ATL to Orlando??? (Winter Park, Baldwin: renter, house, tenant)

[wowser05]

Originally Posted by brianjb

I know you want to be near the coast....but have you considered Chicago?

It is a great city! And being on Lake Michigan, you can do a lot of water sports and there are beaches.

Chicago is cool but I dont want to deal with ths weather. Like I said Ive seen nearly all of the top major cities in the US. Most are only good for visiting, for me at least.

[Crane's Rooster]

Originally Posted by wowser05

Yea Ive been visiting for over a year an havent been to a theme park since 2006. The only tourist spot I go to frequently is down by International dr for the mall. But how is the nightlife at the theme parks? I coyld remember havin a good time there on spring break at 18-19.

It's basically non-existent now. Disney completed shut down their night club element at Pleasure Island and City-Walk, although they still have nightclubs, have shifted their focus more to hosting special events and concerts. They recently added a miniature golf course which signals they are moving further into the family oriented entertainment once again.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by wowser05

Yea Ive been visiting for over a year an havent been to a theme park since 2006. The only tourist spot I go to frequently is down by International dr for the mall. But how is the nightlife at the theme parks? I coyld remember havin a good time there on spring break at 18-19.

Once again, I would eliminate the "having fun as a tourist" aspect from your criteria because once you move here that will not be part of your regular life. Focus on where you would be able to live here given your budget and what you could afford to do in your regular leisure time. Then decide if that still makes Orlando seem special compared to other cities with the same set of criteria.

[wowser05]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

Once again, I would eliminate the "having fun as a tourist" aspect from your criteria because once you move here that will not be part of your regular life. Focus on where you would be able to live here given your budget and what you could afford to do in your regular leisure time. Then decide if that still makes Orlando seem special compared to other cities with the same set of criteria.

I understand that, but shopping once in a while would be part of my regular life, not attending the theme parks on a consistent basis. I'm heading to check it out in May/June. I appreciate all of the advice. I will drive I-4 during 4-7pm, check out all area excluding the tourist spots, local stores and restaurants, be down there in the hot ass summer time, and all of the normal/regular things.

[Crane's Rooster]

Coming from ATL I don't think the heat will be much of a shock to you here.

[tricon7]

Don't forget the wildlife here. Birds galore (eagles, ospreys, ibises, sandhill cranes, swallow-tailed kites, etc, etc.), manatees - even bears.

You're in a short driving distance to beaches, Disney and the other theme parks, and the Space Center, and not much further to the Gulf beaches and south Florida. You're also not going to experience the hurricane risks here as much as the coastal cities.

Orlando is metro enough to attract all kinds of things, but it's not so busy and crowded as to be a little New York, either.

[wowser05]

Thats what I like about it. Don't want to be too far south, but able to drive a few hours to Miami and other cities.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by wowser05

Thats what I like about it. Don't want to be too far south, but able to drive a few hours to Miami and other cities.

Yep, Orlando's basically at least two hours away from anywhere.

[Crane's Rooster]

Yes, you can easily do weekend trips to just about any part of the state (except the keys).

[jasonmckinley]

I lived in Atlanta for 8 years- now live in Orlando. My advice to you is check out Winter Park, Thornton Park, College Park and definitely Baldwin Park.

Winter Park is not really like anything in Atlanta (especially Park Ave which is awesome). Thornton and College Park would be somewhat like the nicer parts of East Atlanta mixed in with some parts of the Highlands in the sense that it's a more historic part of the city. Baldwin Park isn't like anything I've ever seen before- it has apartments (Post mainly) up to $3 million houses... restaurants, a couple of laid back bars, gym, CVS, dry cleaners, Publix, running trail, dog beach, etc. It is the sweet spot for young professionals (we live in Baldwin). You can get to any of the places I listed above in under 15 minutes if you live in Baldwin and you never have to leave Baldwin if you don't want to. When you see Baldwin, you will understand (it's not for everyone but we like it). Forget about going to Disney for nightlife- once you move here you will want to avoid that part of the city unless you have to go there.

My wife and I like Orlando much more than Atlanta (we lived in the Highlands, Ansley, and Vinings while in ATL). Orlando has lakes everywhere, better scenery, less people, and most parts of the city feel "higher end" than Atlanta. Also, the weather is really not that much different. We extend the heat about 4 weeks on either end of the summer- so it starts getting pretty hot here in late May (instead of late June in ATL) and won't end until around Halloween (normally pretty cool/crisp in ATL for Halloween). Worth it for the winter though...grass stays green here, trees keep their leaves for the most part, etc. Most of our family is in Atlanta so we go back often and we always comment how much happier we are here. Plus, you get a 6% raise when you move to Florida which is nice.

Good luck- I don't think you'll regret the decision.