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First off, a big thanks to everyone here. My wife and I have spent a lot of time researching Orlando, and this forum has been the most helpful resource by far. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.
My wife and I are considering a move to Orlando. We’ll be visiting in April to scope out the area. We want to rent for a year before buying, ideally in the same general area that we’ll buy in. We’re grateful for any guidance, both in terms of general areas, as well as specific neighborhoods and apartment complexes.
So far we’ve lived in Northern Virginia and the Research Triangle in North Carolina. We also scouted out San Antonio last year but decided against moving there. I work remotely, so local job market isn’t a priority.
Our priorities:
1. Safety. We’ve been able to find safe areas & neighborhoods in every city we’ve lived in and scouted out so far. Our research suggests that this will be true for Orlando as well.
2. Affordability. We’d like to live somewhere that we can afford to buy a home, start a family, and live comfortably on ~125k/yr. All of the areas we’ve lived in and scouted out so far meet this criteria except for NoVa. Although rent, utilities, and insurance seem high in Orlando, some of that is offset by no state income tax.
3. Schools. We hope to start a family within a year or two. Just like with safety, we’ve been able to find good schools in every city we’ve lived in and scouted out so far, and that appears to be the same for Orlando.
4. Entertainment. There’s a certain vibe that we thrive off of. In NoVa, we found that vibe in D.C. and Tysons Corner Center. In San Antonio, we found it on the Riverwalk and at The Shops at La Cantera. We haven't really found it consistently in NC. There seems to be no shortage of that vibe in Orlando, especially in places like Disney Springs and Universal CityWalk.
5. Public Transit. We don't love driving. Unfortunately, NoVa is the only city we’ve lived in or scouted out that has met this criteria. We drive everywhere in NC. We understand that Orlando is a driving city also, and that compromises may need to be made.
6. Ease of driving. It’s so easy to drive in NC that I want to cry. NoVa, despite its notorious traffic and stressed-out, vengeful drivers wasn’t too bad as long as we avoided certain roads at certain times, and took care to never respond to anyone’s aggression. I hated driving in San Antonio; their whole system of freeways, frontage roads, and constant merging between the two was intolerable. Ease of driving is one of our biggest concerns about Orlando -- especially due to the lack of public transit -- but being a remote worker helps, especially if we’re able to live somewhere that’s an easy drive to necessities (e.g., a grocery store). Even better if it’s an easy drive to at least one entertainment spot (e.g., Disney Springs).
7. Relaxed pace of living. All of the areas we’ve lived in and scouted out so far meet this criteria except for NoVa. The live-to-work, high-strung culture in NoVa has such a negative impact on people. Orlando seems to be fairly chill.
8. Proximity to family. NoVa wins hands-down, NC isn’t bad, and San Antonio is a challenge. Living in Orlando means we’ll need to budget for flights to visit family, but (unlike San Antonio) at least the flights are non-stop and relatively cheap. I’m sure family won’t mind visiting us, either.
9. Asian Presence. It’s an absolute requirement that there’s at least one good Filipino grocery & restaurant within a ~30 minute drive. Every city we’ve lived in and scouted out so far has met this criteria, and it looks like there are several Filipino establishments in Orlando and Kissimmee. We’re going to really miss H-Mart in NoVa and NC, especially for its food court, but I saw the post about Lotte Plaza Market, which sounds like a promising replacement. It’s one of our goals during our April visit to find a Thai restaurant with good seafood fried rice and pad see ew.
10. Warm Weather. We don’t like to be cold. We set the AC to the upper 70s during the summer. I’ll play basketball outside when it’s 95 and humid. In NoVa, my body and brain used to shut down during the winter, and I had to run a humidifier non-stop and go through pallets of eye drops due to the dry air. I want to say that I’ll miss having 4 relatively mild seasons in NC, but I don’t know if that’s even true. Just ship me off to Singapore please.
