SperlingViews - Orlando, Florida

I have been living in Orlando since 2001 and I moved down here from New York and I have to agree. Orlando Stinks! It is the worse city in the world not just in the U.S. Twice a year you get these little bugs called love bugs that mess up your car and make life horrible. Then if you have a situation where you need to call the police for help, good luck, the cops show up 2 hours later, but you better believe they will be on your tail if you are going over 5 miles on your speedometer. The people in this state are mean and have no morals. If you are married and have kids you better hope your children don't conceive before the age of 18. If you are single and are hoping to find someone here it will be really difficult if you don't look and act like the cast of Jersey shores down here. Hoping to find a job here in Orlando? Good luck with that, if you don't look like a hooters girl you can kiss that idea goodbye unless you have an engineering degree. The job market here stinks, foreclosure rates are high, and the people that live here have an all about me attitude. The drivers here are the worse and its not just the tourist. Thinking of opening up a business here? kiss that idea good bye also, the people here think that they are high class with their minimum wage salary so all they want to do is go to places that appear high class, like Bahama Breeze, TGIF, Ale House, Starbucks, PF Chang, etc. If you don't have the money to open up a chain restaurant or anything that is chain oriented you can forget it, you will be bankrupt in a year. The schools here are really bad and there is so much fraud here that it makes gypsies look like amateurs when they do scams. If you want a job, you have job scams here, want a house, you have real estate scams. This city is the worse city to live in. Orlando International Airport does a great job of deceiving people when they fly in because the airport is so pretty. It is not until you live here that you realize what sand hole this place really is.[read more...]

We will be leaving Lake Highland Prep this year. Stay away!!!!! I could write a book about how the athletic department runs the school. If you ask anyone locally what they think of Lake Highland, you will be told it is all about Sports. I can confirm that to be true. I did not not listen to the many warnings and thought I could overcome anything. This school is run by a corrupt athletic departent that is married to the adminstration who hires family members. Board members were once parents who gave enough money to sit on the board and now have their children teaching and grandchildren at the school. At the expense of others these students are given special accomodations along with the recruited athletes. Do not try to play a sport without first asking permission. You will find that all spots are reserved for those who have been paid to come and play. Christian values are used as a cover. Children are not considered the Lord's Gift but instead used as self promotion. Best consider Trinity Prep for 6th thru 12th grade or Winter Park High School. Please be a better listener than I. Money can't buy character. Best of Luck & God Bless[read more...]

Orlando is geared to the people who want to vacation or want to spend money. If you just want to live it can be expensive and very busy. Traffic is always heavy and rudeness runs high. Nice place to visit, not to live.[read more...]

I have to say that I feel that Orlando has been very affordable , I am from New England , Mass and Rhode Island, I Moved to South Florida stayed there for about 9 years, and have been in Orlando for a year, I would love to stay in Orlando or outskirts like Oviedo, There is soo much to do here . Even if you don't have much money,,Of course there is Way more to do if you have money. I have a seaworld pass for 18dollars a month for me and my daughter and now have a wet and wild year pass Paid one day and got the rest of the year free. Most parks offer deals like this for residents, I have never met as many friendly people as I do here, My only complaint is I am having trouble finding employment I think Its cause too many applicants and I may not have as much experience as others,,So if you have great employment references and work experience you may have better luck getting a job here. All in All I LOVE LIVING IN ORLANDO . Unfortunately I may have to move because of the job situation. Be aware there are some bad neighborhoods so make sure you do your research,,,Orlando is pretty big and the suburbs of Orlando Many are nice, Oviedo, Winter Park , Hunters creek, etc..[read more...]

Very hot[read more...]

We have found Orlando as a nice place to live. I see people posting bad news about it but they could just prefer something different. Truth is the weather is beautiful from the middle of September to May, thats about 8 months of nice weather. The summer is hot, darn hot, but you need to like warm weather to be a candidate to live here. The city is growing like a weed. The population is exploding. People are moving TO Orlando, not FROM it. There is an abundance of recreational activities here, Cocoa Beach is only a 40-50 minute drive depending on where you live. There is one thing, however, that one should take into consideration. The traffic is busy, really busy. The city grew faster than the road system could so it is dangerous for pedestrians and drivers alike. My 16 year old son was hit by a car while riding his bike 7 months ago and did not make it. For that I am forever sad. There are many traffic accidents. The speed limits are set too high for the huge amount of traffic to be able to think ahead. Simply lowering the speed limits near busy intersections would greatly aid in this problem but the highway department doesn't do it. I don't understand that. It is such a simple fix. In order to enjoy Orlando you should want to live in a busy city, warm subtropical climate and enjoy it for what it is. [read more...]

Loved it as a tourist, but there are much better places to live in Florida. If Orlando is a must, look at the Mt Dora, Longwood, Lake Mary area says the Florida Move Guide. They are outside of Orlando, commutable with less crime, traffic jams, etc. [read more...]

In 2011 Orlando was named as the worst place to live in the US for young adults. It is in the top 7 areas for worst crime and there's a lot more. There are towns outside of Orlando that are great places to live according to the "Florida Move Guide" that are close enough to commute where you can live a normal life without the high crime and problems that millions of partying tourist bring.[read more...]

I will be moving to Florida for my job.I have got 2 job offers.One is in Orlando and other one is Fort pierce.I will be staying alone.All I want is safe place to live.Which of these would you suggest considering safety?[read more...]

