Burned by Orlando (Winter Park, Lake Mary, Clermont: real estate, apartment, condo)

[FrozenShores]

Anyone else out there move to Orlando to find out it just wasn't what you thought it was when you came here on vacation?

Sure I realize that every day isn't going to be "Magic" no matter where you live but I figured that there must be some good reason so many are moving to Orlando.

I moved to Orlando from Colorado Springs back in 2001 and it seemed great. It's a bigger city, more nightlife, diversity, and warmer weather. It was a lot of fun for the first 3 years; although I was wondering where in the country they were referring to when they coined the term "Southern Hospitality." People were quite rude here compared to Colorado. After about 4 years living in Orlando and getting robbed 3 times, the "magic" veil started coming off. However though, I was partially blinded by the fact that I was making much more money than in Colorado and the real estate boom was in full swing. I decided to hop on the band wagon and not only buy a property but sell real estate as a profession. About the same time as I was licensed as a Real Estate Agent, the market peaked and was headed south. My condo went from $160,000 to $40,000 in 3 years and the money from real estate completely dried up.

About that time, when I was stuck working a menial job to get by, the short comings of Orlando became more stark and noticeable. When you're making a lot of money, you're willing to say, "Oh it's okay if I get robbed every now and then, that's city life for you." So I decided to actually start researching city stats to find out if there are any better places to live in the country. What I found was astonishing. Orlando has some of the highest crime rates for any city in this country. To make it simple I will use Denver as a comparison city since I know the stats and it is similar in size. Using the numbers given on City-Data.com I found that Orlando had 2-3 times the murder rate of Denver and more the double the overall crime rate. No wonder I see so many women walking alone in Denver compared to Orlando.

Weather
According to Money.com, Orlando has an average of 24% clear days compared to Denver's 32%. They also have 82 thunderstorms per year to Denver's 40. This doesn't even count those years that have high hurricane activity. So much for being the sunshine state. And yes, Denver is colder than Orlando, but I find it much easier to go out in the cold than in the drenching rain that Orlando receives at a rate of 50 inches per year compared to Denver's 11 inches. And then there's the humidity that is frequently above 90% in the summer and makes 95 degrees feel like 110.

Traffic Safety
According to the DOT, Denver has 68 fatalities per million people per year. Orlando has 208. Orlando also has double the pedestrian fatalites as Denver. In personal experience, I was once struck by a speeder in Orlando and broke three ribs as the paramedics cut me out of my car. Riding my bike I noticed people do not yield at cross walks even though I had the walk sign!

Water Quality
According to a readers digest study, Orlando scores a 23/50 on water quality as Denver is 50/50. I noticed for water to taste good in Orlando you must have an expensive water softener and a good quality filter. I made the mistake of drinking out of the tap when I first moved here and got sick from it.

Mass Transit
What mass transit? Orlando has one of the worst transit systems in the country as they have no trains and rely only on buses. If you live in winter park, which is the closest nice area to live in near downtown, don't count on taking the bus to party. They are not frequent(1 hr headway times), don't run late, and take FOREVER to get anywhere(1 hr from Winter Park to Downtown.) Denver on the other hand has buses that run every 5-10 minutes and an expanding Light Rail system that runs until 2am nightly. You can get from the furthest south suburb in Denver to Downtown in about 35 minutes.

These are only some of the main factors that made me want to look into another city. Others may find these factors unimportant to them or see them in a different light. My goal is only to present the facts and hopefully save some people time in choosing the best place to live. I did my research on Denver and am very happy with this city. There are many great places to live in this country, but in my opinion Orlando is not one. Happy hunting,

Frozenshores

[annerk]

I think it really depends on a lot of factors. I didn't hop on the real estate band wagon (I'm smart enough to realize how cyclic real estate is) and live in a safe area. Never been robbed, never been in an accident.

The Orlando area isn't perfect, NO PLACE is. But for those with our eyes wide open not only about what we think of the area but also where we choose to live, the employment we seek, and how we invest our money, it's a pretty darn good place to call home.

BTW--I live in northern Clermont, our water tastes great right out of the tap. And I don't have a softener. No skunky swamp water smell, either.

[Micktooth]

I have family in Orlando and I live in Denver. I will never leave Colorado. Why don't you come back?

