Family of 6 looking to leave Las Vegas... (Jacksonville, Miami: 2013, insurance)

[raindroplotus]

We've lived in Vegas for the past 2.5 years and we're ready for a change of scenery. Turns out we really don't like the dryness, lack of greenery, and lack of rain...not to mention the crime. I don't like feeling like I can't go shopping by myself without getting approached by someone trying to scam me or asking for money. It's pretty bad here, and we live in one of the nicer areas of town.

I grew up 3 miles from the beach in Southern California, husband grew up in Northern California in the Bay Area. We came to Las Vegas from Salt Lake City, UT but we have both lived in Oregon and he lived in Pittsburgh for a few years.

Growing up on the West Coast, we both feel more at home living near the ocean and being around water. Snow and elevation are deal breakers for us. Even the winters here in LV are too cold for me!

Being that our criteria is so specific, that really limits us to very few places in the US. Florida is very appealing...Living so close to Disneyland as a child, I spent a lot of time there so having Disneyworld nearby would fulfill that need for me. Plus, access to beaches that aren't 4-5 hours away would be amazing.

Art museums, history museums, aquariums, and zoos would also be nice to have. Vegas doesn't have much to offer in that regard, which has been really disappointing for my kids.

My oldest will be going to college next fall so I was looking at University of Central Florida and there are several degree options she is interested in. Any alumni around that want to share their experience?

Although I have never been to Florida, my husband has and he loved it. I've heard him talk about the humidity ever since I've known him lol.

Since we have a family of 6, we'd need a 5 bedroom house, at minimum, that is under $3,000 per month. These seem to be hard to come by in our price range all over the country(trust me, I've looked!). My husband and I work from home; he is in IT and I am in marketing. I have a full-time job but I also have my own small marketing agency on the side so living somewhere business friendly is a must.

Of course I've heard about the bugs, humidity, hurricanes, sinkholes, etc. But I do have probably 15-20 friends and clients that live there and I've never once heard them complain. In fact, they all seem to love it there! And they are from all over...Jacksonville, Naples, Miami, Zephyrhills, Daytona Beach, Melbourne (those are just some places that come to mind).

So does Orlando or the surrounding areas seem like it would be a good fit for my family?

[robert999]

Orlando is a very convenient & family friendly place to live. I'm in the Dr Phillips neighborhood & used to hear the fireworks from Disney every night until Covid 19 came along. Shopping is fantastic especially for food. We have Publix, Trader Joe, Whole paycheck, Fresh market, Winn Dixie, Walmart, super Target plus many shopping malls & great Hospitals here & in the surrounding area's. There is an ever growing restaurant presence in the area both corporate & family run so you have a great selection of foods here.
Heat & humidity is a May to early October event with June, July, August, & September being the peak. Everything is Air conditioned so try & park your car in the shade during the summer. You have your choice of beach's in central FL, east side Atlantic ocean with Cocoa beach about 58 miles east along the beach line expressway or you can head west to the gulf shore, St Pete & Clearwater are beautiful area's but your talking 90-100 mile drive. St Pete area is really nice. They have a huge Salvador Dali museum in the downtown area . Public schools in Orlando run from great to poor depending where you live & UCF has become a behemoth over the years. They have a medical school now. My son graduated with a fine arts degree in computer animation from UCF back in the 90's although he works for Charles Schwab now & has his brokers license, go figure. The roadways are still under construction & that is your main transportation here although they are in the process of building a high speed rail from Miami to Orlando which hopefully will start a trend towards a viable mass transit system to relieve traffic congestion. We have an Art museum & a science center near the downtown area also & a zoo in nearby Sanford.
Taxes & home prices are similar to Las Vegas so you will not be any better or worse in that sense. We do have a more varied business environment than Vegas with the aerospace (Nasa, Space X) industry & high tech jobs along with simulation industries. We have Lockheed Martin close by, & all the tourist & hotel business along with a huge convention center. Orlando is also a big distribution center.
Hurricane season comes & goes & we have missed most of them for a few years. The max wind we ever had recorded in Orlando international airport was 110 MPH, the storms usually shear off when reaching inland. We do have plenty of thunder storms & an occasional tornado in the rainy season so be aware of that. Home insurance for a $350K home is about $1700-2,000/year. Auto insurance is about $700/year per cars, electric & a/c for a 1700 square foot home with 2 is about $2000/year, water bill runs about $200/year. Crime is like every other city you have good areas & bad area's.
PRO'S : Good schools, great shopping, great medical care, varied industries, (Not just tourism) nice homes at reasonable prices, low taxes for a bigger city, cost of living is moderate, plenty of entertainment & beach's.
CONS: Lack of mass transit, Humidity in the summer, traffic congestion & some pockets of crime.
GL with your decision.

