[Blake.1977]

My wife and I and our 6 year old son are looking to relocate from the Midwest (tired of the cold weather) to FL to be closer to family in Naples——but not interested in Naples.

We’ve spent time in both Coral Gables and Winter Park and like both——my career allows me to reside in rother location. Any thought on pros/cons of one vs. the other? We are Caucasian, Catholic, non-Spanish speakers—-but not opposed to learning as I realize we could be in the minority in the Miami area. Any thoughts on schools, quality of life, country clubs in the two areas or other pros/cons I may not be thinking of? We are also open to other areas but these two are the ones we like best of what we’ve visited. Miami area is attractive due to the weather, sports teams, multiple airports and proximity to Naples, but Winter Park very nice relaxed suburban atmosphere. Any thoughts/suggestions are welcome.

[kyle19125]

There's definitely more bang for the buck in Coral Gables in terms of things to do. Many Caucasians flip out over the predominance of Spanish speakers in the area, but consider the benefits of raising your child in an environment where they'll grow up bilingual/multi-cultural. If open to private school education (and able to afford it) I would recommend checking out Ransom Everglades School in neighboring Coconut Grove or Gulliver School in Pinecrest (another nice area just south of CG to explore as well). Both are easily among the top few schools in Florida.

[bmw335xi]

Winter Park would be an easy choice for me. Coral Gables is nice for a vacation, but unless you are a wealthy Spanish speaking family, you are likely to feel out of place. There is so much to do for families in Orlando area. Winter Park is a very nice community as well as Windermere near Downtown Windermere. Lake Highland Prep is a very good private school k-12. I also know people who have kids at Windermere Prep and really like it too. Coral Gables though is very nice too, but home prices are stupid expensive. You can live almost anywhere in California for those prices and get similar houses for the price. It is also hard to get out because traffic there is really bad. Just do google maps with live traffic on to points of interest, especially near rush hour.

[TheGreatOnez]

Winter Park for the reasons BMW listed. It’s a no-brainer for me. Easily one of the nicest suburbs in the state.
As mentioned, Lake Highland Prep and Windermere Prep are both amazing private schools.

[WinterParkLocal]

Winter Park, easy choice. We (my husband and I who are also catholic, caucasian and non-spanish speaking) lived in south Florida for 4 years and now live in Winter Park. South Florida is aggressive. My husband works in finance and was a professional athlete and he said every day was like "hand to hand combat."

Driving in Orlando is tough, driving in South Florida is dangerous. Everything is even more expensive in South Florida and the crime in my opinion is much, much worse. Not speaking Spanish in Coral Gables could make it a little harder to adjust socially. Our children are in a private prep school in the Orlando area and I find the population very culturally diverse (not necessarily economically since the cost off tuition) and our kids get the chance to learn about a number of different cultures, religions and lifestyles.

I find Orlando to be extremely more welcoming to newcomers from any other Florida city I've lived in with no shortage of things to do. I think the quality of life and pace in Central Florida is much more suitable for raising a family than south Florida.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by WinterParkLocal

Winter Park, easy choice. We (my husband and I who are also catholic, caucasian and non-spanish speaking) lived in south Florida for 4 years and now live in Winter Park. South Florida is aggressive. My husband works in finance and was a professional athlete and he said every day was like "hand to hand combat."

Driving in Orlando is tough, driving in South Florida is dangerous. Everything is even more expensive in South Florida and the crime in my opinion is much, much worse. Not speaking Spanish in Coral Gables could make it a little harder to adjust socially. Our children are in a private prep school in the Orlando area and I find the population very culturally diverse (not necessarily economically since the cost off tuition) and our kids get the chance to learn about a number of different cultures, religions and lifestyles.

I find Orlando to be extremely more welcoming to newcomers from any other Florida city I've lived in with no shortage of things to do. I think the quality of life and pace in Central Florida is much more suitable for raising a family than south Florida.

I have friends in Coconut Grove who want to move to Orlando too. They both are fluent in Spanish, but hate the dog eat dog mentality there. The only reason they aren’t moving is they both have kids with with ex wife and ex husband and I know at least my guy friend would lose custody if he moved.

[kyle19125]

OP, do your due diligence and explore both options. This forum is rife with both Orlando "homers" who think it's the best city in Florida (and a one size fits all which it's very clearly not in reality) plus South Florida haters who lament it's language diversity, crime rate and congestion even though it's hardly alone in those departments. As the 7th largest metro area in the US, it's kind of ridiculous to assert South Florida has nothing in the way of suitable family friendly suburbs.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

OP, do your due diligence and explore both options. This forum is rife with both Orlando "homers" who think it's the best city in Florida (and a one size fits all which it's very clearly not in reality) plus South Florida haters who lament it's language diversity, crime rate and congestion even though it's hardly alone in those departments. As the 7th largest metro area in the US, it's kind of ridiculous to assert South Florida has nothing in the way of suitable family friendly suburbs.

Or maybe most people think Winter Park is a better place to live #mindblown

Where in South Florida did you live? I used to live in Boca Raton.

[chopchop0]

Winter Park.

Cfl > sfl

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

Or maybe most people think Winter Park is a better place to live #mindblown

Where in South Florida did you live? I used to live in Boca Raton.

I don't think that's "most people" unless there's a more scientific poll supporting that versus several people and their definitive views on this forum.

I spent my entire childhood in Hollywood, college in Miami (FIU) and lived in Fort Lauderdale for many years.