Central vs Southern FL (Winter Park, Maitland: outlet malls, park, areas)

[Wilshire81182]

Originally Posted by Pete C

Hmm...SF more urban than Central...I don't know if I agree with that. They are both about the same. Miami is the only city that is very different from the other large cities in Florida, so if you are talking about Miami...I agree 100%. However, Orlando and Tampa are every bit as urban as Ft. Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. All of those large cities have urban sprawl combined with city life peppered throughout their landscapes.

When I say urban, I do not just mean amenities. Tampa and Orlando are packed with amenities and I love them. Miami just has more highrises and wider freeways, and more cosmopolitan areas. It has some of the world class dining, hotels, celebrity homes, culture, and nightlife that make it intensely more notorious in other parts of the world. When they classify cities as Alpha, Beta, etc... Tampa and Orlando, as great as they are, do not make that list. Miami and Atlanta are the only cities in the SE that make that list and are decidedly more influental and urban in identity overall. Don't get me wrong, I love Orlando and tout its various pros and cons constantly but I think it is important to be unbiased, realistic, and accurate when you make comparisons and offer advise to people unfamiliar with the areas in question.

[Crane's Rooster]

I have to agree Wilshire. Having lived in both Miami and Orlando, it's two different classes of cities. Miami is a world class city due to it's influence on trade and finance in the Carribean and Latin American forums. However, I must also agree that without Miami, the rest of South Florida is fairly comparable to Orlando and other areas of FL. I don't find Broward or Palm Beach counties to be more urban than CFL but Broward is more developed than Orange. That being said it's dependant on taste, and primarily weather and amenities. The weather is hot in SFL, hot in CFL but much more moderate during the Fall and Winter. If you must have beach weather year round thant SFL is your place. And although both areas are politically left leaning, SFL is much more socially liberal than CFL. CFL is more family oriented whereas SFL, anything goes.

[Pete C]

Originally Posted by Pete C

Miami is the only city that is very different from the other large cities in Florida, so if you are talking about Miami...I agree 100%. However, Orlando and Tampa are every bit as urban as Ft. Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. All of those large cities have urban sprawl combined with city life peppered throughout their landscapes.

Re-quoting myself. I never disagreed with Wilshire about Miami even before he posted.

[Wilshire81182]

Originally Posted by Pete C

Re-quoting myself. I never disagreed with Wilshire about Miami even before he posted.

I apologize, I see exactly what you were saying. I missed the first line of your comments and zeroed in on the second part. I get in the habit of lumping the three counties down there all together and construed that comment as you saying that Miami was just like Tampa and Orlando.

[ORLguy]

I like Orlando, but South FL is great. I think Lauderdale may be where I end up at. Sarasota is really nice if you are older and retired. There are a ton of cool places in South FL.

[moonbeam]

Pick south Florida over central Florida you say? It depends on what you're looking for...south Florida used to be gorgeous-Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Key Biscayne, Miami. I've been too afraid to go down and look in that area since I witnessed the ruination of Orlando...that was all I could handle. I choose not to live in an area where I'm a minority. When you went to college and you're turned down for many jobs because you don't speak Spanish, that's a red flag for me. It also drives down the wages. Me, I'm looking for a FAIR playing field. People need to know the truth. Unless you have money coming in every month I'd think really hard about moving anywhere in Florida.
true blue,
moonbeam

[Trusses]

Originally Posted by moonbeam

Pick south Florida over central Florida you say? It depends on what you're looking for...south Florida used to be gorgeous-Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Key Biscayne, Miami. I've been too afraid to go down and look in that area since I witnessed the ruination of Orlando...that was all I could handle. I choose not to live in an area where I'm a minority. When you went to college and you're turned down for many jobs because you don't speak Spanish, that's a red flag for me. It also drives down the wages. Me, I'm looking for a FAIR playing field. People need to know the truth. Unless you have money coming in every month I'd think really hard about moving anywhere in Florida.
true blue,
moonbeam

I completely agree.

[FLARimRocka]

Depends On What You Like. Simple Ass That. Comparing The Two Cities Are Only Opinions Being That Weather IS Different(Hotter And More Violent THunderstorms In Orlando) And More OF A True Tropical Climate In Miami. South Florida HAs Several Cities And Incoorporated Area Whiich Population Exceeds the 100,000 Mark. Orlando Area, Well Just Orlando. So YOu Cant Really Compare The Two Area Because South Florida Is By Far More Developed And Includes A Larger MSA Metro Boundary Than Orlando Metro

[Wilshire81182]

Ruination of Orlando?

[Pete C]

I was at the outlet malls this weekend, and it is pretty amazing how many Spanish speakers there are. I never really notice this because I don't hang around I-drive. It is a non-factor downtown and in the Winter Park / Maitland areas where I frequent.