Thinking of moving there.....should I?

[NicoleMarie87]

My biggest issue is moving away from family but, this isn't the first time I've lived away. It would be the first time I've lived away with a child though. I was married before. He was a Marine and we lived in Atlanta, then Denver, then San Diego. I LOVED moving to new places. It was like an adventure. I thought I still had many more adventures ahead of me (child or no child) and when I was three months pregnant my husband was killed. I had no choice really but to move home to Louisiana to be close to my family so I wouldn't be out in California alone with a newborn. Fast forward three years and now i have been dating someone for a while who is just as adventurous as I used to be and I thought, hey, this might be fun. Maybe it will breathe some life back into me. But, because I've only ever been near family since I've had my daughter I'm scared to move away. But I don't want to be scared forever and regret not moving. I don't daydream about going to Disney everyday while living there but would it be a huge perk to have it close by? Absolutely!! I have a few friends that live in Winter Park. I guess I just wanted to see if anyone straight up hated living there. Every city has crime. I go to the French Quarter often here and sometimes it can even get rough there. How is the feel there? Is it kind of like southern feel like everyone is super nice or would people look at me like a freak for starting a random conversation with a stranger at the grocery store? I've only ever been a tourist there so I have no clue what the feel of it living there is. Thanks for all the replies so far!

[theurbanfiles]

Well what all do you enjoy doing? Obviously Orlando will be different than any of that list that you had already been to. What would be like 10 things you consider important to have in an area (would having nearby family be one of them? Weather? Traffic? Cost of living? History? Etc.) if so we could help with advantages/disadvantages of each.

And very sorry to hear about your husband. I'd imagine that's very difficult to go through. Sending warm thoughts and wishes your way.

In regards to the grocery store comment, it's very much a melting pot, so that could vary. I find I have more opportunities to socialize with people, but often those interactions are more surface level, and due to the somewhat transient nature of the area, it's worthwhile, but slightly more difficult to build meaningful and lasting relationships than in say the Midwest. But people are generally friendly and don't bother me here, I'd say that has more to do with everyone coming and going from some place else and being in that same mindset.

Disney is definitely a perk, but it shouldn't be the absolute reason for moving I guess I'd say. Because a lot of people have that mindset and move, and then find that they get tired of it, but of course others don't. I'd second PDFs thought of checking out and analyzing the area, minus Disney and seeing if it meets your specifications.

[floridamove]

My neighborhood moved here for a year then move back up north due to missing family. I don't have family north or here so it doesn't matter. I agreed with Kyle. I like the weather here only.

[StillRoaming]

Having lived in Clermont for 18 years, I can tell you a little about the area since you said it is one of the areas you are thinking about. There are two basic areas considered Clermont. I live in the northern end within a couple of miles of where SR 50 meets Hwy 27. If you go south on Hwy 27 about 12 miles, you'll find the Four Corners area, part of which is also considered Clermont. There are differences.

The northern end includes the actual old town of Clermont. With large lakes surrounding us and with a hilly topography, I think this is one of the prettiest areas in Central Florida. You said you like to sunbathe, and although it's not the ocean, we have a cute little park with a beach with soft sand on Lake Minneola called Waterfront Park. Google "images for waterfront park Clermont FL beach" to see it. They also have a new small water park for little kids there. The Rails-to-Trails walking/biking path runs along Lake Minneola and now extends to a new park called Lake Hiawatha which has a large playground for kids and another one for dogs. It is a favorite place of mine. We are about 25 miles from Disney, and although I'm in my 50's, I still love to go whenever I can. It keeps me young.

Around 12 miles south on Hwy 27 is the southern end of Clermont. This is the newer area with a lot of new developments popping up over the last 15 years. They have the basic shopping (Walmart, Publix) there and places to eat. It is much more diverse with many younger families, but it isn't as pretty as old Clermont since it is missing the hills and lakes and the housing developments are cookie cutter. Hwy 192 intersects with Hwy 27 there, and 192 takes you to Disney then on to Kissimmee.

I feel very safe here in the northern end. We are in a development a couple of miles south of the city of Clermont. There isn't much crime here and what we do have isn't violent. I can't tell you about crime in Four Corners, but I don't feel as comfortable there as here, if that makes sense.

You sound like you have an adventurous spirit and are no stranger to moving. I am very sorry about your husband. My husband is retired Army, so I can tell you that Clermont is a Tricare Prime area if you have that insurance. I can see why you might need to shake things up a bit to start to feel alive again.

The main thing that makes most people hate Florida is the fact that they can't find high paying jobs, but thankfully you don't have that worry. The heat and humidity is another big factor, but you are used to that. If you have to sell a house before you move, then that is a big decision. If not and you are able to pick up and move into a rental, it is a perfect way to try a new area to see if you like it. I always like to look at the worst case scenario. If I go somewhere and don't like it, what is the worst case? I'd leave and go somewhere else. If you are renting, that is very easy to do. Separating from family will be hard, but maybe you can work out something where they come visit and you go back there every now and then. Winter Park is just under an hour from here, so your friends won't be too far away.

There are many nice people here in Clermont. We have a lot of transplants here, and many seem to be looking for a slower, more friendly life. I will say that talking to a stranger in a grocery store is pretty common. Clermont isn't a hip happening sort of place, but it is a nice, pretty, and quiet place that has plenty of shopping and restaurants. We have community events and you'll find different groups you can join if you choose to.

Good luck with your decision, and if there is anything else you want to know, please let me know and I'll help as best as I can.

[annerk]

The above post was well said. I also agree with people who suggested taking Disney out of the equation--most of us think it gets old pretty quick.

I also live near the intersection of 27 and 50 and feel very safe in the area.

If you have specific question, feel free to ask.

[Not4longNY]

Good luck with your decision. Very sorry to hear about your loss. We moved here almost 2 years ago. We love it.

[AlwaysLearning29]

Our experience is opposite yours, OP, as we had only had a child while living away from family.

We moved to FL, away from family, and subsequently had a child. We lived there for 3.5 years and decided we wanted to raise our son near family so we moved back north. While we grew up here we had never had a child near family. We are finding that the reality for us is not what we thought it would be.

Now we're preparing to move back to FL. We love our family but being so close is different than we thought it would be. Our family is our only network here and honestly if my sister and father were not related to me they would not be people that I would choose to be around.

We loved FL. We really miss having things to do. None of us are cold weather people so we spent the last two winters sitting inside. It's awful!

And for us, we did go to a theme park weekly. Definitely before our son and maybe even a little more after. We'd meet up after school one night a week at the parks and then go again on weekends. We really enjoyed it. I know people point out that eating in the parks is expensive but we rarely ate there. We also would rarely go for a whole day. When we went after school I would pack snacks and sandwiches for dinner and when we went on weekends we would have breakfast, hit the parks and be home for lunch. In the summer we'd have dinner and go after dinner. I know as my son gets older and is into more activities it will limit our time, but for right now we really enjoyed it.

I'm always a proponent of moving away at least once, although I see you have moved many times. So I say go for it. You can always move back if you hate it.