Moving from Chicago to Orlando (Tampa, Pine Hills: environment, homes, crime)

[paparibon]

Hi I plan on moving to orlando with my family. You said alot of things that concern me . Me and my family are from the west side of chicago, we often visit our family in the areas you describe and it didnt seem that bad. What I want to know with your expierience where have you been to compare orlando with. What other ghettos have you been to around the country to compare with orlando. I just want to get some insight on the enviroment in orlando, and how it compares with other metro areas.

[Keeper]

I moved your post from a very old thread . I think you will get some good information here..

[Silence Dogood]

Same as all ghettos except in Orlando there are a lot of fringe areas so the crime isn't entirely concentrated. Dr. Phillips has crime because of it's proximitey to Carver Shores. There is crime on I-Drive because tourists are often targeted. Winter Park has very bad areas off 17-92. Maitland has some crime from Eatonville. Orlando is a top 10 crime city so the crime pretty much creeps up everywhere. The paramore and pine hills areas are the worst and compare to North Philly, East New York in Brooklyn and the South Side of Chicago. You of course can avoid being most of the time by staying out of the worst areas, not walking alone, carrying a firearm yourself and never stopping at a convenience store after dark.

[Wilshire81182]

I agree with the fact that Orlando has pockets of bad neighborhoods throughout the Metro area, but I do not think you need a firearm on your person at all times.
I would avoid convenience stores and gas stations in bad neighborhoods at night. I do not think that the environment of Orlando's neighborhoods are quite like that of those cities listed (N Philly, Brooklyn), because the neighborhoods in general used to be middle class nice areas (Pine Hills and Oak Ridge) that over time went down hill. The neighborhood looks like your typical 70's-80's ranch style homes, but they are not kept up very much. You will be able to tell it is not a nice neighborhood when you drive through it. I would not worry about crime in Dr Phillips or Winter Park like the last post advised, but just be mindful of your surroundings at night. I think you have to take the same precautions in Orlando that you would in any other major city, but Orlando gets a bad rep for a higher than average crime rate. I think it is isolated to a few areas of Orange county in general. If you have more questions, let me know!

[AONE]

I've been to Cicero....not a great place. similar to our Pine Hills area. Most of Orlando is very nice. People get out what they put in. Maybe those that see so much bad should put better in.
If you aren't part of the solution you are part of the problem.

[vdecapio]

Originally Posted by Silence Dogood

You of course can avoid being most of the time by staying out of the worst areas, not walking alone, carrying a firearm yourself and never stopping at a convenience store after dark.

Carrying a gun...that is so ridiculous! There is no place in the US where I would ever need to carry a gun for protection. That is so funny! You watch the news too much buddy. And try to lay off the horror flicks........carrying a gun with me...yeah right!

[Wilshire81182]

Thank you, AONE. There are some truly unrealistic individuals that post on this forum. Orlando is a great place to live. The other place I lived is Portland, Oregon, consistently ranked a top ten best place to live. When I moved here, I think that Orlando is a much more enjoyable city to live in. Sure it has its problems, but in my mind they are far outweighed by the benefits of living here.

[Crane's Rooster]

Before you start packing heat you should probaly consider just being aware of your surroundings, avoid getting lost in unfamiliar areas and taking necessary precautions that you would in any major metro. Probably a lot easier and cheaper than carrying a gun. Not to mention much more realistic.

[luvmyemma]

Originally Posted by Crane's Rooster

Before you start packing heat you should probaly consider just being aware of your surroundings, avoid getting lost in unfamiliar areas and taking necessary precautions that you would in any major metro. Probably a lot easier and cheaper than carrying a gun. Not to mention much more realistic.

Thank you.
I've been reading posts on here all morning & can't believe the picture that's being painted of Orlando. I'll admit that other than a year in the St Pete/Tampa area (and if you want to talk crime/bad areas, THATS the place to do it), I've lived in Orlando my entire life and therefore have not much to compare it to... but seriously. I've never been carjacked, had a knife or gun pulled on me, been robbed or anything of those sorts. I HAVE been in bad areas, had bad feelings, felt uncomfortable by my surroundings...but the easy answer to that is to leave.

Just be careful. Be cautious. It's really not as bad as some are saying.