Considering a move to Orlando

[DreaGirl]

I'm not sure if this is the right board, so if I need to post elsewhere, please let me know.

My DH and I are thinking of moving to Orlando in the Summer of 2010. We currently live in Michigan where the economy is horrible, the housing market is horrible, and the weather is horrible. We don't have any family here so what is keeping us here? We don't know.

I have always loved Florida and I have family there. We wouldn't want to live on the coast because of hurricanes. We would have to wait so long because we have to save up for the move and sell our home (which the realtor told us it would take at least 9 months or more).

My question is: What area of Orlando should I be looking at when we visit? We have two kids so schools are very important to us. That is probably the number one thing we would want, great schools.

Any advice? Thanks!

 

[james'mommy]

My understanding from family that lives in the area that all of the schools are not that great. Which is why our move to Orlando is planned for once DS has completed high school.

 

[agnes!]

The Orlando economy sucks in general right now. Disney is in a hiring freeze, cutting hours and even letting people go. Housing-values are waaaaaaay down. Do a LOT or research before you take the plunge. I've seen a lot of Floridians who post here on the CB, I'm sure they'll be along with specific advice. I've also heard that some of the schools/neighborhoods in and around Orlando can be iffy.

agnes!

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

Schools are not very good in Orlando unless you can afford the, expensive as college, private schools.

Orlando proper has murder rates higher than Detroit so you can judge how appealing that might be for you.

Traffic is just awful and there isn't really much hope for improvement so you'll need to live near where you're going to work lest you risk blowing your brains out over frustration.

There are some places in Florida not suffering from growing pains and the economy as much as Orlando but no where is very good at the moment.

I know Michigan is really bad (have relatives there) but I'm not sure Florida is the best place for relocation in these troubling times.

JMO, of course.

 

[diznygirl]

Schools are not very good in Orlando unless you can afford the, expensive as college, private schools.

Orlando proper has murder rates higher than Detroit so you can judge how appealing that might be for you.

Traffic is just awful and there isn't really much hope for improvement so you'll need to live near where you're going to work lest you risk blowing your brains out over frustration.

There are some places in Florida not suffering from growing pains and the economy as much as Orlando but no where is very good at the moment.

I know Michigan is really bad (have relatives there) but I'm not sure Florida is the best place for relocation in these troubling times.

JMO, of course.

I guess it's all in your perspective. We moved here from Los Angeles - in comparison Orlando has less crime, less traffic and better schools. Let's not even talk about the cost of living.

OP - you will get a variety of responses here. It's true that jobs are getting harder to come by. But you can find nice places to live with good schools. Good luck with your search.

 

[Piecey]

My brother is moving back from Orlando, after two years, to West Virginia.

I don't think it's to be close to family as much as it is that he is just sick of living there and it taking him forever in traffic, dealing with tourists, the outrageous prices of living, etc.

He loves the weather but that is pretty much it. (And hey, it might be helping him make his decision that he's going to have a nephew but I think he's just ready to get the heck out of Orlando!)

 

[nrsldy]

My DH and I are considering the same thing. My DH is retired and I still work as a RN. I can work anywhere. The hospital I work for has many corporate hospitals in FL so I can transfer.
We are looking around Ocala. 1 hr away from the Orlando area. Our DS has moved to that area. Some of our concerns are; being able to sell our home, the cost of moving, increased costs compaired to the midwest.
I would love to be in warmer weather.
Good Luck with you decision making.

 

[GeorgeG]

There are a lot of nice communities up my way with really decent prices on houses right now. We're in a retirement community, but they are building some nice homes for people with children right next to us. The plus side to that is that The Villages has excellent charter schools (tuition, but free to Villages employees children).

I'm guessing employement opportunities will be about the same as anyplace else right now, except that the area is still growing. Public schools vary all around Florida so significant research is a must if you have kids.

We're an hour from WDW and 30-45 minutes from Ocala.

The biggest issues would be employment and selling your current home.

 

[DreaGirl]

Thanks for all the input. My DH works from home, so employment isn't a big issue for us. I am a SAHM.

We weren't looking to move right in Orlando, but more in the Winter Garden, Winter Park, Windermere area.

Does anyone know about West Orange High? We have found some reasonably priced homes (for us) and that is the high school. Thanks!

 

[TeresaNJ]

Check this link out. It will answer alot of your questions.http://www.city-data.com/forum/orlando/

We had to move to the central Florida area a few years ago for my husband's job, and we thought we had done a good job of researching where we wanted to live, and we clearly didn't. I absolutely hated the area we chose. Thank goodness we didn't purchase at the time, but leased for a year.

 

[Metro West]

We weren't looking to move right in Orlando, but more in the Winter Garden, Winter Park, Windermere area.

Does anyone know about West Orange High? We have found some reasonably priced homes (for us) and that is the high school. Thanks!

