So....should I stay here in Philly or move there to Orlando area.... (Oviedo: new home, to buy)

[beckycat]

The best schools are definately in Seminole County! There maybe a realtor's website that allows you to search by neighborhood. Just do searches for Lake Mary or Longwood and your price range and you can see what's available. And, yes craigslist is great for this!

[tatiana1]

Originally Posted by beckycat

The best schools are definately in Seminole County! There maybe a realtor's website that allows you to search by neighborhood. Just do searches for Lake Mary or Longwood and your price range and you can see what's available. And, yes craigslist is great for this!

What exactly is the price range of condos these days?

[beckycat]

Originally Posted by tatiana1

What exactly is the price range of condos these days?

You can get a decent condo for $120K.

[FloGrownGrl]

I don't know anything about Philly, but Orlando is *****e. Traffic is horrendous, when I lived there I didn't even go out of the house between the hours of 2pm-7pm, but then again you live in Philly, so it could be worse there - I wouldn't know. It's really just a really crappy area..majority of residents throughout Orlando and beyond are students or thugs, depending on what side of town you're on. This city was built for the both of them.

You should try to come down for a couple days and stay IN Winter Park and drive around so you can see what it's like and take it all in.
I would not recommend this city for anyone, it's only good for those who are attending college and only have FL schools as an option.

It's definitely not a place you want to start or raise a family.

[psonio7]

Originally Posted by PrettyMissAshley

I don't know anything about Philly, but Orlando is *****e. Traffic is horrendous, when I lived there I didn't even go out of the house between the hours of 2pm-7pm, but then again you live in Philly, so it could be worse there - I wouldn't know.

Personally, While Philly may have more history and a sense of where it came from and where its going, Orlando does have some more advantages. The weather is gray, cold and just depressing all winter. Believe it or not, the summers feel more humid and hotter than Orlando due to all the pollution. The traffic is easier to navigate Orlando. If you know the ways around the I-4 parking lot bottle necks.

I will agree that Orlando is a young town. Its an attractive place to attract students (and thugs), but given a few years the population will mature. The transience of the City is what hurts it right now. But most people are staying. You can't tell me areas like Lake Mary, Winter Springs, and Oviedo are not the kind of places to raise families. They are almost perfect compared to areas in Philly where, unless you are rich, your neighborhood will have some bad apples with drugs and thugs.

[Alphaman]

I have been living in Orlando for 25 years and I can personally tell you it`s not all thugs and students, there are all kinds of people and families here enjoying the parks and recreation.....Maybe if some people would get out of the house they would find that out.

Some areas are very transient but you have to look around and find something that suits you, different areas of the Orlando metro are very different.

[ucfjtm]

Originally Posted by PrettyMissAshley

I don't know anything about Philly, but Orlando is *****e. Traffic is horrendous, when I lived there I didn't even go out of the house between the hours of 2pm-7pm, but then again you live in Philly, so it could be worse there - I wouldn't know. It's really just a really crappy area..majority of residents throughout Orlando and beyond are students or thugs, depending on what side of town you're on. This city was built for the both of them.

You should try to come down for a couple days and stay IN Winter Park and drive around so you can see what it's like and take it all in.
I would not recommend this city for anyone, it's only good for those who are attending college and only have FL schools as an option.

It's definitely not a place you want to start or raise a family.

I've lived and traveled the country (including Philly), and I'd have to agree with this entire post, especially the last line. I can think of a multitude of cities that I'd rather raise a family in, which is a big reason why I'll be leaving in about a year.

Now, since you're set on Florida, I'd pick the Tampa/St. Pete area in a heartbeat over Orlando. There's more to do and the beaches are nicer. Since you're discussing Florida, DEFINITELY stay in Seminole county (Lake Mary, Longwood, Winter Springs, Oviedo) over Orange county (most of Orlando south of Seminole county) for schools. I've got enough teacher friends who have related the difference with the students (soon to be your kids' friends) and their parents. $275k may not go very far in Lake Mary, but that's the area I'd start looking at in Orlando. I currently live in Oviedo.

