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- Traffic and chaos getting around:
For such a relatively small city, traffic is a nightmare. Unlike most other cities with traffic issues, there really is no way around it, here. Public transit is near non-existant, and everything requires extensive driving. Which leads to the next point:
Orlando traffic is pretty tame compared to the likes of Atlanta, DC...or anywhere along the BosWash for that matter, LA, etc. So, there is a "way around" Atlanta traffic? I dealt with that every day for over a decade, and trust me there was no way around it. Marta was useless for my commute. Orlando traffic is not a nightmare by my standards.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Arcenal352
- Weather:
Think warm winters are nice? Well, these "warm" winters only last about 4 months. The rest of the year, it is disgustingly hot and humid outside, with heat indexes constantly reaching 110 degrees. And no, the temperature does not drop much at night. Add your power bill to that, from constantly having to have the AC on at full blast. Do you like $300+ monthly utility bills year round?
Also, Sunshine State? Think again. During the summer months (again, some 7 to 8 months of the year) at around 3PM, you will experience Doomsday; this phenomenon that occurs where the skies turn black and God unleashes oceans from the skies upon us. Every. Single. Day.
Heat index constantly reaching 110 degrees, huh? There were only 122 days total from 1978 – 2007 that had over a 105 degree heat index in Orlando. So, about 4 days per year.
I will also add that IMO comfortable weather in Orlando starts on and off in October transitioning into the warm/cool months and lasts until May which has on and off comfortable days heading into the hot season. So, for me at least, that's around 7 months of beautiful weather. We've already had several days of very nice weather this month.
We might leave after we retire in order to move across the country to an area where we can pursue interests we aren't able to fully pursue in this area. Otherwise we'll be here for the long run.
As OrlFlaUsa stated in an earlier post, its the "grass is greener on the other side" syndrome. I can personally attest to this, I lived in Orlando most of my life and started developing this syndrome and ended up moving up north a couple of years ago, now I am miserable up north and cannot wait for the opportunity to move back to Florida.. I miss the sunshine, the afforable housing, the low tax rates, the abundance of things to do on the weekends, the beaches, the space, the people, etc.. I could go on and on..
My wife and I lived in Orlando for 5 years, most of our time was split between the area next to Baldwin Park and College Park.
We moved out to California this past March.
Reasons:
1) Not so much the oppressive humidity (but you don't realize how bad it is until you are there year-round), but the lightning storms that come with the summers, and how the constant storms can debilitate you from doing many activities at all.
2) I believe Orlando is one of the least educated metro cities in the US. This is due to all of the people in the area working in Travel and Tourism. Generally speaking, Disney doesn't exactly attract MENSA members either. My wife and I wanted a better cultural fit when it came to education as well as diversity - which is why SF is where we ended up.
3) Job market is very limited for educated people, with the exception of certain industries - see reason #2.
4) Mold - it grows everywhere because of reason #1. If you have problems with allergies, a very humid area that sees a lot of mold growth is likely not going to be very fun.
5) We don't have kids - Orlando is a very family friendly city, but not very friendly if you're trying to find other DINKs (dual income no kids). Haven't had a problem finding that in the Bay Area in only 7 months.
6) Terrible public transportation options - I-4 is the only free major highway in the area, and it's now (as I am hearing from my co-workers back in Lake Mary) going under a major facelift. You might not pay income taxes, but if you live outside of proximity of I-4, then you're paying to use a toll road. Orlando is the only major metro city in the entire US to not have a federally funded loop highway around it. Lynx buses are a joke. I left just before SunRail opened, but it seemed like a train to nowhere, as you couldn't get to the airport, couldn't get to Disney, and most suburban areas aren't built for walking traffic. We love the public transport options here. We pared down to one car that's paid off, and I take an express bus to work every day and my wife takes BART, the El/Subway line to work.
Now, things we miss about Orlando:
1) no state income taxes - we lived near I-4 for the majority of our time there, so we rarely had to use toll roads. That's a big income boost to the bottom line - and makes sense for the area given the low salary base of the tourism workers.
