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First off, thanks to anyone who takes the time to read this to try and help out
My husband and I are looking to move to the Orlando area later this year but are just looking for some advice.
We are from a suburb of Chicago, and over the last 8 years, have moved back and fourt between Chicago and LA four, (yes, FOUR) times. All of our family is in Chicago, but he was offered a job out of College in LA about 7 years ago so we moved out there. Unforunately, I had a hard time adjusting being so far from family, so we moved back home a couple of times, the last time being this past June. Things were okay being back here but within about 4 months of us being back, my dad ended up being diagnoased with kidney and liver failure and a month after he was diagnoased he passed away. He was in icu, did hospice at home, it was awful. 90% of the reason I wanted to move back to IL was because I am so close with my dad, so this happened and it just destroyed me. The rest of our families are here, but between my dad being gone and having to drive around our town (same town my husband and I grew up in that we live in now and where my dad lived) I am having to constantly drive by places my dad loved here or places we went together and it's just a constant struggle. It may sound crazy but it is what it is. So anyways, I need to get out. I didn't like LA. Too many people, terrified of the risk of earthquakes (which I know is small, but I have really bad anxiety and worry about these things), and it was so crazy expensive. My husband and I don't have kids but are insane Disney freaks. We spent almost every weekend at Disneyland and since I don't like CA that much and Disneyworld is better imo anyways (ha) I thought why not move to Florida. However, I have some questions that will probably sound super dumb.
Again, let me remind you that I have anxiety and just worry about potential things.
I hate snakes. I have been trying to do as much research as I can to see if this move will be right for us, but am just having a hard time getting anything. I don't mind snakes outside. I won't be in ponds, lakes or basically anything other then a pool. But I read online about snakes or the huge palmetto (prob spelled wrong, sorry!) bugs getting into your house? We will be moving to an apartment, preferably on the top floor. I have a cat so I'm just worried about these things like getting in and eating her or something? (i'm sure at this point you think I'm crazy but I warned you I have bad anxiety!) Can snakes like sneak into your apartment through toilets or drains or something? It's not like I would be leaving doors open, but idk if there are other ways for them to get in. Again, I've never really worried about these bugs/animals so idk what to expect! We had snakes in CA but I never saw them. To be honest i'm just more worried about snakes/huge bugs getting into my apt and like eating my cat. (Again. i realize this may sound insane. lol) Is it super stupid to be afraid to move to Florida because I am worried about sinkholes/snakes/huge bugs getting into my apt?
What about sinkholes? We will be most likely living in the Winter Springs area- does that warrant any issues? From what I can tell that area seems to be pretty safe, but again, I'm going off what I'm reading. We are mainly trying to find a safe place not far from Disney.
I realize the weather is hot and humid, but I hate. HATE. The cold and snow and am just done with it!
Thank you to anyone who stuck with me through this post and for any advice you may have.
Sorry if my questions are whack but just needed to get some info before we make this huge move!
Never had a snake come inside the house. Very rarely even seen a snake and when I do outs it tuns away so fast I barely even get a chance to see it. I’ve lived on a lakefront home and a wooded backyard home. I sometimes see Palmetto or Roaches in the garage, but once again, not common. There are a lot of pest control companies tht do routine prevention service, so with that you aren’t going to encounter much of anything if not nothing inside your home. I have dogs too, with a doggy door that doesn’t close all the way too. Your cat will be fine. One of my dogs is a tiny Chihuahua and she frequently goes outside by herself. The weather is only hot and humid from June to September IMO. We do have a winter, it’s not like Chicago, but don’t donate all your jackets if you move here. I love the weather here for the most part. It’s so easy to do outdoor activities.
On the third floor you won’t have any issues with snakes. I have had (very small) snakes sneak into my homes when I lived in a SFH and in a ground floor apartment. My cat actually did catch and kill one! I’ve also never known anyone who has had one come through the pipes. They usually just slip in through cracks under doors.
I don’t think Winter Springs is prone to sinkholes. WS is almost an hour away from Disney.. there are other areas closer to the parks that are also nice (Dr. Phillips, Windermere, Winter Garden) you may want to check out.
My family is also from the Chicago area and we moved here 3 years ago. I love it here, but do be prepared for culture shock (though we do live in a semi-rural area, so it may be more blatant than elsewhere in Orlando area)!
I totally get how you feel about being away from the memories. My parents lived down the street from my family, and I had to pass their house every time I left our subdivision. When my Dad died, my mom was ill and moved in with me, but their house and all the memories were still there, every dang time I drove somewhere! Selling the house didn't help, but moving, well that certainly did take away the constant "hit in the heart" of memories. You won't necessarily feel less heartache, but you won't always have it at the forefront.
