Possibly moving from Seattle area (Bellevue) to Orlando area (Windermere). Questions!

[Fancy-Schmancy]

Jwuk -- The weather has finally improved...but this last winter just dragged on...and on...and on.

We were in the 50's and rainy up until last week. We'd have one or two nice days then, boom!, right back into the doldrums again. It's unusual...but the unusual may be here to stay. In which case, we're gone.

[Eric1026]

You should move to Windermere and call it your home. Then you need to let the kids know that during the 10 weeks of summertime (they are off school anyway) your family is going back to the PNW to stay at a VRBO or rental home for 8 of the weeks. That is when the days are the longest and the weather is perfect in the PNW anyway.....AND ironically in the summer all the tourists come to Orlando for some strange reason and sit through 2 hour lines and 95 degree heat and 95% humidity to get on a Disney ride :-)

The above scenario offers the best of both worlds and will minimize the amount of extreme heat and humidity you have to live through.

*****I make the statements above because...........

My spouse is from Seattle/Issaquah and we live in Windermere, FL. Since we met I have been to the state of Washington and the PNW/Alaska no less then 25 times......married on Orcas Island....kids went to the YMCA Orcas Island camp last summer.....etc. Here is what we decided to do 10 years ago and it sounds like you might have the ability to do the same:

For pure beauty and natural scenery we both think nothing can compare to the PNW. We would be living there in a second if (and you know what the IF is I am sure :-)) we could skip November - April. So what we did was move down to Florida (Windermere) and found a way via our company to live here and get away during the summer. We are up to leaving 4-5 weeks during the summer and we plan on increasing that every year.

If you do not find a way to get away during the summer then being from Seattle you will really dislike the summer or from about June - September. Worse off after a few years you will start lumping May and October in there because it will feel like a drag on from the summertime. You will be surprised by the bugs too. We also do not like the lightning storms but for some reason hurricanes do not bother us (they come so rarely and give you lots of warning unlike other natural disasters).

If it sounds like I do not like Windermere that would not be correct. Having kids and living in Windermere is so nice. It is extremely safe. The public schools are great. You sit within 15 minutes of: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Universal, Islands of Adventure, Sea World, Water parks, etc....etc. Beach on either side is 1.5 hours away. Year round good weather, sports water skiing, etc.

Other places we have considered include Bend, OR; Prescott, AZ; Folsom, CA; San Luis Obispo, CA; Medford, OR; Northern San Diego. We still may move one day but for now we love the Windermere/ PNW mix!

[totsuka]

Originally Posted by ethanwa

I have the luxury of moving anywhere in the world because my job is 100% on the computer (I run a small business that makes software and I make a more than decent living). We want to stay in the USA, so Florida seems to be the place my wife and I with two young kids 5 & 7 seem to always talk about. The cost of living, even in Windermere, is so much cheaper than the Seattle area as far as I can tell (I'm looking at a $12k-20k/yr savings by moving), and our family loves Florida because there is so much to do and the weather is amazing.

- Anyone else move from WA to FL? Experiences?

- Is Windermere considered a great place to live for locals? I see the schools are highly rated. What else is good/bad about the area?

- Is Windermere considered "Orlando".... as in, if you go out of state do you say "I'm from Orlando" like I currently say "I'm from Seattle"?

- We are looking to rent a nice home in the area... should we be weary of foreclosures? Any advice for home renters in the area? Are rental prices pretty negotiable right now?

- Anyone have experience on a big cross-country move? I don't even know where to start! What is a good moving company that does big moves and how much will it generally cost me? We MUST have movers... we can't do the do-it-yourself thing going from WA->FL.

- For people have moved from a cold climate to a warm one (like we may do), what is the best part of Florida for you besides the weather?

- We have good colleges/university system, getting more expensive, but good. Public schools are still a problem.

- I live in 32814, which for us is a better location than Windermere. That part of town seems to have more traffic problems. We like it here and our location works out very well for us.

- The price of homes has gone up a lot the last year and the same with rents, but there are a lot of choices so you should be able to find something decent.

- I moved from overseas back to the states, San Diego to Key West FL. So it's not really that difficult and rather fun if you drive. I would say a good first start is a series of garage sales to get rid of the junk. Then ebay/CL anything that might get you a better price. Hire a reliable moving company and then drive. Plan the trip so you can see some nice sites, Grand Canyon etc....take your time if you can.

- I grew up on Ohio so I love hot weather, but it can wear you down with the humid hot weather. Sometimes you just don't feel like going outside.

- For us, we are tired of Florida. It's limited for things to do and we thought about moving up North. We know the winters are a killer and the taxes can be higher but still, the North/North East seems to have
many things to do compared to FL.

- Orlando is a "big small town" and spread out. You don't see much of a downtown which does not really matter much to most people. Some parts are run down and seedy, the "old Florida" look, and other parts are new(er). You might look at Maitland too.