Moving Orlando (Winter Park, Baldwin: extended stay, sale, apartments)

[Bobbyg44]

Hello everyone. I will be moving to Orlando in November from Philadelphia. I will be managing a restaurant opening at The Pointe on I drive. My hours are odd so traffic is not much of a problem. I grew up in the inner city so I feel as though if you stay alert and street smart you can avoid a lot of dangerous situations. Philadelphia is known for its murder rate. I am single and looking to rent in an area with some entertainment, local not tourist. Looking to pay about $1000 a month rent for 1/1 or 2/2. Any ideas? Thanks for the help.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by Bobbyg44

I grew up in the inner city so I feel as though if you stay alert and street smart you can avoid a lot of dangerous situations. Philadelphia is known for its murder rate.

Murder rates typically don't even apply to you unless you

A. Date/married a very unstable person.
B. Regularly buy illegal drugs.
C. Are a gang member.
D. Get into a lot of "disputes"/**** people off a lot

People getting shot or stabbed in robberies is much, much rarer and random shootings or some random person running up the street looking to beat you up for no reason is very, very, rare.

HOWEVER, in ORLANDO, you don't have a "street" kind of envrionment. It all looks "nice" compared to the "grimy" Philadelphia. That's why several people in Orlando get shot in robberies and home invasions, something that does affect the random person. Street smarts don't matter because it is a suburban envrionment, and crimes are not as quick, but there are a lot of places to hide so you won't get much sketchy "feel". It's not like typical "street crime" at all, and nothing like walking through north Philly. Granted, a lot of the victims were complacent, but some were not. Now, I'm not saying your going to get popped for 20 dollars, there are still good sides of town and bad sides of town, but I am just saying not to come with the Northeastern "where I come from is worse" attitude because it is naive and, quite frankly, outdated. If you don't you will be fine. And I AM "from" the North but it doesn't matter, I'm in Florida now, it is what it is.

Anyway, not every neighborhood in Orlando is like that, but that is the dynamic of most of the "bad" neighborhoods. The thing is, a decent amount of that kind of crime also spills into the "good" neighborhoods although your chances are lower.

Anyway, filling your requirement for "local" fun is going to involve a commute. If you aren't going to be leaving at rush hour on I-4, check out the Park Ave area in Winter Park. You might be able to score a 1 bedroom for 1,000 a month, but choose your neighborhood wisely. Try to stay east of Park Ave instead of west. But to be honest, the "local" entertainment options aren't going to match where you are coming from at all.

[GloryB]

You can check online for any number of rental service sites that give a great description and even floor plans of the wide variety of apartments and condos in the area. You may want to rent an extended stay hotel for a couple of weeks and check out where the best place will be for you. It's off season, so you can also get good deals on week/month condo and villa rentals.

The biggest mistake I made when I moved here a couple of months ago, is not scoping out the area in relationship to my job BEFORE I rented.

And...if you don't speak Spanish...you may want to go online and pick up a few phrases. I went to KMart the other day and couldn't read the sale signs.

[Granny Sue]

Originally Posted by Bobbyg44

Hello everyone. I will be moving to Orlando in November from Philadelphia. I will be managing a restaurant opening at The Pointe on I drive. My hours are odd so traffic is not much of a problem. I grew up in the inner city so I feel as though if you stay alert and street smart you can avoid a lot of dangerous situations. Philadelphia is known for its murder rate. I am single and looking to rent in an area with some entertainment, local not tourist. Looking to pay about $1000 a month rent for 1/1 or 2/2. Any ideas? Thanks for the help.

You will find that Orlando isn't the same as Philly. Don't even try to compare.

To answer your question, you might want to try the Dr Phillips area. It will be easy access to Pointe Orlando and a lot of locals hang out there.

[Crane's Rooster]

I would suggest Downtown (Thornton Park), Winter Park (Park Ave specifically as someone else suggested), Dr. Phillips/Sand Lake area (This would be the most convenient for you, commute wise and good restaurants), and Baldwin Park. With the falling prices, I think you could find a 1/1 in any of those areas in your price range. You could definitely do 2/2 if you got a roommate. Based on your situation you will have no problem finding things to do after work immediately around your job but it will be all tourist. Because of the restaurant hours I would strongly recommend living downtown. That way even if you got home from work late you could still easily get changed and still go out without having to travel far or get back into your car. No its is not Philly but Thornton Park is nice hip place for young singles. They just opened a Publix supermarket across from Lake Eola Park, plenty of good dinging and there are some retail shops there too. You could live there now without having to use your car for much else except getting to and from work.

