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Advice on relocating to Orlando, Houston, SA, Tampa, Atl, San Diego, LA, SF/Oak
First time on here, so bear with me...I plan on moving to a different state within the next year. Currently I'm living in NC, but desiring a change. Would like everyone's advice on the cities above and their experience. To give a background on myself, not really in any particular order
1) I have an engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering (7 years experience), also prior military (4 years)
2) I'm 36, no kids, would like to get married and I'm Christian
3) Cost of living (Environment, houses with cul de sacs or close to your neighbor where you can touch them)
4) Crime rates
5) Would like a diverse culture to be surrounded by (People),
6) School systems for kids, cost of living
7) Diversity would extend to neighborhoods sections of the city, etc..restaurants
8) Places to visit (Museum, shows, parks, zoos, professional sports NBA, NFL) I don't go out to night clubs so..
9) Weather is really not an issue.
10) Proximity of the above cities to other major cities within the state. I don't plan on traveling to other major cities within the state often, but it would be nice to have a max of 2 to 3 hours to get somewhere if I decided to take a road trip on the weekends.
Thanks for all the help, your own advice and experience from your standpoint.
Advice on relocating to Orlando, Houston, SA, Tampa, Atl, San Diego, LA, SF/Oak
First time on here, so bear with me...I plan on moving to a different state within the next year. Currently I'm living in NC, but desiring a change. Would like everyone's advice on the cities above and their experience. To give a background on myself, not really in any particular order
1) I have an engineering degree in Mechanical Engineering (7 years experience), also prior military (4 years)
2) I'm 36, no kids, would like to get married and I'm Christian
3) Cost of living (Environment, houses with cul de sacs or close to your neighbor where you can touch them)
4) Crime rates
5) Would like a diverse culture to be surrounded by (People),
6) School systems for kids, cost of living
7) Diversity would extend to neighborhoods sections of the city, etc..restaurants
8) Places to visit (Museum, shows, parks, zoos, professional sports NBA, NFL) I don't go out to night clubs so..
9) Weather is really not an issue.
10) Proximity of the above cities to other major cities within the state. I don't plan on traveling to other major cities within the state often, but it would be nice to have a max of 2 to 3 hours to get somewhere if I decided to take a road trip on the weekends.
Thanks for all the help, your own advice and experience from your standpoint.
One challenge with Orlando (and probably with the other locations listed) is that experiences can really vary. Even a distance of 10-15 miles can be the difference between a wonderful part of town and a less desirable part. I'm on the SW side of Orlando in the Windermere-Winter Garden-Horizon West corridor, so that's where my views are:
1. My husband is in IT, so we did a lot of looking through various engineering listings to get him the job he has. There's some defense contractors who do work in the area, and so there are jobs available, but you'd have to see if you have the specific type of skills that they are looking for.
2. There's a good mix in this area -- you won't find a shortage of churches around, and there are singles groups at many of them as well.
3. We moved from DC down here, so cost of living was a LOT less than what we were used to. There's more of a focus on building communities to live in instead of just identifying with a city or town.
4. Where I live, the crime rate is delightfully low. I did see someone jaywalk the other day, though.
5. My daughter's school is much more diverse than her school in Maryland. The community seems to have a little bit of everyone around here.
6. Kiddo is in pre-K, and it is a little early to tell how I like the school systems here, but they seem to be well rated overall.
7. Because I live near the "tourist bubble", there's an insane amount of different types of restaurants.
8. The big name players in the entertainment industry here are the major theme parks, which I enjoy, but there are also a variety of other attractions. There's never a lack of anything to do around here.
9. I like the weather here. Some don't.
10. Tampa isn't far, and Jacksonville isn't horrible either. To get to other really big cities would require an overnight stay instead of just a day trip.
I recently moved from Orlando to the SF Bay Area and can provide some insight on both areas.
To my wife and I (she grew up just north of West Palm Beach), Orlando is really only a decent place to visit, and not really a great place to live. Of course, this varies depending on who you ask. I'm not a theme park kinda guy. I moved to Orlando from Indianapolis for work, and there wasn't much I really enjoyed about the area. As EditorJul mentioned, crime issues are widespread and can vary from block to block. Also because of the lack of strict zoning restrictions, you can have a million dollar home next door to a cheap duplex in Orlando proper. This doesn't really create a "community".
We lived in College Park, just outside of downtown Orlando, and there were violent break-ins, despite being a really nice area. However, it's less than a mile from Parramore, which was recently ranked as the 25th worst section of the entire US for crime. If you wanted to avoid crime in Orlando completely, you pretty much need to live in one of the outlying suburban area (like Windermere, or Lake Mary/Heathrow to the northern side of the city)
Florida in general is very diverse, but if you are educated and are looking for a section of educated folks, it's kinda hard to find. Orlando, and much of Florida is built on travel and tourism, and thus the majority of the work younger people get in the area are lower paying touristy jobs.
There certainly are defense contractors in the area, but I think you get more bang for your buck elsewhere. However, the one benefit of Florida over any of the other areas you listed is that there's no state income tax. If I were to choose what city in Florida to live in if I had to return, it would probably be Tampa. Great beaches on that coast, better weather, because you get a breeze on the coast, and I think overall a better metro area. You don't drive to much in Florida though, because it's 3 hrs to JAX, 4+ to Miami and 2-ish to Tampa (varies depending on where you live in Orlando - going past Disney on I-4 can be a parking lot at times).
