Life in Orlando

MerHearted

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
To merhearted: I hope you find what you are looking for and everything falls into place. :) Just don't rush into it, have an open mind. I've rushed into a few things this past year and now regret my decisions...

Thank you. If this was just a choice between the two cities and Disney was not involved, I would rather live in Anaheim. But I chose these cities for a reason, to be close to Disney, where I can have a chance to be a part of the magic and meet people like me. I just wonder if Orlando will give me a better opportunity for that than Anaheim. That's kinda why it feels like I'm going "all-in" at the poker table if I choose Orlando, I'm going there just for the Disney life. But if I go the safer route with Anaheim, it feels like I'm always gonna wonder if I passed up a greater opportunity in Orlando. I know you shouldn't think like that, but it's hard not to.
 

mkt

Disney's Favorite Scumbag™
Premium Member
Having been to the non-Disney part of Anacrime.. err, Anaheim, I will safely say that I prefer Orlando.
 

MerHearted

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Having been to the non-Disney part of Anacrime.. err, Anaheim, I will safely say that I prefer Orlando.

Really? I've been told over and over that Anaheim is very safe, except for a few areas. And when I think of Anaheim, I think of that whole LA-OC area and it seems like there is so much there.
 

MerHearted

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
This was last year's FBI ranking of all the cities from safest to most dangerous. Here's where cities in OC, Orlando, and some reference points ranked.


1. Brick, N.J.

7. Irvine, Calif.

29. Huntington Beach, Calif.

30. Orange, Calif.

80. Fullerton, Calif.

121. Garden Grove, Calif.

135. Anaheim, Calif.

145. New York City

170. Santa Ana, Calif.

250. Los Angeles

302. Las Vegas, Nev.

343. Philadelphia

347. Orlando, Fla.

370. Detroit

371. St. Louis
 

MouseMadness

Well-Known Member
Vince, don’t forget to keep an open mind, no matter where you decide to move. You shouldn’t make Disney your whole world, but a part of it. (Remember while you stayed 2 weeks at DL, you said you regretted not taking mine and my sister’s offer to hit the beach and take you out to LA.) Concentrate on finding a job first, doesn’t matter in Anaheim or Orlando. Once you do find that job, things will fall into place. One thing that both places have to offer you is a new opportunity to get you out of Philly, to grow up and to be on your own. So, please don’t look at it as Anaheim vs. Orlando….that is just putting more pressure on yourself. :wave:

Reminds me of a song I once heard... :dazzle: :lookaroun

I am just curious how much you think you'll be going to either WDW or DL, depending on where you move. :shrug: I've always thought, as much as I love to visit, I don't know that I'd ever want to live there, unless I had a REAL desire to move to either of those cities. Not sure I'd be visiting often enough to make it worth the move. :shrug:

Maybe look into cities that have openings in your field with AWESOME pay and vacation time, to make trips possible. :shrug:

(I know you didn't want advice, but I can't help myself. It's engrained in my mom personality now. :lol: :lookaroun )

:wave:
 

MerHearted

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Reminds me of a song I once heard... :dazzle: :lookaroun

I am just curious how much you think you'll be going to either WDW or DL, depending on where you move. :shrug: I've always thought, as much as I love to visit, I don't know that I'd ever want to live there, unless I had a REAL desire to move to either of those cities. Not sure I'd be visiting often enough to make it worth the move. :shrug:

Maybe look into cities that have openings in your field with AWESOME pay and vacation time, to make trips possible. :shrug:

(I know you didn't want advice, but I can't help myself. It's engrained in my mom personality now. :lol: :lookaroun )

:wave:


If I live in Orlando, my whole world would revolve around WDW. It would be the only reason I'd be there. With Anaheim, DL would be a part of my life among probably other things. I wanna be closer to these worlds. I want a chance to be a part of it. Whichever one I choose, I'm gonna try to work part-time there as well. I don't know how it will turn out but I wanna give it a shot. So if anything, at least I'll know and got the experience so I'll never look back and regret. And I wanna find and be around Disney people like me and I feel that these two places would give me that... Orlando, maybe much more. I guess what I'm saying is I want a brand new life where Disney is a major factor in it. It's not enough for me to just be somewhere else and just visit. Life feels empty here. It feels like this is where I belong. It's risky, yes... but it's a chance I have to take.

