Living in San Antonio vs Orlando,Fl. ? (Austin, Paris: neighborhoods, gated)

[mary35]

Hopefully someone respond to my thread here ) Could someone compare how is Living in San Antonio vs Orlando,Fl.?? We are planning to relocate and (austin/San Antonio and Miami) are our choices so far. Could anybody could compare these places for us? Thanks a lot.

[dangeruscurves]

Never been to Orlando, so can't really compare. I think the best thing to do is compare for yourself. Read quite a few threads in the different areas and I think you'll get a feel for it. I learn new stuff everyday reading the threads in this forum and I'm a born and raised San Antonioian, so I thought I knew everything. Little did I know..hehe.

[Chaka]

I can't offer a comparison to Orlando but am hesitant to offer a comparison to any city, really. That's the problem. Many people want San Antonio to be like wherever they came from* (L.A, Michigan, etc), but it's not and it's never going to be. It's San Antonio. It has its own vibe, its own style, its own culture. For Better or Worse.

There will be things that are similar and things that are different.
I wouldn't try to compare London to Paris or Rome. Nor would I try to compare San Antonio to Los Angeles or Orlando or Detroit. Each is its own unique place.

Best way to find out if it's a good fit for you, is to come and visit.

[firstclassflyer]

Originally Posted by mary35

Hopefully someone respond to my thread here ) Could someone compare how is Living in San Antonio vs Orlando,Fl.?? We are planning to relocate and (austin/San Antonio and Miami) are our choices so far. Could anybody could compare these places for us? Thanks a lot.

Se habla Espanol?

[DickZ]

So your decision on which city is best will be based on the opinions of total strangers to you? Good luck.

[rd2007]

I'm not a big SA fan, but it's a billion times better than anything in florida and I used to live in orlando. That city is probably my most hated of any place I've been in the world. miami would be a close second..

[Newk]

For those that drive modified import cars in Orlando, I hear that the theft rate of them is absolutely ridiculous. My source for that is Honda forum I frequent. Not sure about theft of them in San Antonio though.

[fierce_flawless]

My 2 cents:

Most of Florida: Hot
Texas: Hot

Florida, generally more expensive. Austin more costly than SA.

If I HAD to pick out of all those I'd pick Austin, but since they're all HOT, I'd pick none.

[CelesteDF]

Originally Posted by rd2007

I'm not a big SA fan, but it's a billion times better than anything in florida and I used to live in orlando. That city is probably my most hated of any place I've been in the world. miami would be a close second..

I'm with rd on this one. In one of my former jobs, I had to spend a lot of time in cities with large Puerto Rican communities (Orlando, Miami, Chicago, Boston, NYC, Philly, Newark, etc.). I was in Orlando 4-5 days a month for several years and let me tell you, if I NEVER have to go there again it will be too soon. Orlando is like San Antonio in some ways... small town that grew quickly due to low-cost labor and cheap land, sizable Hispanic population, lots of cookie-cutter sprawl.

Despite its sudden growth, San Antonio has gone out of its way to hang on to the historical and cultural traditions that make the city charming and friendly. The Hispanic population is an integral part of the community without much racial or social tension. The older, historic neighborhoods have been maintained or are being revitalized. There is a sense of community and friendliness throughout the city (except maybe on some of the highways ).

Orlando is one of the most plastic cities I've been to, with virtually nothing of culture available to the community (outside of all the high-priced Disney/MGM touring shows that are mainly for tourists). The Hispanic community is much more heavily composed of recent immigrants and thus is much more segregated; there is significant tension between the anglo and latino communities. Orlando is a sea of strip malls and cookie cutter housing tracts. And traffic? Oy vey!!! The one "historic" neighborhood in Orlando is cute but there is virtually no sense of history or culture anywhere in the city. For that you have to drive to Tampa.

For the record, I LOVE Miami and Tallahassee (or at least some aspects of them) so I'm not a Florida hater... but if I had an opportunity to move away from Orlando, I'd get the heck outta FL and get my hiney to TX as fast as I could.

[Age_of_Pisces210]

I asked my SA-born friend who lived in different cities throughout Florida what it's like living there. Orlando is a nice place to visit and that's about it he says. There's other cities in Florida that are better places to live.

San Antonio is more affordable than most places in Florida, more seasonal weather in San Antonio compared to Orlando, less rain and the beach is only two hours away.

My sources: People who lived in Florida.

I spent a week in Orlando to visit Disney World and Universal Studios and it rained 3 times. That NEVER happens in San Antonio. LOL