Summary of areas:
1. NoVa. We lived here and loved the entertainment, public transit, proximity to family, & Asian presence, but cost-of-living was a deal-breaker, and the cold winters, difficulty of driving, and frantic pace of living sucked too.
2. Research Triangle in NC. We lived here and loved the affordability, ease of driving, relaxed pace of living, Asian presence, warm weather, and proximity to family, but the lack of entertainment was a deal-breaker, and the lack of public transit sucked too.
3. San Antonio. We scouted it out and loved the affordability, entertainment, relaxed pace of living, Asian presence, and warm weather, but the difficulty of driving was a deal breaker (specifically because of the freeway/frontage system), and distance from family and lack of public transit sucked too.
4. Orlando. We’re going to scout it out, and (much like San Antonio) we think we’ll love the affordability, entertainment, relaxed pace of living, Asian presence, and warm weather, but are concerned that the difficulty of driving, distance from family, and lack of public transit will suck. Hopefully, nothing will suck to the point of being a deal breaker.
Our Orlando search so far:
So far we've focused on Doctor Phillips and (new) Windermere. If only they had public transit! Our rent in NC right now is ~1.3k for a 2 bd 1200+ sq ft apartment. It looks like that’s going to jump up to the 1.6k-2k range in those areas of Orlando, which is doable, but means less money saved each month for a down payment on a house.
In Doctor Phillips, Sandpointe Townhomes and the Sanctuary at Bay Hill both seem reasonably located & priced. There’s a Trader Joes and Publix nearby, which is a major plus. The Rialto Apartments look like a nightmare to get into and out of (in terms of driving), which we’re sensitive to.
In (new) Windermere, there are a number of apartments near the Lakeside Village Center that look promising, particularly Post Lakeside. Clearly a lot of houses for rent in that area too.
Questions:
1. Have I missed any areas in Orlando that really nail our criteria? (We looked at Winter Park, but it seems too difficult of a drive from the entertainment we’re looking for.)
2. Do you recommend any apartments or neighborhoods, particularly ones that are quiet and easy to drive around? (We understand that apartment noise depends a lot on neighbors, but construction matters too.)
3. The Lynx Route Map indicates there’s a bus stop near (new) Windermere at Disney University with public buses to/from Disney Springs (50 -> 56). Is that accurate and easy to get to?
4. If my wife landed a job at Disney World, it seems that living near the bus stop mentioned above would be ideal. Is that accurate? Or is there an even better place?
Thank you for your time, and sorry for all the words. Hopefully this is useful for other people doing this kind of research.
So far we've focused on Doctor Phillips and (new) Windermere. If only they had public transit! Our rent in NC right now is ~1.3k for a 2 bd 1200+ sq ft apartment. It looks like that’s going to jump up to the 1.6k-2k range in those areas of Orlando, which is doable, but means less money saved each month for a down payment on a house.
In Doctor Phillips, Sandpointe Townhomes and the Sanctuary at Bay Hill both seem reasonably located & priced. There’s a Trader Joes and Publix nearby, which is a major plus. The Rialto Apartments look like a nightmare to get into and out of (in terms of driving), which we’re sensitive to.
In (new) Windermere, there are a number of apartments near the Lakeside Village Center that look promising, particularly Post Lakeside. Clearly a lot of houses for rent in that area too.
Questions:
1. Have I missed any areas in Orlando that really nail our criteria? (We looked at Winter Park, but it seems too difficult of a drive from the entertainment we’re looking for.)
2. Do you recommend any apartments or neighborhoods, particularly ones that are quiet and easy to drive around? (We understand that apartment noise depends a lot on neighbors, but construction matters too.)
3. The Lynx Route Map indicates there’s a bus stop near (new) Windermere at Disney University with public buses to/from Disney Springs (50 -> 56). Is that accurate and easy to get to?
4. If my wife landed a job at Disney World, it seems that living near the bus stop mentioned above would be ideal. Is that accurate? Or is there an even better place?