[raindroplotus]

What a coincidence! My daughter is strongly considering a degree in computer animation. She also has an interest in biology so we're working on helping her settle with the choice she'll be happiest with. I homeschool my other children, so schools aren't a huge concern but good to know that they are pretty good around here. They are absolutely awful in Vegas!

Healthcare is another thing that sucks here, so that sounds like it would be a step up in Orlando as well

Seems like I can get a 5 bedroom home for under $400k with a pool and a decent sized yard. Unheard of here. Same thing would cost about $600k if you want to live in an area with lower crime rates. We currently pay around $2300/year in electricity here with 2 a/c units on our 2700 sq ft house so that sounds like we may stay in the same ballpark, maybe even pay a bit more since we require a larger living space.

Thank you for your response, it was very helpful!

[bmw335xi]

Since your son is going to be going to UCF, I think it's a good choice. Orlando is a nice area and the neighborhoods are pretty distinct, so you can find something you like I'm sure.

[peta2013]

To state the obvious please VISIT first. Orlando is ok... not on the water... not a huge city... mostly sprawling housing developments and tourist crap... just middle of the road. If living in Vegas it may feel fine to you. Coming from NorCal ourselves it did not make it on the list. Just had to be near the water and in a smaller town. It’s worth checking out SWFL, panhandle, Tampa bay, etc, etc. Each place has a slightly different vibe.

[Yellow Submarine]

Originally Posted by peta2013

To state the obvious please VISIT first. Orlando is ok... not on the water... not a huge city... mostly sprawling housing developments and tourist crap... just middle of the road. If living in Vegas it may feel fine to you. Coming from NorCal ourselves it did not make it on the list. Just had to be near the water and in a smaller town. It’s worth checking out SWFL, panhandle, Tampa bay, etc, etc. Each place has a slightly different vibe.

Good points.

How much does it cost to do such a move these days and during Covid? Have no idea how backed up the long haul movers are now.

[raindroplotus]

I don't mind the tourist stuff so much...one day I want some land situated away from a large city, but for now I'm happy with suburban life. I guess I forgot to mention that we are planning a trip out there in February to check it out and see how we feel about it. Tampa Bay honestly sounds lovely, but the housing costs seem quite a bit higher and it's a much longer drive to Disneyworld. However, I wouldn't say the latter part is a deal breaker.

[Thundarr457]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xkc-en0_LGY

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by raindroplotus

I don't mind the tourist stuff so much...one day I want some land situated away from a large city, but for now I'm happy with suburban life. I guess I forgot to mention that we are planning a trip out there in February to check it out and see how we feel about it. Tampa Bay honestly sounds lovely, but the housing costs seem quite a bit higher and it's a much longer drive to Disneyworld. However, I wouldn't say the latter part is a deal breaker.

90% of Orlando is not touristy. I really dislike Tampa. I moved to Orlando from San Francisco. Owned my condo in SF outright. My income is above average. I work from home. Orlando is a nice city if you aren't wanting an urban life. Check out... Dr. Phillips, Windermere, Lake Eola, Lake Baldwin, Winter Park... these areas are very different, so you will probably find one you like a lot.

[cjairo191]

What part of Vegas where you in? My Uncle just moved to an area where the houses are 400k. I went to stores all over Vegas. No one approached me for money. You will get that in Florida cities, just a warning. Its getting worse.