Quote:
Originally Posted by kinglouix
I'm not here by choice, my ex wife moved here with my son, and I came him with an open mind and was completely fooled by what I thought it would be like here (based on 2 trips to Disney World) and what a truly dismal place it is on every level. I didn't pick it so I don't have to defend it. People all the time do or say or believe things to cope with their miserable situation, and it is not human nature to admit that one is wrong. So the realists tell it like it is and the rest try to defend what deep down they know is not defendable. You cannot take anyone who has ever been to any other city to downtown Orlando and make any argument at all that it has anything to offer. The crime figures are real and cannot be compared to much smaller pockets in other cities. This city is overrun with crime and low elements who came here because they visited Disney World and thought they would get a good job and a cheap house. What developed was a nightmare of urban sprawl, with nothing but chain restaurants, price gauging, and band box cookie cutter homes that are now completely unaffordable. Almost any other area offers much more for less. For example, name another city in Florida with this many tolls?
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I'm not here to defend Orlando since I do fully intend to leave before I start a family. However, some of the things you're saying simply doesn't reflect the true nature of the town. It's not a bad place to live while focusing on a career and building assets, unless you're used to things on a grander scale in other much larger cities. For someone who's lived in major cities like NYC, LA, SF, Toronto, London, Tokyo, Chicago, Dallas.. Orlando is definitely going to seem boring outside of Disney. However, for the many newcomers who are used to very small town life, and their idea of a large town is the nearest Gainesville-like city, Orlando appears huge with much to do. Parks downtown, slick wine bars like Lake Eola's or Park Ave's in Winter Park, the Improv, quite a few bars and clubs downtown of different shapes and sizes, a vastly improved NBA team, arena football, a few colleges, some very tasty restaurants (from California Grill in Disney to Sand Lake's Amura and Seasons 52 to Winter Park's Luma or Pannulo's to Lake Eola's Hue), high end shopping at Millenia, I-4 attractions such as Universal and SeaWorld, dozens of great golf courses, and beaches on both sides.
Florida problems aside - insurance, government attitude towards education, transplants, bad drivers, etc.. the only Orlando-specific problems that I immediately notice are:
- The transportation system. There aren't enough lanes, there's no full loop to get around the city, and sometimes there aren't on/off ramps where there should be. For example, why force those of us who drive west on 50 to down to go all the way to Alafaya to get into the research park? There are thousands of jobs in UCF's research park and many people live east of the Alafaya/50 intersection. If they're trying to keep the through-traffic out of the research park, charge a $2 toll for using that ramp. I'd gladly pay it to save 15-20 minutes getting to work. Also, public transportation in this town is a joke. The bus system is not timed and not very efficient for the size of the city, unless this is your bus driver:
Police: 15-Year-Old Steals Bus, Drives Route Collecting Fares - Orlando News Story - WKMG Orlando
Don't bother moving here if you don't want to have a car.
- The school system. Some people may argue this, but my views come from friends who have been teachers in Orange County and the blame falls highly on the superintendant and local government decisions. Seminole County's school system is much better in nearly all ways.
- Real estate development by the builders. Very few of the cookie cutter neighborhoods were designed with lower budgets or small houses in mind. Most homes to be found were larger 3 or smaller 4 bedroom houses at a minimum. If you want a cozy 2 bedroom house - the equivalent of a 2 bedroom apartment with a garage - for small family or single-minded career use, you're forced to purchase a small home built in the 50's/60's/70's. It's a shame that no housing communities recently built were developed with the single professional in mind. They just assumed we'd all want condos or connected townhomes instead of freshly built starter homes. Combined with the fact that so many of these "high-end" developments are stuck right next to much lower value neighborhoods, you won't be getting exclusive schools for your money. Don't get me started on home-owner associations that like to run their 'hood like the USSR, and charge fees equivalent of communist society. There's a significant lack of design for new houses - very few communities actually allow you to bring them a floorplan to build a house. You have to select one of their 6 pre-fab floorplans, but they'll mirror it if you like!
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01-03-2008, 09:56 AM
is orlando really that bad
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