Considering moving to Orlando, need advice

[Trena]

My DH has a job interview this Friday with a big company in Orlando. (No,not WDW, darn it) So I thought I'd ask you guys about the schools, housing, crime rate, things you love about living down there, things you hate....what ever might be important to consider. I think we'd rent an apartment until we became familiar with the area. 6-12 mos. That would give us time to house hunt, or build.

Here is a little bit about us so you'll have an idea what might be helpful:

DH 34 yrs, Me 34, DD 9, DS 6, and baby boy due in May.

We live in North West FL now. (I think the heat and humidity is a little worse in Orlando.)

We are actively involved in our church. We are used to the middle class life style. Our house is 1600 sq ft. We have 2 older, but paid for, cars. I'm a stay at home Mom, I like scrapbooking, bargains, coupons and garage sales. I am the Disney nut in the house, but the other's enjoy the parks almost as much as me. DH and I love roller coasters and we all love the theme parks. DD in 3rd grade, takes dance lessons. DS in 1st grade, likes t-ball. I think we would all enjoy the benefits of living in a big city. Well, most anywhere is bigger than here.

thanks in advance for any advice!

 

[safetymom]

The first piece of advise is be aware of I-4. I don't know where your husband will be working but certain sections of I-4 get very crowded during rush hours.

I live southwest of Orlando so it is about 35-40 mins. away. I have the benefits of living in the "country" but close to Orlando or Tampa in the other direction.

 

[dvcgirl]

Well, I agree with Safetymom....you do not want an I-4 commute. And so you really want to live relatively close to where you work.

Schools in Orange county...not great. Some are positively awful. The Dr. Phillips area (within Orange County) has a good reputation, but houses have really appreciated in that area. A 2,000 sq ft 30 year old ranch will be in the $400,000s.

Crime is a concern here...a big concern quite frankly. Even though we knew that there was crime here in the Orlando area we figured that the "good areas" were safe, like they were in NJ where we lived. Here that's not the case.

Home invasions seems to be the crime of choice...and they've been occuring in good neighborhoods all around Orlando. There are shootings all of the time it seems, both in Orange and Osceola county. I would never think to run to a 7-11 in the evening back in NJ. Here I won't go after 9pm at night.

I mean, I know that crime happens...it happens everywhere, but I think most people think of Disney and Universal as entirely safe. They are actually pretty safe, but right outside the borders of those resorts...well, not always so safe.

A 24 year old girl is missing....that was on the news today. She just moved out of her parents house a couple of months ago and is renting an apartment on Conroy road...not 1/4 of a mile from the entrance to Universal Studios. She and her car are gone. Good kid, very responsible, and safety conscious according to her distraught parents.

I was talking to a client who has been in Orlando for 10 years and he was telling me how much worse it's gotten. What concerns me is how much worse it could get.