Also, what I'm hearing is my profession is in high demand in both areas. Before, I had just thought it would only be in California where I'd find job opportunities. But lately I've been hearing how Orlando's becoming this hot market and is desperate for people.
 

mkt

Disney's Favorite Scumbag™
Premium Member
Vince, in all fairness, those numbers only account for the people within the city limits of Orlando, which includes Pine Hills (Crime Hills), Tangelo Park (eeew), and most of the Orange Blossom Trail corridor (hookers!)...

eg, a 2005 estimate puts the population of Orlando at 213,223, with the metro area (Lake, Orange, Osceola, and Seminole Counties) at 1,984,855. If you include all of the outlying areas in Central Florida, you get to 2,633,282.

Orlando is the only city in Central Florida that gets that bad of a number... the rest of the area really isn't bad. In fact, parts of Orlando within the city limits are actually quite nice (Thornton Park, Dr. Phillips, parts of Metrowest/Veranda Park).

Lastly, if you're here because of Disney, odds are you will not live within the city limits, unless you truly want to. There are plenty of ways to get an Orlando address without living in the city of Orlando (Hunters Creek for example)
 

WDWFREAK53

Well-Known Member
Maybe look into cities that have openings in your field with AWESOME pay and vacation time, to make trips possible. :shrug:

Seems like he's ruled out all but two because of one person...and it wasn't him. (Walt). :lol: JK Vince.

Vince, Disney is a tourist trap...sure, a beautiful one...but a tourist trap still the same. I love it as much as the next forum member but there's gotta be a point in your life when you need to pull your head out of the Disney Clouds and see that there is life beyond it.

I too wanted to live down there and I was very close to making that decision...so I can understand where you are coming from. Needless to say, I got offered a job down there and declined it. 3 months later, that division was closed down due to the company restructuring. Up here in MA...I've almost doubled my salary since then, found a girl that will eventually be my wife, and I've still remained close to friends and family. I still go to WDW when I want to...but it's a little more special to me because I know that I go only once in a while rather than being able to be there 24/7.

Like others have said, there are many other things aside from Disney in Orlando and Anaheim (If there wasn't, "Orlando" wouldn't be the city...it would be called "Disney"). Now, I have never lived in Orlando but I'm sure it has most of the same offerings as every major city...and probably many different things that most don't. I'm sure the same can be said about Anaheim.
 

MerHearted

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Vince, Disney is a tourist trap...sure, a beautiful one...but a tourist trap still the same. I love it as much as the next forum member but there's gotta be a point in your life when you need to pull your head out of the Disney Clouds and see that there is life beyond it.

We're different people, Brian. This is something I have to do. I've been thinking about this for 5 years now. I've made up my mind. I have to know and I'm at a point in my life where I can take that chance. This is where I feel I belong.
 

MerHearted

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Wait, I'm gonna get paid a lot less in Orlando, aren't I? Do you know what the cost of nice apartment is now there?
 

Erika

Moderator
Vince, having never lived in Orlando I don't have much to say other than good luck with your decision. Maybe 15-16 yrs ago I felt much the same. I've since changed, but I still remember what it was like. I hope you find what you are looking for :wave:
 

mkt

Disney's Favorite Scumbag™
Premium Member
Wait, I'm gonna get paid a lot less in Orlando, aren't I? Do you know what the cost of nice apartment is now there?
Vince,

you can get a nice 1br for under $1,000/month. Wages are typically lower here... I don't think your field would take too much of a pay cut, however, you gotta bear in mind that there is no state income tax in Florida and no vehicle inspections (costs me $50ish/yr to keep Dirtbag street legal) among other things.
 

Wilt Dasney

Well-Known Member
You're a young fish, don't forget. If you feel like Orlando is the place that you would always wonder "what if?" after you passed it up, then go there. If it isn't all you thought it would be after a few years and you still feel a pull toward SoCal, then swim west. Obviously, you don't go into anything expecting failure, but a move isn't like a marriage. There's nothing saying "this is it" unless you want it to be. :shrug:
 

MerHearted

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
You're a young fish, don't forget. If you feel like Orlando is the place that you would always wonder "what if?" after you passed it up, then go there. If it isn't all you thought it would be after a few years and you still feel a pull toward SoCal, then swim west. Obviously, you don't go into anything expecting failure, but a move isn't like a marriage. There's nothing saying "this is it" unless you want it to be. :shrug:

Yah, that's what I've been thinking. Whatever I choose won't be the end all, be all. I could find my way to both places eventually.
 

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