Relocating from Dallas TX - Tampa or Orlando? (Miami, Clearwater: crime, house)

[febrero]

My company will pay for relocation and I can choose either Orlando or Tampa areas.

We have a 8yr and 5yr they are both in the GATE program (Gifted and talented education ) here in dallas.

So trying to get something similar in Florida.

First we need some feedback about pros and cons of the two cities.

Then for the Orlando area.
Looking to buy a house ~250k and schools are very important....

Thanks in advance.

[Wilshire81182]

I think Orlando is more like Dallas culturally (upscale, urban, more going on, etc.) but to a lesser degree. Orlando definitely has more to do than Tampa.
Tampa has the edge when it comes to professional sporting events and the beach being so close. Tampa overall is pretty gritty and has a lot of rundown areas.

Orlando has better shopping and dining, more charming older areas like Thornton Park, Winter Park and College Park. I would think that both areas are going to have a couple good specialized schools, but that will require research and suggestions from others with more experience.

Orlando has a good centralized location. Both cities have a lot of college age populations, Orlando even more. Tampa area has more elderly. Orlando has a slight edge when it comes to diversity. Orlando has a larger airport, though both are convenient.

Tampa is close to some cool parts of Florida like Sarasota, Clearwater, Siesta Key and Sanibel Island, Naples, etc. It is just not very convenient to Miami if you ever needed to get there. They also have an edge on cultural amenities like the zoo, aquarium, museums, etc.

Areas I would look in Orlando are: Dr Phillips, Lake Mary, Oviedo, Lake Nona, Hunters Creek, College Park, Colonialtown, Delaney Park, Winter Park, Downtown/Thornton Park, Longwood, Winter Springs, Windermere, Baldwin Park, Celebration.

Areas I would look in Tampa: South Tampa/Hyde Park, West Chase, Oldsmar, Clearwater, St Pete (especially closer to the beach areas), Brandon, Sarasota (little further out), though I admittedly know a lot less about Tampa than Orlando.

[GABMER]

Originally Posted by Wilshire81182

I think Orlando is more like Dallas culturally (upscale, urban, more going on, etc.) but to a lesser degree. Orlando definitely has more to do than Tampa.
Tampa has the edge when it comes to professional sporting events and the beach being so close. Tampa overall is pretty gritty and has a lot of rundown areas.

Orlando has better shopping and dining, more charming older areas like Thornton Park, Winter Park and College Park. I would think that both areas are going to have a couple good specialized schools, but that will require research and suggestions from others with more experience.

Orlando has a good centralized location. Both cities have a lot of college age populations, Orlando even more. Tampa area has more elderly. Orlando has a slight edge when it comes to diversity. Orlando has a larger airport, though both are convenient.

Tampa is close to some cool parts of Florida like Sarasota, Clearwater, Siesta Key and Sanibel Island, Naples, etc. It is just not very convenient to Miami if you ever needed to get there. They also have an edge on cultural amenities like the zoo, aquarium, museums, etc.

Areas I would look in Orlando are: Dr Phillips, Lake Mary, Oviedo, Lake Nona, Hunters Creek, College Park, Colonialtown, Delaney Park, Winter Park, Downtown/Thornton Park, Longwood, Winter Springs, Windermere, Baldwin Park, Celebration.

Areas I would look in Tampa: South Tampa/Hyde Park, West Chase, Oldsmar, Clearwater, St Pete (especially closer to the beach areas), Brandon, Sarasota (little further out), though I admittedly know a lot less about Tampa than Orlando.

Have you ever been to Dallas? Orlando is nothing like Dallas. It will definately be a cultural shock.

[Pete C]

Originally Posted by GABMER

Have you ever been to Dallas? Orlando is nothing like Dallas. It will definately be a cultural shock.

Not really if you live in the core areas of Orlando. I lived in Atlanta, which is considered to be on par with Dallas in pretty much every way culturally. Orlando is similar to those cities but on a much smaller scale. The only thing that Orlando is lacking compared to those cities are museums and sports.

I would also add that many Orlando schools are not up to par, nor are most schools in Florida with other major cities.

[GABMER]

Originally Posted by Pete C

Not really if you live in the core areas of Orlando. I lived in Atlanta, which is considered to be on par with Dallas in pretty much every way culturally. Orlando is similar to those cities but on a much smaller scale. The only thing that Orlando is lacking compared to those cities are museums and sports.

I would also add that many Orlando schools are not up to par, nor are most schools in Florida with other major cities.

Pete I have been in Dallas many times and believe me it is nothing like Orlando. YOu are right about education it is one of the worst here in Florida.

[Wilshire81182]

Originally Posted by GABMER

Have you ever been to Dallas? Orlando is nothing like Dallas. It will definately be a cultural shock.

I was mainly comparing Tampa and Orlando. I said very little about Dallas in my post. I have been there and have family there.

