South Florida vs Central Florida for Raising a Family! (Miami: homes, private school)

[flguy123]

Originally Posted by FrankieDNY

I would like opinions of those who may have lived in South Florida at some point in time and moved to Central Florida. Do you like it better? Do you think it's a better place to raise your family? Do you feel less stressed out? I currently live in South Florida and feel it is not the right place to raise my family.

This is a very interesting topic for me because we are actually thinking of doing the OPPOSITE, and moving our family from Orlando to South Florida, specifically Jupiter.

What feels "right" to someone is incredibly subjective, though. I have parents in Jupiter, and every time we go down there it just feels so much better to us than Orlando. Orlando just doesn't represent the typical "Florida lifestyle" that we were looking for when we moved down here from up north 5+ years ago (except if you are a theme park junkie, which we are not). Orlando feels too northern to us now.

Even though we have a young boy who appreciates going to the theme parks from time to time, we are really much more of a beach and water family than a theme park family. Yes, it's a lot more expensive down there, but sometimes you get what you pay for.

My impressions of Orlando: the people here are very, very transient and too diverse for us now. The real estate crash has brought in a ton of lower income families and renters into areas that were supposed to be middle- to upper-income, and unfortunately we feel that has created a negative impact on the communities in our opinion. Call us snobs, but it's not a good mix anymore. Different values.

Down in Jupiter we notice the newer neighborhoods are much better kept up, even if they don't have high HOAs. It's because the people who live there actually seem to care about their neighborhood. Most people up here don't seem to care. There is a lot of apathy in Orlando. Maybe it's an income thing, I can't quite tell. Maybe it's because nobody feels like they have roots here. This is the only part that "stresses" me about Orlando.

On the positive side, the infrastructure and roads seems very well maintained and new ones are always being built. We don't commute on any highways (thankfully) so traffic is not an issue for us. If anything, we think people drive too slow here. But at least they don't use their horns nearly as much as when you go back up north. And the weather is great, of course, except when it freezes every year. Shopping is also good, with three major malls in Orlando, so you always have a choice. There is a great selection of restaurants on the West side in particular. Downtown Orlando is nice (aside from the homeless). Healthcare is also stellar here in Orlando, the best I've ever experienced. The lower cost of living is a mixed bag, because like I mention above, the lower home prices have tended to invite people/families who might not share the same values. Crime seems about average. I would not say it's low OR high. People seem friendly in general. A lot of young people in Orlando.

[brinkofsunshine]

Originally Posted by FrankieDNY

I've heard that both Winter Spings and Winter Haven are good areas. Is that true?

Winter Springs is fine but definitely not Winter Haven. I wouldn't raise a family there. For the most part, I'd recommend sticking to Orange and Seminole counties.

[IAm_FloridaBorn]

Winter springs and Winter Heaven are not good areas to raise a family.

[grehg]

I am from Kansas City, and my family has considering relocating to Orlando for the main reason to be closer to WDW. We have a 6 and 5 year old, so we aren't taking moving away from family and a place we have roots set in lightly. I have begun my research to figure out where the better areas of Orlando are, but you can figure out and learn only so much of this being an outsider. flguy123, your feedback was helpful in painting a picture. We are theme park junkies, so in that respect Orlando is a good fit. I am concerned about schools.. where are the better school areas in Orlando? I know that Doctor Phillips/Windermere is probably the nicest area in town. I know that Pine Hills is one of the lowest. What about Hunter's Creek? Where are the newer areas vs. the older areas in town?

Where are office buildings and office parks generally located? Are there specific zones where most businesses and corporations are located? I am mainly asking that so I know where we would most likely commute.

[flguy123]

Originally Posted by grehg

I am from Kansas City, and my family has considering relocating to Orlando for the main reason to be closer to WDW. We have a 6 and 5 year old, so we aren't taking moving away from family and a place we have roots set in lightly.

I am a little surprised you would be willing to uproot your family just to be closer to Disney. That seems a bit extreme. What happens if you get tired of it after a while or your kids outgrow it? In my opinion you should definitely have other reasons to uproot than simply to be closer to WDW. If not, then you might be better of flying down 2-3 times a year than moving. Roots count for a lot. I did not realize that until after we moved down. It's the "grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" syndrome. I am more of an expert on the East side so I will let others reply about West side.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by flguy123

My impressions of Orlando: the people here are very, very transient and too diverse for us now. The real estate crash has brought in a ton of lower income families and renters into areas that were supposed to be middle- to upper-income, and unfortunately we feel that has created a negative impact on the communities in our opinion. Call us snobs, but it's not a good mix anymore. Different values.

