Looking for that one place to call home (Orlando, Oviedo: transplants, rent)

[lostnspace]

hey all!
first time on the boards here. Looking to move to Orlando in the next couple of years from houston, tx. I'll give you guys some background on myself. Born and raised from wisconsin. Family of 7 (my wife and I and 5 kidss)After 30 years there I had enough of the winters and decided to move south. Houston was not my first choice (hickory, NC was my first choice) but we ended up picking it over NC because we figured Houston was a bigger city with more job opportunities and the further south we were the better winters we'd have. We (my wife and I) never wanted to see snow again and my wife had a sister down here that said it was a good place to live.

Well we have been here for a year now and we are wanting out. We moved from a small city of under 40k population to an over 2 million population city and even tho I had researched the move like I am doing now Houston is just to overwhelming. I am sure it's a great place for some people it's just not for us. While living in Wisconsin I've been to big cities minneapolis-st.paul, milwaukee, madison. I mean it's not that Houston is to big a city and I'm a small country person. Well I guess in part it is. I cannot take my kids to a park without it being overcrowded there. No one watches there kids here. I raise my kids teaching them to share, to be nice and let others play with things, and taking turns. Out there on the playground it's whoever wants it gets it. How can I teach my kids when they see other kids getting what they want when they want it. We went to Walmart and were looking for some cheap furniture for the kids so we were playing around with some small bean bag chairs. A Walmart worker comes over and yells at us to put it back in the display case and it just rubbed me the wrong way so I yelled at them telling them how would we know if we want to buy it if I don't see how the kids liked it.

I knew that crime here in Houston would be high but after being here for a year I'm afraid to go get the mail. News reports of home invasions, kids opening the door to go to school and having burglars push them back in to rob the home, people being robbed at Mcdonald's, people being robbed and killed outside their homes coming back from work, high speed chases ending in a crash killing other people on the road. I mean that can happen all in one day of news if you were thinking i was posting what had happened last month. I just feel like the chances of bad things happening to my family is alot higher here then I was expecting.

Just gonna throw this in here also for any people thinking about moving to Texas. It kind of feels like another country living here. Going to school in Wisconsin we'd say our pledge of allegiance to the flag. Never knew that Texas had their own pledge of allegiance to Texas that they make your kids say in school. I never had to pledge my allegiance to Wisconsin and I'm proud to be from Wisconsin. If the winters there wouldn't last for 7 months (October to April) I would of been fine living there. Some of you might be thinking I'm counting fall and spring months....trust me...we can have snow from october thru into may some years... Temps from -20 with wind chill in the winters is no fun. Down south here a chance of snow and the city closes down. Day off from school and work. Up there 10+ inches of snow can fall over night you still have to show up for work on time, take your kids to school, shovel the snow even tho another 5-6 inches of snow is gonna fall by the end of the day.

I work for a pretty big company that has warehouses all over the U.S. so I would have a job before coming there. Just checking things out here in Orlando because it seems like a good place to settle down. I want my next move to be my last. The move down to Houston took a lot out of my family and we have to recoup from it before our next move.

I know some of you reading this will bash me and tell me to move back there if Texas is so bad. Well Texas just isn't for me. And after spending a winter down south I don't think I'll ever go back to the Northern winters. I am just looking for something smaller then Houston. Smaller big city, down south, less crime, good weather.

I know alot of people say they hate it there and are moving back to where ever they came from but anythings got to be better then where i am at now.

o one last thing i hate how texas has mandatory yearly emission tests for vehicles. never had to deal with that in WI so thats another thing I look forward to not having to do in FL

[EditorJul]

If you're looking for something in the Orlando area that still feels somewhat rural, has good schools, and a good family lifestyle, you might want to look at Oviedo.

But without a doubt, if you're living somewhere that it isn't working for you, I fully agree….do what you can to follow your bliss and find your new home!

[brinkofsunshine]

Honestly it sounds like somewhere in Georgia or the Carolinas might be more your style than Florida. Why are you looking at Orlando? It's a metro pop. of 2 million people.

[Fl1150]

Yes Oviedo is nice family oriented community located in Seminole County which is right above Orlando but honestly anywhere in Seminole county would be perfect but its just the commute you might not like.

[lostnspace]

I am looking at Florida b/c it seems like a place I'd like to live. Tropical weather, awesome beaches within reasonable driving distance, amusement parks and activities for the kids(places I'd probably never be able to afford to take them on a vacation if i had to buy plane tickets + rent a hotel)

Every state has its attractions I just feel like Florida has them all more conveniently located.
Georgia and the carolina's big cities are to far from each other to ever visit and explore.

metro pop of 2million...well houston metro pop 5 almost 6 million. I am used to long commutes living here in Houston so not worried about that. Just want a safe environment for my kids to grow up in with fun things i can do with them before they move on with their lives. You just don't get these years back and I want them to have fun while they are kids.

[tinytrump]

Texas folks are not like the normal migrants/ transplants of Florida... we move more than a good game of checkers.

[lostnspace]

Guess i am just looking for other transplants see how they like it there. I've read alot of other posts of how people hate it and are getting out of there asap.