Orlando vs. Tampa (Miami, Gainesville, Fort Myers: real estate, transplants, apartment complex)

[TamaM197]

Hello, I am a single female in my mid-twenties, have a bachelor's degree, and am moving to Florida in order to be closer to my family. I am familiar with Florida's weather and traffic problems (I've visited many times), but would like to know what it is like to live in Orlando and/or Tampa specifically...please no posts advising me not to move here. These are the only areas convenient to all my friends/family and my mind is made up!

I am looking for a reasonably-priced neighborhood (approx. $500-$750 for a studio or 1-bedroom apt.). I do not necessarily want to live in the suburbs, I'd like something a little closer to the city.

--I know this has been asked a dozen times before, but: Which areas are good and which areas are bad? I've read some of the other posts about Winter Springs, are there any other areas I should look into? Also, could someone tell me where Metrowest is?

--I'm not interested in area schools too much because I don't have children and am not looking to start a family yet.

--Which utilities are the most expensive? Where I live water is dirt cheap but gas/electric is very pricey. I ask because I am looking for an apartment and would like to know which "included utilities" ads are a good deal and which are not.

--How about pets? I am thinking about getting a dog for companionship and security. Is the city pet friendly? Is it safe to take pets to the park?

--Can anyone point me to some other sources for information? Are there other sites I should be combing?

Thanks in advance.

[evidence]

What is your degree in? I went to college for 6 yrs and I am unemployed. Hard to find a job right now. But perhaps your field is in more demand than mine at the moment.

Pro's and Con's of Tampa and Orlando... nice winters, dreadful summers, over-priced housing, bad crime in areas, too much congestion, rude people, very bad drivers. Well, I guess those are mostly con's...

Pro's - beaches, multicultural (to some it's good, to others it's not), entertainment (Orlando especially).

Aesthetically, Orlando is prettier. And the beaches are only 45 minutes away... basically, if it were up to me, I'd pick Orlando. Just not a fan of Tampa. Not a big fan of Orlando either, but if you must choose one or the other, I'd pick Orlando.

FL is having a tough time right now. Taxes, congestion, immigration, jobs, hosuing market, etc... I'd pick Atlanta or Charlotte over both Tampa and Orlando. That way, you could be close to family, but not have to put up with the grind that is living in Orlando or Tampa. Just my 2 cents though. Perhaps others will have more positive things to say.

[kinglouix]

Originally Posted by evidence

What is your degree in? I went to college for 6 yrs and I am unemployed. Hard to find a job right now. But perhaps your field is in more demand than mine at the moment.

Pro's and Con's of Tampa and Orlando... nice winters, dreadful summers, over-priced housing, bad crime in areas, too much congestion, rude people, very bad drivers. Well, I guess those are mostly con's...

Pro's - beaches, multicultural (to some it's good, to others it's not), entertainment (Orlando especially).

Aesthetically, Orlando is prettier. And the beaches are only 45 minutes away... basically, if it were up to me, I'd pick Orlando. Just not a fan of Tampa. Not a big fan of Orlando either, but if you must choose one or the other, I'd pick Orlando.

FL is having a tough time right now. Taxes, congestion, immigration, jobs, hosuing market, etc... I'd pick Atlanta or Charlotte over both Tampa and Orlando. That way, you could be close to family, but not have to put up with the grind that is living in Orlando or Tampa. Just my 2 cents though. Perhaps others will have more positive things to say.

Aesthetically Orlando is prettier? Than what, a garbage dump. Take a drive on Bay Blvd, overlooking Tampa Bay and then take a gander at that mosquito infested puddle known as Lake Eola. Do you find Roseanne Bar attractive as well??

