How great is it to live in Orlando?

[stingrock23]

I am a huge disney fan and there are so many times I wish I lived in Orlando. It's not possible for me now, but maybe somewhere down the line I would like to live there. I just wanted to see how everyone who lives there felt about it, and maybe how lucky they are to be able to be so close to everything. I couldn't imagine how much happier my life would be if I did, but I was just wondering what everyone else thought.

 

[SykedOwt]

I Don't Live There But I have the Same Type Thing Seeing that I live so close to New York City so I think I can Speak about it. It's Not Really as Glamourous as You Might Think. It's Really Just Living Your Everyday Life and You Don't Really think too much of it. The People who live down there go to Disney More often then you or I i'm sure but Not as Much as You would expect because its always there and they can basically go whenever they want to.

 

[epcot71]

im in orlando almost every month-i live 3 hours sw of orlando.just like any other city it has its goods and its bads.there are some really pretty areas in central fla-winter park is ritzy.there are some really nice places like celebration and metro west and many others.on the other hand there are some really trashy places too-they have the "hood" too-and down town orlando isnt immune from vagrants and homeless too.it has everything any city has-just keep in mind that the home of the magic kingdom isnt all the magical like disney itself-over all i still love orlando and think it is a vibrant upbeat city.

 

[Invero]

Originally posted by stingrock23
I just wanted to see how everyone who lives there felt about it, and maybe how lucky they are to be able to be so close to everything.

Well... I don't quite live in Orlando, rather I live in Lake Buena Vista/Windermere... right across from the MK cast entrance. It's a nice area I guess... I'm a country boy, lived all my life pretty much in New Hampshire... land of boring... So being down here is a lot better, and personally, I love it. The weather is great for the most part, everything I ever need is close by.

 

[piglet*florida]

I live about 80 miles from Disney and it's too far for me!! I want to move closer someday too. I do go VERY often for the day and to stay for a few days too. But I am in college now and studying ornamental horticulture and I hope to someday work at Disney in thier horticulture department.

 

[cm1988]

Pro's and Con's of O-town (a.k.a. O-do)

Originally posted by stingrock23
...wish I lived in Orlando... wanted to see how everyone who lives there felt about it...to be so close to everything...

Pro's

• No shortage of entertainment here
• More than a few good restaurants, as well
• Fla State Parks
• Gulf Coast just 90 minutes away
• The climate... don't mind the heat, and they don't call it the "sunshine state" for nothin'
• Orlando downtown (Lake Eola area) really is "the city beautiful"... great, safe place to walk
• Several good small art museums... once you find them
• WMFE-90.7 FM - National Public Radio
• Believe it or not, I enjoy meeting our visitors from out of town, like in stores and stuff. Anywhere...as long as they are not driving!

Con's

• Too far to the mountains
• Weak on the musical culture side... symphony, very little folk music... C & W culture predominates
• Suburban sprawl... hundreds of little isolated neighborhoods
• Too many SUV's and pickups on the roads... but that's everywhere, I'm told
• In recent summers, wildfires.

Regardless of the pro's and con's, what keeps me here is being able to work at WDW. Being part of that magic where people really try to do things right and somehow between Cast and Guests more than a little common courtesy is sparked, well, it has kept me jazzed for 14 years now.

 

[General Grizz]

It's great. I never go to WDW! (I do, but only a few times a year)...I should go more...

AND I WILL!! :hammer: :hammer: :hammer:

 

[zonguy]

I too live very close to the resort. My biggest gripes are the marked up price of gas, limited number of good grocery stores, traffic, limited number of good paying tech-sector jobs, and tourists.... Just kidding on the last one.

To get a decent price per gallon of gas, I have to travel 5 miles northeast from my apartment. This, even though there are 4 stations within a 1 mile range. This is really a tourist thing.

Actually the lack of grocery stores is logical for the area. A good grocery store probably has trouble making real profits in a predominately hotelcentric area. This is changing though. A Winn-Dixie has opened about 2 miles north on Apapka-Vineland, and a Publix is being built at the end of Vineland across from the Premium Outlet Mall.

Traffic is a royal pain, but it is not 100% tourist traffic. The place just does not have enough highway arteries. They build toll roads all over the place, but most employees don't want to spend the $50-$60 per month for tolls, so I-4, John Young, and OBT get hammered.

As to tech-sector jobs.... Moved here last July... Still looking.... 'nough said....

Would I move? Heck no! I love the fact that I can drive to EPCOT in under 10 minutes and stay as long or as short as I'd like. While I would suggest to anyone else, that they move to the Metro-West area, I am willing to put up with the traffic hassels and long drive to work (when I get some), just to be close to the Resort. MW is a very nice place to live in. It has much more of a suburban atmostphere, albeit yuppyish. It's just that it is about 13 miles NE of the Resort.

Come on down!

 

[NowInc]

I miss living in orlando....most of the time...

Spring break and christmas are HELLACIOUS...traffic and things like that...but i used to go to WDW 3 times a weeek on average.

I now live 3 hours or so south...and i hardly get the chance to go anymore

 

[mkt]

sigh

Orlando is OK but no more than that.

Honestly, I can't do theme parks only, after a while I need alcohol and loud music... AND ORLANDO SUCKS FOR THAT.

there's little/no culture WHATSOEVER in orlando, the suburban sprawl makes it look like a crappy SoCal (San Diego to be specific) everything is expensive (in comparison to other places I've lived in).

To be honest, I've lived in many other metropolitan areas (NYC, LA, Miami, San Juan (it counts!), Houston, and DC) and honestly, Orlando is towards the bottom. It's a sleepy, crime-ridden little city

 

[cm1988]

Opportunities improving

Originally posted by zonguy
As to tech-sector jobs.... Moved here last July... Still looking...

Sorry to hear of those challenges. You arrived at about the time Cirent Semiconductor (formerly Lucent, formerly Bell Labs) hit the peak of their layoffs. They were a major player in the economy here. Then the horrors of 9/11. Cannot overstate the fact that the market has not been good.

It's been a busy Spring so opportunities can only improve. New Orlando postings pop up on the Monster board every day now. I hope you take advantage of their free automatic searches and email notification... wishing you all the best.