Pros and Cons Orlando (West Palm Beach, Palmetto: apartment complex, live in, restaurant)

[mikeindeland]

Originally Posted by OTownKnight

Pros:
- Mild winters, always sunny from December - April
- Great support for Orlando City soccer club and Solar Bears (Magic, not so much, they've been heading down the wrong direction for awhile)
- No state income tax
- Beautiful historic neighborhoods like Winter Park, Delaney Park, Thornton Park, College Park
- Relatively affordable if you're coming from up north
- World class theme parks and entertainment
- Lots of dining options (a lot of them are chains though)
- Great brewery scene

Cons:
- Toll roads. Every single highway has tolls. If you plan on commuting everyday to work, expect approx. $100+ per month in just tolls.
- Growth and sprawl. Orlando is one of the fastest growing cities in the country. People are getting ruder by the day and the traffic is increasing like crazy. The city is not planning for it at all, it just continues to sprawl with no significant infrastructure improvements.
- The miserable heat. May - November is an absolute sauna. You'll sweat from places you didn't think were possible to sweat from. It's oppressive, nobody in their right mind goes outside on a July or August afternoon here.
- Hellish afternoon thunderstorms. June begins the stormy season and lasts through about November. Everyday around 4:00ish, the severe thunderstorms break out and you would think that the world is ending with how much rain and lightning comes down. The storms are very scattered and very random. It could be partly cloudy one minute and unleashing fury the next minute. "If you don't like the weather in Orlando, look out a different window."
- Crazy people. It's Florida, get ready to encounter some crazies. Not sure what it is about this state, but they're everywhere here. Look up the stories of "Florida man." Lol
- Downtown isn't much more than offices during the day and bars at night. Don't expect much here in terms of world class dining or entertainment. Most places here become dingy dive bars at night.

I've heard it said that if not for Florida and Texas, Jerry Springer would not have had a TV show.

[JohnZ56]

Originally Posted by garek007

Ping322 that was well said. I am moving from San Diego to Orlando and most of the people here just can't believe it. After all why would anyone leave glorious California for Orlando? But like you said, most of them aren't living, but merely surviving.

Totally agree. We'll be moving from San Diego to Orlando this Spring. I loved San Diego for the first 25 years, but over the last ten the quality of life has degraded to the point that we're ready to leave. San Diego has become too crowded and expensive for us to enjoy living here.

If it wasn't for the fact that we bought our house in 1996 and being retired military (our healthcare and grocery costs are much less than average), we would have left years ago.

In San Diego we live nearly month-to-month. In Orlando we'll have no mortgage payments, lower utilities, and still have a big financial nest egg to fall back on. As far as weather, as I type this it is 95 degrees where I am (about 2 miles from the coast) so I think I can adjust to Orlando's weather.

[Arcenal813]

Originally Posted by JohnZ56

Totally agree. We'll be moving from San Diego to Orlando this Spring. I loved San Diego for the first 25 years, but over the last ten the quality of life has degraded to the point that we're ready to leave. San Diego has become too crowded and expensive for us to enjoy living here.

If it wasn't for the fact that we bought our house in 1996 and being retired military (our healthcare and grocery costs are much less than average), we would have left years ago.

In San Diego we live nearly month-to-month. In Orlando we'll have no mortgage payments, lower utilities, and still have a big financial nest egg to fall back on. As far as weather, as I type this it is 95 degrees where I am (about 2 miles from the coast) so I think I can adjust to Orlando's weather.

I hope you're not coming here expecting it to NOT be crowded

[JohnZ56]

Originally Posted by Arcenal352

I hope you're not coming here expecting it to NOT be crowded

I'm not, but it's less crowded than San Diego.

According to the 2010 census: San Diego has a population of 3,095,313, Orlando has a population of 2,134,411.

Plus we'll be fully retired so things like rush hour won't affect us as much as it does here.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by JohnZ56

I'm not, but it's less crowded than San Diego.

According to the 2010 census: San Diego has a population of 3,095,313, Orlando has a population of 2,134,411.

