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Ok so my fiance and I want to move away from Orlando, FLA. Why? Well if you have ever lived here you know...if you havn't...well I can't explain it...it's just missing something- we dont know exactly what but it just is. Neither of us has lived anywhere else. We are interested in Seattle, NYC or for a less intimidating relocation maybe NC. Here's the 411:
We are:
no kids
mid and late twenties
not college grads (I work as an office manager for a law firm, he is an electricians apprentice) I have a 2 yr degree but that's it.
Collectively down here we pull in about 60K a year, and for Otown that is decent.
We are not really hipsters, but we fall somewhere in between- meaning you will not see us keeping up on all the latest "black rimmed glasses, pink hair sophistication, my thoughts are so deep I wear floaties with my skinny jeans crowd activities but we don't like Nascar and a bucket of chicken either- we are just...I dont know- regular people I suppose.
After some research I thought it might be a good idea to move up to the burbs of NYC, White Plains, New Rochelle, Hartsdale but then....
I see that it costs almost 200 bucks a month to take the train into the city....my plan was for us to work in the city and play in it on the weekends
Then I started considering the boros- but I dont know where
Has anyone made a move like this? Will we be able to find jobs and a decent place to live or will the city chew us up and spit us out.....I am a pretty tough person due to certain life circumstances and despite the fact that Orlando is in the south- it is not Southern- in fact it is a very rude city, so I am not worried about people so much as, quality of life in regards to income and a safe place to call home.
I know New Yorkers are probably so sick of these " Can I live in NYC posts" but I need help here!
Ok so my fiance and I want to move away from Orlando, FLA. Why? Well if you have ever lived here you know...if you havn't...well I can't explain it...it's just missing something- we dont know exactly what but it just is. Neither of us has lived anywhere else. We are interested in Seattle, NYC or for a less intimidating relocation maybe NC. Here's the 411:
We are:
no kids
mid and late twenties
not college grads (I work as an office manager for a law firm, he is an electricians apprentice) I have a 2 yr degree but that's it.
Collectively down here we pull in about 60K a year, and for Otown that is decent. ...
After some research I thought it might be a good idea to move up to the burbs of NYC, White Plains, New Rochelle, Hartsdale but then....
I see that it costs almost 200 bucks a month to take the train into the city....my plan was for us to work in the city and play in it on the weekends
Then I started considering the boros- but I dont know where
Has anyone made a move like this? Will we be able to find jobs and a decent place to live or will the city chew us up and spit us out.....I am a pretty tough person due to certain life circumstances and despite the fact that Orlando is in the south- it is not Southern- in fact it is a very rude city, so I am not worried about people so much as, quality of life in regards to income and a safe place to call home.
I know New Yorkers are probably so sick of these " Can I live in NYC posts" but I need help here!
It's interesting that you say, "if you have ever lived here you know..."
My sister and my best friend from high school both relocated to Orlando from New York. (They're both in their forties though).
A younger friend of mine (in her thirties) relocated there about five years ago because she wanted the big yard, pool, calmer schools for her young ones (she has five).
They all wanted more bang for their buck in terms of housing.
And they wanted the vacation sunshine all year round.
Point is - it depends on what you're looking for that you're missing in Orlando, what type of lifestyle you want to live.
You're young and don't have children yet, so this is a great time to be adventurous and take risks, but be careful too, if you're not sure what's missing, then how can you research to see if it's here?
Can you deal with more expensive housing?
smaller space?
more people in smaller spaces?
more expensive car insurance?
Cold? Ice?
An office manager for a law firm makes a decent salary here, if you're experience is in a fast-paced environment and you can convince a prospective employer of your qualifications.
I think getting an electrician's apprentice gig may be very challenging.
There's all kinds of stuff being put together and built in NY on a daily basis and electricians, plumbers, construction can be lucrative.
Apprentice positions are highly sought after and tough to come by.
So many folks want in on that action for future gains $$.
Those are sort of the "you gotta know somebody" or get "lucky" type positions.
It's really risky going anywhere without getting employment first.
I would suggest visit, spend some time in areas you're thinking about moving to to see if you like them.
And definitely check the employment market and set up some interviews.
You should definitely check things out with your own eyes first. But no matter how often you hear otherwise, you should never let your income be an obstacle to living in NYC. 8.3 million residents, the majority of whom aren't making $60,000 a year. It most certainly can be done.
When I say Orlando is missing something, I can say that when I want to go to the farmers market- there are maybe 10 vendors and things are overpriced- it's not "ok lets go to the farmer's market and actually buy fruit, veggies, flowers etc." People are not really there to do business- It is more "the thing to do" on a Sat/Sun morning here. It is is an endless array of Paris Hilton types, Luis Vuiton bags and cute dogs that are accesories,Orlando has a lot of phasades (sp?). If I want to go to a museum there are basically two. Live bands? Not so much, or the same groups over and over.
Disney, Universal, Epcot- great if you have $$$. But those get boring- how many times can you do the same activities over and over. Orlando is very prepackaged, it's like the town just forgot that people actually live here and are not just on some permanent vacation.
However I can see why many northerners come down here to raise families. Homes are cheaper, it has a slower pace, quality of life in terms of financial reach are decent down here, plus we are maybe 2 hours away from some of the most beautiful beaches and natural habitats in the country, and Orlando is a very well maintained city visually, but it is a little boring.
As a young couple that wants some life experience/culture, Orlando is just a little too tame, mostly theme parks, and strip malls that repeat themselves throughout the city. People in Winterpark have no idea that the little gem of a cafe on park ave that just opened up that they percieve to be "so Winter park" also duplicated itself and just opened up in 5 other "mini metro" areas through out the city.
So I dont know what my distaste is for all of what I just mentioned- I dont have the word to sum it up but in general that's what we wish we had access to and feel that we do not. Orlando is also notorious for not having a sense of community- not sure why, maybe b/c it is so transient
We thought NYC would be all the things Orlando is not, but after reading so many things on the internet we both got the impression we shouldnt even bother w/ NYC unless we have big bucks, kind of burst our bubble, but perhaps we just had these rose colored glasses on for the fantasy that we want NYC to be.
We are definately going to take a trip up and see for ourselves- we have read so many conflicting things about living up there that I suppose we really cant make a judgement call until we are there.
That's what the folks I mentioned above who've moved to Orlando do miss, but they gave that up for other benefits.
I have a friend who has his home in NY plus a high-end condo in Orlando.
If only we could all afford to do that. Most of us have to choose what's most important to us.
Are you willing to trade off some of the advantages you have now for the things you're looking for?
Of course, there are museums, restaurants, concerts, bars, clubs galore in NY.
You can wear designer clothes or K-Mart, shave your head bald, whatever...
It just depends on what type of lifestyle you're willing to live to have access to those things.
You do need jobs any way you cut it.
Are you both willing to take other lesser paying gigs if you can't find the ones you want?
Are you willing to live in a small apartment if you salaries are slight?
Can you deal with the crowds or an "urban environment" if that's what it comes down to?
Everybody in NY isn't rich, that's for sure.
Still, you really have to come take a look see and really do your research on how your lifestyle and what you're accustomed to would change.
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