Would you recommend Orlando for a young married couple? (Winter Springs: appointed, to rent)

[keebs05]

My wife and I have been considering a move for quite some time. Because of my wife's near obsession with Disney, Orlando has landed on our short list of destinations. While I'm not a Disnerd like my wife, I found that I really enjoyed our short time in Orlando last year and could see us settling down in the area.

I'm just wondering if you guys would suggest Orlando in general for a young married couple and what part of the city would be the best. We're both in our late 20's. We don't exactly make a ton of money. Together, we probably make between 60-70K a year after taxes. We'd also prefer somewhere where we wouldn't have to dodge much gunfire. We'd be moving from Buffalo, NY which has recently moved up the FBI's most dangerous cities list so we'd like a break from that.

Sorry for writing a novel. I'm just curious if you Florida residents think we'd be able to make it there. Thanks for your time and your responses.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by keebs05

My wife and I have been considering a move for quite some time. Because of my wife's near obsession with Disney, Orlando has landed on our short list of destinations. While I'm not a Disnerd like my wife, I found that I really enjoyed our short time in Orlando last year and could see us settling down in the area.

I'm just wondering if you guys would suggest Orlando in general for a young married couple and what part of the city would be the best. We're both in our late 20's. We don't exactly make a ton of money. Together, we probably make between 60-70K a year after taxes. We'd also prefer somewhere where we wouldn't have to dodge much gunfire. We'd be moving from Buffalo, NY which has recently moved up the FBI's most dangerous cities list so we'd like a break from that.

Sorry for writing a novel. I'm just curious if you Florida residents think we'd be able to make it there. Thanks for your time and your responses.

Orlando has one of the highest violent crime rates in the country (statistically equivalent to Los Angeles in terms of victim ratios), so if finding a safer place to live is at the top of your criteria list perhaps not the wisest choice. Have you looked at other cities where young professionals are flocking like Nashville, Atlanta, Raleigh/Durham or Charlotte? While lacking in the Disney "benefit" they do offer typically better salaries and more plentiful options in most white collar occupations. You can always visit Orlando for the Disney fix if necessary.

[boy3365]

Don't let those crime stats scare you away. You will not be "dodging bullets" here unless your lifestyle puts you in those kind of situations (i.e. drugs) or you're economically struggling and must live in a low-income area. Yes, there are always exceptions, but exceptions are not the norm.

You'll be safe in places like Dr. Phillips, Winter Park, Conway, Altamonte, Lake Mary, Oviedo, Winter Springs, Windermere, Winter Garden, etc. Making $60-70 after taxes is great here, but opinions on that can vary based on your spending habits.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by keebs05

My wife and I have been considering a move for quite some time. Because of my wife's near obsession with Disney, Orlando has landed on our short list of destinations. While I'm not a Disnerd like my wife, I found that I really enjoyed our short time in Orlando last year and could see us settling down in the area.

I'm just wondering if you guys would suggest Orlando in general for a young married couple and what part of the city would be the best. We're both in our late 20's. We don't exactly make a ton of money. Together, we probably make between 60-70K a year after taxes. We'd also prefer somewhere where we wouldn't have to dodge much gunfire. We'd be moving from Buffalo, NY which has recently moved up the FBI's most dangerous cities list so we'd like a break from that.

Sorry for writing a novel. I'm just curious if you Florida residents think we'd be able to make it there. Thanks for your time and your responses.

We are also a young couple (I'm 28 and my girl-friend is 22). I've lived in multiple states and even lived overseas. I find Orlando to be the safest city I've lived in, so don't let crime statistics scare you. Orlando is a very spread out city and most people live outside city limits. Most of the ghettos are located within the city limits, which is why crime stats of Orlando can look scary. Research crime in Lake Mary, Winter Park, Windermere, Dr Phillips, Lake Nona, etc. There are safe areas within the city limits as well. It's very different than say a city like San Francisco where everything is next to each other, so it's easy for crime to spread from one area to the next. My back door is unlocked throughout most of the day, I've accidentally left my garage open throughout the day, I park my lawnmower and bikes in my driveway etc, no problems.

We recently moved from San Francisco and we both love it here. It has a nice mixture of things to do from theme parks to dining to walking around various neighborhoods. We really like it. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

[Crane's Rooster]

If you're moving here for Disney, I say don't...you will likely be disappointed. But if you are moving here for other reasons as well and Disney is the icing on the cake than I say hey why not. I'm a single guy in my 30's so my situation is a little different, but alot of my friends are getting married now and settling down in Central Florida and they all seem to enjoy it. In addition to the areas mentioned I would also recommend you look at Apopka and Clermont. Both would give you easy commutes to Disney and would give you alot of bang for the buck in your price range.

