Does Orlando feel like home?

[kinglouix]

Originally Posted by mojow

I've been here off and on for 20 years (Kissimmee / St Cloud) area. The changes have made living here intolerable. The poor keep getting poorer. The powers that be keep trying to pass a law that the official language of this state become Spanish. I was in Walmart the other day looking at a craft project that I was going to buy for some kids I know, but I needed to be able to see what was involved yet I could not read it because ONLY spanish information was given on the outside of the package.

Rent has sky rocketed, traffic is terrible, road planning is grossly inadequate, I've never seen a place where it's common for pedestrians to be hit by cars, crime is high (some of the styles of murders down her seem gangster flavored), and wages have hardly moved.

So for my observations, I'll be called a poster of negativity and a hater.

I'm starting to feel like the people who are not experiencing these conditions I've mentioned, (the posters who call us haters), are actually the haters. It seems like they have a choice. They can choose to understand that there are a lot of people experiencing the negatives of this place, and simply realize that they should consider themselves lucky. Or they can choose to hate the "haters" for bringing things to their attention that they don't want to see.

Because for some people, "seeing" means feeling compassion and maybe feeling a touch of guilt that they are turning a blind eye. So instead they hate, and make it appear that it's the people that are flawed rather than the conditions around the people.

That was amazingly well point. Some people moved here with false expectations and told there friends and family how smart they were to move to this wonderful place. They can't now admit how awful it is because it makes them look foolish and it is very difficult to admit one has made a collassal mistake, so they go around trying to defend the defenseless but totally lack credibility. They use general phrases like, "every place has good and bad" and "every place has hot summers" but fool no-one. Admitting the truth is liberating!!

[Lindsey_Mcfarren]

Originally Posted by captnemo62

Ok, I'll make my point and then I really am done with you and the Orlando bashing....
You THINK this place is a cesspool....that is an opinion not a fact.

I see many good things about Orlando but I'm not blind to it's faults. That's honesty my friend.

I'm with you, I love living here. That doesn't mean there aren't things that bother and worry me but for now, I am staying because I like it. I have considered at some point moving over to the West coast of Florida but that would not be for a few years.

I do feel very at home here. A few years back, I returned back to Texas for the first time since I had moved from there. I worried that I would be want to live in Texas again, which I won't do because my family is toxic. Just the opposite was true. When I got back home to Florida, I was so glad to be HOME. My neighborhood is nice and peaceful most of the time and I love it here.

[the9thwonder]

Originally Posted by mojow

I've been here off and on for 20 years (Kissimmee / St Cloud) area. The changes have made living here intolerable. The poor keep getting poorer. The powers that be keep trying to pass a law that the official language of this state become Spanish. I was in Walmart the other day looking at a craft project that I was going to buy for some kids I know, but I needed to be able to see what was involved yet I could not read it because ONLY spanish information was given on the outside of the package.

Rent has sky rocketed, traffic is terrible, road planning is grossly inadequate, I've never seen a place where it's common for pedestrians to be hit by cars, crime is high (some of the styles of murders down her seem gangster flavored), and wages have hardly moved.

So for my observations, I'll be called a poster of negativity and a hater.

I'm starting to feel like the people who are not experiencing these conditions I've mentioned, (the posters who call us haters), are actually the haters. It seems like they have a choice. They can choose to understand that there are a lot of people experiencing the negatives of this place, and simply realize that they should consider themselves lucky. Or they can choose to hate the "haters" for bringing things to their attention that they don't want to see.

Because for some people, "seeing" means feeling compassion and maybe feeling a touch of guilt that they are turning a blind eye. So instead they hate, and make it appear that it's the people that are flawed rather than the conditions around the people.

You are right. The crime here in Orlando is high. Orange Co passed Miami Dade in crime stats. Orlando was named the "7th most dangerous city to live in", the "angriest city" in America, the city where more pedestrians are hit by cars in the entire US, the number of sex offenders and constant arrests of politicians/policeman/teachers involved in illegal activity are higher than any other city I have ever seen/observed/heard... and it would be foolish not to admit that driving here in Orlando is more frustrating that almost any other city in the US, due to constant lane changing, red-light runners, aggressive driving, excessive honking, riding others' bumpers, etc... I really dont see what the attraction is to Orlando

[the9thwonder]

so far, 15 in favor of leaving, and 6 in favor of making Orlando home for many years.

[kastika]

well my attraction to orlando is that we have better jobs here than we did where we came from.

[the9thwonder]

Kastika, that's certainly a plus!

