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Actually, I've noticed a significant change in the demographics of Orlando each consecutive time I've been there in the past seven years since I moved away from Florida. When I go, I usually stay with friends in either Downtown Orlando or in one of the suburban areas of the metro (i.e., Winter Park, Oviedo, or Lake Mary), so my observation is not just one of a tourist lodging near the theme parks in the I-Drive area. Plus, I make a concerted effort to ask locals if they've noticed any changes in the demographics of the area to confirm my observations. Furthermore, my friend who lives in Downtown Orlando works in property management, and I have another friend who owns several investor-owned dwellings in and around Orlando.
When the economy went bust in 2008, lots of investor-owned rentals became available all over Greater Orlando, including many in the safer and more upscale areas of town, and the availability of those rentals attracted a second major wave of low-class people from the Northeast (the first wave came in the early 2000's with the arrival of lots and lots of "Nuyoricans," just before property values in and around Orlando sky-rocketed during the middle part of the 2000's decade).
However, these new arrivals weren't the typical transplants that had always been drawn to Orlando such as the traditional family anchored by two married, sometimes low-wage/low-skill blue-collar parents with one, perhaps, employed at one of the theme parks; older, established retirees who intended to live off their Northern pensions for the rest of their lives; or young kids who just simply dreamed of working for Disney. No, the new arrivals were more like the "single" mom, grandma, her brood of six kids, and whatever boyfriend--maybe the father of her youngest kids--decided to tag along, using their voucher to rent an investor-owned property in one of the better neighborhoods.
For this single mom, her boyfriend(s), and her mother, Orlando was entirely too good to pass up--year-round sunshine and warm weather, a Florida wage with no state income tax taken out, lower auto insurance, no car taxes, discounted Florida resident theme park passes for the kids (no more loading the kids into a minivan and driving 24 hrs. down to FL), a 45-55-min. drive to the beach, cheaper cigarettes and alcohol, waitress and hotel front-desk reception jobs abound, and brand new neighborhoods with shiny tract homes in an upscale part of town to brag about to her girlfriends up North. Besides, Orlando, with all it seemingly has to offer, would always beat the heck out of comparatively "boring" Allentown, Scranton, Binghamton, Utica, Providence, Springfield, or Worcester, where she had already toughed it out for years always.
The move to Orlando was only a matter of hours by flight, too, since mostly all of those small cities in the Northeast have airports with cheap direct, non-stop service to Orlando, even the small regional ones, as Orlando is one of--if the--most popular tourist destination for working-class people from the Northeast. That, and chances are good that some of her friends, cousins, or maybe even her grandparents have already preceded her in moving down to Florida, so she’s under the illusion that she would have somewhat of a support system upon moving there, unlike if she were to move to Colorado or Texas. And anybody who grew up or has lived in one of those smaller, largely blue-collar Northeastern cities will tell you how they feel the consistent, unrelenting siren song of Orlando--or Florida in general, for that matter. The lure is unshakeable for so many.
Some areas of the Greater Orlando area were spared by this latest influx of Northeast transplants such as Lake Mary and Windermere for example, since those areas are really too expensive for the type of family I just described, even after the housing market was flooded with rentals. But other areas like Altamonte, Longwood, Winter Springs, even Oviedo--not so much. Kississimee and areas further south in Osceola County carried the brunt of the first influx back in the early 2000’s, which is when Orlando began declining, IMO. I’ve said time and time again that the Orlando area truly peaked in the mid-90’s.
However, these are the people who are attracted to the Orlando area--people with no education or marketable skill/trade who show limited interest in upward economic or social mobility. The lack of reputable, well-paying industries other than some defense/aerospace and biomedical in addition to institutions of higher education in the Orlando area is a huge issue, but it doesn’t seem like much is being done to fix these issues. Investments in education, infrastructure, and technology as well as incentives to lure corporations from highly taxed/regulated states is not much of a priority to the people I described who are moving to Orlando, not that they even vote, anyway. In addition to overbearing presence of the low-wage, limited-benefits hospitality industry, the COL of living of the Orlando area is ever-increasing, to the point where getting out of poverty is only going to become more difficult. The future of the area doesn't look bright.
Seeing as how the OP decided to post this on the Florida front page, I might as well clear some things up and post 2013 Census stats to show where poverty is the most prevalent in the Orlando area. I also don't know where that article got their numbers from, because they're possibly wrong.