2) Publix - well, this is my wife's complaint more than mine, and she doesn't even do most of the grocery shopping. We use Trader Joes now, but it's small and limited.
3) Decent proximity to the beach - also mostly my wife's complaint. The west coast beaches are more beautiful, but the water is freezing - and people don't go to the beach in northern CA to lay out, since it's usually overcast.
4) Sweet tea - southern sweet tea is impossible to find at the fake BBQ places in SF.
Wow Jack_Russell -- it really sounds like you picked the wrong part of town to live in and got a pretty skeezy rental unit. Everything you mention is my experience living in DC, not in Florida, but glad you've found a place where you belong.
I got a job offer for the City of Winterpark, so I spent some time researching the area & searching on local Sheriff websites looking at crime maps before I moved to Orlando. It's almost impossible to find a "low crime" area in and around the Orlando area so I was forced to look at the outskirts of town.
I have a few friends who grew up in the Orlando area that helped me in my search.
I chose the St. Cloud area (25 miles & 35mins away from Winterpark) because 1, I cannot afford to live in Winterpark on city wages. 2, I don't speak spanish. 3, I don't speak in ebonics.
In comparison Ohio was easier to find "nicer neighborhoods" Ohio has good & bad parts of town. Florida has good & bad parts of the same neighborhood... This may not bother some people, but if I'm paying to live in a nice neighborhood I want to be able to shop in a good neighborhood. Not amongst the thugs.
I stayed with friends when I first moved to Fl. They owned a $100k home, Nothing fancy. The street behind us was a brand new neighborhood with homes selling for $300+. The next street over was section 8 housing...seriously!
Florida is weird that way...
If you make good money and can afford to live in a gated community You can find peace & tranquility in Florida. If you're just a working Joe like myself your options are limited in and around large metro areas.
I didn't rent, I owned.
Everyone likes something different. Thank God...or we all would be living in the same state.
Some people like cultural diversity, some don't.
I'm not trying to be a "stick in the mud" Just being honest & giving the OP food for thought.
I think I found a place where I belong in the North West. Time will tell...
Orlando traffic is pretty tame compared to the likes of Atlanta, DC...or anywhere along the BosWash for that matter, LA, etc. So, there is a "way around" Atlanta traffic? I dealt with that every day for over a decade, and trust me there was no way around it. Marta was useless for my commute. Orlando traffic is not a nightmare by my standards.
Heat index constantly reaching 110 degrees, huh? There were only 122 days total from 1978 – 2007 that had over a 105 degree heat index in Orlando. So, about 4 days per year.
I will also add that IMO comfortable weather in Orlando starts on and off in October transitioning into the warm/cool months and lasts until May which has on and off comfortable days heading into the hot season. So, for me at least, that's around 7 months of beautiful weather. We've already had several days of very nice weather this month.
How do you find the heat/humidity in atlanta vs orlando? I'm moving from Atlanta shortly.
I can second the Orlando traffic situation is no match for Atlanta. I doubt very many places in the US can match Atlanta for the traffic. It isn't just the density of traffic and lack of options but the kind of drivers you get here. I think I read somewhere that Atlanta was voted the worse city to drive in by truck drivers but I don't have a source for that!
To anybody - How is traffic in Orlando if you don't need to go into the downtown area. Like say if I wanted to go to a restaurant in Dr Phillips from Winter Garden for dinner or to Disney from Oveido at 5pm. In Greater Atlanta traffic is bad wherever you go.
How do you find the heat/humidity in atlanta vs orlando? I'm moving from Atlanta shortly.
I can second the Orlando traffic situation is no match for Atlanta. I doubt very many places in the US can match Atlanta for the traffic. It isn't just the density of traffic and lack of options but the kind of drivers you get here. I think I read somewhere that Atlanta was voted the worse city to drive in by truck drivers but I don't have a source for that!