Thank you for your time, and sorry for all the words. Hopefully this is useful for other people doing this kind of research.
You leave out the job market altogether. If that's not an issue it certainly allows for more flexibility. Many other posters who are interested in moving here don't always recognize that, for instance, while your rent is higher than NC- your pay generally is lower. People who work from home or are self-employed are sometimes insular to this long standing issue.
1. Winter Park has it's own entertainment/eating shopping. That can be found all over Orlando. The Asian presence (which is somewhat minimal) is biggest just East of Downtown Orlando. Restaurant Row in Dr. Phillips is a nice proximity to just about everything in your needs. Orlando City itself has a lot of decent events and is a hotspot in its own, as you might find Plant Street in Winter Garden to be.
2. See others for specifics. If you plan to be here even a short while (3 years), you are better off owning than buying. Our rent is far out of line with the market cost of owning.
3. Working at Disney requires some impeccable timing. The bus would make that difficult. You may have to arrive at work almost an hour early, and sit at the uncovered bus stop for 15-45 minutes for your buses.
So far we've focused on Doctor Phillips and (new) Windermere. If only they had public transit! Our rent in NC right now is ~1.3k for a 2 bd 1200+ sq ft apartment. It looks like that’s going to jump up to the 1.6k-2k range in those areas of Orlando, which is doable, but means less money saved each month for a down payment on a house.
In Doctor Phillips, Sandpointe Townhomes and the Sanctuary at Bay Hill both seem reasonably located & priced. There’s a Trader Joes and Publix nearby, which is a major plus. The Rialto Apartments look like a nightmare to get into and out of (in terms of driving), which we’re sensitive to.
In (new) Windermere, there are a number of apartments near the Lakeside Village Center that look promising, particularly Post Lakeside. Clearly a lot of houses for rent in that area too.
Questions:
1. Have I missed any areas in Orlando that really nail our criteria? (We looked at Winter Park, but it seems too difficult of a drive from the entertainment we’re looking for.)
2. Do you recommend any apartments or neighborhoods, particularly ones that are quiet and easy to drive around? (We understand that apartment noise depends a lot on neighbors, but construction matters too.)
3. The Lynx Route Map indicates there’s a bus stop near (new) Windermere at Disney University with public buses to/from Disney Springs (50 -> 56). Is that accurate and easy to get to?
4. If my wife landed a job at Disney World, it seems that living near the bus stop mentioned above would be ideal. Is that accurate? Or is there an even better place?
Thank you for your time, and sorry for all the words. Hopefully this is useful for other people doing this kind of research.
I moved from San Francisco. My GF is Chinese born American, but grew up in Hong Kong and I'm Korean/White. We chose Dr. Phillips because we like the everything feels new and looks nice atmosphere. We also like the close proximity to malls, outlets, disney springs, disney world, universal studios, water parks, i-drive. Our other favorite area is around Winter Park. It's more expensive than Dr. Phillips and has a nice little downtown, some cool coffee shops, easy access to Downtown, Mills, Colonial (Asian stuff). There is a Thai Tea House (I don't mean Thai Tea, which they do serve, but they have a bunch of teas and brick toast etc there). The houses are more like what you'd find in major cities where super nice homes are built next to small old homes and some old homes are actually really nice inside, but look old fashioned from the exterior. I like the more everything looks new and landscaped look, which is why we chose Dr. Phillips. Either area is a great choice IMO. Windermere I think will be too boring at too "White" for you. It is for us. There really isn't much selection restaurant wise. It's far to get to a lot of things besides Disney. Winter Garden is nearby and a nice little town, I love the bike trail there, but also not diverse food wise.
