Moving to Florida assistance thread.

[BridetobeDisney]

We are planning to move in the next 3-5 years too. I'm not sure where in the area we want to move though. No more than an hour drive to Disney.

I've been reading everybody's comments on the humidity, heat, etc. I guess I'm all set for that kind of stuff. I'm from middle GA and we have just as much heat and humidity as Orlando does. We visited MK in July last year and it felt the same as Macon. However, it does get coldish (20's) here sometimes and I can't take it. I hate cold whether. A friend who lives in Jacksonville told me I'd be giving up my winter if I moved to FL. Well, I'd much rather be at the beach on Christmas day like she was than wearing my scarf, boots and sweater in Macon rolleyes: it was in the 50's).

Also, as far as teacher pay goes. I'll have my T-5 cert. in library media at the end of May. I've compared teacher salaries in middle GA and Orlando and it seems the same. The problem is that the cost of living in Central FL is higher than where I live. But Macon is becoming a pretty dangerous place to live. We've had a lot of shootings, burglaries, gang problems, muggings, etc. in the last few years and nothing is being done about it. I know that Orlando has those problems too so I want to stay away from the metro area for my home. I'd rather live outside of Orlando and commute to work.

Are there any cities/towns that are well known for their crime prevention and safety that are around the Orlando area?

 

[mousehouselover]

DH and I took the plunge last year and moved to Central FL. We bought a house in St. Cloud and it. We still have the same responsibilities; house and yard, kids, pets ect but the option of heading to the parks or beach and the warm weather just seems to make life a lot more livable. It's not vacation all the time but it was the right decision for us.

To the people who were discussing horses a few pages back; there are several areas near St. Cloud that are zoned for horses. My realtor has one herself. I can get you her contact info if you are really wanting info on keeping horses in our area.

We're leaving in a few minutes to spend the the evening at one of the parks, probably Epcot. I can't imagine a better way to spend a Sun evening; a nice relaxing stroll around WS, a snack and a drink.....

 

[jsoren11]

My kids go to Jefferson county schools in Colorado. The shootings today were at the school my daughter should go to next year. Two miles west of columbine. I'm thinking maybe we'll move earlier. I hate Colorado!

 

[lucigo]

Sorry for expanding the topic, but in the theme of living life in FL, but having WDW as icing, I have some different issues. My driver would be college for my kids. The time to relocate might be now (housing prices, job, etc.). This will set my kids on a path that will have them go to Florida schools. I can get 3 kids educated for the price of 1 compared to my in-state options up here in the Northeast US. We have 4 kids. My goal was to have a commuter option too (UCF (Oviedo?), USF, UF) and still be within an hour or two from WDW.

Any help is appreciated. Thank you!

I have two kids in college in FL right now and pay absolutely nothing for them to go to school. Look into Bright Futures. I stayed in FL after my husband died 10 years ago, because I knew that Bright Futures would get them through college. If I moved "home" to MO, even living in Columbia where the university is, we would be paying tuition now. I like that Bright Futures puts the responsibility on them to get good grades and to keep their grades up and be responsible. Last night my 18yo was saying he wanted to drop his art history class because he had to memorize 90 paintings for a test. But then after talking it out with his sister he realized he would have to pay back the tuition to bright futures out of his scholarship money and that it would be better to just buckle down and study!

We are in the process of moving from the Pensacola area to Orlando, my husband is teaching school down there. My oldest wants to transfer to UCF and my son wants to stay at UWF. I also have one in high school who will be right behind them.

 

[lucigo]

To add to this conversation, if you are even somewhat serious about moving down here, from a real estate standpoint the time to buy is now.

I didn't have much on the schedule this morning so I took a walk downtown Winter Garden. The are a couple of real estate brokers offices on Plant St. In the windows are listings of houses for sale. It is just amazing the incredible values that are available right now.

I saw some houses that had 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms selling for $120,000. Yes, some of these are short sales (so you have to be careful) but some were not. From what I can tell from the pictures. there were very nice houses in the Winter Garden/Clermont area. Many were built in 2004 (during the housing boom) so the houses are not very old.



__________________
Armand

The problem here is in order to buy now, we have to first sell now

 

[lucigo]

I was very happy to see this thread. I am currently a college freshman, looking to move in 5 years or so after I graduate. I am majoring in speech pathology, and am receiving a grant with the stipulations that I a)teach in a low income school district and b)move to a state with a shortage of speech paths. Florida meet both of these requirements, and there are about 200 schools in Polk & Osceola counties I could pick from. Does anyone have any thoughts about which schools are good/bad? I've heard that many schools in the Orlando area can be a little sketchy. Also, does anyone have recommendations of real estate websites? Most of the ones here in New York don't exist in Florida.