My wife and I like the Bay Area, but it's now the most expensive city in the nation. Studio apartments in San Francisco go for $3k/mo easily and have lines of 10-20 applicants, and applicants with dual incomes typically win out. You really need a salary of $200k+ to live here comfortably. It's like another gold rush out here. If you're looking for a more Christian, family-friendly area that is diverse and more on the safer side, I'd probably recommend San Diego. Can't beat the weather out there either, and I'd presume with the Naval base out there, engineering jobs wouldn't be that tough to come by compared to other locales. Now, it's still expensive because everything in CA cities is more expensive than anywhere in the US on average, but it's much more reasonable than SF/LA.
I really really dislike Los Angeles, but that's just me. Driving to other cities in CA just isn't done either. Driving to major metro areas on weekends is much more of a Midwestern thing, because of the access of plenty of direct route freeways compared to FL and CA, not to mention the traffic. Get some frequent flyer miles and hop for a weekend. That's what the wife and I do.
I recently moved from Orlando to the SF Bay Area and can provide some insight on both areas.
To my wife and I (she grew up just north of West Palm Beach), Orlando is really only a decent place to visit, and not really a great place to live. Of course, this varies depending on who you ask. I'm not a theme park kinda guy. I moved to Orlando from Indianapolis for work, and there wasn't much I really enjoyed about the area. As EditorJul mentioned, crime issues are widespread and can vary from block to block. Also because of the lack of strict zoning restrictions, you can have a million dollar home next door to a cheap duplex in Orlando proper. This doesn't really create a "community".
We lived in College Park, just outside of downtown Orlando, and there were violent break-ins, despite being a really nice area. However, it's less than a mile from Parramore, which was recently ranked as the 25th worst section of the entire US for crime. If you wanted to avoid crime in Orlando completely, you pretty much need to live in one of the outlying suburban area (like Windermere, or Lake Mary/Heathrow to the northern side of the city)
Florida in general is very diverse, but if you are educated and are looking for a section of educated folks, it's kinda hard to find. Orlando, and much of Florida is built on travel and tourism, and thus the majority of the work younger people get in the area are lower paying touristy jobs.
There certainly are defense contractors in the area, but I think you get more bang for your buck elsewhere. However, the one benefit of Florida over any of the other areas you listed is that there's no state income tax. If I were to choose what city in Florida to live in if I had to return, it would probably be Tampa. Great beaches on that coast, better weather, because you get a breeze on the coast, and I think overall a better metro area. You don't drive to much in Florida though, because it's 3 hrs to JAX, 4+ to Miami and 2-ish to Tampa (varies depending on where you live in Orlando - going past Disney on I-4 can be a parking lot at times).
My wife and I like the Bay Area, but it's now the most expensive city in the nation. Studio apartments in San Francisco go for $3k/mo easily and have lines of 10-20 applicants, and applicants with dual incomes typically win out. You really need a salary of $200k+ to live here comfortably. It's like another gold rush out here. If you're looking for a more Christian, family-friendly area that is diverse and more on the safer side, I'd probably recommend San Diego. Can't beat the weather out there either, and I'd presume with the Naval base out there, engineering jobs wouldn't be that tough to come by compared to other locales. Now, it's still expensive because everything in CA cities is more expensive than anywhere in the US on average, but it's much more reasonable than SF/LA.
I really really dislike Los Angeles, but that's just me. Driving to other cities in CA just isn't done either. Driving to major metro areas on weekends is much more of a Midwestern thing, because of the access of plenty of direct route freeways compared to FL and CA, not to mention the traffic. Get some frequent flyer miles and hop for a weekend. That's what the wife and I do.
Thanks for the input, I'm actually originally from Indianapolis. I've been to Los Angeles, it was alright for me, but I hear people always talking about San Diego, which I've never been.
I have lived in Orlando and Houston-and by far Houston is a much better place to live. Way more diverse than Orlando, booming economy, lower cost of living although housing prices are going up, amazing dining and museums, etc. Crime rates really depend on where you live, like everywhere else.
I have lived in Orlando and Houston-and by far Houston is a much better place to live. Way more diverse than Orlando, booming economy, lower cost of living although housing prices are going up, amazing dining and museums, etc. Crime rates really depend on where you live, like everywhere else.
Thanks...looking for jobs in Houston. I have a Mechanical Engineering background, but would not be against moving towards a career in gas/oil industry. You know of any openings or connections?
Orlando is a nice city to live especially since it was recently voted one best places to raise a family in the Forbes magazine. Colleges in the area provide a diverse group of young professionals so plenty of that here. Crime varies by neighborhood but like the nation the closer you get to downtown the more dangerous it gets. However compared to bigger cities I'm sure it is a lot safer. Employment of course does revolve around the tourist industry but their plenty of opportunities available if you do the research. Lots of new technology and health related industries are really trying to diverse the economy a lot more. Don't believe all the stereotypes you here of Florida just being low wages and tourist industry only. Plenty of other industries are developing here that produce high wage jobs.
Thanks...looking for jobs in Houston. I have a Mechanical Engineering background, but would not be against moving towards a career in gas/oil industry. You know of any openings or connections?
No sorry, I actually just relocated to Houston after living in Orlando for 8 years.
San Diego - if you can afford it that's a great city.
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