To anybody - How is traffic in Orlando if you don't need to go into the downtown area. Like say if I wanted to go to a restaurant in Dr Phillips from Winter Garden for dinner or to Disney from Oveido at 5pm. In Greater Atlanta traffic is bad wherever you go.
Generally speaking, if you are avoiding the SR408/I-4 interchange south of downtown and the 408/417 interchange near UCF, getting most places on the same side of the city is fairly easy, but you're paying tolls for the freeways. Disney traffic is bad during rush hour every day of the week, but if you're coming from Oviedo, the only bad part outside of maybe the 408/417 interchange would be when you exited SR 417.
Orlando traffic has NOTHING on ATL. NOTHING. But, driving in Orlando can be more difficult than ATL because of the torrential downpours with lightning that happen pretty much every summer afternoon.
been to atlanta many times. i see how atl traffic and congestion is really bad... but when i've been there, i've never seen the shher stupidity that i see in orlando. ppl in atl drive fast and its congested for sure, i just dont see the number of ridiculous and stupidity from ppl.
I left Ohio because of the long harsh winters as well. I was tired of sitting in the house 5 months a year because it was too cold to go outside. I moved to Orlando, & spent 11 1/2 months indoors because it was too hot and muggy to go outside!
You can entertain yourself indoors by caulking every crack in the house to keep the ants & bugs from coming in & changing your A/C filters...
You never get used to the humidity, You can deal with it but never get used to it. Central Florida has horrible humidity. It's slightly lower by the coast. I also lived in Bradenton/Sarasota area & the humidity was bearable, central Fl not so much.
Your insurance will go up, A $400k home in Ohio Is a $600k home in FL and you'll still be near crime.
Winterpark is overpriced & surrounded by crime.
I lived in Florida for a total of 8 years, 1 1/2 years in Orlando. It wasn't for me.
Crime was too high. I subscribed to a crime watch website that would email me everyday when a crime happened near my home & It was downright scarey to see everyday. (& I lived in a decent neighborhood by Florida standards)
car insurance cost was too high, roughly 150% higher than NE Ohio
Too hot, all year long.....
Too humid, all year long....
Too many bugs, giant bugs...
No scenery, lack of hills/mountains. except for ant hills
Rude people, most didn't even speak english
lack of ethnic restaurants. Unless you like Cuban/Mexican. Spanish food is all of the same ingredients prepared different ways.
Toll roads everywhere. Get a Sunpass... I paid about $100 a month just to commute around Orlando.
A/C runs 24/7. Your windows will never be open.
electric bills were 400% higher than what I paid in Ohio, partially because of the AC
Water bill was 300% higher. Not sure why? you can dig three ft down and find water anywhere in Fl.
Rain every single day in the summer. which helps to cool it off for maybe 15 mins or so, then it gets twice as humid.
Mold growing on everything including your car.
you'll have to pay someone to power wash your home to get the green mold off. It's too hot outside to do it yourself.
Buy a house with a small yard, it's too hot to cut grass for hrs. Hire a landscaper, if you have a nice lawn it will need to be cut twice a week. There is no soil, just sand. it's almost impossible to have a nice lawn in Florida. The "nice" grass in Fl is what we Ohioans call "crab grass". We kill crab grass.
fleas, sugar ants, and palmetto bugs (**** roaches) everywhere. ALL year round...
Fire ants are everywhere, Don't walk barefoot on your lawn.
Too hot to cook indoors, to hot to cook outdoors.
any opened food must go straight into the fridge or into a sealed container, or a big ant invasion will take place while you sleep.
Learn spanish & carry a gun.
You'll never want to cook comfort foods like a pot of chilli, or anything hot for that matter. It's too hot to, plus you lose that change of season chill in the air where you want to sit around a fire & sip on hot chocolate. Instead you be sitting in front of a fan eating salad & drinking Iced tea.
These are my reasons for leaving Florida.
After 30 years in Ohio I moved to Fl without doing any research (yes, my fault) I experienced to above^^^ and Now I'm happy to back up north to enjoy the weather & change of seasons.
Good luck, we all like different things.
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