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I am from San Diego,CA and my family and I are looking to move to Florida in 09 but have been battling with thought of Orlando VS St. Pete/Clearwater VS Cocoa Beach area.... We keep hearing that crime is bad...Well it's not pretty here either.... And that there is a huge Hispanic presence in the area...HELLOOOOO, we could not be any closer to the border here!!!! everyone here speaks SPANGLISH ... Soooo with that aside... Is it all really that bad ... I have been there 3 times for short visits and of course it looks like a wonderful place to live, if you like a touristy type of town (ya, like San Diego isn't ???) and you like the heat and humidity.... But lets throw away the obvious and get down to the nitty gritty and get some real answers here....
???? Heres the $1,000,000 question ????
San Diego has a TON of smaller cities and suburbs to live in.... So lets look at the main points to find some areas we may like.....
If you were a mid 30's white married couple with 5 kids ranging from 12 years to 10 months and have owned a housecleaning business successfully for 10+ years and were looking to start one up in Orlando and you wanted to rent for awhile and are a BIG Disney family (have passes to Disneyland here and go once a month min.) and like malls and attractions and beaches....where would you say you would live and raise that family safely ??? Any real honest and thought out responses will be greatly appreciated..... I mean.. If you where to move here..I could tell you EXACTLY were you should or should not move based upon your wants and needs... If you need more info from me please ask... I need help here.. Don’t want to move to wrong area and regret it with bad schools or my kids hangin' with da g's on some porch sippin a 40oz!!!!!
1. We need a rental 4+ bedrooms / Prefer a pool... So $$ factor in the areas you think are good would help..We could look it up if you dont know...But rent cost, utilities and other cost would help...
2. How are the schools in that area...
3. Good middle to upper class neighborhood with a BIG lack of the sippin' 40oz factor!!!
4. Nearby area that would financially be viable to support or have a need for maid services.
5. LOTS of entertainment value for a young family who likes to get out and have fun.. IE : Malls, parks, movies, stores, beach, lakes...yadayadayada....
6. Is it an older community or newly developed....
7. How’s the commute in the area... or to travel to downtown or beaches and such...
I have heard good things about Dr Philips, Windmere, Celebration... Any of those sound good to anyone... Is the rental market there good... We pay around $2,000 a month for a 3bd 2.5bth townhome now... So we need something bigger....
THANK YOU SO MUCH... From the bottom of my heart for any help you can give in this post.... I don't need a Orlando bashing.... Just some facts to help out.... If you hate Orlando then state the facts as to why... If you love it or something about it SHARE PLEASE...
There are plenty of safe places in town. There are plenty of areas to steer clear of as well. You should look at crime stats in specific areas and compare it to areas in San Diego. I am sure it is higher here in Florida in most areas, but there are plenty of areas where it is not that bad. Look at Winter Park, Oviedo, Viera, Lake Nona, Dr Phillips, Lake Mary, Clearwater, Sarasota, Meritt Island, etc.
In Orlando just avoid Kissimmee proper, Pine Hills, Parramore, Azalea Park, Oak Ridge, and Union Park.
I would suggest Oviedo, Winter Park, Maitland, Longwood, Altamonte Springs, Winter Springs and Lake Mary. If you are looking for more upper class areas, then I would suggest Heathrow, Windermere and Dr. Phillips.
It's not bad! Don't let all the negitive responses get to you ~ do your research and pick a nice , safe place ~ outside of Orlando to live and you'll love it like us!
We've been here 5 weeks now and LOVE it
Good luck!!!
It's not bad! Don't let all the negitive responses get to you ~ do your research and pick a nice , safe place ~ outside of Orlando to live and you'll love it like us!
We've been here 5 weeks now and LOVE it
Good luck!!!
There are several nice areas within the city limits as well like Colonialtown, College Park, Delaney Park, Thornton Park as well. It is all about the atmosphere you are looking for.
It's not as bad as they all want to make you believe. This is what I think, there are two types of responders when posting negative.
1. The ones who respond negative because they have miserable lives and nothing makes them happy, and chances are they are probable from north east.
2. They respond negative because they don’t want you there. Even if they themselves are transplants they think they are some kind of native and have the right to hog the beauty.
So, this method of getting answers isn't your best bet. research other methods of info as well. What I suggest is to call around, random calls to bars, clubs, restaurants, shops and just ask them personally. Hope this heps
It's not as bad as they all want to make you believe. This is what I think, there are two types of responders when posting negative.
1. The ones who respond negative because they have miserable lives and nothing makes them happy, and chances are they are probable from north east.