Sandpointe Townhomes have a great location, most of the units are old and outdated though hence why they are cheap to buy or rent. However, given the price, it's a fine stepping stone while you are still getting settled and learning the area. The same thing for Sanctuary at Bay Hill. Rialto will have a more "urban" feel both in exact location and the actual building. I wouldn't worry about the traffic there as it's really not bad. Like cars can get backed up, but it still moves pretty fast and isn't all day. You're likely to be driving down Sand Lake a lot regardless of where you live. You can always just go right on Sand Lake to Dr Phillips Blvd to Wallace or Conroy Windermere if it's during rush hour, but honestly even during rush hour time-wise it's not bad, it's just I-4 will be bad during rush hour, which is the main reason you'd go down Sand Lake.
1) I would check out Dr. Phillips and Winter Park.
2) Neighborhoods I like... Phillips Landing, Turtle Creek, Orange Tree, Bay Hill, Palm Lake, Dellagio, Parkside, Point Cypress... there are more... Dr. Phillips has a lot of nice neighborhoods.
3) Don't even think about using Lynx. Orlando is easy to drive. Streets are flat and wide. Sunrail is the only option you should consider using, but it's limited.
4) It's really easy to drive in Orlando. My GF didn't know how to drive before moving to Orlando as you don't need a car in Hong Kong or San Francisco. Get some driving lessons and she will be good to go. If Disney is the area you want to be near, I'd defintly suggest Dr. Phillips, especially the communities on Apopka Vineland Road like Phillips Landing, Parkside, Bay Vista Estates, Cypress Pointe, etc.
3) Don't even think about using Lynx. Orlando is easy to drive. Streets are flat and wide. Sunrail is the only option you should consider using, but it's limited.
Lynx is far more comprehensive and can be a method from getting to two points easily. (Generally to a SuperStop or Lynx Central Station Downtown)
SunRail offers almost no benefit unless you are living along the line and commuting to work along the line.
Lynx is far more comprehensive and can be a method from getting to two points easily. (Generally to a SuperStop or Lynx Central Station Downtown)
SunRail offers almost no benefit unless you are living along the line and commuting to work along the line.
Lynx is a joke of a bus system. You will hate your life if you have to rely on commuting via Lynx. Most stops are just a dirty bench on the side of the road with no cover, no ETA on next bus, if it's raining prepared to be soaked or splashed by cars driving by... arguably the worst bus system I've seen. Sunrail if it applies with it's limited route is at least nice and modern. A family making $125k and commuting through Lynx will not work. Don't even plant that idea in the OP's mind lol.
Im not sure that I would personally recommend Orlando to you. It honestly sounds like NoVa might be a better fit. Don't underestimate being close to family.
Don't just look at Orlando because you don't like being cold. Many people fall into this trap only to realize 6 months later that they made a mistake. By October/November, you may start opining for those more moderate Falls and winters in Virginia and NC.
If you are sensitive to driving, this is definitely not the area for you. Even if you get in a more "walkable" neighborhood, remember it is only walkable for Florida. Which is to say, it is still very limited. You will spend a lot of time in your car. Not a big deal for many, but if you are sensitive, it won't be fun. As BMW mentioned, it is very easy to drive, though. Very flat and good visibility. Now the drivers on the other hand...haha
It sounds like Orlando hits several things that you explicitly mentioned not wanting. Not sure why it is being considered outside of it being hot. It's a great city, Im just not sure that it is the best fit. However, there are a ton of great things to do for a family. Rent first for a few months and see if you like it. You might, you might not.
Edit: there are a lot of good tea shops and coffee shops in Orlando.
You leave out the job market altogether. If that's not an issue it certainly allows for more flexibility. Many other posters who are interested in moving here don't always recognize that, for instance, while your rent is higher than NC- your pay generally is lower. People who work from home or are self-employed are sometimes insular to this long standing issue.
1. Winter Park has it's own entertainment/eating shopping. That can be found all over Orlando. The Asian presence (which is somewhat minimal) is biggest just East of Downtown Orlando. Restaurant Row in Dr. Phillips is a nice proximity to just about everything in your needs. Orlando City itself has a lot of decent events and is a hotspot in its own, as you might find Plant Street in Winter Garden to be.
