So what's it really like to live in Orlando?

[kellyb2000]

On our last trip to the World, my brother-in-law shocked us all (especially my sister!) when he said that "he could live in Orlando" Of course when I think about Orlando I just get all giddy inside and think it's the most exciting place ever. I'm sure it's because I'm on vacation. But there's just something about seeing signs for Disney every 1/2 mile on the highway! So what do you locals really think about it? Obviously if you're on the DIS you don't mind all the hoopla too much, but do you ever get tired of it? Or do you love having Disney World in your backyard? Do tourists get on your nerves? Where do you go when you go "on vacation"?! Just curious......

 

[ilovepcot]

Let me just say this.....I travel to YOUR area! Now, do I still have some friends left here???!!!

 

[Pooh67_68]

bumping to top. I would like to know also.

:jumping4: :jumping4:

 

[Stepharoonie!]

Well, it's a LOT better than living in Daytona. It's no so bad, actually. Everything is priced fairly in this area, and I live within 10 minutes of everything I need...stores, food, etc. I live literally across the street from Sea World (you can see Kraken and the tower plain as day from my windows/porch....I get to see fireworks every night!!) and it takes me only 10 minutes to get to any of the Disney parks, Downtown Disney, or Universal.

The only thing that's bad here is International Drive, but I stay pretty far away from that. The traffic is pretty bad!

 

[stitch79]

There are perks of living in Orlando, but no, its not all "tingly exciting" everyday. The traffic is pretty bad, and in the summer time it is miserably humid and hot.

It is great being able to go to Disney in under an hour, but after awhile you start to get bitter with the constant tourist crowds (not just Disney) during the year. I would love to move further north if I could afford to visit a couple times a year. My family is here and this is where I grew up so I do like it, but I wouldn't mind to live else where and be a tourist here myself.

 

[olena]

My family moved there last year. They like it. The weather is nice and they have their passes. They run to the parks when they feel like it. If it's too crowded, they just leave. The winter was a little dry. It looks like the rain is coming back. The summers are very hot. Thet seem to like the area. Some of the drivers are just plain crazy. They've seen lots of snakes and bugs. Termites are awful down there.

 

[DocRafiki]

I love it! ... maybe even moreso for the weather than the parks. It takes me a half hour to get to the parks, so I have no problem with tourists. Most people in metro Orlando don't live anywhere near the tourist area and don't have to deal with them on a regular basis. I still love seeing WDW news on the local news and knowing that if I get the urge, I can be there in 30 minutes. AND I never have to worry about it raining during my trips to the park. If it's raining, I just wait to go another day.

As far as metro areas go, though, Orlando is pretty lame. I'd prefer to be near a larger city with more "happening," but plenty of people like the suburban atmosphere here. The traffic IS pretty bad on I-4, even north of the parks, but I can avoid it very easily for a couple of bucks.

Mostly, though, I see snow on TV or hear my friends talking about the cold, and I get all giddy because those things are not a concern for me whatsoever. We've had a couple of cold spells, but they're so infrequent that I can just hole up and avoid them. The heat doesn't bother me. I find it less miserably hot here than where I used to live (AND it was cold there for about 3 months out of the year).

I was at Islands of Adventure last Sunday, wearing my tank top and soaking in some sun. (It was SOOOO gorgeous!) I was walking into the park with my cousin and said, "Everyone we know back home... they're COLD right now! BWA HA HA HA!!"

Oh, and when I worked in the parks, for 5 months, and then later for 3 months, it was "tingly exciting" every day! But now I live in the "real world," which is probably a good thing. I can still escape to the fantasy world when I need to.

Where do I vacation? Well you know there IS a whole world out there outside of WDW. I used to spend my few vacations down here; now I'm free to explore the rest of the country and world. Last year I went to Denver, New Orleans twice (my former home), NYC, London, & Paris. In a couple of months I'm going to Boston & Montreal. NOT spending my vacation time coming to the same place every year is anoter BIG perk of living here, IMHO. On the other hand, now I feel the need to spend my vacation time going back home. If only we had those teleporters, huh?

 

[DocRafiki]

Oh, I didn't mean to sound like tourists are a bad thing. I love interacting with people on vacation, and when I'm traveling, I love to meet locals. People are so much more friendly when they're on vacation. What I find more annoying than tourists are the locals who constantly complain about Disney. People at work think it's really strange that I have an annual pass, and they rag me for my Mickey watch, my Mickey umbrella, etc.