2013 poverty rates
Kissimmee - 28.4%
Orlando - 22%
Osceola County - 21.5%
Orange County - 18.4%
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL - 17.1%
Florida - 17.0%
United States - 15.8%
Lake County - 14.2%
Seminole County - 12.9%
I couldn't get 2013 data for Sanford.
What a huge difference within the Orlando metro. Lake and Seminole counties have a poverty rate that is much lower than national and state average while Orange and Osceola are above. Now we know where much of the problem is.
It's one thing to claim the unemployment rate is in the low 6% range, it's another when those numbers don't include people that have stopped looking, run out of benefits, or are working 20 hours a week for minimum wage.
Florida is a beautiful state and a great place to live, it's a shame tourism is the main industry and not more blue collar, decent paying industrial jobs with good wages.
However, these are the people who are attracted to the Orlando area--people with no education or marketable skill/trade who show limited interest in upward economic or social mobility. The lack of reputable, well-paying industries other than some defense/aerospace and biomedical in addition to institutions of higher education in the Orlando area is a huge issue, but it doesn’t seem like much is being done to fix these issues. Investments in education, infrastructure, and technology as well as incentives to lure corporations from highly taxed/regulated states is not much of a priority to the people I described who are moving to Orlando, not that they even vote, anyway. In addition to overbearing presence of the low-wage, limited-benefits hospitality industry, the COL of living of the Orlando area is ever-increasing, to the point where getting out of poverty is only going to become more difficult. The future of the area doesn't look bright.
You summarized that perfectly. I would also add the "brain drain" aspect where those become educated in the area at schools such as UCF (with an enrollment of 55K) once graduated leave the area and in terms of demographics are replaced with those possessing only a high school diploma (or worse). That's not a sustainable demographic shift and does not bode well for expansion into the area of higher paying employment given the lack of an overall skilled workforce.
Actually, I've noticed a significant change in the demographics of Orlando each consecutive time I've been there in the past seven years since I moved away from Florida. When I go, I usually stay with friends in either Downtown Orlando or in one of the suburban areas of the metro (i.e., Winter Park, Oviedo, or Lake Mary), so my observation is not just one of a tourist lodging near the theme parks in the I-Drive area. Plus, I make a concerted effort to ask locals if they've noticed any changes in the demographics of the area to confirm my observations. Furthermore, my friend who lives in Downtown Orlando works in property management, and I have another friend who owns several investor-owned dwellings in and around Orlando.
When the economy went bust in 2008, lots of investor-owned rentals became available all over Greater Orlando, including many in the safer and more upscale areas of town, and the availability of those rentals attracted a second major wave of low-class people from the Northeast (the first wave came in the early 2000's with the arrival of lots and lots of "Nuyoricans," just before property values in and around Orlando sky-rocketed during the middle part of the 2000's decade).
However, these new arrivals weren't the typical transplants that had always been drawn to Orlando such as the traditional family anchored by two married, sometimes low-wage/low-skill blue-collar parents with one, perhaps, employed at one of the theme parks; older, established retirees who intended to live off their Northern pensions for the rest of their lives; or young kids who just simply dreamed of working for Disney. No, the new arrivals were more like the "single" mom, grandma, her brood of six kids, and whatever boyfriend--maybe the father of her youngest kids--decided to tag along, using their voucher to rent an investor-owned property in one of the better neighborhoods.
For this single mom, her boyfriend(s), and her mother, Orlando was entirely too good to pass up--year-round sunshine and warm weather, a Florida wage with no state income tax taken out, lower auto insurance, no car taxes, discounted Florida resident theme park passes for the kids (no more loading the kids into a minivan and driving 24 hrs. down to FL), a 45-55-min. drive to the beach, cheaper cigarettes and alcohol, waitress and hotel front-desk reception jobs abound, and brand new neighborhoods with shiny tract homes in an upscale part of town to brag about to her girlfriends up North. Besides, Orlando, with all it seemingly has to offer, would always beat the heck out of comparatively "boring" Allentown, Scranton, Binghamton, Utica, Providence, Springfield, or Worcester, where she had already toughed it out for years always.
The move to Orlando was only a matter of hours by flight, too, since mostly all of those small cities in the Northeast have airports with cheap direct, non-stop service to Orlando, even the small regional ones, as Orlando is one of--if the--most popular tourist destination for working-class people from the Northeast. That, and chances are good that some of her friends, cousins, or maybe even her grandparents have already preceded her in moving down to Florida, so she’s under the illusion that she would have somewhat of a support system upon moving there, unlike if she were to move to Colorado or Texas. And anybody who grew up or has lived in one of those smaller, largely blue-collar Northeastern cities will tell you how they feel the consistent, unrelenting siren song of Orlando--or Florida in general, for that matter. The lure is unshakeable for so many.