2. See others for specifics. If you plan to be here even a short while (3 years), you are better off owning than buying. Our rent is far out of line with the market cost of owning.
3. Working at Disney requires some impeccable timing. The bus would make that difficult. You may have to arrive at work almost an hour early, and sit at the uncovered bus stop for 15-45 minutes for your buses.
I definitely lucked out with the remote nature of my work. I’m glad to hear your confirmation that Dr. Phillips is a potential option for us. I’ll take a second look at Winter Park. This is the first I’ve heard of Plant Street in Winter Garden; I’ll look into that as well. If we move to Orlando, our plan is to rent for a year as a test-run, and then either buy a house or move to another city. It’s great to know about the challenge with relying on the bus for a Disney job; these are exactly the kind of details we were hoping for. Thank you!
Quote:
Originally Posted by bmw335xi
I moved from San Francisco. My GF is Chinese born American, but grew up in Hong Kong and I'm Korean/White. We chose Dr. Phillips because we like the everything feels new and looks nice atmosphere. We also like the close proximity to malls, outlets, disney springs, disney world, universal studios, water parks, i-drive. Our other favorite area is around Winter Park. It's more expensive than Dr. Phillips and has a nice little downtown, some cool coffee shops, easy access to Downtown, Mills, Colonial (Asian stuff). There is a Thai Tea House (I don't mean Thai Tea, which they do serve, but they have a bunch of teas and brick toast etc there). The houses are more like what you'd find in major cities where super nice homes are built next to small old homes and some old homes are actually really nice inside, but look old fashioned from the exterior. I like the more everything looks new and landscaped look, which is why we chose Dr. Phillips. Either area is a great choice IMO. Windermere I think will be too boring at too "White" for you. It is for us. There really isn't much selection restaurant wise. It's far to get to a lot of things besides Disney. Winter Garden is nearby and a nice little town, I love the bike trail there, but also not diverse food wise.
Sandpointe Townhomes have a great location, most of the units are old and outdated though hence why they are cheap to buy or rent. However, given the price, it's a fine stepping stone while you are still getting settled and learning the area. The same thing for Sanctuary at Bay Hill. Rialto will have a more "urban" feel both in exact location and the actual building. I wouldn't worry about the traffic there as it's really not bad. Like cars can get backed up, but it still moves pretty fast and isn't all day. You're likely to be driving down Sand Lake a lot regardless of where you live. You can always just go right on Sand Lake to Dr Phillips Blvd to Wallace or Conroy Windermere if it's during rush hour, but honestly even during rush hour time-wise it's not bad, it's just I-4 will be bad during rush hour, which is the main reason you'd go down Sand Lake.
1) I would check out Dr. Phillips and Winter Park.
2) Neighborhoods I like... Phillips Landing, Turtle Creek, Orange Tree, Bay Hill, Palm Lake, Dellagio, Parkside, Point Cypress... there are more... Dr. Phillips has a lot of nice neighborhoods.
3) Don't even think about using Lynx. Orlando is easy to drive. Streets are flat and wide. Sunrail is the only option you should consider using, but it's limited.
4) It's really easy to drive in Orlando. My GF didn't know how to drive before moving to Orlando as you don't need a car in Hong Kong or San Francisco. Get some driving lessons and she will be good to go. If Disney is the area you want to be near, I'd defintly suggest Dr. Phillips, especially the communities on Apopka Vineland Road like Phillips Landing, Parkside, Bay Vista Estates, Cypress Pointe, etc.
Your reasons for choosing Dr. Phillips are on-point with what we like and what we’re looking for. I’ve spent a lot of time on Google Maps Street-View and Zillow looking at the Dr. Phillips area, and I’m really drawn to the aesthetics of the shopping centers and houses. Thank you for the list of neighborhoods; I’ll look into all of them. Your description of the bus system is what we feared, but it’s not a deal-breaker, especially if day-to-day driving isn’t a nightmare. We’re excited about our April visit and will make sure to drive around a lot at different times of the day. We’re still going to check out Windermere but I suspect your assessment is correct.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dave w
I don't think Orlando checks any of your boxes, Why Orlando
That’s concerning! You could be right, but I may have also done a poor job of painting an accurate picture in my original post, so I’ll take a stab at “why Orlando?”: Most importantly, it seems to have the kind of energy & vibe that we like, with easy access to the kinds of entertainment & shopping that we like, while still being (relatively) affordable.