Orlando has a fair to good quality of life, depending on your education level and if you can find a professional-level job. I have lived here for 8 years. It was VERY difficult to get started here. Orlando is really a small town, and has a small town mentality. The way to get a job is to know someone, unless you are in a career that is really competitive, like engineering, computers, finance, etc. Once you get that job, keeping it can be rather political, as Florida is a right to work state, meaning you can be fired for any reason, or no reason at all, and they don't even have to give you a reason if they do fire you. On the plus side of things, it is a very clean and pretty city. There are good restaurants, and things to do, and it is not that far from either coast. The singles scene is a bit iffy. Many people here are not goal oriented. If you like the weather and can find a job that satisfies you, give yourself time to make friends. [read more...]

Nine months of beautiful weather and three months of rain, heat & humidity. Up north you get cold, snow, & then brutal summers. This is the best place to live.[read more...]

Are there safe places for Gay and Lesbian people to visit in the state of Florida other than Miami? My parent live in Orlando and if it weren't for them, I wouldn't step foot in the state, but I have to see my parents. My partner and I are staying with my parents for Christmas and therefore would like to know if anyone has any recommendations for nice restaurants, bars, and a community of like minded individuals or individuals who are sympathetic to the gay and lesbian community in Orlando Florida. [read more...]

I raised my kids here from 3 and 2 years old till gone to college. Safe environment , bilingual and multicultural Orlando is excellent for a home base for those ho travel or commute for work! [read more...]

I grew up in Winter Park (and for most people, it is just a continuation of Orlando). After high school, I moved away -- college, job, marriage, so on. My wife and I recently lived in Elizabethtown Kentucky; great people, beautiful scenery, quiet, and small government; but, it has some of the worst weather we have encountered (and we have lived in much more northern areas of the US). The wind constantly blows -- people there think nothing of 30 to 50 mph gusts. Because the jet stream moves up and down across the middle of the US, it brings volatile weather. There is simply no good season: flooding rains and hail in the fall and spring; flooding rains and ice storms in the winter; and the worst -- tornados anytime there is severe weather. It is obvious the local news media has ramped up talk of severe weather, as it gets ratings. But, really, just a cloud in the sky is not severe weather. In Kentucky, however, severe weather with threat a of "spinups" (aka tornados), is constant. So the weather radio going off is so constant, you feel like a mole running down to the basement to wait out a severe weather should it actually contain a tornado (or even the popular "straight line winds", which apparently allows FEMA to avoid any disaster relief, even if the house is destroyed). This sounds like a disaster movie, but my wife and I suffered through this for five years. We were fortunate to have no mortgage, so we could sell our house and move...to sunny Florida. I know people talk about hurricanes, and I have lived through several. But, you have a lot of advanced notice, the track tells you approximately where they will hit (coastlines are the areas to worry about). For most in Florida, its the flooding in low areas due to the heavy rain from a hurricane. And, its not easy to determine the low areas, as the state and Feds have done a marvelous job in trying to confuse the issue with umpteen maps and zone changes. If its really important, spend a couple hundred bucks and have a licensed surveyor provide an elevation certificate for the house (you may need this for insurance in some areas anyway). Your house may be high (10 feet or move above sea level), but your neighbor could be low...you need a survey to really know. Anyway, we love it here. We are renting now so we can re-learn the areas. In a year or so (perhaps a little longer after the housing bottoms out), we will probably move to a quietier and smaller area. But for all those thinking of Florida, there really is still a lot of room and you are welcome here![read more...]

If you don't mind the ills of bigger city life like higher crime rates, congestion, and no sense of community, Orlando may be for you. If you want to be able to experience the benefits of Orlando but want to live in a safer area with a sense of community consider Longwood, Lake Mary, or even Winter Springs just north of Orlando. Close enough to commute but far enough away to live a peaceful life.[read more...]

ive lived in orlando for 3 yrs,there are a variety of cultures here,but in spite of that its not culturally sensitive. yes it can get real hot here from may until oct.ive lived in hotter places than this where their weather makes orlando weather feel cold.[read more...]

Orlando, is the land of endless summers. It is so beautiful walking around Lake Eola in the spring with the Palm Trees and swans.[read more...]

The areas outside of Orlando-with a few exceptions-have really declined over the last thirty years or so. Major influx of hispanics has created the requirement to speak spanish for most jobs. Quality of life is definitely trending down. Would not recommend. Moving away from Florida.[read more...]

I am interested in moving to Orlando, FL from the inner city of Michigan, Saginaw, which is close to flint to be exact. I am 22 married with one child who will be starting kindergarden in the next year. I do not have a college degree and neither does my husband. Looking for feedback from people who live/lived in Orlando. Interested in knowing about schools, crime,cost of living, and most important jobs.[read more...]

Orlando people are friendly and kind. Orlando people are not rude. It is the best place to visit. Now come to NYC people are rude, unfriendly, do not help others and disrespectful. I have lived in NYC all my life and I now how people are. God for bid if you look at someone on the train you could get beat up or killed. NYC subway's is dirty and has rats running all over the place. NYC people are always in a hurry and if you don't move out of there way they will knock you down!!!! Even people who drive cars will run you over if you do not get out of there way. So do not say nothing bad about Florida. Whoever is giving bad negatives are the one's with the attitudes. [read more...]