parents have a house in the Kissimmee area so it would be nice to be close to family. My husband and I have driven the entire state of CA (not kidding!) but haven't ever been to the exact Fresno/Corvis area of the company. I am looking forward to winters without snow so either state is good for that but after living in CO I love the mountains so Cali would be good...but I have read about the smog and horrible water & air quality!...Florida has so many bugs & humidity & hurricanes...Cali is more expensive! Agghhh!!! West coast/East coast!!! I have only visited each state and only lived in IL and now CO for a whole year...advice please - I am looking for good schools and a safe neighborhood!...

[coolieandre]

I'd Choose FL just b/c I personally love FL, but I do hear that Freno is very cheap compared to the rest of CA since it's in the central Valley. And you will be in the middle of L.A. and Sacramento so an actual BIG city is near and all the mtns/ hiking/ etc.... Orlando does take a while to get used to though but it's doable and we have cleaner air, and of course the tropical life....The schools I'm not to sure of but from what I hear and read there may be a lot of probs with them in this metro area.....

[Jasmine728]

I live in the sierra's above Sacramento, I lived in Merced CA which is near Fresno when I was a kid. You are close to Yosemite, and between SF /LA and Sacramento but Fresno is very flat and hot, lots of farmland and not much else. I don't know anything about the schools these days but it is over 100 degrees a lot of the summer. Even knowing nothing about Orlando... I still think I would pick Orlando. There is a reason Fresno is one of the cheaper places to live in CA. I have a good friend who lives in Castle Rock... beautiful area. Good luck with your decision.

[poodlestix]

I grew up in Calif, although not in the area you're speaking of, and I'm now a resident of the Orlando area, so maybe I know a little something. Calif has great weather, but there's not much else going for it anymore. The state is on the verge of bankruptcy now, so they have hiked the income taxes way up high, and they give tickets for the most ridiculous things. I have a friend who still lives there, and she complains to me about various things. There are also a TON of illegals there now. I know what you mean about mountains-it was something I missed when I left. However, Clermont has some pretty hilly areas that remind me of home, so that would be the part of Orlando I'd recommend. Also, the air in the Orlando area was rated in the top 20 cleanest in the country. I figure it has something to do with how Florida is a peninsula, and since there are large bodies of water on both sides of the state, there's often a breeze blowing across from one side to the other. I think that helps keep smog from building up, or that's my theory anyhow. It's absolutely beautiful here, and I've never seen such a huge variety of wildlife! I've been here going on 3 years and have never regretted our move. Best wishes to you on whatever you decide, and feel free to PM me with any questions I might help you with.

[tanialr78]

Thanks everybody for all the great information! Hopefully we have a couple months (or possible less) to consider our options! While nobody in my family has asma I am still concerned about the smog - which is what I have read about! I am hoping to get a chance to visit the Fresno/Clovis area so I can check it out and I have been to Orlando numerous times but vacationing to a place is always different from living there!!! Keep the great input coming!

[Pete C]

Of course living here is not like living at a Disney resort, however it is nice to have vacation amenities in your back yard! The weather is going to be a major adjustment if you have never lived in a tropical climate. Orlando is technically sub-tropical, but it feels all of tropical in the summer. Very hot, very sticky, however you really have to think about the big picture. The winters here are flat-out amazing. Just awesome weather for about 8 months. People tend to forget about that in July when they are about to melt.

That said, in the summer there is water everywhere to cool off. The east coast beach is only 50 min away, and the west coast 1.5 hours. There are many lakes for water sports. There are several water parks to choose from, as well as several natural springs nearby for swimming and tubing. Wekiva Springs offers both, but the tubing run is pretty short. The Rainbow River in Dunnellon (1.5 hr drive) is great for a 2 or 4 hour float.

In Orlando you just need to pick the right neighborhood for your family. There are loads of threads you can find on this forum about that.

[Jonah1979]

Orlando! Fresno is hell on earth!

[4Florida2]

Orlando a thousand times!

I know california well, my husband is from there and we visit a lot.

all what the previous comments wrote is true and you will have to deal with a lot un-documented in the schools and other facilities, that is one of many of the many complaints we hear.

[Wilshire81182]

If it were another part of CA it may be debatable, but Fresno has little to offer and few nice areas. Many call it the armpit of CA.

[Jasmine728]

I received the following message from another poster. I think the point of the forum here is to get different perspectives and to be told not to post by another member kind of defeats the purpose doesnt it? So here's their opinion on Orlando since they seem to be all knowing. And my response.

Originally Posted by seain dublin

Having lived in both states I sent the OP a DM.

The schools in FL are awful, they're 2 to 3 yrs behind most of the country.

The drivers are insane, I have never seen so many aggressive and rude drivers in my life. I have seen more crashes here in 4yrs in FL than in 20yrs in CA.

Horrific car crashes every day.

FL is LOADED with child molesters.

Dateline NBC did a profile on missing Orlando girl who was kidnapped and murdered on her way to school.

Even though she only walked a few blocks to school she walked by FIVE HOUSES that had convicted sex offenders living in them.

The police had their hands full because there were so many people to look at.

And as far as hot and flat go, Orlando beats Fresno.

While Fresno is in the 80s and dry now, it is already in the mid 90s in Orlando and very sticky.

And Orlando will stay that way and get worse until November.

Please unless you don't know both areas, don't give advice.

I wouldn't advice anyone with school age children to come to FL.

My response:
I didnt give advice on Florida and admitted I didnt know anything about Orlando. But Fresno is horrible and I would never recommend to anyone to move there. This is a forum and people post their experiences and knowledge about areas... so don't tell me not to post as I have every right to post what I know about an area as you do. The whole point of a forum is to get different viewpoints . Everything you posted below could be said about CA. I've lived here for over 35 years and spent a few summers specifically in Fresno. So post what you want, but don't send me messages telling me not to post what I know. The poster asked for info and I gave it, you can do the same. Ultimately the poster can make their own choice based on ALL the opinions not just yours. I didnt see the post directed only to you.
As for Child molesters , there is a website listing where they all live in CA and there are PLENTY in Fresno and all over CA. In the winter the fog is so bad there are multi car pileups in the central valley all the time. We have amber alerts in CA on weekly basis with missing and kidnapped children. None of what you said below is not happening in CA. Let the poster weigh all the options and decide for their self.