Some areas of the Greater Orlando area were spared by this latest influx of Northeast transplants such as Lake Mary and Windermere for example, since those areas are really too expensive for the type of family I just described, even after the housing market was flooded with rentals. But other areas like Altamonte, Longwood, Winter Springs, even Oviedo--not so much. Kississimee and areas further south in Osceola County carried the brunt of the first influx back in the early 2000’s, which is when Orlando began declining, IMO. I’ve said time and time again that the Orlando area truly peaked in the mid-90’s.
However, these are the people who are attracted to the Orlando area--people with no education or marketable skill/trade who show limited interest in upward economic or social mobility. The lack of reputable, well-paying industries other than some defense/aerospace and biomedical in addition to institutions of higher education in the Orlando area is a huge issue, but it doesn’t seem like much is being done to fix these issues. Investments in education, infrastructure, and technology as well as incentives to lure corporations from highly taxed/regulated states is not much of a priority to the people I described who are moving to Orlando, not that they even vote, anyway. In addition to overbearing presence of the low-wage, limited-benefits hospitality industry, the COL of living of the Orlando area is ever-increasing, to the point where getting out of poverty is only going to become more difficult. The future of the area doesn't look bright.
This is spot-on. Very good post. I completely agree, and have mentioned this idea in fewer words, but you explained it better than I did. There's just something about FL and Orlando that draws a certain group of people. I have seen it change a lot, even little Oviedo where I am, I am seeing more and more NY/Hispanic/foreign influence. Its only gonna continue. I too see the changes and how things have gotten worse. I dont really plan on staying in Oviedo/Central FL for a long time like I thought when moving back last yr. Its sad b/c I really liked Oviedo, but I see the changes, and I dont really wanna be around Central FL in 10-15 yrs as I expect it to get worse and worse.
It's one thing to claim the unemployment rate is in the low 6% range, it's another when those numbers don't include people that have stopped looking, run out of benefits, or are working 20 hours a week for minimum wage.
Florida is a beautiful state and a great place to live, it's a shame tourism is the main industry and not more blue collar, decent paying industrial jobs with good wages.
Tourism is found in certain areas, not the entire state.
You summarized that perfectly. I would also add the "brain drain" aspect where those become educated in the area at schools such as UCF (with an enrollment of 55K) once graduated leave the area and in terms of demographics are replaced with those possessing only a high school diploma (or worse). That's not a sustainable demographic shift and does not bode well for expansion into the area of higher paying employment given the lack of an overall skilled workforce.
Ask the middle class in places like SF how the higher paying jobs are affecting housing prices in the bay area. Double-edged sword. Relatively speaking, Orlando is still more affordable despite the lower wages.
Ask the middle class in places like SF how the higher paying jobs are affecting housing prices in the bay area. Double-edged sword. Relatively speaking, Orlando is still more affordable despite the lower wages.
As is Westchester County NY. Just North of NYC. Only the really big wage earners can even think of living there.
Fl is and always has been a transient state, used to shut down for 5 months out of the year in the past- and tourism will never change from being the # 1 income producer. We are surrounded by water and when you think vacation- you think Florida- retirement -Florida We sell " sunshine" and enjoyment to the world. They keep trying to bring corporations here but we are a free to work state, with few unions. Also the jobs are all going over seas, the Caribbean and Central South America are close and have plenty cheap labor. Globalization and internet will prevent that growth, so build more stadiums and Ferris wheels -and them parks, and keep sand in that beach...that is our reality.
Fl is and always has been a transient state, used to shut down for 5 months out of the year in the past- and tourism will never change from being the # 1 income producer. We are surrounded by water and when you think vacation- you think Florida- retirement -Florida We sell " sunshine" and enjoyment to the world. They keep trying to bring corporations here but we are a free to work state, with few unions. Also the jobs are all going over seas, the Caribbean and Central South America are close and have plenty cheap labor. Globalization and internet will prevent that growth, so build more stadiums and Ferris wheels -and them parks, and keep sand in that beach...that is our reality.
Correct. You can either find a way to benefit in this situation or whine about it (Hint: Educated people with degrees in health, engineering etc. are making a fine living here).
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