2. They respond negative because they don’t want you there. Even if they themselves are transplants they think they are some kind of native and have the right to hog the beauty.
So, this method of getting answers isn't your best bet. research other methods of info as well. What I suggest is to call around, random calls to bars, clubs, restaurants, shops and just ask them personally. Hope this heps
I agree. I am not a native. I have lived here for 3 years. I have noticed the same thing from this forum and some of the negative posts. I do not get the same reactions and opinions from my friends and coworkers that live here. People seem to enjoy it and those that do not move along.
This is kind of funny, because we're in the exact opposite situation! My husband and I are moving from Orlando to San Diego in May.
With that being said, let me try to explain, as best I can, what my thoughts on Orlando are keeping that you're coming from San Diego in mind. I have a pretty good knowledge of both areas, so I'll try my best. I won't hide the fact that I'm really not a fan of living in Orlando, but I am not going to unjustly bash the city - as it does have its pros along with its cons.
First off, Orlando has an equal share of retail stores/malls as San Diego does. The Mall at Millenia is probably the equivalent to what you know in the Fashion Valley mall, and there's a good deal of 'big box' retail stores in several different locations across the city (Waterford Lakes, around The Florida Mall, etc). Also - many things in Orlando are overall a bit newer in construction than San Diego. Most everything here has been built probably within the last 20 years or so...some more, some less, but I would take that as an average.
Moving along,...one thing that would be helpful to consider is if you REALLY don't mind humidity. Whenever I'm out in CA for an extended period of time, I always feel gross coming back to FL. Of course, everyone has there own opinion and I know plenty of people that really do like the muggy weather--I, however, do not. Another thing to realize is that Orlando really doesn't come close to outdoor activities in comparison to San Diego, in my opinion. That being said, if you LOVE the beach (as in, swimming and being in the sun) then you'll enjoy having the comparatively warmer waters here than the Pacific. However, in my opinion, nothing here comes to even remotely close comparion to Torrey Pines and La Jolla and Point Loma....but that just me. Also, here it is pretty much completely flat (some hills west of Disney, but nothing close to what you have).
Overall, I probably would say that crime in Orlando is worse than San Diego. Pine Hills and Parramore here are comparable to San Diego's Logan Heights and Encanto, but the Orlando areas I would have to say are worse. Also - be aware that people here seem to segregate themselves more here than out west, I've found. It's much more spotty place to place in Orlando than San Diego, and generally the areas that are nicest here are very un-diverse (read: VERY white). In San Diego I always like how you can go somewhere and be amongst people of all colors acting responsibly and in relative harmony. It's a little hard to explain...
One last note is that please be aware that it's very possible that the novelty of being close to Disney may very well wear off. I know that it did for me...at first we were extremely excited for it, and went very often. Then the crowds and 'fakeness' of it kind of got to us, and now it's just not that exciting anymore. Natural beauty has a much more endearing appeal than a man-made attraction in my opinion.
Honestly I can't comment much on schools since I do not have children. The areas you mentioned, however, are all fairly nice - though I really find Celebration kind of creepy - I used to work in an office complex right outside of the 'town' so I know it pretty well. I've also heard about issues with construction done in the houses, there - make sure you check that out if you consider that area. Honestly, I would probably look in the Dr. Phillips area....it's very nice.
If you're open to being north of the city, I'd also look into Lake Mary/Alaqua and Longwood (especially around the Wekiva Springs park) as those areas are really quite nice, and I've heard that Seminole county has a better school system than Orange.
Overall, if you know everything I'm saying and don't feel like it's an issue then I truly do wish you the best of luck. You will get more dollar for dollar in housing here, but you may make less money... I just hope that maybe you take a few things into consideration. Please don't hesitate to PM me if I can help you with anything else, I would be happy to try to compare more San Diego/Orlando elements, as I'm pretty familiar with both.
PS....can't wait to move to your town.
Last edited by thepinksquid; 02-12-2009 at 07:21 PM..
Reason: additional info
I agree with the messages so far. Stay away from Pine hills, Taft and some parts of Kissimmee. Great places are Dr Phillips and Windermere. The DrPhillips high school is rated high. Dr Phillips is located just west of Universal studios and home prices are from $180k to $1.5k for lake front. Most non-lake front are in the $250-350 range. Windermere is just west of DrPhillips and North of Disney. It has homes from $250k to $10m. Most non-lake front homes (excluding Isleworth) range in the $350-850k.
btw: I buy ugly homes, fix them up and sell them. I live in Windermere. If you need help finding your home, let me know.