Winter Garden is a nice area and not too far from downtown or the theme parks.

http://www.westorangehigh.ocps.net/

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

I guess it's all in your perspective. We moved here from Los Angeles - in comparison Orlando has less crime, less traffic and better schools. Let's not even talk about the cost of living.

OP - you will get a variety of responses here. It's true that jobs are getting harder to come by. But you can find nice places to live with good schools. Good luck with your search.

LOL. Point taken but then Los Angeles isn't exactly an everyday location.

Also, I'd think California is probably a tougher move economy wise than Florida right now but still, if I could afford it there are many, many places I'd rather live in CA than FL.

RE: schools. Research this VERY well because I do not believe you will find an acceptable public school system in or near Orlando but of course what's important in a school isn't the same for all. I really prefer that my kid not attend a school where violence is "controlled" . As for the quality of edu, Florida is just bad to start with and Orlando doesn't rank high even in FL.

BTW, Ocala has been quite impressive to me on my visits there.

Regarding the places you've mentioned, Windermere is very, very nice to the eye but the outside world is really closing in as I understand it. Winter Park is very nice. Expensive. But your kids will be Urban raised. Winter Garden, I have no opinion of.

If work at home is the occupation then Celebration certainly warrants a look. We too are stuck in the middle of a not so nice area (the Irlo Bronson toursit zone) but are quite insulated (like Windemere). Celebration is a special feeling and the deals are unbelievable right now and they will not last forever.

Good luck.

 

[DreaGirl]

BTW, Ocala has been quite impressive to me on my visits there.

Regarding the places you've mentioned, Windermere is very, very nice to the eye but the outside world is really closing in as I understand it. Winter Park is very nice. Expensive. But your kids will be Urban raised. Winter Garden, I have no opinion of.

If work at home is the occupation then Celebration certainly warrants a look. We too are stuck in the middle of a not so nice area (the Irlo Bronson toursit zone) but are quite insulated (like Windemere). Celebration is a special feeling and the deals are unbelievable right now and they will not last forever.

Good luck.

What do you mean by Urban raised if chosing Winter Park?

What schools do they go to in Celebration? I'm having such a hard time finding out info for areas. Here, the cities are all zones and that info is on the web. Makes it very simple to find out what address goes to what school.

 

[lucas]

Can anyone recommend a website that shows houses for sale in Celebration?

 

[DreaGirl]

Can anyone recommend a website that shows houses for sale in Celebration?

We've been looking on Remax, Trulia, and Zillow.

 

[lucas]

We've been looking on Remax, Trulia, and Zillow.

Thanks! I'll check them out. It has been my dream for years to move to the Orlando area.

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

What do you mean by Urban raised if chosing Winter Park?

What schools do they go to in Celebration? I'm having such a hard time finding out info for areas. Here, the cities are all zones and that info is on the web. Makes it very simple to find out what address goes to what school.

(1) They will definitely have the 'city kid' mentality, IMO. Not that there is anything wrong with this but if you're moving from Gaylord or Big Rapids it'll be more like the middle of Lansing or Grand Rapids.

(2) Celebration has a grade school and a high school. The grade school gets great reviews from what I've heard but the high school, which encompasses much more than Celebration, gets very bad grades and seems a bit rough to me (only heresay and newspaper knowledge on this though).

 

[LuvOrlando]

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[PatriciaH]

The city forums are a good link to check out. Lots of honest people on there. You might do OK if your husband works from home. I like the weather from October-May but the summers stink. DH and I love heat- but it is disgusting here in the summer and keeps getting hotter every year. The sun does a lot of damage to your skin. No dry skin in the winter is a plus though. Schools stink unless you go private. Very expensive electric, taxes, groceries, insurance, etc. Everything was cheaper for us in MA even rent. We wound up buying here and I wish we had kept renting so we could go back north sooner. I would still vacation here Celebration and Winter Park are very nice but you are on the edge of crime ridden, transient areas and it is staring to move in.

 

[MAH4546]

I guess it's all in your perspective. We moved here from Los Angeles - in comparison Orlando has less crime, less traffic and better schools. Let's not even talk about the cost of living.

Los Angeles is a Mayberry compared to Orlando.

Orlando has the worst crime rates in Florida, one of the worst crime rates in the United States, one of the country's highest murder rates and is consistently ranked as one of America's ten most dangerous cities.

In 2006, Orlando's murder rate went up more than 100%. In 2008, when southern neighbor Miami recorded its lowest murder rate since 1963, Orlando's murder rate broke even the record set in 2006.

Orlando's violent crime rate is the fourth worse in the country - after St. Louis, Detroit and Baltimore.

Orlando's murder rate - 22.6 per 100,000 people - is significantly better than, say, Detroit (47.8) but worse than Bogota, (18), Moscow (11.8) or Los Angeles (12).

Orlando's theft rate is 269% higher than Los Angeles; 302% higher than New York City; and 186% higher than Miami.