On to living in Florida!
We moved here with the express desire to not live on water. I do not want alligators, water moccasins, etc. My dogs LOVE water, and I had the fear of them being eaten. Instead we have 5 acres of sandy "soil" and lots of ants, bugs, more bugs, and the occasional snake that runs through the grass, doing what I want it to do (eat the bugs and small rodents - I have seen maybe 3 small, harmless snakes in 3 years). Also, make friends with lizards, because they are everywhere and they do a great job of eating the bugs!
I have screens on my doors and windows so there is not an influx of insects into my home. We also have a contract with an exterminator. I wouldn't live here without that.
I am not familiar with where you are looking so I can't give you any input on sinkholes, but they are one of my constant worries. Every indent in my yard is examined by me to make sure it is not a new sinkhole. My neighbours are life long Floridians and don't even give sinkholes a second though. Perhaps I may be like that too someday, but for now, this is still new and with a new and different place, there are other things that one will worry about if they are worriers.
I still love living here even with those worries.
It will get hot and humid. It gets hot and humid in the Chicago area, too! It does last longer here, but that's why we have air conditioning and a pool. And winter is FANTASTIC! Also, as a previous poster mentioned, do not get rid of all your winter clothing. This is my third winter here and for the first time, I am acclimated to the point that I actually wore socks, closed toed shoes, and a jacket for more than a day! I am on my way to becoming one of those Floridians that dresses for the cold in 65 degree weather! My friends up north will laugh at me, that's for sure. This may happen to you, too!
You will find many things about living here that are very different than what you are used to in the Chicago area. Some things will bother you to no end. But don't let that get in the way of all the great things about Florida living! Your list of great things may be different than mine, but in the big scheme of things, I would rather live here, where my Jasmine and Camellias are in bloom in February, than Chicago in February, where the snow is dirty now and the cold is biting and the lack of sunshine depressing. I love living here!
Hi all!
Thank you so SO much for responding! You guys have been super helpful. It's so hard trying to gather information about a place living nowhere near it, so all of your insights have definitely helped.
I just read another post where someone said baby aligators can come through your toilets, so there's that. That's the kind of info i'm gathering, lol.
I think I'm just such a worrier that I psych myself up for the "what ifs" and then begin to really worry. I hated CA because I was in such a constant fear of earthquakes. We had probably 6 in the time we lived there and I just was not a fan. I realize FL has hurricanes, but idk those don't seem to worry me as much which probably sounds dumb. And then theres the fact that I am from the MidWest but don't really think twice about living here even with tornadoes which sounds stupid considering when I was little one ripped right by my house. My logic is flawed, lol. I think it just doesn't worry me much here because I'm from here and realize they aren't very likely in the area I live in. But yet why I can't have that logic that a snake or huge roach isn't going to come into my apartment and eat my cat I have no idea. That's what I'm the most worried about and it sounds SO stupid. Gotta love anxiety!
Thanks again so much!0
Last edited by Hatethecoldweather87; 02-23-2019 at 03:11 PM..
If a baby gator or a snake came up the toilet it would make state wide news on tv... never seen or heard of it before, so I wouldn't worry about that at all.
We do get hurricanes here, but you will know much in advance. It won't be a surprise, so if you are truly worried, you have plenty of time to drive to Georgia until it passes.
Does anyone have any insights on sinkholes? I saw that the County Winter Springs is in seems to be pretty prone to getting them and saw about a huge one in an apt complex a few years ago.. is this something concerning?
Sinkholes happen primarily to the west of the Orlando metro area and its a rare phenomenon.
As for snakes most are non poisonous and I think I have seen 2 in my yard over decades.
Stop listening to myths that creatures are going to come up through your toilet or eat your cat.
Now unto the bugs!
Florida is a sub-tropical state so we have many insects so yes the Palmetto bugs aka "flying cockroaches" are real.
They are a lot scarier looking than threatening though.
Maintain a clean house and this really shouldn't be much of a problem.