This is kind of funny, because we're in the exact opposite situation! My husband and I are moving from Orlando to San Diego in May.
With that being said, let me try to explain, as best I can, what my thoughts on Orlando are keeping that you're coming from San Diego in mind. I have a pretty good knowledge of both areas, so I'll try my best. I won't hide the fact that I'm really not a fan of living in Orlando, but I am not going to unjustly bash the city - as it does have its pros along with its cons.
First off, Orlando has an equal share of retail stores/malls as San Diego does. The Mall at Millenia is probably the equivalent to what you know in the Fashion Valley mall, and there's a good deal of 'big box' retail stores in several different locations across the city (Waterford Lakes, around The Florida Mall, etc). Also - many things in Orlando are overall a bit newer in construction than San Diego. Most everything here has been built probably within the last 20 years or so...some more, some less, but I would take that as an average.
Moving along,...one thing that would be helpful to consider is if you REALLY don't mind humidity. Whenever I'm out in CA for an extended period of time, I always feel gross coming back to FL. Of course, everyone has there own opinion and I know plenty of people that really do like the muggy weather--I, however, do not. Another thing to realize is that Orlando really doesn't come close to outdoor activities in comparison to San Diego, in my opinion. That being said, if you LOVE the beach (as in, swimming and being in the sun) then you'll enjoy having the comparatively warmer waters here than the Pacific. However, in my opinion, nothing here comes to even remotely close comparion to Torrey Pines and La Jolla and Point Loma....but that just me. Also, here it is pretty much completely flat (some hills west of Disney, but nothing close to what you have).
Overall, I probably would say that crime in Orlando is worse than San Diego. Pine Hills and Parramore here are comparable to San Diego's Logan Heights and Encanto, but the Orlando areas I would have to say are worse. Also - be aware that people here seem to segregate themselves more here than out west, I've found. It's much more spotty place to place in Orlando than San Diego, and generally the areas that are nicest here are very un-diverse (read: VERY white). In San Diego I always like how you can go somewhere and be amongst people of all colors acting responsibly and in relative harmony. It's a little hard to explain...
One last note is that please be aware that it's very possible that the novelty of being close to Disney may very well wear off. I know that it did for me...at first we were extremely excited for it, and went very often. Then the crowds and 'fakeness' of it kind of got to us, and now it's just not that exciting anymore. Natural beauty has a much more endearing appeal than a man-made attraction in my opinion.
Honestly I can't comment much on schools since I do not have children. The areas you mentioned, however, are all fairly nice - though I really find Celebration kind of creepy - I used to work in an office complex right outside of the 'town' so I know it pretty well. I've also heard about issues with construction done in the houses, there - make sure you check that out if you consider that area. Honestly, I would probably look in the Dr. Phillips area....it's very nice.
If you're open to being north of the city, I'd also look into Lake Mary/Alaqua and Longwood (especially around the Wekiva Springs park) as those areas are really quite nice, and I've heard that Seminole county has a better school system than Orange.
Overall, if you know everything I'm saying and don't feel like it's an issue then I truly do wish you the best of luck. You will get more dollar for dollar in housing here, but you may make less money... I just hope that maybe you take a few things into consideration. Please don't hesitate to PM me if I can help you with anything else, I would be happy to try to compare more San Diego/Orlando elements, as I'm pretty familiar with both.
PS....can't wait to move to your town.
This is a great unbiased post. I enjoy Orlando a lot more than you do from your post but you did not endlessly bash Orlando and your comparisons were accurate. I am from WA state and have family in San Diego so I have travelled there and spent extended time there and know some about the area.
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... Soooo with that aside... Is it all really that bad 
... I have been there 3 times for short visits and of course it looks like a wonderful place to live, if you like a touristy type of town (ya, like San Diego isn't ???) and you like the heat and humidity.... But lets throw away the obvious and get down to the nitty gritty and get some real answers here.... 
???? Heres the $1,000,000 question ????
) and like malls and attractions and beaches....where would you say you would live and raise that family safely ??? Any real honest and thought out responses will be greatly appreciated..... I mean.. If you where to move here..I could tell you EXACTLY were you should or should not move based upon your wants and needs... If you need more info from me please ask... I need help here.. Don’t want to move to wrong area and regret it with bad schools or my kids hangin' with da g's on some porch sippin a 40oz!!!!! 
THANK YOU SO MUCH... From the bottom of my heart for any help you can give in this post.... I don't need a Orlando bashing.... Just some facts to help out.... If you hate Orlando then state the facts as to why... If you love it or something about it SHARE PLEASE... 
We're doing the opposite! :)
