Tell me why I shouldn't move to Orlando?!? (Tampa, Winter Park: houses, neighborhoods)

[chopchop0]

Heatwaves in Chicago or upstate N.Y.can rival anything in FL. Was 88 degrees last week in Syracuse.

[Arcenal813]

Originally Posted by chopchop0

Heatwaves in Chicago or upstate N.Y.can rival anything in FL. Was 88 degrees last week in Syracuse.

Yeah, for one or two days straight. Try 120 days in a row.

[SanyBelle]

Originally Posted by HokieGCC

A much smaller effect is that people also make much more money selling their house in places like DC after being in the market for 30 years or so.

And where do they move? Florida?

[adele115]

Originally Posted by cavsfan137

It sounds like Orlando would be a good fit for you then, esp. if you prefer heat. However, be prepared, because even the hottest Chicago summer days are like an Orlando day in October. In my eyes, the best 2 things for that are tubing in Kelly Park (water stays 72 year round) and doing outdoor stuff before or after dark (one cool thing is bioluminescent kayaking by the intracoastal).


1. Can certainly find in ORL. Chi-Town with more ambience, but Orlando better bang for buck. Fine dining, keep in mind Luma on Park or Prato, other places I enjoy are Hawkers (Singaporean market style), Yellow Dog Eats (BBQ), El Caribe (Puerto Rican prevalent in general which is nice), Orlando Brewing (among others). You'll find stuff you like and different stuff too. We even have a Chicago style hot dog place (Hot Dog Heaven) and a Giordano's!

2. Good! Yeah for big art, Chitown laps ORL many times over. For local art, I'd assume Chicago's scene still markedly bigger, but Orlando's exists. Winter Park/Mt. Dora have massive art fests and the Morse museum is small but worth a visit. Mt. Dora is a little slice of small town New England/Midwest plopped down in NW Orlando and has a sizable antiques market (Renninger's) that carries the stuff you like.

3. As long as you aren't in areas where it's known for being awful (and you'll know where those are) crime isn't even a thought here in middle class areas. There's occasional property crime, but not prevalent. I feel completely comfortable walking around DT Orlando, even at night, and I can't say that about all cities.

4. Used to be just dinner shows along I-Drive, and Cirque du Soleil at Disney. But the DPPAC (Google it, brand new look!) has improved upon that big time. They get 6 touring shows each year and many other small performances (plus the WP Playhouse, Sanford's, and even events at UCF). Tampa gets a Broadway tour of its own, and sometimes gets 6 different ones. Again, not as much as Chicago, but also not as much as Chicago if you know what I mean.


5. Love/Hate. Miss the seasons, Great Nov-March, Iffy/Okay April/Oct, way too hot May to Sept (IMO)

Good luck!

Thanks for all the details, I appreciate it! I'll especially enjoy checking out the dining options you list as well as the art fests!

[theurbanfiles]

Yes very true. Also, 88 in Chicago or Syracuse, even when it happens, simply can't be equated to 88 in FL. That being said, many are able to thrive, or at least deal. I'm thankful, because the past few summers I've dealt with the entire brunt of it where this year I'll be up north for a month or so.

[theurbanfiles]

Originally Posted by adele115

Thanks for all the details, I appreciate it! I'll especially enjoy checking out the dining options you list as well as the art fests!

No problem. Yeah I really enjoy the Hispanic culture down here. Chicago has it too, a lot, but in Orlando it's more spread out. El Caribe is very no frills but it's the best, you even have to learn some Spanish to order. Get the sampler plate, and a couple quesitos when you go!!

[floridaboy92]

Hi there,

SO I have lived in Orlando for almost 4 years now and I am relocating at the end of this summer to the West Coast of the U.S.

Orlando has a lot of positives and negatives. I could not fit in down here, however. Florida is a breeding ground of a whole different generation of people. I've never seen anything like it before in my life-- from the way people act, dress, mannerisms to the approach on life and real-world issues...it's a complete 360 compared to where I grew up.

Lots of transients down here, running "away" from some type of factor in life as opposed to coming here "FOR" something. Some people are very content living here, it is a thriving city at the moment. However, I could not thrive down here. I grew up in New England and the way I see things are much different compared to the overall mentality that dominates the entire state.

I will let you know though that many transplants come here where you are from (Chicago) and other big cities like NYC, Boston etc and they seem pretty happy with their lifestyles. The approach towards getting things done takes forever. There is NO sense of time due to lack of season changes.

Come check it out, it may work for you. For me it didn't, I just couldn't connect with anyone and find like-minded individuals..and it's been 4 years..that's why it's time for me to pack up and go. I love the weather here, the year-round, endless activities to engage in..but it was the wrong spot. I will miss some things about Orlando but I think I moved here too late and missed it "heydays" that probably ended years and years ago.

Florida is a very beautiful state and I hope one day it will change and progress in its ideals..for the better. Best of luck to you!

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by cavsfan137

Yes very true. Also, 88 in Chicago or Syracuse, even when it happens, simply can't be equated to 88 in FL. That being said, many are able to thrive, or at least deal. I'm thankful, because the past few summers I've dealt with the entire brunt of it where this year I'll be up north for a month or so.

Oh yes it can, right down to the humidity

[Bellamouse]

We moved here from Chicago last year and we are loving it. I was worried about getting good groceries (someone else mentioned they had to order everything?). But there are lots of good groceries here. The best IMO is Freshfields Farms - it's a meat and produce market that is terrific. Plus we have Trader Joe's and Whole Foods and even Publix and Winn Dixie have a pretty good selection of ethnic items. So I have been able to find everything I need so far.

We enjoy the heat very much, and for 6 months the weather is great. I would even say the winter is too cold for me! LOL Not like Chicago of course, but definitely not hot. I had to wear my down jacket and turn on the heat and use the fireplace this winter. And the down blanket. Granted, it was only for a few weeks, but for those weeks it was cold.

We enjoy the endless activities and the ability to just WALK outside every day if we want to. We have zero desire to go back. Less than zero.

We have also found people to be very nice, welcoming and friendly. We are church goers though so we find it less difficult to connect with people. Plus we moved into a great neighborhood where we were welcomed warmly - they even threw us a block party!

Our salaries got better when we moved here, and as you mentioned, COL is significantly lower. We save a bundle by being here and on top of that, our quality of life has improved dramatically. Our house here is much bigger and much nicer, and costs less. It is so much more peaceful, cleaner, the air is cleaner, the sunshine does so much for our health and our moods, we get a lot more exercise, we are less stressed, we can save more money - we are like new people!

Hope that helps and good luck with your decision.

[theurbanfiles]

Originally Posted by chopchop0

Oh yes it can, right down to the humidity

I suppose if humidity and temp are exactly the same, then yes, but even then we have to factor in dew point, and the fact that it generally doesn't hang around that type of temp (as the other poster mentioned, even on days like that it eventually goes back down into the upper 60s). I don't know how Cleveland's weather would equate with Upstate NY's or Chicago's, but I'd say growing up, there were typically <10 days in a summer when it was that hot, if there were any at all.