Anyone ever move to Orlando just to be closer to Disney?

[thesupersmartguy]

We did and love it! Just a quick 8-10 minute drive and were at the Magic Kingdom.

 

[rlahansler]

Ok, I have thought about this. Both my husband and myself born in Chicago and have lived here our whole lives. We are so tired of how expensive it is to live in the State of Illinois. My husband is a Union Electrican and I know Unions are not very big in Florida. I work at a Ad Agency and buy commericals, and would love to do this for Disney. We have two kids, ages 11 and 8 so that would be a big factor as well. I am tired of our winters but not so sure if I could put up with the heat in Florida. Hum!!!!

 

[ars0525]

Ok, I have thought about this. Both my husband and myself born in Chicago and have lived here our whole lives. We are so tired of how expensive it is to live in the State of Illinois. My husband is a Union Electrican and I know Unions are not very big in Florida. I work at a Ad Agency and buy commericals, and would love to do this for Disney. We have two kids, ages 11 and 8 so that would be a big factor as well. I am tired of our winters but not so sure if I could put up with the heat in Florida. Hum!!!!

Hey, I am in Elburn. It's not the heat, but the bugs/snakes that worry me. lol

So being from this area, would FL be "cheaper" for us to live in? Factoring in the cut in pay I always hear about?

 

[Mikes:)Mom]

I'm totally moving to Florida for Disneyworld as soon as my son finishes High School. I only have 2 1/2 years to go.

I have a “Moving to Florida” saving account. I've checked out housing, a lot cheaper then Oregon! The only thing is figuring out employment.

I figure I'll try Florida out for a couple of years then move on. I want to see the USA. Maybe live in New York City. Then ??? Maybe Europe?

I had my son very early in life, I can't wait to be a single adult for the first time. I did tell my son he is more then welcome to come with me. Hopefully he'll be busy with college!

 

[hookedonears]

Ok, I have thought about this. Both my husband and myself born in Chicago and have lived here our whole lives. We are so tired of how expensive it is to live in the State of Illinois. My husband is a Union Electrican and I know Unions are not very big in Florida. I work at a Ad Agency and buy commericals, and would love to do this for Disney. We have two kids, ages 11 and 8 so that would be a big factor as well. I am tired of our winters but not so sure if I could put up with the heat in Florida. Hum!!!!

Many people really don't realize how opressive and relentless the heat is. They experience it for a week here or there, and then go back home. Their attentions are given more to having fun at the parks, but actually living in it day in and day out is a total different story. Being from Louisiana, I understand somewhat, but it's even worse. It's like New Orleans and Houston without the breeze. Everytime we consider living in Orlando, it's easy for us to say we'd rather live in a cooler place.

 

[Traveliz]

Many people really don't realize how opressive and relentless the heat is. They experience it for a week here or there, and then go back home. Their attentions are given more to having fun at the parks, but actually living in it day in and day out is a total different story. Being from Louisiana, I understand somewhat, but it's even worse. It's like New Orleans and Houston without the breeze. Everytime we consider living in Orlando, it's easy for us to say we'd rather live in a cooler place.

True but on the otherhand being from Illinois I love how Southerners romanticize the snow and cold. Sure snow is pretty now and again. But day after day, ice storm after ice storm, tragic accidents on black ice, worrying about falling...its a different problem and one that is different from the oppressive heat.

For me I can always cool off but the cold sticks with me forever. And I hate worrying about driving in the snow/ice.

Liz

 

[AdamsPrincess]

sure did. We moved about 5 days after we got married, we both got jobs down there, and went to Disney about 4-5 days a week. It was nice after work heading to one of the parks to check out a night show or something. It was like a mini daily vacation.

We lived there for a year. We lived in Davenport, right by Champion's Gate, we were 8 minutes from the Disney gates.

LOVED IT!

We moved home to Wisconsin to start a family and be closer to our family, but we are very much looking forward to moving back!

 

[Feralpeg]

Many people really don't realize how opressive and relentless the heat is. They experience it for a week here or there, and then go back home. Their attentions are given more to having fun at the parks, but actually living in it day in and day out is a total different story. Being from Louisiana, I understand somewhat, but it's even worse. It's like New Orleans and Houston without the breeze. Everytime we consider living in Orlando, it's easy for us to say we'd rather live in a cooler place.

While we have some really hot and oppressive days, it isn't all the time. The winter months are glorious. Even in the summer, it isn't that bad. People always base the weather on their experience in the theme parks. When you aren't walking around on heat soaked asphalt all day, the heat doesn't seem that bad. In the entire seven years I've lived in the Orlando area, the temperature has never gone over 100 degrees. The heat index has, but not the temperature. That is not the case in many areas of the country that experience 100 plus temperatures every summer.

When you live in the area, you spend awhile outside and then, you go back inside your home where it is nice and cool. I am not a big heat person, but I have no problem living in this area. I'll put up with a couple of hot months each year over extended months of cold, grey, snowy weather any day.

 

[sfbank]

DH & I have been contemplating this for over two years now. DD is in 7th grade so we have awhile to wait yet. I figure even if the softball team makes it to state that summer by July 2016 we should be ready to head down for good. I am always cold and Iowa sucks in the winter. I love humidity and heat. I am trying to convince DH that I need to move DD's senior yr of high school to establish residency for better college tuition rates. He is not quite going for it though She wants to attend U of FL study to be a large animal vet and work at the Animal Kingdom. I can transfer with my job. DH would have to find something but by then he will have been with his company for 26 years. Our concern is can he find a job after that many years making close to what he even does now or what he would by then?? Probably not.