Plus we'll be fully retired so things like rush hour won't affect us as much as it does here.

Plenty of nice relaxing areas in Orlando at a fraction of the cost.

[Bumby88]

To the person who said every highway has a toll. Wrong. The one that gets more use than all the others combines has no toll... I-4. And the tolls we do have are dirt cheap compared to other states.

And to the person who said Florida doesn't have as May sports teams as NY/NJ.... 3 NFL teams, 2 NBA teams, 2 MLB teams, and 2 hockey teams is a tie I believe. Soccer might put FL iver tge top, not sure. Plus it's an unfair comparison in the first place.


The best pros of all regarding the Orlando area are the lakes, rivers, and wildlife. Hundreds of lakes and ponds, world class fishing, over a million gators, the odd crocodile, indigo snakes (and 45 other snake species), bear, panthers, manatees, hawks, eagles, falcons, owls, egrets, herons, and hundreds of other bird species all make this area a nature lover's dream.

[ByeByeLW]

Bumby, I agree. The lakes, forests and wildlife are what interest me about the area.

Nothing else is that much different than the rest of Florida. The malls all look alike.

There are still some great quaint downtowns in the area though. I’ve already met some of the artists , photographers etc in Mt Dora and feel like I’d fit in.

Still not quite ready to make the move. I don’t want to say “Shoukd have looked around more...”

[Arcenal813]

Originally Posted by ByeByeLW

Bumby, I agree. The lakes, forests and wildlife are what interest me about the area.

Nothing else is that much different than the rest of Florida. The malls all look alike.

There are still some great quaint downtowns in the area though. I’ve already met some of the artists , photographers etc in Mt Dora and feel like I’d fit in.

Still not quite ready to make the move. I don’t want to say “Shoukd have looked around more...”

I live in Mt Dora. It's very nice, but be aware that it's a tad bit far from anything...

[ByeByeLW]

That’s the thing. The things I tend to hate about South Palm Beach County are what make it so convenient.

Oddly enough I like Umatilla. There are some areas around there where you can have a decent amount of land.

Not sure I’d fit in there though .

I did see some large lots in Mt Dora online but not quite sure where they are. I guess Mt Dora is actually a larger area than I thought.

I know several people who have moved there from Delray.

When I think of Mt Dora, I think of downtown, Stoneybrook, Sullivan Ranch , Mellow Mushroom, and not sure if Loch Leven is Mt Dora.

So not sure where the borders are really!

[Dip91]

Originally Posted by corevalue2u

Hi Everyone,

I am looking for a change from NY/NJ and wanted to know what the pros and cons are in living in Orlando area? Any feedback on downtown Orlando in the Lake Eola area would be greatly appreciated. Also, what employers are out there that are in the finance industry?

Moved here from Long Island. It's mostly pro's.

Pros include weather (obviously), so much to do if you like the outdoors - the wildlife, springs, close vicinity beaches, parks, etc... it's fantastic, overload of theme parks, hundreds of great companies in the Orlando area. I have found great doctors/dentists down here. Good restaurants.

Con - my only complaint, and it's big---drivers. In NY drivers suck because they are inconsiderate, aggressive, etc.. In FL drivers suck because they don't pay attention. In my 30 commute on 417/I-4, I see at least one accident resulting from someone getting rear ended on each leg, every day. No exaggeration. This morning someone blew through a red light (that had already been red for 5 seconds) doing 60mph right in front of me. I was a very aggressive driver in NY, and I have learned to be extremely defensive/passive down here because of the sheer oblivion of people on the road. Turn signals are not a thing down here! I look both ways on green lights before going every time now! It's quite scary. In my 10 years driving in NY I was never in an accident. I have been rear ended on the highway 3 times in 1 year here... and no, I do not slam my brakes/follow too closely. Now I'm not necessarily blaming native Floridians here -- If i had to guess, it's more the tourists in an unfamiliar place/in an unfamiliar car causing this, but regardless, it's still a problem I've experienced here.

Overall, I'd never willingly move back. Orlando is an amazing place to live.