 

[DVC-Don]

We just hired a woman who moved to Orlando 5 years ago. She said she could not take it anymore and moved back north here. She was fine for the first couple of years, but the new building, crowds, turn over in neighbors, and traffic just got to her. She lived over on the east side of Orlando.

 

[Jasminesmommy]

I have a question in this question. When I went to Disney this past Sept I noticed there were screens covering most people back yards. What is this for?? Bugs, Alligators? Also do Alligators ever rome in your backyards??? I hope this isn't to silly of a question.

 

[DukeStreetKing]

The screens were probably for the built-in pools in the backyards.

 

[OhMari]

Screens in back lawns

We rented a home and the screens help shade the pool area's so it isn't so hot in the summer, plus it helps keep debris and bugs out. You can even suntan under those things.

 

[KatelynnsAuntie]

A good friend of mine moved to Ocoee two years ago, which is a suberb of Orlando. For the first time ever, he was able to afford to buy a house which was brand new, complete with a pool with the aforementioned screen. He is very happy there and loves the schools his four kids go to. The neighborhood where is lives is gorgeous. I was there last August and got to see his new house. They are far enough away from WDW that they don't feel overwhelmed by tourists, and just close enough when they need a Disney fix!

For many years my cousin lived in Apopka, another suburb of Orlando. She too was able to afford to buy a brand new house. And the same thing with her and her family: not too close, not too far from Disney. One time I visited them over Thanksgiving, and I liked the fact that it was warm enough to wear shorts. Give me hot weather over cold ANY day!

 

[ilovepcot]

Yep, those screens are mainly for mosquitoes. And YES......alligators DO venture into yards from nearby lakes and streams.

DH is "on call" sometimes with his job. Late one night he had to make a trip back to the plant, and when stepping from his car, he nearly fell over something in the dark. Turned out to be a 12 foot gator that had come from the lake across the street. He, along with several men in the plant had to get it tied and carried back to the lake. They had encountered that before and nobody was really upset or surprised over the incident.

The main thing that is stressed over and over here is that you are to NEVER FEED ALLIGATORS! They lose their fear of man when this happens and the consequences are devestating! We hear on the news from time to time how uninformed people do feed the alligators and sadly end up paying for the adventure with their lives.

 

[DocRafiki]

I thought the screened-in pools were weird, too, when I first saw them. I was told they're to keep out bugs, but I lived across the street from a bayou in Louisiana where I'm sure there are as many if not more bugs, and people up there just haven't caught on to this trend.

Yes, you have to watch out for gators. I have a retention pond behind my house but honestly have never even thought about gators there since there is a chain-link fence between it and us. My dog did get snapped at by a gator at a park one day, though, while I had him on the leash. Every once in a while you'll see a news story about a dog or kid getting attacked or killed by a gator. I would never get in the water around here, nor would I let a kid or pet play unattended by a pond (of course I would follow that rule even in an area with no gators).

 

[joyjoy]

One of our sales guys lived in Altamonte Springs (an Orlando 'burb) and what killed me is that he'd call here (main office) on July 3rd and say he was going to pop into Epcot to see the fireworks on July 4th. He had a Florida resident's pass and he could just drop by any afternoon or for any special event. He'd go for a couple of hours then head home.

 

[Feralpeg]

I'm sure this is probably a silly question. We are moving to Orlando in June. Our new home will be about six long blocks from Lake Sawyer. How far do gators stray from water? I really would rather not find one in my yard!

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

My niece has lived in Orlando for a year.... she HATES it. In her opinion, the east coast is much less friendly than the midwest.

I would be willing to give it a try, though!!!!!

 

[sap1227]

I love it, but I really do not know any different. We have lived here since I was 2. I still get tears in my eyes when we pull onto Disney property (don't even get my DH started on how crazy, emotional I am). I love that we can go to Disney for a couple of hours and leave without feeling like we missed anything. The tourists do not really bother me. Yes, traffic is bad, but unless you are by the theme parks, I do not think it is because of the tourists. I agree with whoever said Orlando is pretty lame as a "big" city.

For vacation we last year we went to Disney, we also love to take Disney cruises (you can not beat the Fl resident rate), Chicago and the mountains.

Christy

 

[TNCarole]

DH and I have been considering moving to Orlando for various reasons (being thisclose to Disney is a HUGE bonus! ).

This may seem like a silly question, but... just how bad are the bugs in Orlando? Specifically: palmetto bugs.