Need advise moving from Portland to Orlando! (Miami, Tampa: rent, high crime)

[StreetSmarts]

Originally Posted by OrlFlaUsa

Beats Asheville anyday, cold, dreary, dead. We all know why u came back .

Our winters are better, yes. BUT....... I do want some colder weather!

[OuttatheRain]

Originally Posted by T&V1

Hello all!

My husband and I are considering moving our family to Orlando, Florida from Portland, Oregon. We have a baby just over a year old. We are tired of the cold, and my husband is from Panama so he would like to be closer to be able to visit family more often. My family is here in Oregon.

We are naturally drawn to beaches, humid and warm weather, and larger cities. We also would like to be able to travel more freely then living in Portland allows.

We are concerned, however, that we won't be able to find good jobs in Orlando. My husband currently works in car sales and I am a recent graduate working in the business world. We noticed that the housing market looks promising, but not if we can't find jobs!

If you have lived in either city, and could offer us some advise, please let us know!

Also, if you know of a good neighborhood and safe area in which we can raise our family, post it!

Thanks everyone and have a great weekend!

Looks like we are neighbors now and may be neighbors again in Orlando Our house is currently on the market and we are moving to the Orlando as soon as it sells. Our family is also here in Oregon, but we are drawn to the beaches and warm weather. We have never missed a holiday with family, so next year will be a new experience for us.

I'd suggest starting by applying at jobs in Orlando while you are still in Portland. My Dh was able to get a job in Portland while we still lived in Phoenix, that's how we got up here. Ten+ years of grey, dreary fall, winter and springs have finally gotten to us though and we are outta here! This time Dh is able to bring his job with him. We would not move to another state without a job lined up, even if we had an entire years worth of savings to live on.

Have you been to Orlando just to check out the areas? We were down in August to house hunt. At first, we thought we'd buy in Oviedo--until we got down there. It is very far out from the center of shopping/malls/entertainment. Everything there is very spaced out. Also, there is only one freeway, I-4, that I could tell anyways, that is not a toll road. Toll roads get VERY expensive. Imagine having to pull over to pay a dollar or two every few miles to drive on I-205, the 217, the 26 or the 84 here. That is one thing that I'm really not happy about when it comes to Orlando--especially being born & raised in Phoenix where there are many more freeways and NO TOLLS. With a city that big, there should not be toll roads that almost punish the full time residents.

Even with the roads, we are still moving. Right now our plan is to rent a house in Windermere or Winter Garden until we can nail down where we want our kids to go to high school.

Wishing you the best of luck!

[StreetSmarts]

I'm a little biased, but Oviedo is probably the best. It's not THAT far out there, as you say. In fact, I wish it were further out from East Orlando, which has more crime, etc. I am not a fan of EAST Orlando at all.

Winter Springs is awesome as well. I like Wekiva and Longwood, etc. but having to rely on I-4, totally sucks.

[brinkofsunshine]

Without knowing much about the OP except that they are coming from Portland, I would recommend the downtown neighborhoods, Thornton Park, Delaney Park, Audubon Park, College Park.

If you're looking for something more suburban, Dr. Phillips or Windermere. I personally like the SW side of town and the downtown core the best.

[StreetSmarts]

I like the northern areas (Oviedo, Winter Springs, Longwood, Lake Mary) all areas north of downtown Orlando better. When I think of SW Orlando, all I think about is how much I hate the touristy areas and especially the Millenia area. UGH.

[T&V1]

Thank you everyone for your comments and advise!

We certainly didn't know about the highway tolls, that's super annoying and we will have to keep that in mind when choosing a neighborhood.

How is the hurricane weather like down there and have any of you experienced any damaged property?

[StreetSmarts]

no.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by T&V1

Hello all!

My husband and I are considering moving our family to Orlando, Florida from Portland, Oregon. We have a baby just over a year old. We are tired of the cold, and my husband is from Panama so he would like to be closer to be able to visit family more often. My family is here in Oregon.

We are naturally drawn to beaches, humid and warm weather, and larger cities. We also would like to be able to travel more freely then living in Portland allows.

We are concerned, however, that we won't be able to find good jobs in Orlando. My husband currently works in car sales and I am a recent graduate working in the business world. We noticed that the housing market looks promising, but not if we can't find jobs!

If you have lived in either city, and could offer us some advise, please let us know!

Also, if you know of a good neighborhood and safe area in which we can raise our family, post it!

Thanks everyone and have a great weekend!

A definite concern and would strongly advise having employment secured prior to moving here which in and of itself can be quite a challenge unless transferring with your current employer. Auto Sales is very transitional here and there might be opportunity for your husband, though earning a living from it is another story and having a substantial amount of savings to bring with you would be the best course of action since recent graduates with Business degrees are a dime a dozen here...with few job opportunities in the Professional sector.

[Consigliere]

Originally Posted by T&V1

How is the hurricane weather like down there and have any of you experienced any damaged property?

There was widespread roof and tree damage and power outages from Hurricane Charley in 2004 which was the first hurricane to hit Orlando in over 40 years. There have been none since then. The site OrlandoHurricane.net has a nice history of hurricanes in the area.

[westwoodwizard]

Originally Posted by T&V1

Hello all!

My husband and I are considering moving our family to Orlando, Florida from Portland, Oregon. We have a baby just over a year old. We are tired of the cold, and my husband is from Panama so he would like to be closer to be able to visit family more often. My family is here in Oregon.

We are naturally drawn to beaches, humid and warm weather, and larger cities. We also would like to be able to travel more freely then living in Portland allows.

We are concerned, however, that we won't be able to find good jobs in Orlando. My husband currently works in car sales and I am a recent graduate working in the business world. We noticed that the housing market looks promising, but not if we can't find jobs!

If you have lived in either city, and could offer us some advise, please let us know!

Also, if you know of a good neighborhood and safe area in which we can raise our family, post it!

Thanks everyone and have a great weekend!

Be careful!
1. Do not move unless you have jobs and yes I know that is a paradox because it is easier to find a job when you are local. However, this is a medium sized city with an economy skewed by the tourism industry. Finding a job will be challenging so do not move without that in place.

2. The Greater Orlando area is spread out with 2.1 million people living in an area of 4000 square miles. Compare that to a major North American city like Toronto which has 6 million people living in an area of 2700 square miles. What does that mean? Sprawl! You will be driving everywhere for the smallest of things and with children's activities that becomes not only costly in terms of gas and toll charges but it is very inconvenient and time consuming. Just getting swimming lessons is a pain because they do not have many indoor facilities so the water is too cold during the "winter" months. You will probably want some retail convenience as well and that is challenging because everything is 20 to 30 minutes away.

3. It is very hot here for most of the year which means your electricity bill will be sky high and all that money you think you are saving from no state income tax will be gone because of electricity, gas and toll charges. You can save on electricity only by not using your AC and staying hot if you consider that a reasonable option.

4. If you are coming to Florida, pick a bigger city such as Tampa or Miami. I am not saying they are all wonderful but they should be better than Orlando in terms of weather as well not having the same problems with sprawl.

5. Orlando is a tourist destination. Do not get sucked in by that fact. Living her and visiting here are two different things.

6. Ethnic diversity here does not mean the same thing as it does on the West Coast. Out West, you have true diversity that includes Asians and Latin Americans. In Orlando, diversity means only Latin Americans so basically we have very few Asians and thus fewer options for great Asian food. You will miss those things here if that matters to you.