[Bobbyg44]

Thanks for the help.

Originally Posted by GloryB

You can check online for any number of rental service sites that give a great description and even floor plans of the wide variety of apartments and condos in the area. You may want to rent an extended stay hotel for a couple of weeks and check out where the best place will be for you. It's off season, so you can also get good deals on week/month condo and villa rentals.

The biggest mistake I made when I moved here a couple of months ago, is not scoping out the area in relationship to my job BEFORE I rented.

And...if you don't speak Spanish...you may want to go online and pick up a few phrases. I went to KMart the other day and couldn't read the sale signs.

[Bobbyg44]

I appricate the advice. I think I did not convey my point properly. I just wanted to state that there are good area's and bad. I would like to not live in a bad area and raise my chances for finding violence. Violence has no boundries, it can happen anywhere.

Originally Posted by compelled to reply

Murder rates typically don't even apply to you unless you

A. Date/married a very unstable person.
B. Regularly buy illegal drugs.
C. Are a gang member.
D. Get into a lot of "disputes"/**** people off a lot

People getting shot or stabbed in robberies is much, much rarer and random shootings or some random person running up the street looking to beat you up for no reason is very, very, rare.

HOWEVER, in ORLANDO, you don't have a "street" kind of envrionment. It all looks "nice" compared to the "grimy" Philadelphia. That's why several people in Orlando get shot in robberies and home invasions, something that does affect the random person. Street smarts don't matter because it is a suburban envrionment, and crimes are not as quick, but there are a lot of places to hide so you won't get much sketchy "feel". It's not like typical "street crime" at all, and nothing like walking through north Philly. Granted, a lot of the victims were complacent, but some were not. Now, I'm not saying your going to get popped for 20 dollars, there are still good sides of town and bad sides of town, but I am just saying not to come with the Northeastern "where I come from is worse" attitude because it is naive and, quite frankly, outdated. If you don't you will be fine. And I AM "from" the North but it doesn't matter, I'm in Florida now, it is what it is.

Anyway, not every neighborhood in Orlando is like that, but that is the dynamic of most of the "bad" neighborhoods. The thing is, a decent amount of that kind of crime also spills into the "good" neighborhoods although your chances are lower.

Anyway, filling your requirement for "local" fun is going to involve a commute. If you aren't going to be leaving at rush hour on I-4, check out the Park Ave area in Winter Park. You might be able to score a 1 bedroom for 1,000 a month, but choose your neighborhood wisely. Try to stay east of Park Ave instead of west. But to be honest, the "local" entertainment options aren't going to match where you are coming from at all.

[Bobbyg44]

Thanks for the advice.

Originally Posted by Kali's Grandma

You will find that Orlando isn't the same as Philly. Don't even try to compare.

To answer your question, you might want to try the Dr Phillips area. It will be easy access to Pointe Orlando and a lot of locals hang out there.

[Bobbyg44]

Crane thanks for the advice it has been very helpful.

Originally Posted by Crane's Rooster

I would suggest Downtown (Thornton Park), Winter Park (Park Ave specifically as someone else suggested), Dr. Phillips/Sand Lake area (This would be the most convenient for you, commute wise and good restaurants), and Baldwin Park. With the falling prices, I think you could find a 1/1 in any of those areas in your price range. You could definitely do 2/2 if you got a roommate. Based on your situation you will have no problem finding things to do after work immediately around your job but it will be all tourist. Because of the restaurant hours I would strongly recommend living downtown. That way even if you got home from work late you could still easily get changed and still go out without having to travel far or get back into your car. No its is not Philly but Thornton Park is nice hip place for young singles. They just opened a Publix supermarket across from Lake Eola Park, plenty of good dinging and there are some retail shops there too. You could live there now without having to use your car for much else except getting to and from work.

[Crane's Rooster]

Originally Posted by Bobbyg44

I appricate the advice. I think I did not convey my point properly. I just wanted to state that there are good area's and bad. I would like to not live in a bad area and raise my chances for finding violence. Violence has no boundries, it can happen anywhere.

You've lived in Philly, you seem street smart and probaly more so than alot of people who watch the news too often. You will likely be more than fine in the areas recommended. I've lived in alot of places that are statistically safer than Orlando but in reality are places you have to be more careful in those places than you would here. In general, I find most of the Northeast is that way and since you're moving from the NE I think you'll be fine as long as your smart here as you were there. There are some bad areas of Orlando, but I don't think they would rival South Philly.