Charlotte, NC Area To Orlando....Good Move? (Jacksonville, Miami: apartment, to rent)

[BabyBoomers2]

We are researching a move to the Orlando area, but like others, don't know much about it and would like to hear from some locals. We won't be making this move until after Oct. (at the latest, the first of '08).
What is the average age bracket there?
We are 59/60 yrs. old and into boating/fishing a lot. Wife will be looking for a Senior Accountant type job (has a Bachlor's Degree) and I have will be looking for job in Purchasing/Inventory Control-Management (no Degree, but Certification is possible).
We will be looking in the Internet for nice/but a cheaper houses to possibly buy. Or else, we will have to rent a nice apartment. Either way, we (like others) want to live in a nice and safe neighbor.
Currently, we are living just north of Charlotte in an apartment. Unfortunately, we aren't as interested in Charlotte, NC and the surrounding areas as we thought we'd be. We love boating, but Lake Norman/Wyle just isn't for us. We got here last Oct. 07.
We also checked out Jax, but we don't want to cross a bridge (over the river) everytime we go into Jax and there are a few other issues we had questions about in our minds.
We have been looking at Florida due to the "mild-to-no" winter at all. While living in Colorado I had two surgeries.....hip replacement and a rotor cup/shoulder surgery. Winters in the Denver metro area just gave me too much pain and the winter we went thru here in NC also affected the hip/shoulder too much.
My wife's brother, who is 57, lives on the Atlantic side of FL and loves it there.
So, any suggestions/help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Wilshire81182]

I would look into Lake county (Mt Dora or Clermont areas). There are several large lakes throughout the area that you can use for recreation. I am not as sure about fishing though.

Orlando does get about 1-2 days below freezing as an overnight low, but the highs are generally in the 60s and upward even in January. There are also several areas along the coasts (Palm Coast, Spring Hill coastal area north of Tampa, Naples, Vero Beach, St Pete) that are nice retirement areas.

Orlando has a fairly young demographic so it would not be on the top of my list of recommendations for your demographic because Orlando is bustling and rowdy compared to all areas of the state except Miami or other areas of South Florida. I generally think of young singles, young families, and college age kids making up Orlando itself.

If you are set on Orlando, I would look primarily into Seminole county, Lake Mary, Tuskawillia, Winter Springs, etc. where things are calmer and safer in general or Lake County like I previously mentioned.
I am not trying to make any generalized statements and apologize if it comes across this way, but I am trying to relate to what surroundings you are looking for and mentioned in your post. Let me know if you have any more questions or questions more specific to a defined area. I am 25 and know that Orlando works for me now, but would not necessarily be where I would want to live as I retire and don't have to commute.

[BabyBoomers2]

Ok, which is better to live "by", Orlando or Jacksonville? In this Thread/Forum, we are looking for the "good and bad" about Orlando, but will ask about Jax from people living in Orlando. We know that we will hear both from people who like it there and people who don't necessarily like it there (and would like to leave or have left).
Go on, bring on the comments.....we really do need to know!

[Wilshire81182]

I do not really like Jacksonville area myself at all but I have not researched it much to have a good reason not to like it. I just haven't heard many good things about it. I really like Orlando and the areas along the west coast by Tampa and Tampa itself for the most part. I also like South Florida but it is not the place I would recommend just anyone move to.

The good about Orlando: convenience, restaurants, entertainment, retail/shopping, clean, great weather, diversity, etc. Most of the advantages of a big city, nice older areas like Winter Park/Thornton Park.

The bad about Orlando: crime, traffic, bad drivers, toll roads, far from the beach/ocean, some rude people, low paying jobs.

Some of the pros as well as some of the cons are not unique to Orlando and are pros and cons of the whole state of Florida.

[BabyBoomers2]

Charlotte, NC and vicinity: crime, traffic, bad drivers, far from beach/ocean
(4 1/2 hrs.), unfriendly people and low paying jobs. Ok, next!

Originally Posted by Wilshire81182

I do not really like Jacksonville area myself


at all but I have not researched it much to have a good reason not to like it. I just haven't heard many good things about it. I really like Orlando and the areas along the west coast by Tampa and Tampa itself for the most part. I also like South Florida but it is not the place I would recommend just anyone move to.

The good about Orlando: convenience, restaurants, entertainment, retail/shopping, clean, great weather, diversity, etc. Most of the advantages of a big city, nice older areas like Winter Park/Thornton Park.

The bad about Orlando: crime, traffic, bad drivers, toll roads, far from the beach/ocean, some rude people, low paying jobs.

Some of the pros as well as some of the cons are not unique to Orlando and are pros and cons of the whole state of Florida.

[NowInGreenville]

One thing Central Florida isn't lacking are lakes. You could go to a different one each day of the year and still not see them all. Also, it is nice and hot here. Like the previous person responded, you might have to deal with a week of colder weather, 10 days tops. I hope humidity doesn't bother you too much.

[Wilshire81182]

You may also want to do a search on the prior forum comparing Orlando and Charlotte. Charlotte seemed to get many more recommendations at the time and you may get a better perspective from people who have lived in both. I have lived in other places outside FL, but not NC.

[compelled to reply]

Orlando and (despite common belief) Charlotte are both very high crime metro areas, some of the worst in the country. Charlotte is actually a little worse than Orlando. Also, a lot of rude people who complain alot about rude people are moving to Charlotte.

You know, I'm not 100% fond of either place but I prefer Charlotte to Orlando. It's just so much greener looking and they did a better job with their "uptown", and I like their big lakes better than the oversized sinkholes in the Orlando area.

If you like boating, mild winters, and want to change over to salt water, stay on the coast. I think many of the coastal cities offer a higher all around quality of life as well. I even think extreme SE Florida has more to offer as a place to live, especially for couples without children. I think the OP should check out the Space Coast all the way down to Vero Beach.

[surfer boy]

"Charlotte, NC and vicinity: crime, traffic, bad drivers, far from beach/ocean
(4 1/2 hrs.), unfriendly people and low paying jobs. Ok, next!"

Nothing like Orlando though. If you think crime, traffic, bad drivers, rude and unfriendly people describes Charlotte NC, then you havent seen nothing yet. Typically, this is exactly how Orlando is described, I have never heard the same for Charlotte NC.

[dbansal]

I'm currently living about 50/50 in both cities, I definitely prefer Orlando, though I like Charlotte as well. No point rehashing the discussion, there was a Charlotte vs. Orlando thread recently in both the Charlotte and Orlando forums.