Down in Jupiter we notice the newer neighborhoods are much better kept up, even if they don't have high HOAs. It's because the people who live there actually seem to care about their neighborhood. Most people up here don't seem to care. There is a lot of apathy in Orlando. Maybe it's an income thing, I can't quite tell. Maybe it's because nobody feels like they have roots here. This is the only part that "stresses" me about Orlando.

I completely agree. Also not mentioned is the "brain drain", as Orlando has the fewest per capita college graduates of the Top 50 cities and is increasing in population the number of residents with just a high school education. Like it or not, the lack of educated residents is going to impact the quality of life here. Entertainment options, cultural amenities and even purveyors of goods and services are driven by demographics.

[OrlFlaUsa]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

I completely agree. Also not mentioned is the "brain drain", as Orlando has the fewest per capita college graduates of the Top 50 cities and is increasing in population the number of residents with just a high school education. Like it or not, the lack of educated residents is going to impact the quality of life here. Entertainment options, cultural amenities and even purveyors of goods and services are driven by demographics.

Gosh darn golly geesh and to think all us unedumacated service industry folks have no ballet, theater, art, professional sports, good dining, local music, cultural festivals, shows, world class theme parks, and great shopping to take part in. While I understand where you are coming from if you were just making a point, I can't help but notice how you sound like a broken record any time this topic is brought up. I think civic leadership knows and realizes this and is working on diversifying our economy and planning for the future ie: SunRail, mass condo development in the urban core, new PAC, etc. I've seen this place make huge strides in the last 10-15 years and Orlando has a true desire to grow. But it has to be organic growth, and it's not going to happen over night. My opinion on why the "brain drain" seems more significant now is in part to how hard we were hit by the economy, and by how much UCF has grown in stature, enrollment, and advanced degrees offered. The region has to keep pace with the college churning out high end job seekers and I think the med city is a perfect example of how. UCF opens a new med school and now thousands of jobs in that sector are about to become available.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by OrlFlaUsa

Gosh darn golly geesh and to think all us unedumacated service industry folks have no ballet, theater, art, professional sports, good dining, local music, cultural festivals, shows, world class theme parks, and great shopping to take part in. While I understand where you are coming from if you were just making a point, I can't help but notice how you sound like a broken record any time this topic is brought up. I think civic leadership knows and realizes this and is working on diversifying our economy and planning for the future ie: SunRail, mass condo development in the urban core, new PAC, etc. I've seen this place make huge strides in the last 10-15 years and Orlando has a true desire to grow. But it has to be organic growth, and it's not going to happen over night. My opinion on why the "brain drain" seems more significant now is in part to how hard we were hit by the economy, and by how much UCF has grown in stature, enrollment, and advanced degrees offered. The region has to keep pace with the college churning out high end job seekers and I think the med city is a perfect example of how. UCF opens a new med school and now thousands of jobs in that sector are about to become available.

Yes, and we all know you're the shiny bright Orlando cheerleader. It may seem like a broken record, and it may be something local officials are aware of but until the brain drain is addressed it is what is. You can get as ooey-gooey as you want about your dream city and all of it's potential but the fact of the matter is it's all talk right now. Also, FYI...pretty much any medium-sized U.S. city has ballet, theater, an arts scene, shows/festivals and professional sports. Only a couple can brag (if that's the word) about having amusement parks attached, which believe it or not isn't paramount for most college-educated individuals.

[Pete C]

Originally Posted by flguy123

I am a little surprised you would be willing to uproot your family just to be closer to Disney. That seems a bit extreme. What happens if you get tired of it after a while or your kids outgrow it? In my opinion you should definitely have other reasons to uproot than simply to be closer to WDW. If not, then you might be better of flying down 2-3 times a year than moving. Roots count for a lot. I did not realize that until after we moved down. It's the "grass is always greener on the other side of the fence" syndrome. I am more of an expert on the East side so I will let others reply about West side.

I guess you can't really relate to a theme park junkie. For people that really love theme parks, Orlando has a huge upside. Flying down and visiting is also not that great of an option since it is so expensive both to fly and to stay at hotels. If your family is strong and you are not moving here to escape reality, it's a fine place to raise a family.

[StreetSmarts]

Originally Posted by IAm_FloridaBorn

Winter springs and Winter Heaven are not good areas to raise a family.

Huh?