[LMB]

Originally Posted by the9thwonder

You are right. The crime here in Orlando is high. Orange Co passed Miami Dade in crime stats. Orlando was named the "7th most dangerous city to live in", the "angriest city" in America, the city where more pedestrians are hit by cars in the entire US, the number of sex offenders and constant arrests of politicians/policeman/teachers involved in illegal activity are higher than any other city I have ever seen/observed/heard... and it would be foolish not to admit that driving here in Orlando is more frustrating that almost any other city in the US, due to constant lane changing, red-light runners, aggressive driving, excessive honking, riding others' bumpers, etc... I really dont see what the attraction is to Orlando

I agree, but I didn't realize how stressful it had become there until we moved away. Perspective from living elsewhere sure is an eye-opener! My husband and I lived in the south Orlando area for 15 years, and moved to the Pacific Northwest this past July. In retrospect, we experienced many of the negative changes in central FL during those years that other posters have mentioned here although we mostly accepted it as the price of growth. It had definitely become more and more challenging to live there, but we had a nice house, good jobs & friends, so we overlooked much of the negative stuff. As far as traffic, road-rage, crime and general lack of respect for others, that was the way it was everywhere now, right?

We were just back in Orlando for a week last month, so we had a brief refresher course there. Wow, the differences between our former FL hometown and our new one in WA were startling! Not even adding weather into the mix (there are good & bad weather issues in both areas), there's really no comparison of the higher quality of life we have here in western Washington compared to the Orlando area.

We now live in a small town (huge difference right there), which is wonderful for almost no traffic or crime, but we're in nearby Seattle fairly often. Of course, crime is higher there than in our small town, but not at the level of violent crime or frequency of shootings in Orlando, a city half the size of Seattle. Traffic is also very heavy in the Seattle area, but drivers aren't nearly as rude or angry as in central FL. Red-light running isn't considered the norm here either. Also, it's been our experience that store clerks and check-out workers here aren't chatting with each other about last night's date, acting as if you're interrupting them with your purchases.

Other than the usual things already mentioned here, there are so many intangibles about what makes one area have a higher quality of life for someone than another area--of course, everyone has their own set of criteria and there's no perfect place for all. We haven't taken time to assess some of the subtle reasons, but we feel so much more welcomed, comfortable and "at home" here in the Pacific Northwest after just 4 months than we did in the Orlando area, especially during the last 6-7 years--we just didn't realize it while we lived there. Perspective from living in another area was needed before we could be objective and honest about the downside of the changes in central FL. We don't hate Orlando, and we still have many friends there--we just miss what it was and what it could have been. Growth was not managed well and it's showing now. Obviously, this is our personal experience and "your mileage may vary."

Lynn

[the9thwonder]

Lynn, I agree. I came from NC, although I was born in NC, and the differences are amazing. People in Orlando, especially the ones that have lived there for a while dont even sometimes realize how better and nice ppl are elsewhere. There are many Floridians trying to leave Orlando, and I completely understand why. Some that like it and want to stay, more power to you. Glad you are happy. But go somewhere else like Lynn said, and then come back to Orlando and observe the differences. They are big.

[kloud9kutie]

Originally Posted by Magnulus

Not really but I've never felt at home much of anywhere I lived, being a former military brat. I was most "at home" living in the UK, next place I'd rate is Tulsa, though it is a bit on the conservative side for my tastes. As a kid I loved living outside of Tampa in a mostly rural area, but it isn't rural anymore. Orlando is way too messed up for me to feel like it is home. Oviedo is OK, has some problems (traffic is only getting worse), but at least it isn't a craphole like most of the rest of Orlando. Unfortunately you only have to drive a few miles away and you find crap like the Amazon Mall, which looks almost third world if you've ever been in there. Heck, it is thrid world with a bunch of "carga aqui" shops and nobody speaks good English in that area and there are thug-looking cholos driving around in beat-up cars.

haha ...oh the amazon mall....i think it smells wierd too...lol I did get a cheap coach purse there...but yeah.....what a waste of space really....

Amazon mall for the person asking is on East Colonial and Rouse...near Kyrstals.

[kloud9kutie]

Oh and the only reason i moved here was because i was a navy brat and dad got stationed here...Only reason i am still here is because i have a good job and sitll clueless where i would want to live really....hmmm....yeup i cant make up my mind..so O-town for atleast another 10 years it is!!! Just hope my side of town stays good and the cops that live across from me never move (So comforting having 2 cop cars posted infront of your house 24/7).