tampa vs orlando (Jacksonville, Miami, Sarasota: 2009, condo, crime)

[nicolepsy]

i live in new tampa and went to orlando today (for the new ikea opening) and i thought hmmm, maybe orlando is better than tampa. what is the general consensus regarding tampa vs. orlando? what are the long held opinions of each city and which is better?

[knightgoose]

I've lived in both cities and it depends on the individual but both cities offer a lot..for the most nightlife options for mid 20s individual Orlando wins(Orange Avenue, Wall Street, and Church Street have about 30-40 bars/clubs all w/in walking distance)...professional sports Tampa wins. Orlando has a better 'vibe' and it seems a bit more progressive not to mention a bit more 'beautiful people'(friend that moved to L.A. for about a year and came back said O-town is pretty much a tiny LA in that respect).

Tampa does have a little more character and is less transient than Orlando and with a better job market. In my opinion, Tampa can offer the same things but you have to go out in find it...for example as far as nightlife is concerned I thought all there was to offer was ybor(ghetto) or channelside(bland) but once I found that Howard Avenue/south tampa has a some very unique non-chain restaurants and classy nightlife. So for me personally as a young bachelor a condo in DT Otown would be ideal but Tampa is catching up and w/ the surrounding water could turn into an amazing city w/ a few changes.

[tampaguy03]

Originally Posted by knightgoose

I've lived in both cities and it depends on the individual but both cities offer a lot..for the most nightlife options for mid 20s individual Orlando wins(Orange Avenue, Wall Street, and Church Street have about 30-40 bars/clubs all w/in walking distance)...professional sports Tampa wins. Orlando has a better 'vibe' and it seems a bit more progressive not to mention a bit more 'beautiful people'(friend that moved to L.A. for about a year and came back said O-town is pretty much a tiny LA in that respect).

Tampa does have a little more character and is less transient than Orlando and with a better job market. In my opinion, Tampa can offer the same things but you have to go out in find it...for example as far as nightlife is concerned I thought all there was to offer was ybor(ghetto) or channelside(bland) but once I found that Howard Avenue/south tampa has a some very unique non-chain restaurants and classy nightlife. So for me personally as a young bachelor a condo in DT Otown would be ideal but Tampa is catching up and w/ the surrounding water could turn into an amazing city w/ a few changes.

This sounds good...my mom used to live in southeast orlando area(stoney brook), and my bro and his family lived in windemere area, some buddies from college live in winter park(love that area), and also downtown thorton park area(actually owns a few retaurants downtown). I still find Tampa more comfortable for me, and having been here 20 years, enjoy all that the Bay area offers, in additon to what the poster above stated about Tampa, I like having easy access to some of the finest beaches in the country(bigger fan of the smooth Gulf, rather than the ocean - even though I grew up on Long Island, NY), having cities like St. Pete and Sarasota close by with what they have to offer, I feel there is more history in Tampa with the huge immigrant wave that hit in the early 1900's of Italians, Cubans, Spanish..and finding sections like West Tampa(Armenia Ave and Columbus Ave are an enclave to numerous international mom and pop cafes), Ybor City, Hyde Park, Bayhshore very interesting. Tampa is more industrial and blue collar(the port area) with a good mix of white collar professionals working in areas like downtown and westshore districts. I just always felt more comfortable not being around all the tourism and transient(Tampa has them as well, but not as many)that Orlando attracts, downtown Orlando is nice, but Orange Ave reminds me of 7th Ave in Ybor at times with the numerous underage kids milling about.

There's my 2 cents....

[nicolepsy]

Thank you for your opinions. sounds like tampa is the winner. i am wondering though why the job market may be better in tampa. the job market seems relatively the same in both places to me but i am new so i really appreciate everyone's thoughts.

[navyboy]

I am from Sarasota, FL and I have been to Tampa and Orlando god knows how many times. Both cities are pretty comparable. Both have similar size universities (Orlando-UCF and Tampa-USF). Both have a major upscale malls (International mall and Millenia mall). Both downtowns are similar in size. Tampa I would have to say has more history, more character, and is closer to the water though. Orlando on the other hand is cleaner and more well kept but it is expanding at an incredible rate. There are developments being built everywhere you go and they have the space to do it. I'm not an expert but I would think that would make Orlando better for job opportunities. My personal opinion is I've always felt Tampa was a little bit boring no matter what age you are. Orlando feels a little (not alot) more cosmoploitan. Oviedo in particular is a nice area near the university and has good schools. FYI Miami is my favorite and Jacksonville is the worst in case you wanted to know.

[TampaKaren]

IKEA Tampa is supposed to open in summer 2009 around the Ybor/Gandy area.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by navyboy

I am from Sarasota, FL and I have been to Tampa and Orlando god knows how many times. Both cities are pretty comparable. Both have similar size universities (Orlando-UCF and Tampa-USF). Both have a major upscale malls (International mall and Millenia mall). Both downtowns are similar in size. Tampa I would have to say has more history, more character, and is closer to the water though. Orlando on the other hand is cleaner and more well kept but it is expanding at an incredible rate. There are developments being built everywhere you go and they have the space to do it. I'm not an expert but I would think that would make Orlando better for job opportunities. My personal opinion is I've always felt Tampa was a little bit boring no matter what age you are. Orlando feels a little (not alot) more cosmoploitan. Oviedo in particular is a nice area near the university and has good schools. FYI Miami is my favorite and Jacksonville is the worst in case you wanted to know.

I agree with a lot of what you said, navyboy. Being a native Floridian, born in Tampa, I like Tampa much more than Orlando. Orlando was just a sleepy little inland town until Disney came, and now it is dominated by all the tourist attractions and a more transient type population. Tampa is far richer in history and character, and has always been a more normal "working man's town. This means a lot less transients, and believe it or not there are many families there who are several generations native ( mine is one of them, although I personally don't live there now.) I also Tampa's geographic location better, being near the water, accessible to St. Pete, or the beaches south, and the airport is much nicer, always rated one of the best anywhere. I also don't think Tampa is "boring" there is a lot here. The performing arts center is the largest in the southeast, I believe. I love the ethnic restaurants in Ybor and Old West Tampa. South Tampa has lots of charm with restaurants and shopping and neat historic architecture. I think one's age, gender and marital status plays a part in which town you would find better. I think younger, single guys would like Orlando, while women or older marrieds will prefer Tampa, generally speaking.

JMO, of course.

[crystalblue]

isnt Orlando having a serious crime issue right now?

something to consider...

[kwflconch]

Based on a $35,000 income, if you were moving to Orlando from Tampa, the cost of living in Orlando would be 2.1% higher and you would have to make $35,732 to maintain a current standard of living there. Employers in Orlando pay 0.3% more than in Tampa. So, if you were taking the same job as in Tampa your income would be about $35,112. Groceries would be about 1.27% more, housing will cost 9.196% more, utilities, 8.066% more, transportation 3.554% more, and healthcare will be 1.242% more. Your change in disposable would be -$620.http://swz.salary.com/costoflivingwi...o+FL&x=59&y=10

[nwbrdtn4]

Originally Posted by TampaKaren

IKEA Tampa is supposed to open in summer 2009 around the Ybor/Gandy area.

Really? i'll be there :-)