 

[DisneyTravelers2008]

I would do it in a heartbeat but can't convince DH... ;(


Even if i was just 2 or 3 hours away---it would be so nice just to be able to go for the day!

Oh well....will have to settle for a trip ot two a year

 

[AmberHeartsDisney]

I think about it ALL the time. But im scared it will lose the magic

 

[PatriciaH]

We did it for close to 6 years but it did not work out with jobs/careers. The pay was just not enough to get by plus have savings and retirement for a good future. We took close to a $30k pay cut when we moved from MA to FL. We thought the cost of living would be cheaper but it was more for us. We did live in an expensive area though. The state of the Orlando area right now would keep me away. We even had a job offer a few months ago to come back but we are not happy with the crime, etc. there. I do miss it a LOT but it is too iffy around WDW right now. Maybe when the economy picks up. Too many homeless, poor, etc. 60 Minutes just did a story about all of the poor families living up and down 192 in hotels/cars/tents-very sad

 

[PatriciaH]

When we were at Disney last fall I did chat with a very nice CM & he said the biggest change with moving to FL is it's getting used to only about $10/hour pay. Is that true state wide or just in Orlando or maybe just Disney area?

Thanks for any feedback!

Sadly $10/hour is considered very good pay at WDW (unless you are in a professional position and you are competing with thousands of CM's plus countless outsiders for those positions.) It is also pretty good pay around Orlando! Can you imagine?! I grew up in NYC and DH grew up North of Boston. When we heard most CM's started at $7.00/hour (2004) we were shocked. I NEVER made $7/hr -even in high school jobs in 1987! I was amazed in 2004 they expected ADULTS to live on that wage.

A study just came out that in order to have an OK life (save for retirement, put kids through college) you would need to make about three times what our government/media are telling us is a living wage/minimum wage. This is with no extras like vacations, etc.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/01/business/economy/01jobs.html?_r=1

http://www.wowonline.org/usbest/

According to the report, a single worker needs an income of $30,012 a year — or just above $14 an hour — to cover basic expenses and save for retirement and emergencies. That is close to three times the 2010 national poverty level of $10,830 for a single person, and nearly twice the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.

A single worker with two young children needs an annual income of $57,756, or just over $27 an hour, to attain economic stability, and a family with two working parents and two young children needs to earn $67,920 a year, or about $16 an hour per worker.

That compares with the national poverty level of $22,050 for a family of four. The most recent data from the Census Bureau found that 14.3 percent of Americans were living below the poverty line in 2009.

 

[Satchmo128]

id rather move to SoCal and be near DisneyLand. DLCA is a perfect locals park and you just can't beat SoCal weather...

COL is SO HIGH in SoCali........and this is coming from someone who already lives in a high COL area.

 

[TWyn]

DH & I have been contemplating this for over two years now. DD is in 7th grade so we have awhile to wait yet. I figure even if the softball team makes it to state that summer by July 2016 we should be ready to head down for good. I am always cold and Iowa sucks in the winter. I love humidity and heat. I am trying to convince DH that I need to move DD's senior yr of high school to establish residency for better college tuition rates. He is not quite going for it though She wants to attend U of FL study to be a large animal vet and work at the Animal Kingdom. I can transfer with my job. DH would have to find something but by then he will have been with his company for 26 years. Our concern is can he find a job after that many years making close to what he even does now or what he would by then?? Probably not.

My hubby got a new job in Jacksonville and moved down from Indiana last July. My daughter is in her senior year of high school in Indiana. She wants to go to UCF this fall and has already been accepted. Since hubby will have been there a full year before she starts, we qualify for in-state tuition. Yay! I'm waiting to move until after she graduates in May. Looks like his job will be transferring him to the Orlando area in August, right when she'll be starting school there. I can't wait to have my hubby back, still be close to my daughter while she's in college and be close to Disney, too.

 

[disnee4mygirls]

I moved down there to work part time at disney. I moved down there with my full time job so I was pretty much working 7 days a week because I had to work 2 days (availability-wise) at Disney or they wouldn't hire me at the time. So I worked M-F at my full time job and Sat/Sun at Disney. I loved living in Florida-hated the bugs and learned to deal with the heat. I think it's something you have to get used to like everything else. Got married and started having kids and wanted to raise them near my family so I moved back home. Now we are kicking ourselves for ever leaving and wish we had kept our house down there! We loved it down there but where we lived it was always crowded. We lived in Altamonte Springs a few miles away from the mall so the trek from our house to Disney World was quite busy going I-4! My DH is getting ready to retire and we have considered moving back.

 

[ultra63]

to confirm move if you get a secure job with same or better salary(possible if in healthcare field) and live in Tampa Bay -big league teams and 60-90 minutes door to door for WDW.

 

[CouchTater]

We are hopefully retiring at the end of the year and relocating to the area to be close to the parks, the beach etc. The kids are grown and scattered across the country and we hope this will bring them to us. Not to mention the greater availabilty of flights in and out of the area. I will have to find something to supplement my pension but that shouldn't be too big of an issue.I am looking forward to having a variety of quick day trips and the ability to pop over to the parks whenever the mood strikes.

 

[AdamsPrincess]

one thing you have to remember is the pay if Florida might now sound as much but it is still more because you don't get taxes out.

I took a pay cut when we moved down there but my pay checks were more because it was actually what I was making and not a couple hundred getting taken out in taxes.

 

[ars0525]

one thing you have to remember is the pay if Florida might now sound as much but it is still more because you don't get taxes out.

I took a pay cut when we moved down there but my pay checks were more because it was actually what I was making and not a couple hundred getting taken out in taxes.

Say what?? I didn't know that. It does level up the field a little then.

FL - just got 1 more point! IL - you are losing points!