Transitory Orlando (Hunters Creek, Clermont, The Villages: apartment complexes, rent, home)

[suorkaterina]

Hey everyone. Like so many, I am moving to the Orlando area. I hear a lot about people coming but not staying for very long. I once met a man on a Disney bus who told me his only regret about living in Orlando was that he had a hard time keeping friends because people were always moving away. So as someone who has no intentions on moving away once I relocate, I am curious; what are the reasons that people who move to the Orlando area, move away again?

I'm going to guess some of that is the heat that maybe they weren't prepared for, and perhaps lack of jobs or cost of living. Any other thoughts?

[Granny Sue]

Originally Posted by suorkaterina

Hey everyone. Like so many, I am moving to the Orlando area. I hear a lot about people coming but not staying for very long. I once met a man on a Disney bus who told me his only regret about living in Orlando was that he had a hard time keeping friends because people were always moving away. So as someone who has no intentions on moving away once I relocate, I am curious; what are the reasons that people who move to the Orlando area, move away again?

I'm going to guess some of that is the heat that maybe they weren't prepared for, and perhaps lack of jobs or cost of living. Any other thoughts?

It can be any one of these. I can't answer for everyone but........

A lot of the young people might move here thinking it would really be cool to live in Florida and go to the beach all the time. Then they find out they don't go to the beach as much as they thought they would.

They are shocked to find out that Orlando(and the metro area) is a living breathing city that has the same problems that other cities have. Fantasyland can only be found at a Disney Park.

Some think they can live off theme park wages.....some can...depends on the job.

Some older ones might come for the same reason. Or they come while they are going to school, once school is finished, they find jobs elsewhere.

Some find that the heat and humidity is too much to bear and wages are too low. Those are the ones that didn't do their homework.

Some...just found they didn't like it.

[Crane's Rooster]

Granny Sue pretty much nailed it. But as I stated on another thread, the transient side of Orlando really falls south of Conroy Road. That's where the newer developments are, that's where the theme parks are, that's basically the New Orlando. Most areas north of Conroy are much more established and much less transient. This is what most people consider the "Old" or "Real" Orlando. Places where you find families that have been here for decades and neighborhoods where most of the folks have known each other by name for years. If you're looking to really put down roots here I would advise you look in the northern part of Central Florida. Again, like any piece of advice this is not 100%, they're are transient areas in the north and established areas in the south, but as a general rule it should be helpful to you.

[DavieJ89]

Crane's Rooster is right. IMO any part of the city that is not in or adjacent to the attractions area is the "real" Orlando to me. While I've seen the demographics change a lot over the years here on the far south side, a lot of people and families like mine have been here for years

I think the biggest problem is wages are not in correlation with the cost of living here. Jobs here just dont pay that well and rent is almost unaffordable for a lot of people, even though our COL is 1/2 or even 1/3 of other major cities in NY and California

The rents apartment complexes want is ridiculous. Even apartment complexes in the ghetto areas want at least $700 a month for a one bedroom, who in those areas can afford that?

[suorkaterina]

Originally Posted by Crane's Rooster

Granny Sue pretty much nailed it. But as I stated on another thread, the transient side of Orlando really falls south of Conroy Road. That's where the newer developments are, that's where the theme parks are, that's basically the New Orlando. Most areas north of Conroy are much more established and much less transient. This is what most people consider the "Old" or "Real" Orlando. Places where you find families that have been here for decades and neighborhoods where most of the folks have known each other by name for years. If you're looking to really put down roots here I would advise you look in the northern part of Central Florida. Again, like any piece of advice this is not 100%, they're are transient areas in the north and established areas in the south, but as a general rule it should be helpful to you.

Thanks! We are focusing on Clermont where we will be in between the excitement and jobs of Orlando and my family living at The Villages. It looks like a really nice area. We plan on renting for a few years and then making a decision on where to really put down roots. So that is really helpful. The guy I talked to lived in Hunters Creek I beleive.

[Crane's Rooster]

I can't speak too much to Clermont from my own personal experiences but most of what I've heard is positive. The area saw explosive growth over the past few years so there are certainly many new residents and faces there. From what I hear though, Clermont differs a little from other areas in that they have a large portion of new residents from other parts of Central Florida and Florida as opposed to out state relocators. Either way it's a great area, very unique for FL with all those rolling hills.

[OrlFlaUsa]

Up in Altamonte, families I grew up around are still here with new additions and deeper roots. Give this place some time, less than 45 years ago most of it was a rural lightly developed land and everybody was a transient.

[Downtown Steve]

I went to UCF and found that even in the 2nd largest school in the country (at the time), if you got involved, joined a few organizations, got involved in SGA etc - it felt like home and I wanted to be no where else. But many people just showed up and didn't get anything out of it that they couldn't have gotten at FSU, UF or even Valencia for that matter. And they left.

I think your neighborhood and city is the same way. I've attached myself to many of the social and cultural things that Orlando offers. I know where most of my local tax dollars are going and see the results. I follow along with future plans for growth in both developments and amenities.

I'm unlikely to ever leave Orlando unless a major life event happens that forces me to.

The excitement isn't limited to Orlando. Many of the cities in Central Florida are going through some transformation and their residents should be very excited for both their livlihoods and their property values.

That said - it's not all rosey. Some cities are still short sighted and either welcoming bad growth or have no vision of community potential other than a food truck event. And, for the most part, county residents aren't offered the same amenities. Counties are simply ways for the state to divide up their services. Cities are where the civic action is.

[DavieJ89]

Originally Posted by Downtown Steve

I went to UCF and found that even in the 2nd largest school in the country (at the time), if you got involved, joined a few organizations, got involved in SGA etc - it felt like home and I wanted to be no where else. But many people just showed up and didn't get anything out of it that they couldn't have gotten at FSU, UF or even Valencia for that matter. And they left.

I think your neighborhood and city is the same way. I've attached myself to many of the social and cultural things that Orlando offers. I know where most of my local tax dollars are going and see the results. I follow along with future plans for growth in both developments and amenities.

I'm unlikely to ever leave Orlando unless a major life event happens that forces me to.

The excitement isn't limited to Orlando. Many of the cities in Central Florida are going through some transformation and their residents should be very excited for both their livlihoods and their property values.

That said - it's not all rosey. Some cities are still short sighted and either welcoming bad growth or have no vision of community potential other than a food truck event. And, for the most part, county residents aren't offered the same amenities. Counties are simply ways for the state to divide up their services. Cities are where the civic action is.

I'm just curious Steve, what do you mean by "bad growth"

[Downtown Steve]

Things like overpasses getting built at the cost of gutting the area around them (50/436, and 2 more slated)

Additionally, and to speak to more of a hidden cost, I'd label bad growth as growth that doesn't pay for itself. Whether that is residential or retail. If the costs of adding and maintaining the infrastructure outweight the increase to the tax base, it's a losing proposition over the long term. The problem with extreme "sprawl" isn't that it's unattractive - there are plenty of pretty subdivisions - it's that it eventually results in deterioriating infrastructure including cutbacks in schools, police, fire and road improvements.