[Parrotrosie]

Originally Posted by psonio7

Personally, While Philly may have more history and a sense of where it came from and where its going, Orlando does have some more advantages. The weather is gray, cold and just depressing all winter. Believe it or not, the summers feel more humid and hotter than Orlando due to all the pollution. The traffic is easier to navigate Orlando. If you know the ways around the I-4 parking lot bottle necks.

I will agree that Orlando is a young town. Its an attractive place to attract students (and thugs), but given a few years the population will mature. The transience of the City is what hurts it right now. But most people are staying. You can't tell me areas like Lake Mary, Winter Springs, and Oviedo are not the kind of places to raise families. They are almost perfect compared to areas in Philly where, unless you are rich, your neighborhood will have some bad apples with drugs and thugs.

I love Historic Philly...when I get there...I generally hate going into the city because its dirty and crime ridden, and full of traffic. I try and take the train. but I then I have to explain the homeless, and the drunks and the drug addicts on the way to my ten year old.

We have grown to hate the cold , gray dreary winters that seem endless from November until March with nothing but Thanksgiving and Christmas in there to look forward to. The industrial pollution has made my asthma grow worse over the years (I didnt actually get it until about 7-8 years ago) and I thought the Florida humidity might make it worse but upon looking that up, PA is #8 for asthma sufferers and Fl is about #38...go figure...so I was interested to hear about your comment that it actually feels more humid here due to pollution, etc.

Pretty Miss Ashley....
I am sure all the families that choose to live in this city (and that would be true of cities anywhere...) are going to be happy to know that they have chosen poorly to raise their families according to some of your other folks opinions here......

I think cities can be great places to raise a family! It all depends what you are looking for in an environment. I choose the suburbs, but when I visit with city friends...they show my daughter all the neat things the cities have to offer and she is jealous that we don't live in the city! So I would tread lightly with your opinions that one cannot raise a family well in the city, whatever the environment because that is just not true. It is a factor in a decision we make, but certainly not the only factor. So I would appreciate positive comments (and the comments don't have to be all on the up side...just constructively made...thanks!)

Tampa / St Pete are not on my Radar as the job hubby is looking at is in Winter Park, so ..trying to stay local to his job. Given a choice between the city I am at, and the city there....yours is more appealing...lol , and while the crime per capita is about equal, the population of my city is about seven times the size, so seven times the crime...and we tend to kill more frequently here than you do there... Soooooo....add in sun all the time mostly...and , no snow...and Disney, and .....no state income taxes, and ...oh, wait...you all have hurricanes and alligators...so...,, still looking pretty good down there...haha!

[psonio7]

Originally Posted by Parrotrosie

I love Historic Philly...when I get there...I generally hate going into the city because its dirty and crime ridden, and full of traffic.

I noticed there is no pretty way to get into philly. I-95 is disgusting both directions. Come over one of the bridges? Industrial waste land. Or you drove through Camden on the Ben Franklin. I-76 is probably the nicest way in, you'll have plenty of time to check out the scenery since your average speed is about 10 mph.

and we tend to kill more frequently here than you do there... Soooooo....add in sun all the time mostly...and , no snow...and Disney, and .....no state income taxes, and ...oh, wait...you all have hurricanes and alligators...so...,, still looking pretty good down there...haha!

Wow! I was looking at murder rates for Philly and there are more murders than days during a year. Its ridiculous.

Personally I noticed the cost of living was lower in Florida than PA. I had more money left over in Orlando than I ever did in Philly.

From one Philly native to another I would say Central Florida is a breath of fresh air, a big one.

[beckycat]

and while the crime per capita is about equal, the population of my city is about seven times the size, so seven times the crime...and we tend to kill more frequently here than you do there.


Maybe in Orlando, but not Lake Mary or Longwood. The crime here is very low! Look it up on Sperling's Best Places to Live. Crime is 2 out of 10.