Orlando, FL: Good or Bad? (Pine Hills, Altamonte Springs: relocating, property taxes, hoa)

[Vadim Rybine]

Hello everybody
I currently reside in Canada and am thinking about moving to Florida, most likely Orlando. I chose Orlando because from what I see the house pricing is very low and I would like to live in better weather conditions. I am a dentist here in Canada, but would like to continue my career in Florida.

Are dentists in Orlando fighting over jobs? Or is everything nice and smooth in the market?

How is the crime in Orlando?

And where is a good neighborhood to settle in? (I can spend approx. 200-300 thousand)

[cloudddae]

Overcrowded, and overrated. Too many hostile illegals. Orlando in a nut shell.

[ssgt]

Originally Posted by cloudddae

Overcrowded, and overrated. Too many hostile illegals. Orlando in a nut shell.

Yep....Pretty much the same as any other large city in this country.

[AONE]

I think Orlando is a really great place. I love living here, It is a beautiful city with many great areas, including Windermere, Dr. Phillips, Winter Park, Oviedo, Lake Mary, several parts of Orlando and Winter Garden. There are more "safe" areas then otherwise. The bad areas are Pine Hills and Paramore both just West of I-4 near downtown. There are many charming gated communities and some with massive tree lined roads. We have lakes everywhere. Palm trees are amazing as are hibiscus and frangiapani. There is so much to do. Here I have been working diligently getting lists of things to do and so forth and am putting them on my new web page ( I can't mention it cause thats advertising) but you can google me and hopefully find it. If anyone has suggestions of links I should ad I would be pleased to hear about them as well.
We have a great deal of things to do here especially for a city under 2M. there is a great deal of talent here and much to explore. I guess you can look at things and see the bad, I choose to look for the good.
Ken Anderson

[Magnulus]

Originally Posted by Vadim Rybine

Hello everybody
I currently reside in Canada and am thinking about moving to Florida, most likely Orlando. I chose Orlando because from what I see the house pricing is very low and...

How is the crime in Orlando?

Paramore, Metrowest, and Pine Hills areas are high in crime- lots of domestic violence, drug dealing, theft/robbery. Crime is also scattered around the area anywhere there is a large road (especially robbery), but the aformentioned areas are highest for drug dealing, murder and gang activity- these are areas you would want to avoid at all costs. East Orange County (Orlando addresses but not technicly Orlando) is also not a good place for robberies (this is the area between the university and Orlando).

Seminole county has less crime. Crime has been increasing in Seminole county in the last couple of years, however, and areas along the major roads like I4 have more crimes like robbery or violent assaults and gang activity- it is creeping in from Orange County and the influx of poor Carribean and Central American people who sometimes have pre-existing gang ties. Just an example: last summer a guy was beaten badly in Altamonte Springs, which ten years ago was considered squeaky clean- no motive other than gang initiation. There are even gangs operating in Oviedo, though most of them are more hoodlums and wannabes than hardcore (slashing tires and vandalism).

200-300,000 dollars will buy you a small house in Seminole County. Housing costs aren't all that low, really. They are actually considered still inflated relative to the wages here. If you buy now your property might lose value. There aren't alot of good jobs down here for ordinary people, most of them involve very little pay (less than 11 dollars an hour, and many less than 8).

[**NoodLes**]

Bad traffic, low wages, and annoying tourists. Skyrocketing property taxes, unhelpful HOA's who just sit back and collect money don't do anything, rains everyday in summer, unbearable humidity, new boss every few months and I hope you know spanish. Sounds great don't it? Toll roads and many monopoly tourism companies here ex: Mears and Disney. Stay in Canada. Crime gets worse and worse, and our governor is paid by insurance companies to keep rates high, not your tax dollar. Your tax dollars here do nothing for the roads, no innovation, your tax money will go towards your neighbor on welfare who has a hooked up 84 Honda Civic blasting reggaeton music wearing a wife beater and saggy jeans, Hola!! No good alternative radio stations and the cheesiest news casters in the country that have a high school news format.

[kinglouix]

Noodles, great point about the newscasters here: A true bunch of zero talents. Whenever we get someone good like Cynthia Demos they bolt because they can't stand it here.

[**NoodLes**]

I forgot to mention also that our own City Council members think our police department is racist, too because they are actually cracking down on bad neighborhoods while off their donut break. And some of the worst neighbors I have come across who don't know the meaning of quiet, or activities during normal hours, should I say. Also be prepared to work on ALL holidays because while normal people are taking vacation you will be giving them directions and your boss really gives no thanks because they are making boatloads of money while you take all the ****! BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD its a shame really.

[cloudddae]

reggaeton music....Its spanish music in my neighborhood.. ask them to turn it down, and they get very hostile.
Call the police, and they turn it off long enough for the officer to leave, and up it goes again....louder.

[mae12]

I live in NY now and also am looking to relocating in Orlando.
NY has a huge Hispanic population and their neighborhoods are like some of you had describe loud, welfare, drugs...however it doesn't seem to bother the rest of us New Yorkers that live here.
Even if you go to the NY forum,you will see the diference.Pleople just don't hate NY because it has bad areas.