I mean jeez, Is it really that bad? (Orlando, Melbourne: violent crime, homes)

[ponchoblanco]

I only hear a few posters that have positive things to say about Orlando. I must say that I'm surprised. Are the salaries that bad in Orlando? I'm a truck driver and my wife is well... she is a jack of all trades Can we make it in Orlando? Do truck drivers make minimum wage? Are gangbangers going to rape my wife in front of me? please I need some sound advice..

[Alphaman]

Yes it is really that bad! there are murders daily and I even tripped over a dead guy going to work this morning! traffic never moves and people just sleep in there cars for hrs!

No jobs and homeless everywhere!!


No just kidding its not bad and truck drivers make good money here.

Orlando is just not for everyone like anywhere else we have issues. Don`t let the posts scare you that much just take in the info and make a decision.

[**NoodLes**]

Yes, the jobs are garbage, the cost of living is ridiculously high, the traffic sucks, the weather is good only about 3 months, Moderator cut: racist and there is no other sports teams unless you call the Magic a real sports team. Orlando is a joke, stay far, far away and only move if you have family or a decent job lined up, don't tell me I didn't warn you. Oh yeah, the education is terrible also.

[Magnulus]

Originally Posted by ponchoblanco

I only hear a few posters that have positive things to say about Orlando. I must say that I'm surprised. Are the salaries that bad in Orlando? I'm a truck driver and my wife is well... she is a jack of all trades Can we make it in Orlando? Do truck drivers make minimum wage?

Orlando is an exepensive place to live unless you've got some kind of masters degree. Lots of people moved down here from the rust belt because they are desperate, so that's part of the reason. The economy also isn't that diverse. Alot of people down here make their living in what I call "froth"- services for which the need is highly fungible and subject to economic whims.

Are gangbangers going to rape my wife in front of me? please I need some sound advice..

Not likely but if your wife likes to jog on her own, or goes to stores at night, it can be dangerous. Avoid Wal-Marts at night as these are crime magnets. Also, a bus stop along any major highway isn't a great place to be if you are a woman.

[Keeper]

Please keep opinions here in perspective.. You have to take all advice into consideration good and bad then make a decision. Most of the posters here just want to help you..

[Wilshire81182]

Orlando has its pros and cons like everywhere else. The pros outweigh the cons for me big time. I do not have children, so I do not pay too much attention to the schools, but I know they are bad and would like to see them improve.
I do not have to drive on I-4 on a daily basis so I do not experience the traffic that others complain of. I found a good job doing phone interviews before moving here and used networks not unlike this forum to meet people here before I moved here. I have made a lot of friends through work and school and have been fortunate with the 2.5 years I have lived here. I could not ask for better weather, I love my neighborhood (in Conway). I feel it is convenient to downtown, the attractions, and the east side of town where I work. I feel like crime is an issue, but is very exaggerated on this site. It can vary drastically by neighborhood, so when you start looking at homes you should ask more specific questions on this site. I think violent crime is isolated mainly to a few areas in the Pine Hills, OBT, Parramore areas. There are some rundown areas in addition to those that I would not recommend. Most of the crime outside of those areas tends to be petty crime and is mainly targeted toward businesses. I am out a lot at night on the weekends and I have never had a problem. There are a few neighborhoods I avoid at night and usually have no need to visit in the day. Other than that, I feel very safe. There is a good crime map on Orlando Sentinel's website that you can look at crime within the neighborhoods by Zip code. It does not include Seminole or Osceola county. It also does not include the east side. With the weather and entertainment options, I feel like the positives of living here are not reflected in these posts for the most part, so I thought I would give you a different angle.

[ThePolyPrincess]

Thank you Wilshire81182. I appreciate your honest and helpful answer to the question. This speaks directly to my situation as my DH works from home, and I home school our kids. We are moving for the weather and entertainment options so I think we'll be okay. Of course we want to feel safe so we'll definitely weigh those options carefully. As with everything else it's different strokes for different folks...what works for some won't for others.

[Wilshire81182]

What areas are you looking at? The fact that you are home schooling your kids will help you a lot I think. Of all the complaints about this area, I hear more people that I work and go to college with complain about the schools far more than traffic, crime, boredom, weather, and other things people tend to complain about.

[cfIfan]

In all honesty there are good and bad in all cities and locales in every country. Alot of the negativity you hear in all honesty is blown out of all proportion, and it does seem to me that the people who do drive all the negativity are under the impression that outside of Orlando, there is 0 crime and everybody lives in a happy go lucky crime free community where everybody smiles all the time, no-one has to work because we live in an ideal world, and everything is wrapped in bubble wrap. Its nonsense, there are pockets of bad areas just like everywhere. For the most part it is a great place to live. There are always adverts for jobs in the haulage industry and they seem very well paid.

If you havent already come down for a visit and check out all the areas and see what you think. I tell people who ask advise on here that if i lived in one of these bad area in Orlando and saw the crime on a daily basis, i would be complaining aswell. The key, dont choose a bad area to live in, there are plenty of well priced nice areas to choose from.

[pianogal]

Yeah, the schools here are terrible....that's why my son and his friends, who all attended public schools here, graduated from the local universities....Rollins, Stetson and UCF and now have starting salaries - working in Orlando - of 60K plus benefits right out of school. My son had 4 job offers on the table from Melbourne, 2 in Orlando and 1 in Baltimore.
These schools must really be awful!