Moving to Orlando from Alaska help me!!! (Daytona Beach, University: 2015, apartments)

[Alaskaboy907]

Hello, I'm a student at UAA, and I am currently living in Anchorage,Alaska. I moved back here in January, missing the winters an my friends when I moved from here in 2011 after living here for 10 years. But I miss my family on the east coast and I cannot support myself financially here, so I decided I'm transferring to UCF and staying in Orlando. I plan to fly there, and save some money while Im here. I'm currently working so money shouldn't be a problem. I'm leaving late july, giving me time to save. My family lives in Savannah,Georgia so ill be a little closer and my parents live in New York. I just want to know, is Orlando safe by the campus or where the main attractions are? I went to Orlando in 2009 to Disney world, so didnt see much of Orlando. I'm kind of scared. I turn 19 Tomorrow. And also how is it to be a motorcyclist in Orlando? Because I plan to purchase one when I get settled in. Thanks for reading my post :3

[bmw335xi]

I grew up in Alaska and my parents still live there

Anyways, would you be able to afford an apartment in Winter Park or Baldwin Park? These are great areas to live with an easy commute to UCF, while still being close to everything Orlando has to offer.

[MrKnight]

Congrats on your decision! I am a UCF alumni myself so I can assure you that you made a great decision to attend UCF which is a fantastic university. Since you will be attending UCF it would make most sense for you to live either on or near main campus. Here are some helpful links:

UCF On-Campus Housing Housing and Residence Life » UCF
UCF Off-Campus Housing https://ucf.offcampuspartners.com/

In regards to location, to give you some perspective since you are not familiar with the area, Orlando is a very LARGE metro area and the attractions area located Southwest of Orlando that you saw in 2009 is only a very SMALL part of Orlando which caters to tourists and not locals. Most locals live either North, West, Southeast, or East of Downtown Orlando. UCF main campus is located in East Orlando.

[theurbanfiles]

UCF is a fantastic university I agree. I myself am attending as well. Definitely be ready for some culture shock coming from Alaska, or wherever else you lived. I am fine with the congestion and traffic now but I imagine it could take some getting used to for someone from Alaska, though Anchorage I know is a decent sized city.

The fact that you are 19 and have this much life experience will certainly put you ahead of most of the population professionally and everything. However, at that age, I would still recommend on campus housing for three reasons.

One: While as BMW mentioned that Baldwin Park and Winter Park are nice areas and relatively easy commute. I agree, but at same time, not knowing the Orlando area and roads to take may create additional stress, and while I don't think the traffic is as bad as many parts of Orlando, it still would be something to get used to.

Two: Safety. There are potentially slightly cheaper off campus housing options, but they come with risks. While I never have personally felt threatened there, it appears in recent years the area along Alafaya Trail down to the corner of Colonial and south of campus has deteriorated some in recent years, and complete safety is somewhat dependent on the neighborhood. For example, definitely avoid Sterling Central and Campus Crossing apartments, nearby the Greek Ghetto
Shooting near UCF 'Greek Ghetto' possibly gang related
I don't want to give you the wrong impression, that the area is bad like South Chicago bad, because it isn't. But I think it's important to be aware that certain areas around campus can be somewhat sketchy. For example, I don't feel completely comfortable going to the Wal Mart on Colonial near campus after dark. UCFPD has jurisdiction on campus, in school sponsored student housing, and within a 1,000 feet of the UCF campus. However, because this part of Orlando is unincorporated Orange County, off campus calls can take as much as an hour to respond to. Therefore, the three areas I would recommend are mainly on campus at first, but if not, then at least as a general rule, north of University Blvd. is better.

As an answer to your other question, Disney and Universal are closed off and incredibly safe inside, but for your purposes I wouldn't want to live near them if I were you since that would mean a 40 minute commute to classes.

Three: Bottom line, since you're only just turning 19, I think it's best to live on campus. It's what I did my first year, and if I had stayed with family I wouldn't have had the spare time to wander around and eventually make connections (working for the football team, finding a bible study, joining the running club and astronomy society, yes there is an observatory on campus and it is cool). Orlando has a reputation for being a transient place, and moving here and not knowing anyone, you want to be close to like minded people who are looking to meet others. There were times when my older social circles would graduate and move away from Orlando usually, and it was frustrating to have to essentially start over several times. But, with this large a campus (UCF at 62,000 is 2nd largest in the US), and a region with the somewhat transient characteristics of Orlando, people are NEVER going to just come and talk to you. That's why joining groups and events on campus is SOSOSO critical to your success and enjoyment. Talk to SGA about any opportunities when you get here, and TAKE SLS (Intro to University Living). It may seem like a waste, but trust me, it isn't.

One other aside: Since you're coming from Alaska, I'm guessing you like hiking and fitness and other outdoor activities (not sure though). I can tell you the area around the UCF campus, and being a student likely sets you up better for that than almost any part of the state. The campus itself has beautiful plants and flowers imported from around the world. Then there is an on campus arboretum with miles of hiking trails. You also have a lake on campus that has free kayaking and SUP rentals to students (even swimming, though there is one 3.5 foot alligator, who is likely harmless, and amoebas during the summer). Just off campus (within running distance) there is a trail called Econ River Wilderness Area which has all types of species native to the area and longer trails. I don't have any statistics to back this up, but I'd have to imagine our RWC compares well to just about any in the country, with two full Olympic length pools and a rock climbing wall. Seems like there is a solid motorcycling community in Orlando (think: Daytona Beach Bike Week), only things to worry about area bugs flying against ya, and crazy drivers at certain points, also the occasional daily monsoon during summer months, every day at about 4 PM-4:30. If you like bicycling (the manual kind), there is a trail about ten minutes from campus that goes about 15 miles in either direction (Cady Way/Cross Seminole), including providing smooth connection to DT Winter Park and Orlando.

I hope that's helpful, I know it's a long winded response, but I just want you to be aware of every aspect of living here, and I'm a student affairs doctoral student, so I can't help it : )

[Crane's Rooster]

Totally agree with Clevelander. Also, just speaking from my own experience, I think everyone should live on campus for at least one year just to get the full flavor of the college experience. Plus from what I hear, UCF on campus housing is pretty nice.