Where we live now in NC must be heaven for those into the craft beer scene, but that’s not our thing at all. For better or worse, we tend to be drawn to touristy stuff. My wife absolutely glows in a place like Disney Springs, and becomes lethargic when that type of atmosphere isn’t abundantly available to her.
Besides that, one of our hard requirements for a place to live is a Filipino community. I’m not saying we need to live in the same neighborhood as Filipinos or bump into one every time we turn a corner, but there should be enough around to support the existence of Filipino groceries & restaurants. There appears to be at least 5 Filipino shops in the Orlando & Kissimmee areas, which is awesome! There aren’t many other cities in the US with that kind of Filipino presence, and most of them are too far away, too expensive, or too lacking in our kind of entertainment. Cities like Jacksonville and Virginia Beach are options, but I’m not sure they’re any better in regard to our other priorities.
I don’t have much to add from my original post regarding our other priorities, other than to note that we’re not expecting perfection, and are still learning which of our priorities are must-haves and which are nice-to-haves.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kombuchaluchador
Im not sure that I would personally recommend Orlando to you. It honestly sounds like NoVa might be a better fit. Don't underestimate being close to family.
Don't just look at Orlando because you don't like being cold. Many people fall into this trap only to realize 6 months later that they made a mistake. By October/November, you may start opining for those more moderate Falls and winters in Virginia and NC.
If you are sensitive to driving, this is definitely not the area for you. Even if you get in a more "walkable" neighborhood, remember it is only walkable for Florida. Which is to say, it is still very limited. You will spend a lot of time in your car. Not a big deal for many, but if you are sensitive, it won't be fun. As BMW mentioned, it is very easy to drive, though. Very flat and good visibility. Now the drivers on the other hand...haha
It sounds like Orlando hits several things that you explicitly mentioned not wanting. Not sure why it is being considered outside of it being hot. It's a great city, Im just not sure that it is the best fit. However, there are a ton of great things to do for a family. Rent first for a few months and see if you like it. You might, you might not.
Edit: there are a lot of good tea shops and coffee shops in Orlando.
You’re right, NoVa is a pretty good fit for us, and despite its other flaws, I’m not sure that we would’ve left if housing prices were 30% lower. I’m sure we could raise a family there, but there’d be a lot of sacrifice. That may still be where we end up. But remote work has given us a unique opportunity to at least consider living somewhere else without worrying about the job aspect.
Good point about being close to family and not moving just because of the weather. My wife is from the Philippines and I grew up in Texas, so these are things that we are (hopefully) prepared to deal with, but I could be wrong. Hard to know for sure without trying.
The sensitivity to driving is a tough one to articulate. I’d say that I’m sensitive to difficult driving. General traffic & tailgaters I can deal with, but I wouldn’t want to drive everyday in a place like DC or New York. As I mentioned before, there was something about driving in San Antonio that really bothered me as well. It’s like you had to jump on a freeway just to get to the grocery store. When day-to-day driving is a white-knuckle experience, public transit and/or walkability are must-haves for us. Otherwise, they’re more nice-to-haves. I’m sure this is something we’ll get a better feel for when we visit in April.
Just pitching in here: if you work downtown, in SoDo, at FL Hospital Village, in WP, in Maitland, or in Kissimmee, Sunrail is a lifesaver. Even if you don’t live right by a stop, you can drive and park at one and use it to get where you are going.