As the mom of a child with autism let me just say you have picked a very good degree program. You will be able to work anywhere you want, the demand for speech pathologists is high just about everywhere. I have heard that services for ESE are better in Orange county, where as the school systems for typical kids are better in Seminole county. I would suggest you take a trip, go interview the schools and pick the one you want. You should be in a position where you can go anywhere you want to go.

 

[Scotico]

Seems like the only reason you want to move to central Florida is because of the parks. Let me tell you a few things about Orlando/Kissimmee area. There are very bad areas in and around the parks. There is a major road called OBT that is home to many prostitutes, drug dealers and gang members. Also, the idea of the theme parks right around the corner seems like a great idea but you will begin to really hate the tourists who come here. The traffic is killer at all times near the parks. I am so jealous of you because you are so close to the mountains. Summer in Orlando is so nasty. There is no ocean breeze and it's very humid. I would think long and hard before moving to Florida. You do not have that picturesque view in Orlando like you do in Colorado.

 

[MM32830]

Seems like the only reason you want to move to central Florida is because of the parks. Let me tell you a few things about Orlando/Kissimmee area. There are very bad areas in and around the parks. There is a major road called OBT that is home to many prostitutes, drug dealers and gang members. Also, the idea of the theme parks right around the corner seems like a great idea but you will begin to really hate the tourists who come here. The traffic is killer at all times near the parks. I am so jealous of you because you are so close to the mountains. Summer in Orlando is so nasty. There is no ocean breeze and it's very humid. I would think long and hard before moving to Florida. You do not have that picturesque view in Orlando like you do in Colorado.

The grass is always greener on the other side, isn't it?

Not wanting to start a debate but your views of Central Florida are way too negative.

You mention OBT. Yep, bad neighborhood but you don't have to live there. I live about 30 minutes from the parks in a very nice community of about 22,000 people. We have all the amenities one would need but if I want to go to the parks, I can do so.

Also, I welcome tourist with open arms. They are the reason we have all the parks. Without the tourist none of this would be here.

Traffic can be a non issue if you know your way around. My commute to Disney is mostly secondary roads. I have 5 traffic lights between home and Disney. Traffic is rarely a problem (except perhaps right now since SR 535 is being widened but that's a temporary glitch for the greater good).

Yep, the heat and humidity is nasty during the summer but it can be just as bad (just not as long) as the northern states. I think of it as the price to pay for everything else we have.



___________________
Armand

 

[FireDancer]

I just want to say I love reading everyone's point of view on this topic. I lived for two years in the Tampa area because my last job was down there and agree with a lot of what was said. Living in FL is much different then vacationing down there. Over by us the population went up so much in the winter it almost doubled my commute to work. I never understood why people who didn't have to work felt the need to be on the road during rush hour. Other then that the traffic in Tamps wasn't much different then anywhere else. Now, having to drive around Orlando daily with so many people not knowing where they are going could get old quick.

After two years I was ready to head back to Ohio and did but I would not rule out going back down (or almost anywhere really) if the right opportunity presented itself again. I would choose Tampa or Sarasota over Orlando based on my experience. That being said, in actuality I would probably only move down if it were for work and where I go would depend on where I would work as opposed to the other way around.

 

[jeanigor]

Seems like the only reason you want to move to central Florida is because of the parks. Let me tell you a few things about Orlando/Kissimmee area. There are very bad areas in and around the parks. There is a major road called OBT that is home to many prostitutes, drug dealers and gang members.

As for me, I would not move because of the parks. It would be partially because of the weather and some other slightly more controversial reasons.

Any larger city has an area like OBT (Orange Blossom Trail,). In my metro area I can think of at least three of them. You don't go there, especially at night, unless you are looking for trouble.

What areas in the parks are you referring to as being a bad area? Are the bears from the jamboree selling moonshine to help boost attendance?

I think I agree with Armand, you seem to be a bit pessimistic.

 

[safetymom]

Seems like the only reason you want to move to central Florida is because of the parks. Let me tell you a few things about Orlando/Kissimmee area. There are very bad areas in and around the parks. There is a major road called OBT that is home to many prostitutes, drug dealers and gang members. Also, the idea of the theme parks right around the corner seems like a great idea but you will begin to really hate the tourists who come here. The traffic is killer at all times near the parks. I am so jealous of you because you are so close to the mountains. Summer in Orlando is so nasty. There is no ocean breeze and it's very humid. I would think long and hard before moving to Florida. You do not have that picturesque view in Orlando like you do in Colorado.

I hate to disagree with you. Many of us that live here never get near OBT. I don't hate the tourists. I love meeting them and talking with them in the parks.

It is no more humid here than when I lived up North. The fact that I can be to the ocean or gulf in a little over an hour is wonderful.

There are many great places in the US to live and Orlando is one of them. It isn't for everyone but for the rest of us it is great.

