Moving to Orlando - Where to live? (Melbourne, Oviedo: to rent, crime)

[Jahya]

Firstly, thank you all in advance for reading this or responding. Really appreciate it.

Moving to Orlando in a year. I don't have any preconceptions about the weather or the tourist scene. I'm moving to be closer to my SO's family. I'm a bit of a wanderer from D.C. originally, L.A., and Indianapolis. No idea where to live.

Combined income of about 75-100k, but I can't stand yuppie neighborhoods and snobby retail areas. I keep hearing Dr. Phillips and Winter Park, but they look like spoiled brat / soccer mom / depressed mid life crisis dad central. Or do I have the wrong picture?

My first question is; Holy **** is the crime really that bad in Orlando? Baltimore was pretty bad when I lived in D.C. and the stats are worse for Orlando? Can someone explain this beyond the usual 'there are pockets' or 'just don't live in those areas'. Where do these numbers come from and are they something to seriously consider. L.A. has better stats ffs.

Second. Where does someone live who is completely not interested in being posh live safely? 2 pets, no kids. Love gaming (and I believe Swifty lives in Orlando), love music and concerts, hate bar scenes, like museums/space center, like the beach (twice a month maybe). I'd say hipsters, but no where near as pretentious or purposeful. I'm in IT, huge nerd. Any advice? The SO is a baker and can get a job at Disney supposedly.

Would I be better off near the Space Coast or somewhere outside of Orlando?

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by Jahya

Second. Where does someone live who is completely not interested in being posh live safely? 2 pets, no kids. Love gaming (and I believe Swifty lives in Orlando), love music and concerts, hate bar scenes, like museums/space center, like the beach (twice a month maybe). I'd say hipsters, but no where near as pretentious or purposeful. I'm in IT, huge nerd. Any advice? The SO is a baker and can get a job at Disney supposedly.

Would I be better off near the Space Coast or somewhere outside of Orlando?

Melbourne and the beaches (indialantic) might work for you. Downtown melbourne has a nice lot of restaurants, cafes, bars and lounges, plus you are near the water.

If you want more bustling activity though, Orlando definitely has more going on. I think college park or thornton park would suit you. Winter Park is a bit more upscale-y. Plus with college park, you've got the science center and theater/symphony nearby.

edit: just saw the part about disney...... hmmmm. Orlando would make more sense in that case, but honestly, trying to commute from downtown to dis can easily be 30-45 mins on a bad day, probably not that much better than trying to drive to the space coast.

[Crane's Rooster]

I think I can address some of your concerns. Crime is real consideration here in Orlando, but it's not nearly as bad as it seems, nor it is real life theme park here. The bad neighborhoods are BAD, but to be honest, in most areas crime isn't really a concern other than property crimes. For reference, I've lived in DC, so I had a taste of DC/Baltimore crime. It is not nearly that bad here regardless of what the stats say. Anyone who tells you Orlando crime is worse than DC/Baltimore is grossly exaggerating. One of the reason crime stats are so high in Orlando is because the volume of crime compared to the smaller population. The entire Central Florida region is right around 3 million in population which is less than half that of the capital area. I really don't think crime will be much of a shock for you coming from DC/Bmore.

As to places to live, both Dr. Phillips and Winter Park are basically what you are NOT looking for. That's basically the old money (WP) and new money (DP) areas of Orlando. However, there are many neighborhoods that will suit your liking. I would recommend College Park, Audubon Park and Colonialtowne. All 3 are downtown neighborhoods with older homes, family friendly, but less pretentious.

College Park is the biggest of the 3, it's like a village within the city. There are very posh parts with million dollar mansions on the lakes, and than their are older cottage homes and bungalows with charming older homes. It's very family friendly. Edgewater is the main street of College Park which has a walkable strip of restaurants, shopping and a few bars. There's another strip on the eastern edge of College Park, Ivanhoe village, which is more of eclectic shops and some restaurants. College Park has it's own little community feel, they have their own Christmas Parades and the local high school homecoming has it's own parade down Edgewater. The people vary from some elitists to mostly middle class. The drawbacks are traffic, College Park is very close to downtown and people often use the back roads in CP to avoid I4 traffic. It is also border by some rough neighborhoods to the west. The schools elementary and middle are good but high school is ok, not great. Other than that it's a little pricey for what you get. The homes are older and tend to be smaller but with location they can be expensive.

College Park Neighborhood Association (CPNA)

Audubon Park is just east of College Park. The homes are a little newer, most 1950's - 1970's build, and larger, 1800-2500 sq ft. This is a more casual neighborhood, a little more eccentric than CP. There's a small village with shops, bars and restaurants but it's so close to downtown, WP, CP and Baldwin Park you can find anything you need within a short drive. There's also North Mills which has some great ethnic restaurants and grocery stores. The schools are pretty good since they are in the Winter Park school district. Of course that means you may be interacting with alot of soccer moms. But Audubon Park itself is a very blue collar atmosphere. The only real drawback is traffic and some of the homes are still stuck in their original condition and may need real upgrading.

Audubon Park Garden District | Vibrant, engaged and connected in Orlando, Florida.

Colonialtown basically surround Audubon Park and shares many of the same amenities. The school district is the same as CP I believe, but I"m not sure. The advantage to Colonialtown is that south Colonialtown is within walking distance to Lake Eola, Thornton Park and downtown where there are always community events going on. The homes are mostly 1900-1930's era bungalows. There is more traffic here though as it's so close to downtown.

Welcome to Colonialtown North!

All the areas I listed are family and hipster friendly. The commute will be about 20-35 mins to Disney depending on traffic. All 3 are near the Orlando Science Center which always has great educational events for kids. At the end of the day, I'm sure just as any other move personal preference and price will be your deciding factors. Of the 3 I listed, based on your post I would think Audubon Park would be the best fit for your family. My advice would be to rent for a year first before deciding which area fits you and your family. Best of luck.

[LordHomunculus]

The cleanest and direct answer regarding crime is "there are pockets". It is what it is. Other than that, I don't see why you can't check out Seminole county (Oviedo). Also, how about the Waterford Lakes/Avalon Park area in East Orange County? You have the right income and no kids, so that's a plus. Also, that area attracts many students from UCF, with many having the same interest you do. The area also has a lot of well-off families and I don't recall much snobbiness (if that's a word) compared to the other areas you mentioned. You're also closer to the beach and the space center. Chopchop's recommendation for Thornton Park is a good one as well. Of course, you say that your significant other can get a job at Disney so you might need to see if he/she is okay with any commutes. Disney is not the only place that hires bakers ya' know?

[Jahya]

This is all really great information guys. Thank you for the quick responses. Especially Crane's Rooster, you really got to the meat of things there.

Traffic is not a major concern being from D.C originally. 45 minutes sounds peachy. You guys gave me tons of info here. Looks like we'll be fine and have plenty to choose from.

I'll be down there visiting family next week and I will definitely check these areas out.

I understood the short answers, the relationship to the stats and the shock value were things i was looking for but unable to articulate apparently. I'm used to pockets, the stats were just alarming. I wonder if there is a running gag on shock news in florida just for the sake of entertainment. Some towns speak nothing of the crime, some do nothing but.

[Crane's Rooster]

No prob Jahya, sitting at home taking care of the sick so I have plenty of time on my hands today. BTW I mistakenly read 2 kids no pets, so disregard the school information.

[Fancy-Schmancy]

Quite a lot of the crime is 'non-personal'. It isn't someone sticking a gun in your face, it's someone stealing a tourist's credit card number. Take sensible precautions.