I know that for people living in Poinciana and Kissimmee, it is a MUCH better option than driving on I4 through Disney hell. Similarly, people living in Sanford and Lake Mary can benefit greatly from it. I know I use it, as do many others who work downtown. It could be better, sure, but it’s definitely not useless either.
I definitely lucked out with the remote nature of my work. I’m glad to hear your confirmation that Dr. Phillips is a potential option for us. I’ll take a second look at Winter Park. This is the first I’ve heard of Plant Street in Winter Garden; I’ll look into that as well. If we move to Orlando, our plan is to rent for a year as a test-run, and then either buy a house or move to another city. It’s great to know about the challenge with relying on the bus for a Disney job; these are exactly the kind of details we were hoping for. Thank you!
Your reasons for choosing Dr. Phillips are on-point with what we like and what we’re looking for. I’ve spent a lot of time on Google Maps Street-View and Zillow looking at the Dr. Phillips area, and I’m really drawn to the aesthetics of the shopping centers and houses. Thank you for the list of neighborhoods; I’ll look into all of them. Your description of the bus system is what we feared, but it’s not a deal-breaker, especially if day-to-day driving isn’t a nightmare. We’re excited about our April visit and will make sure to drive around a lot at different times of the day. We’re still going to check out Windermere but I suspect your assessment is correct.
That’s concerning! You could be right, but I may have also done a poor job of painting an accurate picture in my original post, so I’ll take a stab at “why Orlando?”: Most importantly, it seems to have the kind of energy & vibe that we like, with easy access to the kinds of entertainment & shopping that we like, while still being (relatively) affordable.
Where we live now in NC must be heaven for those into the craft beer scene, but that’s not our thing at all. For better or worse, we tend to be drawn to touristy stuff. My wife absolutely glows in a place like Disney Springs, and becomes lethargic when that type of atmosphere isn’t abundantly available to her.
Besides that, one of our hard requirements for a place to live is a Filipino community. I’m not saying we need to live in the same neighborhood as Filipinos or bump into one every time we turn a corner, but there should be enough around to support the existence of Filipino groceries & restaurants. There appears to be at least 5 Filipino shops in the Orlando & Kissimmee areas, which is awesome! There aren’t many other cities in the US with that kind of Filipino presence, and most of them are too far away, too expensive, or too lacking in our kind of entertainment. Cities like Jacksonville and Virginia Beach are options, but I’m not sure they’re any better in regard to our other priorities.
I don’t have much to add from my original post regarding our other priorities, other than to note that we’re not expecting perfection, and are still learning which of our priorities are must-haves and which are nice-to-haves.
You’re right, NoVa is a pretty good fit for us, and despite its other flaws, I’m not sure that we would’ve left if housing prices were 30% lower. I’m sure we could raise a family there, but there’d be a lot of sacrifice. That may still be where we end up. But remote work has given us a unique opportunity to at least consider living somewhere else without worrying about the job aspect.
Good point about being close to family and not moving just because of the weather. My wife is from the Philippines and I grew up in Texas, so these are things that we are (hopefully) prepared to deal with, but I could be wrong. Hard to know for sure without trying.
The sensitivity to driving is a tough one to articulate. I’d say that I’m sensitive to difficult driving. General traffic & tailgaters I can deal with, but I wouldn’t want to drive everyday in a place like DC or New York. As I mentioned before, there was something about driving in San Antonio that really bothered me as well. It’s like you had to jump on a freeway just to get to the grocery store. When day-to-day driving is a white-knuckle experience, public transit and/or walkability are must-haves for us. Otherwise, they’re more nice-to-haves. I’m sure this is something we’ll get a better feel for when we visit in April.
Thanks again! You’ve given us a lot to consider.
Definitely visit first. You seem like nice folks and I'd love for you to be in Florida. But you should find a place that suits you most! It sounds like you would be prepared for the weather. Orlando is a good City. I think you'd like the vibe but you will have to sacrifice a bit.
Dr Phillips is a good place. Not super familiar but I have been through the area a few times. Definitely check it out!
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