 

[PeterPan09]

Seems like the only reason you want to move to central Florida is because of the parks. Let me tell you a few things about Orlando/Kissimmee area. There are very bad areas in and around the parks. There is a major road called OBT that is home to many prostitutes, drug dealers and gang members. Also, the idea of the theme parks right around the corner seems like a great idea but you will begin to really hate the tourists who come here. The traffic is killer at all times near the parks. I am so jealous of you because you are so close to the mountains. Summer in Orlando is so nasty. There is no ocean breeze and it's very humid. I would think long and hard before moving to Florida. You do not have that picturesque view in Orlando like you do in Colorado.

Um..OBT is really not that close to the parks. It's a good 20-30 minutes from the Disney area. It's closer to Universal, but even then it's not THAT close.

Every city has "that area" that you don't want to live in or even drive through.

I will agree that the traffic can be a nightmare, and we've all said to avoid I-4 if you can possibly manage it. The other trick I've picked up is to watch the people in the shotgun seats of the cars around you-don't look for directional signals. The shotgun seat person's finger is a whole lot more reliable. When they point left, that car is coming left RIGHT NOW.

 

[loveysbydesign]

If it weren't for us being lucky enough to live close to our parents/my kids grandparents and the fact that my dh has the type of job that probably isn't going to be easy to find in Florida I would love to live down there. I keep telling him maybe in 5 or so years we could consider it...of course by then the prices of housing will probably be back up and not within our reach!

 

[Halloweenqueen]

This has been a dream for my retirement for a long time. We purchased a lake condo near our home in NC. It was our weekend getaway home. We hoped to sell it in the future and use the equity to move to Florida.

Then my husband's company was bought out and we had to move to WA. The condo wasn't a practical thing to have anymore. It has now been on the market for almost 2 years. We have lost 100,000+ of equity in that time. (we bought the condo with cash). This is in NC....home of all those bankers with bonuses. lol


I would be worried about buying in FL now. I don't believe we have seen the end of this housing bust. The mortgage incentives haven't materialized, the tax credit isn't increasing sales.

My mother who works in insurance cautioned us about buying into FL. She believes big insurance problems will continue.

Our dream of FL is on hold now.

Everyone consider NC instead. lol I know of a beautiful lakefront condo that you could get for a steal.

 

[kaligal]

Every city has "that area" that you don't want to live in or even drive through.

Once upon a time, I lived in "that area" that nobody wants to live in. "That area" doesn't scare me.

But I don't have to live there now. The drug dealers can sell their product and the hookers can try to sell theirs. They can all complain about the cops and have their creepy friends over and make noise and all that. I don't care.

And, like you said, please find me anything close to a real city that doesn't have these things.

Mountains are lovely, but I want a warm place.

Pete, Kevin and John all moved from a cold place to a warm place...and a warm place that has theme parks, which I have always happened to love. They live my dream. So I will never tire of listening to any story they have to tell about it all. And I'll continue to dream and hope that some day I will do it.

If someone else wants to move to snow and ice...if that's their dream...I won't stand in their way. Have at it.

 

[lucigo]

We are moving to the area because my husband got a job there, and couldn't get one here. He is already down there, I'm finishing out the school year here. Lots of bad stuff about OBT so I have to ask, those of you in the area, what do you think of the Hunter's creek area? Because I'm pretty sure OBT runs through it, but I heard it was a nice place and from what we saw over the weekend it looked nice, and its a close commute for DH.

 

[jsoren11]

where is the nearest Buffalo wild wings and the best karaoke bar to WDW?

 

[jthorn1995]

That is awesome to know Luci! I am a native of P'cola, but have lived in GA for about 16 years now. They keep saying that eventually the "lottery-funded" Hope grant for the college students will run out eventually, and while we are trying to save for our kids education, it will never truly be enough. Ours are still very young, so it's nice to know that FL has some educational options for all the wonderful schools! (I graduated from Tate, went to PJC, and lived just off UWF's campus back in "93!)
Good luck with your move!

 

[FireDancer]

where is the nearest Buffalo wild wings and the best karaoke bar to WDW?

I have no idea where there is a karaoke bar but according to the BW3 site the closest one is at 12511 State Route 535. Use Bing or Google for directions.

Their Phone number is 407-827-0444

 

[lucigo]

That is awesome to know Luci! I am a native of P'cola, but have lived in GA for about 16 years now. They keep saying that eventually the "lottery-funded" Hope grant for the college students will run out eventually, and while we are trying to save for our kids education, it will never truly be enough. Ours are still very young, so it's nice to know that FL has some educational options for all the wonderful schools! (I graduated from Tate, went to PJC, and lived just off UWF's campus back in "93!)
Good luck with your move!

I would rather see them make some changes to the funds than lose the scholarships all together. This year FL made Bright Futures so that if you drop a class you have to pay the money back, which really stings for the kids, but shows them responsibility!

My oldest has a AA and graphic design degrees from PJC and is now at UWF, and my 2nd is at UWF also. We are in Pace.