quality of life in Orlando...when do they do something about it...

[bjlc57]

i have been giving some consideration to working for WDW.. but I have been concerned about the quality of life in Orlando.

this appeared on CNNFN this morning under an article of best cities to live in..

under quality of life and crime.. here is where Orlando is:
Personal crime risk
(100 is nat'l average; lower is better) 536 52


Orlando is ten times WORST then the national average..


When is Orlando going to do something about their situation?

 

[SpenceMan01]

Is that Orlando, or Orlando and surrounding areas? WDW is technically not located in Orlando. It encompasses Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista. It might be worthwhile looking into the surrounding areas such as Winter Garden.

 

[Captain Hank]

Actually, the areas immediately surrounding WDW aren't that bad. There are lots of police around and the area is clean. Now, if you drive away from the area, things start to get a little scary, like in downtown. However, pretty much anything you'll ever need is in the little bubble around WDW.

 

[tirian]

That rating is definitely referring to inner-city Orlando. As others have posted, the areas around WDW are well patrolled and quite safe.

When I first moved to Orlando as an intern, I stayed close to WDW and didn't venture far from the Millenia area where they housed us. After the internship, however, I finally went into the city...and was shocked. Basically every establishment that tries to be the "Anti-Disney" was there. Strip clubs, triple-X shops, dangerous night club areas (especially the infamous Downtown Orlando nightspots)--you name it, and it was there.

Needless to say, I've stayed pretty close to the Lake Buena Vista area ever since! Don't be afraid of Orlando, but be aware of which areas are and aren't safe. Like any large city, there are areas where sane people simply don't want to be.

 

[tirian]

BTW, I think that this thread is on the wrong board. :wave:

 

[RPMdfw]

We've lived in the Orlando area for over two years now. I moved here from Dallas and my partner moved from Los Angeles. Our quality of life is excellent here. We lived in an apartment near Universal while our house was being completed, but now live in the Ocoee/Winderemere/Winter Garden area.

It's beautiful, close to the attractions, but far enough away to lose the "touristy" feel of things. We do venture toward the more downtown areas of Orlando every now and again to see theatre, comedy, etc. And even to some of the nightlife (though we vastly prefer the Adventurers Club at Pleasure Island to anything else). We've never done anything "stupid" to put ourselves into a dangerous situation, and we've never felt anything less than safe.

To me, "quality of life" is about more than a crime number, or a cost of living equation. Look into what living here has to offer you and then weigh that against the numbers and equations. It might be a refreshing suprise.

 

[~LeeLee~]

We moved here (job relo) 5 years ago and HATE IT. The only saving grace is 1. Disney and 2. Ocean/beach within 45 minutes. That's the truth as I know it.

 

[hokielutz]

We moved here (job relo) 5 years ago and HATE IT. The only saving grace is 1. Disney and 2. Ocean/beach within 45 minutes. That's the truth as I know it.

What area did you come from when you moved? And what was better about where you came from.

Not meant to critcize at all. Just curious about what is made worse in central FL area.

 

[bhg469]

I am curious about this thread because me and the lil lady enjoy the area and were thinking of relocating to FL.

 

[wedway71]

I think Orlando is like any other city.It has great places to live and not so great places.When they say Orlando that is Orlando proper(the actual city of Orlando)-keep in mind there are many suburbs and little cities and towns that border Orlando that make up Central Florida that are really nice places to live.I grew up in a suburb of Ft lauderdale called Sunrise but when I tell people were I grew up I Say Ft Lauderdale since its a point of reference that people know of.Ft Lauderdale has bad crime but when I grew up in Sunrise you could walk around any time of night ,leave your doors open or unlocked ,never worry about crime either.Its sad though that has now changed since I have left.

 

[~LeeLee~]

What area did you come from when you moved? And what was better about where you came from.

From Washington D.C. (Maryland). Now there was history, culture, class and technology and frankly... money. Businesses have it, people have it.

Just personal preference, that's all.

As far as working for WDW (not me personally), but have had some friends love it and some hate it - and hate it with a fervor unmatched by any disgruntled postal worker. There are two sides to every gilded coin...

 

[bjlc57]

What I do not understand is....

I guess that what I don't understand is, why the City isn't doing more to eliminate all this trash.. We were in New York City, and the city forced out all the trash from Times Square.. ALL OF IT.. and like I stated on a previous post, we walked back to our hotel at midnite after seeing a show in the theater district.. two miles back.. in fact New York city made the best 100 list and is now being listed as a safe place to live..


Orlando has the money coming into the community, but they can lose it all if they don't clean up their act..

this number was fantasticly BAD.. it gives the city an extremely big black eye..

this should be a real warning sign for this community...

 

[~LeeLee~]

Heck, I'm moving to New York!

 

[bhg469]

Heck, I'm moving to New York!

NOOOOOO!

The taxes here are out of control and its all because that money pit NYC. I have a friend that works for the state and he was sick to find out how much tax money is getting dumped into NYC while the rest of NY is dying. If you pour billions into a problem you can make it a little better but when people are losing jobs because of it and live 800 miles away from the problem, it is unacceptable.

 

[hokielutz]

From Washington D.C. (Maryland). Now there was history, culture, class and technology and frankly... money. Businesses have it, people have it.

Just personal preference, that's all.

As far as working for WDW (not me personally), but have had some friends love it and some hate it - and hate it with a fervor unmatched by any disgruntled postal worker. There are two sides to every gilded coin...

Same area as I currently live. (northern Virginia) Here is a more expensive area to live in, but salaries are much higher to support the area. That's a concern that slows me from considering moving down there.

Anyways, sorry it isn't working out for you there. Like you said, personal preference. I'm not sure I'd work for Disney during my prime, except in retirement at one of their golf courses.

 

[DisneySaint]

Orlando residents: Thanks for the posts so far. It's been an enlightening thread.

From what I gather so far, living in the southwest area of Orlando is the best place and that's coincidentaly where I'm looking right now.

 

[JT3000]

That rating is definitely referring to inner-city Orlando. As others have posted, the areas around WDW are well patrolled and quite safe.

When I first moved to Orlando as an intern, I stayed close to WDW and didn't venture far from the Millenia area where they housed us. After the internship, however, I finally went into the city...and was shocked. Basically every establishment that tries to be the "Anti-Disney" was there. Strip clubs, triple-X shops, dangerous night club areas (especially the infamous Downtown Orlando nightspots)--you name it, and it was there.

Downtown nightspots are not dangerous. There's cops everywhere. OBT, which you described, is another matter entirely. Thankfully, I have no reason to set foot there.