for those who love Orlando, which things do you like least about it? (Miami: transplants, rent)

[Ping322]

I think that Orlando has a lot going for it, but I thought that this thread might be helpful for those wanting a full view of the city.

I really love the weather (golfing outside in shorts in February is amazing), and I love all that Florida has to offer, and I love parking my car on Park Ave in Winter Park early on a Saturday morning and enjoy the beautiful architecture and beautiful plants and flowers.

Here is what I like least:
-east coast time (PT for the win!)
-how dead downtown Orlando can be at times, especially during a Saturday or Sunday afternoon
-how often it gets cloudy; frustrating how quickly a beautiful morning sunshine can change
-the pathetically low teacher pay
-being in Florida but not by a beach
-the landscape is very boring aesthetically; no beaches or mountains or elevation changes (it's signature image is a manmade lake)
-if you're looking to find a typical office job, there are far fewer than cities such as Charlotte, Atlanta, Philly, etc., so it will probably take longer to find a job in Orlando than in those (bigger) cities, and it could be tough to find a new job in Orlando if your current job ends.


I would strongly recommend Orlando to most people: it's cheaper than most cities with this quantity of people and with this much to do, the weather makes life fun when northeners are stuck inside their house, and you have some of the best beaches in the world within a reasonable drive. finally, as a city of transplants, it's fairly easy to meet new people.

[bmw335xi]

Overall, I'm really happy living in Orlando, previously lived in California, Washington, Alaska and Australia.

However, things that I don't like or think is missing:

1) No downtown shopping district (why it's quiet during the day if there are no events)
2) Limited Asian culture & influence
3) No mountains or hills
4) Limited entry-level professional jobs resulting in "brain drain"
5) Flash storms during summer months

*forgot to add*

6) Traffic Light Syncing / Timing

[Arcenal813]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

Overall, I'm really happy living in Orlando, previously lived in California, Washington, Alaska and Australia.

However, things that I don't like or think is missing:

1) No downtown shopping district (why it's quiet during the day if there are no events)
2) Limited Asian culture & influence
3) No mountains or hills
4) Limited entry-level professional jobs resulting in "brain drain"
5) Flash storms during summer months

Agree with 1, 4 and 5.

1 especially. I work downtown, and it sucks that pretty much the only thing to do outside of work is eat and get drunk.

[firmbizzle]

Traffic.

[jamary1]

Traffic, definitely.

[LakeOntarioLiving]

Traffic? LOL its cake compared to most places.

But, the reason I moved out was Orlando's horrible city planning / zoning laws. It lacks nice cute little downtown areas, and its just way too sprawly. Probably the worst layout in the country.

Also i hate how there isnt a good public transportation service.

[Arcenal813]

Originally Posted by LakeOntarioLiving

Traffic? LOL its cake compared to most places.

But, the reason I moved out was Orlando's horrible city planning / zoning laws. It lacks nice cute little downtown areas, and its just way too sprawly. Probably the worst layout in the country.

Also i hate how there isnt a good public transportation service.

Compared to "most" places? I highly disagree with you there. For a city its size, it's absolute trash. And it has everything to do with poor city planning.

As for lacking of "little downtown areas..." I'm not quite with you there. There are tons, all over the place...

Downtown Mount Dora
Downtown Winter Park (not even counting WP Village)
Baldwin Park
Downtown Kissimmee
Old Town (maybe a bit too touristy for some...)
Downtown Winter Garden
College Park
Downtown Tavares

... To name some.

[germanoricua]

Originally Posted by Arcenal352

Agree with 1, 4 and 5.

1 especially. I work downtown, and it sucks that pretty much the only thing to do outside of work is eat and get drunk.

You should learn salsa dancing ! IMO Orlando is the best place outside of Puerto Rico to dance salsa (San Juan/Puerto Rico is the best place for me!). I like the salsa clubs here much better than in New York. There are good salsa clubs here with an authentic Puerto Rican (or Colombian, if you prefer Colombian salsa) vibe.

There are great Latin fiestas with famous artists and bands (that we have on CD) all year around, sometimes for free outdoors in parks or downtown.

That is the main reason I love Orlando so much. With this comes the friendly vibe, the friendly people here and the fact that I speak more Spanish than English (both foreign languages for me). I love Latin America, and Orlando has places where you feel like being in Latin America.

Other reasons:
- The weather: sun all year around, palm trees, beaches at a fairly short distance. I can wear my summer dresses and sandals almost all year around.

- We have 4 (!) Latin radio stations programmed in our cars (there are more but these are the ones with the type of music we prefer). We switch depending on where in the city we receive which station. For salsa lovers, the best in our opinion is the Kissimmee station Latino 99.7 (LATINO 99 FM). Unfortunately, its reception is limited to Kissimmee but you can listen to it over the internet or e. g. via Roku.

I feel very blessed to be able to live in Orlando!

[doom1001]

Originally Posted by Arcenal352

Compared to "most" places? I highly disagree with you there. For a city its size, it's absolute trash. And it has everything to do with poor city planning.

As for lacking of "little downtown areas..." I'm not quite with you there. There are tons, all over the place...

Downtown Mount Dora
Downtown Winter Park (not even counting WP Village)
Baldwin Park
Downtown Kissimmee
Old Town (maybe a bit too touristy for some...)
Downtown Winter Garden
College Park
Downtown Tavares

... To name some.

I think if you take I-4 out of the equation traffic in Orlando is great,everytime I go back to visit Miami I realize just how much better traffic is up here,granted I dont really need to take I-4 on a regular basis but believe me aside from certain times of the year when everyone and their grandma is in town traffic is easy peasy,I do agree that transportation planning and public transportation have a long way to go,and with the way the city is growing it needs to improve.I totally agree on the little downtown areas,theres tons of areas that fit that mold.

[Ping322]

Orlando is a much more liveable city, IMO. Doom is definitely correct that there is far less traffic. I suppose Miami might have more high-end and crazy restaurants and nightlife (along with the beaches), if that's your cup of tea.

Florida's minimum wage is still a (IMO) pathetically low $8.25.

I wholeheartedly agree with the poster who wrote, "Limited entry-level professional jobs resulting in "brain drain"". I'd be fascinated to find out what percentage of UCF's nearly 10,000 annual graduates obtain "professional-quality" jobs, or at least jobs that pay enough to justify the cost of student loans.

Another thing worth adding is that, among the 20 largest metros in the country, the Orlando metro area has recently experienced the highest rent increases in the area (though these are now basically in line with the national average). Orlando has the third-lowest median income among top 25 metros.

So that's basically my thing with Orlando. If you're fortunate to land a decent-paying job ('decent' in the eye of the beholder ... 50k? 70k?) you can live much more comfortably in Orlando than you would be able to live elsewhere. But there definitely aren't as many quick, immediate opportunities to land a decent paying job in Orlando as there might be elsewhere. Having said that, if you're moving into the Orlando area as a $90k nurse practioner, and you don't need the *coolness* of a city like NYC or Seattle, I think that you will enjoy Orlando.