Orlando's a great place to live!! (Cocoa, Baldwin: condos, high crime, buy)

[ucfjtm]

Originally Posted by **NoodLes**

They need to work on Sand Lake Rd. That street is HORRIBLE from about 2-6pm!!

Another reason to avoid the southwest Orlando I-4 area (aka Tourist Central) to live in Lake Mary, Winter Springs, or Oviedo.

[AONE]

I like it here. I think we have a beautiful city overall with much to do. Are there issues? yes, the are bad parts of town...I'm yet to see a place without those. East st. Louis is certainly no prize when cops won't even go there, Prospect in Kansas city, Kansas city ks, Cicero in Chicago, Harlem in NY, ummm, detroit, houston, LA, DC, Atlanta, are they any better off? NO... and only one has weather like ours...
You can have all the rest, I like it here. and for those things I don't like I guess if they are important enough I will do what I can to change them rather than spend my time berating it. Anyone can complain, few will take the time to do something about it.
if you don't like Orlando, make it better r find another place you do like.. there are many choices out there with merit.
Ken Anderson

[Crane's Rooster]

Originally Posted by AONE

I like it here. I think we have a beautiful city overall with much to do. Are there issues? yes, the are bad parts of town...I'm yet to see a place without those. East st. Louis is certainly no prize when cops won't even go there, Prospect in Kansas city, Kansas city ks, Cicero in Chicago, Harlem in NY, ummm, detroit, houston, LA, DC, Atlanta, are they any better off? NO... and only one has weather like ours...
You can have all the rest, I like it here. and for those things I don't like I guess if they are important enough I will do what I can to change them rather than spend my time berating it. Anyone can complain, few will take the time to do something about it.
if you don't like Orlando, make it better r find another place you do like.. there are many choices out there with merit.
Ken Anderson

Two hands way up in agreement. Couldn't have said it better myself.

[Magnulus]

Originally Posted by kinglouix

That is why you see a 23 story courthouse with only six elevators, the most tolls in any city, the worst traffic, the worst infrastructure, no zoning or setback laws, no highway connecting the airport from downtown, and interchanges that take a half mile or more to get you back where you started from.

I don't necessarily disagree most of your rant, but... most of Central Florida actually has ALOT of zoning laws. Urban architects such as Andres Duany who have worked in the area have commented about this extensively. Of course, some areas of Winter Park or Orlando predate some zoning laws so they might not conform to your expectations for zoning.

[bdpop]

We also need to change our zoning laws so that we can have businesses such as grocery stores in or closer to residential areas, so you can walk to them rather than always having to get in your car.

[oresident]

Originally Posted by kinglouix

Florida is a transient state. Most people are either too educated to consider living amongst the morons here and as a result they are successful up north. The black sheeps of the families who dropped out of school or couldn't cut it in the family business moved to Florida. Out of those people the dumbest 10% moved to the only Florida city without a beach or because of the existence of theme parks. The result is lot's of really dumb people. That is why you see a 23 story courthouse with only six elevators, the most tolls in any city, the worst traffic, the worst infrastructure, no zoning or setback laws, no highway connecting the airport from downtown, and interchanges that take a half mile or more to get you back where you started from.

I visited downtown the other day and it was beautiful. New buildings and restaurants everywhere, no urban decay like up north, people and children actually playing in the parks. Flowers were blooming in January and the sun was peeking through the clouds. The new skyline loomed above the lake in serene magnificence. People were walking the streets, sitting outside the cafes in the cool January air. The city streets are lined with trees with elegant hanging moss that rustles in the wind. Beautiful swans swimming among the ducks and hipsters talking in cafes.

My house has been cool and comfortable for months with almost never turning on AC or heat. Almost every day the sun floods my house in the day so I don't even need to turn in lights. I live next to work so I have virtually no commute, something I could do because the city is not all concentrated in one place. I bought a house I could never afford up north, never in a million years.

You see life with the eyes you choose to see it with. You see a building that needs more elevators (the horror!), I see the potential in the streets. You see tolls, I see no income tax (hey, so the people who pay for the roads here are actually the ones who use them, the horror!). You see fools yet I say a fool is one who sees only darkness when standing in the sun.

ores

[New England Yankee]

Wow.I have been reading here for awhile now.Almost didn't buy in Florida because of all these bad remarks about the State.

Not looking thru Rose Coloured glasses but I read here where someone said they lived in a community in Florida and talked negativley about their neighbours.

My Mom,long ago told me of a story,where a young couple were moving to a town,they visited the local Pastor,Priest,Rabbi,whatever you choose and asked about the people in the town.
He asked them what were the people like where they came from and they said,"Oh they were awful,nasty people"
The relgious man,replied that they would find the same people in this town.
Another couple came in the same day and asked him the same question re the people in the town.
He asked them too,what kind of people were like in the town they came from,they responded "Oh,they were wonderful,friendly people"
His response was "You will find the people the same here too!

You find what you look for?

Oh well enough spouting off :-)

[Alphaman]

Originally Posted by New England Yankee

Wow.I have been reading here for awhile now.Almost didn't buy in Florida because of all these bad remarks about the State.

Not looking thru Rose Coloured glasses but I read here where someone said they lived in a community in Florida and talked negativley about their neighbours.

My Mom,long ago told me of a story,where a young couple were moving to a town,they visited the local Pastor,Priest,Rabbi,whatever you choose and asked about the people in the town.
He asked them what were the people like where they came from and they said,"Oh they were awful,nasty people"
The relgious man,replied that they would find the same people in this town.
Another couple came in the same day and asked him the same question re the people in the town.
He asked them too,what kind of people were like in the town they came from,they responded "Oh,they were wonderful,friendly people"
His response was "You will find the people the same here too!

You find what you look for?

Oh well enough spouting off :-)

Alot more people like it here in Florida then this forum will lead you to believe. Of course you will hear alot more complaining on a relocation forum.


Are there negatives well of course but for most of us life here is just fine.

[Rich_CD]

Originally Posted by Petertherock

They kept having commercials telling everyone how great the schools are and how great the Universities are , how great the hospitals are, and how great the jobs are and how it's just a great city to live in.

Hmm... Orlando has been a tourist city for very long. Now, tourism is becoming an add on industry in many areas. Everyplace is putting up casinos and hotels. Tourism alone is no longer gonna' keep an area growing. People no longer will be returning year after year to one place for vacation. Variety is the spice of life and people will be going for the "tour de' planet" travel approach more often now.

So, Orlando (FL in general) has a good reason to focus on other opportunities for growth. FL has great weather (albeit the recent bad storms have people worried) and as global warming continues the location where cold air collides with warm air (that's where the terrible storms are created) should start to move a bit north and FL should return to a better more relaxed weather situation.

If FL can take advantage of the good weather as a selling point. It should be able to establish itself as a great technology (or just information) jobs location. If that happens high-school drop outs will not have as much "service industry" opportunity. This will lead FL to a better situation.

Also, now that the housing market has collapsed FL real estate should return to normal and people will be looking for executive jobs in FL because they won't be driven to bankruptcy just from living expenses.

[oresident]

Originally Posted by kinglouix

Just don't stand there too long, because you will be shot and killed, and when you wake up from that dream, take another look.

There was not one murder in the downtown area in 2007. You can see it on the Sentinel's murder map. Clean as a whistle.

I'm not sure what's bothering you so much, but it isn't Orlando. Maybe it's being forced to move by circumstances beyond your control, and you are projecting that onto the city. I mean things like the number of elevators in the courthouse actually bother you? You are upset because interchanges are too circuitous? I mean sure, a few extra elevators would be nice, but that's probably down at # five million on my list of priorities.

ores