[compelled to reply]

As far as Florida's "immigration problems", North Carolina is now the top state for new ILLEGAL immigrants, and there are illegals ALL over Atlanta, where the problem is a couple steps above Orlando and even much of South Florida (excluding Dade). Go to Chamblee (plenty of Asians illegally there too), Marietta, incorporated Cumming (don't laugh), Norcross, and the illegal immigration problem is HUGE! There are smaller pockets like that scattered across metro Atlanta. In the Orlando area there are a couple pockets of illegals, mostly in far east Orlando, but most of the Hispanics are at least legal residents of the U.S from Puerto Rico. Metro Atlanta doesn't really have many Hispanics that are there legally. Tampa is mostly native born Cubans with some Puerto Ricans mixed in.

My pick? Tampa without a doubt. It's on a beautiful bay with some actual living history and semi-urban neighborhoods, not the same level of traffic, far from "rude people" (mostly Midwestern transplants anyhow, so you can't even use the NY/NJ excuse), a little cheaper real estate, and a bit lower crime. The main advantage of Orlando is the job market. And that's it.

[Crane's Rooster]

Contrary to what you may occasionally read on some of the discussion boards I think a single young professional could be happy in either Tampa or Orlando because just like anywhere else it is what you make of it. That being said, I can't speak much for Tampa having never lived there but here's my thoughts on Orlando for what it's worth.

For the price range and what you're looking for you may have fewer options downtown but could easily find a very nice place for that price if you were willing to get a roommate or two. However, if having your own space is a must than there are still nice places you could look into. Top of my list, as my name would imply, is Altamonte. It's fairly close to downtown and well developed with everything you could possibly need or want as far as shopping and dining. As for entertainment there's a good movie theater and some bars but you would have to head downtown for the real nightlife. There are plenty of apartment complexes close to I-4 in that price range but I'm not going to lie to you, if you have to commute downtown it can be like an epic battle at times. If you're willing to go further out Lake Mary/Heathrow is also very nice and tend to be newer so you get more bang for the buck. Closer to downtown, Maitland and Winter Park are also good spots. Baldwin Park is really nice but a little higher than what you'd like to pay. To the south you may want to look in the Millenia and MetroWest areas. Both these areas are really nice in themselves but the only caution is they are surrounded by some seedy areas. Out east, Waterford Lakes and Avalon Park are also nice. To the west, Winter Garden west of the 429 is nice.

Orlando for a city it's size has a fairly good young singles scene. I have lived all over the country (Boston, San Francisco, D.C.) and no we are not quite that level yet but we are not worlds apart from them. I found a variety of options from First Thursday at the Museum of Art to Downtown festivals at Lake Eola to Happy hour downtown or at blu martini. There's plenty to do here for young professionals if you look in the right places. Organizations like the Orlando Young Professionals, Guys with Ties and the Urban League are good places to meet other young singles. Downtown in general is full of young people after work hours. Since I moved back here a few years ago I've actually had to spend weekends out of town to take a breather rather than to find something to do. However, the other great part about Orlando, if you need a change of scenery it's centrally located so you could easily make a weekend trip to Miami, Tampa, Jax, Gainesville, Fort Myers, you name it. Tampa is also conveniently located but it may take you a little longer to get to Miami and Jax but you could still do it as a weekend trip.

As far as utilities, electric by and far is the only home utility you need to be concerned about. Just about every structure is centrally air conditioned and during the summer months it is a substantial cost. But I wouldn't let the idea of electric being included in your rent be the deciding factor. It's not so expensive that it would be worth renting in something you may not like as much just because they pay your electric. Gas for the home is negligible. I live downtown in an older home so some of our appliances use gas but the bill is minimal. Gas for your car is whole other story.

As far as pets there are lots of parks and green space throughout the area. Most of them allow pets. I'm not a pet person myself but I've seen dog parades and charity/community dog walks around the area quite often so I assume it's good for dog owners. Again, I don't have a pet so I'm just guessing.

In addition to this site I would try looking on Urbanplanet.org under the Orlando forum for some good insight and information. DowntownOrlando.com has some helpful links on it too.

I'm sorry about my post being so long, it was my first one so I may have been a little over enthusiastic but I hope it helps.

[Band Member]

I am really not crazy about either. King Louix, I think Orlando is prettier as well compared to Tampa. Too much of Tampa just looks old and run down.