Tampa or Orlando ? (Miami, Clearwater, Cape Canaveral: appointed, affordable apartment, rent)

[Canarsie girl]

I am considering a move to florida this summer and my choices are between Tampa and Orlando. I would greatly appreciate information that anyone can give me on the pros and cons of both cities. I will be renting so of i would like a complex with decent rent and a few amenities.

[kwflconch]

Do you want to be close to the beaches? If yes, then Tampa would be better, but if no then Orlando would probably be better. To me the areas are both similar, Tampa has lower home prices than Orlando does though, and Orlando has many immigrants coming in form other countries. Both are in Central Florida, both areas have similar industries, although Orlando is a little more touristy.

[tilli]

You should really try to spend a week or so down here before you choose, the two cities are an easy drive apart. What's important to me is probably not what's important to you, but here goes!

You would be able to find decent affordable apartment complexes in either city, and of course both cities have their pros and cons. Tampa has a more diverse job market, but both cities are hurting lately.

Tampa is close to the coast, which helps to moderate the temperatures. Orlando is generally a little hotter in the summer and gets a little colder in the winter which is often the difference between reaching the freezing point and not - important to gardeners but probably not anyone else. However if you live in one of the more inland or northern suburbs of Tampa, the weather is more like Orlando's. Orlando is closer to the Atlantic beaches than Tampa is, and I do personally prefer the Atlantic. The water is cooler, there are waves, and you can find basically unspoiled natural beachfront. In Tampa you are close to Gulf beaches, most of which are crazy overbuilt and overcrowded, and the water is warm and flat like a bathtub unless it's getting churned up by a tropical storm. We got married at sunset on Sand Key at Clearwater beach and the pictures are just stunning. Even better considering it was a free venue! On the Atlantic side you get pretty sunrises over the water instead.

Tampa is more vulnerable to hurricanes, but Orlando was a sea of blue tarp roofs after Charley. Tampa is "overdue", and the perfect storm scenario where a major cane goes right up the bay would be devastating. However the bay also seems to deflect most storms. Of course it's impossible to say what next season will bring. Orlando is a safer place to ride out a big storm. Tampa is hellish if you need to evacuate, and much of the really trendy parts of town are in low-lying areas that a big storm will flood. Some of those areas flood just from the afternoon thunderstorms. You get some nice water views driving around the Tampa bay area.

Tampa Bay has more major professional sports teams if you are into that sort of thing - NFL, NHL, MLB. Tampa is about to host the Super Bowl for the second time in 10 years. Orlando has NBA and I think it has arena football.

Orlando has a great downtown nightlife that Tampa really doesn't. Tampa's nightclubs aren't downtown, but are more scattered around in several locations with different feels and varying leveling of safety. Tampa has a colorful history, and lots of festivals and events like the Gasparilla pirate invasion and Guavaween. Orlando is the world's largest tourist trap. I'm sure they have their festivals and such too but the only ones i know of center around Disney like the flower and food events at Epcot. You could really entertain yourself for a long time with an annual pass to Disney, or the Universal parks, or the many other attractions like the dinner shows. You are closer to Cape Canaveral if you want to catch some launches, but on a clear day you can see the launch all the way from Tampa. It's a lot more impressive close up though. In Tampa there are not so many attractions, but you do get Busch Gardens (which is a great park and much cheaper than Disney) and the Florida Aquarium which is worth a visit even if you end up choosing Orlando.

Tampa has it's own cruise ship terminal, but in Orlando you are about halfway between Tampa's and the Cape's terminals. The itineraries out of Tampa are a lot more limited that the ones that leave from the Cape. Of course if you want to leave from Ft. Lauderdale or Miami you have to drive quite a ways from either city. Tampa also has some short excursion type cruises, like the Starship yacht dinner cruises, sunset cruises on a pirate ship, dolphin-watching excursions, charter fishing.

Tampa is gritty, to me it feels more "real". Orlando has a flashy touristy feel that to me is somewhat surreal. Perhaps most important - Tampa has tons of places to pick up a fantastic Cuban sandwich and cafe con leche.

[Canarsie girl]

How is the job market in tampa ? I don't really care about being close to the beach.

[Canarsie girl]

Thanks for the info !!!

[a_fl_vol]

Originally Posted by Canarsie girl

How is the job market in tampa ? I don't really care about being close to the beach.

I hope you are not moving to Tampa for jobs. You are going to be sorely disappointed. The job market is bad and only going to get worse. More folks are moving out of Florida than coming in.

Florida Appears to Be Losing Its Sunny Magnetism - washingtonpost.com

[joelibyan]

Originally Posted by Canarsie girl

How is the job market in tampa ? I don't really care about being close to the beach.

What field are you looking for?
As a FL resident since 1990, I thoroughly recommend Tampa over Orlando. Orlando is the tourist capital of the world, and I get sick of seeing the mouse ears all over the place. Tampa is a great place with a much more "down home" neighborhood feel to it. As tilli said, there is more history in Tampa with a better community vibe.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by joelibyan

What field are you looking for?
As a FL resident since 1990, I thoroughly recommend Tampa over Orlando. Orlando is the tourist capital of the world, and I get sick of seeing the mouse ears all over the place. Tampa is a great place with a much more "down home" neighborhood feel to it. As tilli said, there is more history in Tampa with a better community vibe.

I'm a native Floridian, born in Tampa and I second this whole-heartedly. Tampa really does have a LOT more history to it, with a down-to-earth "gritty" feel. It is not touristy at all, it was established as an industrial city, a working man's town and it is still that way. A lot more community feel, but while it has some beautiful areas, it has some seedy, run-down areas. Orlando feels cleaner, but as said above, the tourist capital of the world - everything there has a "theme" lol.

That said, job market is bad everywhere, it also depends on your profession or trade. Probably either market will be about the same.

Good luck!

[uberchrist33]

Originally Posted by Canarsie girl

I am considering a move to florida this summer and my choices are between Tampa and Orlando. I would greatly appreciate information that anyone can give me on the pros and cons of both cities. I will be renting so of i would like a complex with decent rent and a few amenities.

If you are living anywhere north of the Mason-Dixon line, in the Northeast, my advice: Don’t do it!!! If you are coming from a cooler climate, and really, really like the cold, and the change in season, this is not the place for you. I came down here, from LI, NY, in 1974, and I have yet to get use to the Hot!!! I moved to Arkansas, in 2004, and saw “Fall”, and “Spring”, for the first time, in 30 years, and had to move back to Florida. Now, my husband and I are making plans, to move back to NY. If you don’t like to sweat, in any way, shape, or form, DON’T MOVE TO FLORIDA!!!!! I’m of Puerto Rican derivation, and it’s hotter here; than in it in PR.

[mxracer]

born in mi. lived here my whole life i NO USE FOR THE COLD WHATSOEVER the only months i like here are june-july-august.