[keebs05]

We really appreciate all the responses. My wife's uncle just bought a house in Clermont and they really seem to enjoy that area. We'll definitely be checking out the other areas that everybody mentioned and try to stay away from the downtown area. Disney isn't the only reason why we're considering the move but it's a big part of why we considered it in the first place. After visiting a couple of times, we really just like the area in general.

Any other info you guys can provide is much appreciated.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by keebs05

We really appreciate all the responses. My wife's uncle just bought a house in Clermont and they really seem to enjoy that area. We'll definitely be checking out the other areas that everybody mentioned and try to stay away from the downtown area. Disney isn't the only reason why we're considering the move but it's a big part of why we considered it in the first place. After visiting a couple of times, we really just like the area in general.

Any other info you guys can provide is much appreciated.

Don't write off downtown because it is very up and coming, especially the downtown and surrounding neighborhoods such as Thornton Park, College Park and Ivanhoe Village... very nice areas with some great restaurants. I think some posters either have lived under a rock their entire lives or moved from towns with 500 people or less lol.

[HokieGCC]

Between Buffalo and Orlando I would choose Orlando. However, there are two issues to be aware of. 1) Schools are a problem if you are going to have a family. Many people send their kids to private schools. 2) I'll probably get in trouble again for saying this but (on average) wages are low in Orlando ... real low. The cost of living is equally low so as long as you stay in FL you won't notice. However, if you later on try and return to the North East (or nearly anywhere else for that matter) you could be way behind your peers financially.

One good thing ... you are young and can quickly bounce back if you make an error here.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by HokieGCC

Between Buffalo and Orlando I would choose Orlando. However, there are two issues to be aware of. 1) Schools are a problem if you are going to have a family. Many people send their kids to private schools. 2) I'll probably get in trouble again for saying this but (on average) wages are low in Orlando ... real low. The cost of living is equally low so as long as you stay in FL you won't notice. However, if you later on try and return to the North East (or nearly anywhere else for that matter) you could be way behind your peers financially.

One good thing ... you are young and can quickly bounce back if you make an error here.

There are good public schools as well though, just need to pick the right district(s). As I was growing up I moved A LOT and had my fair share of public and private schools. My last two years of high school was at Dr. Phillips High and I was happy with the education I received. There are even more challenging classes for students who excel, it mostly comes down to the student and his or her willingness to push themselves. Prior to Dr. Phillips High, I was attending an exclusive private school in Australia, think of it like Hogwarts, but not ancient-castle like and I didn't notice any real drop in quality of education. It's also true wages are lower, but so is housing. I have many friends in San Francisco who are making $50k to $100k, yet can only afford to rent, they have little to no savings and no equity in a property. Meanwhile, half of my friends so far in Orlando (around the same age) have recently bought their own home and are building equity already.

[HokieGCC]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

There are good public schools as well though, just need to pick the right district(s). As I was growing up I moved A LOT and had my fair share of public and private schools. My last two years of high school was at Dr. Phillips High and I was happy with the education I received. There are even more challenging classes for students who excel, it mostly comes down to the student and his or her willingness to push themselves. Prior to Dr. Phillips High, I was attending an exclusive private school in Australia, think of it like Hogwarts, but not ancient-castle like and I didn't notice any real drop in quality of education. It's also true wages are lower, but so is housing. I have many friends in San Francisco who are making $50k to $100k, yet can only afford to rent, they have little to no savings and no equity in a property. Meanwhile, half of my friends so far in Orlando (around the same age) have recently bought their own home and are building equity already.

Schools can be worked around and in the end it is what you put into it. Just realize you can't just live anywhere and be sure to have a good school situation. On the economics bmw is right also; however, in the long run here is what happens. I am from DC not San Fran but in DC eventually young people buy their first house (probably a condo or townhouse). It is true that this first house is much harder to afford in DC (or Northern Virginia) than in Orlando. Salaries and the housing market go up and up and up and eventually you have a large wage and jumping from the townhouse to a single family home is reasonably easy. The first house is hard but not the 2nd and 3rd. It is common to build a few hundred K just due to the raising home prices. The higher salary also means a larger 401K and pension if you have one. So come retirement time you will have a lot more money coming from DC than Orlando. So, if you intend on living in FL into retirement then it all works out just fine but going the other way you can be behind. It isn't a show stopper; just something to be aware of.