As for your bug anxiety? At least you don't live in Japan :
We moved last year from Chicago suburbs and we love it! I bet I would be able to top you in the worry/anxiety department!!!! So important things: bugs are fine (HUGE fear of mine). I do all the yard work and I have seen them running for their lives but in a strange way they are fine (maybe bc they aren't sneaky about it???) We have had TWO big roaches get in the house - by accident they got in - and it wasn't as bad as I thought. We have great pest control. Snakes - I swear we saw a lot more snakes in Illinois (about 12 every summer, sometimes more). We have only seen one dead on the road here - when I do yard work, I sort of hit the bushes to check for any movement but so far NOTHING. Sinkholes - well yeah I am still nervous about them.... but like someone mentioned to me when I was asking questions is that it would make the news if it happened. Alligators - it took me 9 months to see my first one at a pond in our neighborhood - it was fine... he was small (less than four feet from nose to end of tail) and was just sunning himself.... I didn't actually get nervous at all. As far as homesickness goes - suddenly the places you didn't want to drive by have more meaning and you almost wish you could drive by them again, even if just to complain... The history, the inside out knowledge, the good, the bad, the ugly are all HUGE things I miss. Having said that, I would never move back. There is just a better quality of life here and the affordability and fun factor cant be beat! The scaries are not as bad as you are thinking BUT the homesickness is deep (as you know from your other moves)… I think if you are honest with yourself you will make the right decision. It will be a tough adjustment for a couple years maybe more... it takes time to make a place a home and even then it wont ever be your first home...
We’ve lived in FL for four years, also migrating from a northern state. Just about every one of your fears has reached mythical proportions in your mind. Your terror has no basis in reality, even though I can see how you could ratchet yourself into that frenzy based on the exaggerations of news reports and social media hype.
First, if you own a home or you live in just about ANY kind of structure in FL, the very first thing you address is the pest control issue. And this isn’t because roaches the size of toasters are going to break-in and eat Garfield. It’s because regular, run-of-the-mill insects (mostly ants) will harass you constantly if you don’t hire a good pest control company. Generally they treat the property once a quarter with chemical applications that build a barrier between you and the outside, and you will seldom (never) see a bug, large or small, in your home. That isn’t to say the insects OUTSIDE aren’t sometimes intimidating, but they’re all virtually harmless.
Snakes and alligators are also a non-issue. They’re far more afraid of you than you are of them. None have ever made it on to our screened patio, never mind the house. As someone pointed out earlier, they’re hard to see even in your yard because once they sense you, they’re bolting in the opposite direction. Alligators are water-loving sorts, so you will really only see them around bodies of water. If you don’t make a move toward them, you’ll have no issues.
Yes there are sink holes around, but they are almost ALWAYS identified before anyone is hurt. They’re rare, but when they show up authorities quickly move in and cordon off the area to mitigate injury. We live in Clermont, about 12 miles west of the Magic Kingdom and I don’t recall any appearing anywhere close to here. Frankly, it’s one of the reputational things about Florida that is wildly exaggerated because it seems to be unique to the state. But there are WAY less sinkholes here than there are earthquakes in CA or tornadoes in Illinois.
Hurricanes are an issue, but as I outlined an another post about Orlando, Central Florida (Orlando) is about as safe as you can get while still being in the state of Florida. The coastal regions suffer far more damage because of the power of the storms at landfall, and the interior regions are spared the worst of it because the systems lose most of their energy by the time they arrive. And as someone else pointed out, you have days, even a week in most cases, to make decisions about whether to evacuate or hunker down.
There are concerns about living in FL that are legitimate. If you don’t like heat and humidity, there are probably better places to live. The heat starts building during April and stays sticky until the end of October. But the Achilles heel is also its greatest strength — the winters are amazing. So it cuts both ways.
Crime can be a serious issue depending on where you choose to live. However, if you spend half a day doing some research, you can select a great community and be very safe and happy here.
Traffic is another gotcha if you’re not prepared for it. The Interstate 4 construction, coupled with the sheer volume of traffic on that artery and many of the other major roads that crisscross the Orlando area can drive you to distraction. But this is also a relative thing. If you’ve dealt with the zombie hordes in LA, Orlando is probably a walk in the park by comparison. And if you live here longer than a month, you learn alternate routes to get around, and when to avoid being on certain roads at certain times.
The cost of living is relative to where you came from. If you’re from NY, it’s lower. If you’re from SC, higher. We love it here (originally from NH) and have very little to complain about.
I truly believe if you can come to grips with the idea that everything you fear is either a non-issue or a wild exaggeration, you would LOVE living on the doorstep of the Mouse. And it’s a Mouse that will not eat your cat. :-)
I would recommend you plan a trip here before you make any life-changing decisions and spend as much time as you can sampling the area and alleviating your fears. It’s a terrific place to live. As I said in another post, what’s not to like about living in a place (Clermont) where I can look out our back patio and see the “Happily Ever After” fireworks exploding over Cinderella’s Castle every night?
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