[lroberts1]

Yes.. I absolutely know what you are talking about. I agree with every bit of it because it was the same with myself and my husband when we lived there. I too was in the Realestate market working for a Developer.. made good money.. then the bottom fell off the market and I lost my job because employers there are cut-throat and cut their losses and don't look back. So yes I eventually was let go because Developers and Lenders are greedy. We are now experiencing and seeing the reprecutions of that now. I am not bitter.. it is what it is, but people in Orlando are dirty when they play and obviously do not care about peoples well-being or the fact that they have quality people that work for them.

By our 4th yr there we were so ready to get the heck out of there. I agree 100% with every subject you touched on. I think it is one of the worst places to live really. And the people are rude as can be.. and I certainly don't miss it.

Let me tell you what Orlando is.. it's "old money" and if you have anything you have to be a doctor or attorney or political official to even make it there. Otherwise employers wants to low-ball you into working for what Disney pays their people.. and by the way "Disney" "You should all be ashamed of yourselves with all the money you make, that you cannot pay your own employees a decent wage..keeping your employees in a financial prison".

When you move there, you don't watch the news. If you do, you will not be able to sleep at night.. and god forbid you are an active female who likes to run and workout. Jennifer Kesse Disappeared and lived 2 blocks from my house. I personally showed her an apartment within days of her disappearance.. how freaky is that?

When I was 10 yrs old I lived in Ft. Lauderdale..and there were 3 attempts from different people who tried to kidnap me. I would NEVER raise my children in that state.. Highest petifile rate in the nation and child abductions.

Yeah.. everything I've said may sound negative.. but wake up everyone.. IT IS!! Do your research well before you consider uprooting yourself and your family to Orlando.. or Florida for that matter.

[beckycat]

I think it matters where you live in the area. It's what you make of it. You may have had a bad experience here, but it all depends on your circumstances. I don't think it's that bad at all. I live in the Lake Mary area and never have had a problem. The schools are fine for my kids too and we feel very safe. I really think the real estate boom hurt alot of ppl. It hurt homeowners and ppl that worked in that industry. I'm not going to say there aren't bad parts of Orlando, b/c there are. There are bad places no matter where you go. It's important to do your homework no matter where you go. It all depends on what you like about the area and what works best for you. If it doesn't work for you here, go elsewhere. Every place is isn't for everybody. As far as the OP, I think they were giving their honest personal experiences and there is nothing wrong with that.

[mrFlaBound]

Originally Posted by beckycat

I think it matters where you live in the area. It's what you make of it. You may have had a bad experience here, but it all depends on your circumstances. I don't think it's that bad at all. I live in the Lake Mary area and never have had a problem. The schools are fine for my kids too and we feel very safe. I really think the real estate boom hurt alot of ppl. It hurt homeowners and ppl that worked in that industry. I'm not going to say there aren't bad parts of Orlando, b/c there are. There are bad places no matter where you go. It's important to do your homework no matter where you go. It all depends on what you like about the area and what works best for you. If it doesn't work for you here, go elsewhere. Every place is isn't for everybody. As far as the OP, I think they were giving their honest personal experiences and there is nothing wrong with that.

i agree completely, for every story of a bad experience, i'm sure there is another for someone who loves it.

[tworent]

You would think that someone would look up this kind of info before they moved and as for the statement “when I was stuck working a menial job to get by “that explains it all for me.

[msdiffy]

I must throw my two cents in. Orlando is the worst place I have ever lived in my life. The people are extremely rude and discourteous. They walk around like their Mod Edit doesn't stink. I hate it, and can't wait for my husband to find employment elsewhere.

OH YEAH, I live right down the street from Caley Anthony. God Bless the Little Children.

[douknownam]

Originally Posted by annerk

I think it really depends on a lot of factors. I didn't hop on the real estate band wagon (I'm smart enough to realize how cyclic real estate is) and live in a safe area. Never been robbed, never been in an accident.

The Orlando area isn't perfect, NO PLACE is. But for those with our eyes wide open not only about what we think of the area but also where we choose to live, the employment we seek, and how we invest our money, it's a pretty darn good place to call home.

BTW--I live in northern Clermont, our water tastes great right out of the tap. And I don't have a softener. No skunky swamp water smell, either.

I would hardly consider Clermont as Orlando.

[mrFlaBound]

Originally Posted by msdiffy

I must throw my two cents in. Orlando is the worst place I have ever lived in my life. The people are extremely rude and discourteous. They walk around like their Mod Edit doesn't stink. I hate it, and can't wait for my husband to find employment elsewhere.

OH YEAH, I live right down the street from Caley Anthony. God Bless the Little Children.

I would think there are plenty of places like that, I hope you have better luck wherever else you go