[Miserable Midwest]

There's no clear-cut answer. But I'll throw in my two cents:

Advantages of Orlando over Tampa:
- Bigger airport with more direct flights
- Overall higher class of people
- Far more activities for your kids
- NBA franchise
- Closer to the Space Center
- Better shopping
- Younger population
- Cleaner city

Advantages of Tampa over Orlando:
- Slightly lower housing costs
- NFL, MLB and NHL franchises
- Right next to the beaches
- Slightly better weather (a little more bearable in the summer due to the sea breeze, less chance of frost for tropical plants)
- Few toll roads
- Natural beauty (the Bay, the Gulf)
- 2 daily newspaper choices
- Less cookie-cutter neighborhoods


I'd say crime and schools are probably a wash. There are good and bad areas in both cities. Orlando has more restaurant choices, but is more reliant on national chains. Orlando is definitely more conservative than Tampa, but whether this is a pro or con depends on your political beliefs. Traffic is probably a wash. The Tampa Bay area is quite a bit bigger in terms of population, but whether that is a pro or con depends on what you are looking for.

It's all going to boil down to your personal preferences. If you think you'd be a beach person, then you might want to consider Pinellas County. You could live in Clearwater and be a few minutes from the beach and still be within 30 minutes of Tampa. In Orlando, you're less than hour from the Atlantic Beaches, but (in my opinion) they aren't as nice as the Gulf Beaches. Some people prefer the Atlantic Beaches though. It's just a matter of personal preference.

With young kids, you may be more likely to spend free time at the theme parks. In that case, Orlando may be better for you. In the Tampa Bay area, it's about 75-90 minutes drive to the theme parks. So if you think you'd go often, that's something to consider.

I don't golf, but I hear Orlando has a better selection of golf courses. Tampa has more professional sports, but that depends on whether you even care about going to games.

You probably ought to take a week and spend 3 days or so in each area. What one person likes, another person hates. Only you can really decide which area appeals to you more.

[Miserable Midwest]

Originally Posted by Wilshire81182

Tampa is close to some cool parts of Florida like Sarasota, Clearwater, Siesta Key and Sanibel Island, Naples, etc. It is just not very convenient to Miami if you ever needed to get there.

235 miles vs. 279 miles. Unless you go there quite a bit, I don't think the extra 44 miles is that much different.

Areas I would look in Tampa: South Tampa/Hyde Park, West Chase, Oldsmar, Clearwater, St Pete (especially closer to the beach areas), Brandon, Sarasota (little further out), though I admittedly know a lot less about Tampa than Orlando.

I agree with all of those except I'd probably strike Brandon. Brandon is so far from the beach that it really negates what is arguably Tampa's biggest selling point. At 54 minutes to Clearwater Beach (according to Mapquest), I think I'd rather live in Orlando.

[GLS2010]

Originally Posted by GABMER

Pete I have been in Dallas many times and believe me it is nothing like Orlando. YOu are right about education it is one of the worst here in Florida.

metro Orlando actually has some pretty good schools. And FL in general has improved tremendously these passed few years. It used to be ranked near the end of the list, now I belive it's in the top 10 or 20.

[Pete C]

Originally Posted by Miserable Midwest

There's no clear-cut answer. But I'll throw in my two cents:

Advantages of Orlando over Tampa:
- Bigger airport with more direct flights
- Overall higher class of people
- Far more activities for your kids
- NBA franchise
- Closer to the Space Center
- Better shopping
- Younger population
- Cleaner city

Advantages of Tampa over Orlando:
- Slightly lower housing costs
- NFL, MLB and NHL franchises
- Right next to the beaches
- Slightly better weather (a little more bearable in the summer due to the sea breeze, less chance of frost for tropical plants)
- Few toll roads
- Natural beauty (the Bay, the Gulf)
- 2 daily newspaper choices
- Less cookie-cutter neighborhoods


I'd say crime and schools are probably a wash. There are good and bad areas in both cities. Orlando has more restaurant choices, but is more reliant on national chains. Orlando is definitely more conservative than Tampa, but whether this is a pro or con depends on your political beliefs. Traffic is probably a wash. The Tampa Bay area is quite a bit bigger in terms of population, but whether that is a pro or con depends on what you are looking for.

It's all going to boil down to your personal preferences. If you think you'd be a beach person, then you might want to consider Pinellas County. You could live in Clearwater and be a few minutes from the beach and still be within 30 minutes of Tampa. In Orlando, you're less than hour from the Atlantic Beaches, but (in my opinion) they aren't as nice as the Gulf Beaches. Some people prefer the Atlantic Beaches though. It's just a matter of personal preference.

With young kids, you may be more likely to spend free time at the theme parks. In that case, Orlando may be better for you. In the Tampa Bay area, it's about 75-90 minutes drive to the theme parks. So if you think you'd go often, that's something to consider.

I don't golf, but I hear Orlando has a better selection of golf courses. Tampa has more professional sports, but that depends on whether you even care about going to games.

You probably ought to take a week and spend 3 days or so in each area. What one person likes, another person hates. Only you can really decide which area appeals to you more.

Nice post...you pretty much nailed it. I would add that Orlando has a more walkable downtown and better ethnic restaurant scene such as Indian, Greek, Mediterranean, Persian, Thai, etc...and these are local places. If you look on Yelp, there are very few of these kinds of restaurants around in Tampa. Very odd considering it is much larger. Regarding chain restaurants, there are loads of them in Orlando...some bad, some good, but there are actually plenty of very good local spots outside of the tourism area in the core city areas.