My thoughts on my life in Orlando
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3/22/2022
A lot of the reviews here are ridiculous. I will do my best to give an accurate take of my experience. I've lived in Orlando for 31 years - my entire life. I've lived near UCF, in Oviedo, Azalea Park, Longwood, Altamonte Springs, and Kissimmee. I haven't lived downtown, but I've spent a ton of time there and in the Mills 50 and Milk District areas. I should note that I am a single guy, and this is from my perspective. I'll try to break down my experience point by point.
Climate: it is brutally hot here. I've heard some people claim that it's only been too hot as of the past few years - absolutely untrue. 9 months out of the year, it is very, very hot. 85 degrees or hotter, and it does not cool down much at night. 6 months out of the year, it's over 90 degrees, sometimes well over that approaching the 100s. It's also extremely humid here. It often feels like I'm walking into an oven leaving my house. If you really, really like the heat, Orlando may be for you. But in my experience, many end up staying indoors to avoid the heat when it gets really hot, like in the summer. Kind of defeats the purpose of moving here. There really aren't normal seasons. It's summer, brutal summer, and light/inconsistent winter here. It can get quite cold here during the winter months, down into the 30s (this is more so rare), but it might be 80 degrees or hotter the next day. You really can't expect the weather to stay consistently cool here. But, when it is cool, it feels pretty good here. I just wish it lasted longer. The sun is abnormally bright here as well. Invest in sunglasses or glasses with transition lenses and wear them outside every day. Your eyes will be in a constant squint otherwise; trust me. You'll have to constantly look down because it's so bright.
People: I'd characterize the people as generally unfriendly. Not devils who are out to get you, but people who are self-involved and don't think much outside of that. People avoid eye contact here and will sometimes outright ignore your attempts to wave or talk to them. Most do not smile at you unprovoked. I have met some gems here, but generally my experience is that people are self-centered and not community minded. Southern hospitality doesn't exist here; don't think otherwise. It is very ethnically diverse here and there are a lot of Hispanic people. My high school was over 60% Hispanic. You will hear a lot of Reggaeton, Salsa, Bachata etc. blasting in people’s cars and you'll meet many people who do not speak English. That's just how it is. I worked at a pizza place in Azalea Park and had many people call in and order in Spanish. We had one guy who could understand them, but if he was out, they either wouldn't be able to order or they would reveal that they did actually know English, just didn't want to speak it. People here are mostly transplants, and no one seems to be on team Orlando. They rep the city that they left to come here. My experience at Orlando Magic games is that the fans are generally for the other team because they are from there.
Driving: I'd say it's quite bad. Traffic is pretty bad, but certainly not NYC or LA bad. There’s just a lot of people here, and the infrastructure of the city can’t keep up. I always avoid driving between 4:30 PM and 7:00 PM on weekdays; I generally just don't do it. People drive unfriendly as well. A patented Orlando technique is to turn your blinker on at the very last second before getting over, because otherwise, people will speed up to not let you in. This is the norm. When I let people over, I can tell they are shocked because they hesitate for a really long time before changing lanes. Some people just won't come over; they'll wait until you speed up so they can get behind you. You'll see a lot of bad drivers here both in city and on the highway, speeding up and then slamming on the brakes when they hit traffic, repeat. It's what I'd call self-centered driving. In my opinion, people seem stressed and angry here, and it can make you feel that way as well. It shows in how they drive and act in general.
Entertainment: There are certainly things to do here. Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure, Disney, Water Parks, places to bike, trails to hike, bars, restaurants, shopping centers, professional sports events, cultural events etc. I’ve not been to the Dr. Phillips Center of the Performing Arts, but the building is beautiful and it’d probably be great to check out for a concert. The beach is roughly an hour away. I do think FL is a great place to swim in general; I’d highly recommend getting a pool. You’ll be able to swim for 6-8 months out of the year at the least. I would not call Orlando boring, but if you have issues with the other things I’ve listed, namely the climate, you may not be motivated to go out and enjoy what it has to offer.
Nature: This is purely preferential. There are a lot of rivers, swampy areas, pine forests, lakes, etc. The dirt is sandy here. There are nice parks that are certainly worth checking out if you dig the nature here. There are natural springs as well which are pretty neat, though they can get quite cold. New Smyrna, Daytona, and Cocoa beach are all roughly an hour away, depending on your area. I think New Smyrna is a great beach and that’s the one I’d recommend if you don’t want to drive too far. Orlando is as flat as a board – there are certainly no mountains here. I’m sure there is more I’m missing, but I don’t get out in nature as much as I’d like due to the hot weather.
Crime: This one is a little hard. I’ve been lucky personally, but crime is absolutely here just like other cities. Unfortunately, that includes violent crime. I should note that at my high school, a boy was shot and killed before I was a student there. While I was a student there, two boys got into a fight, and one fatally stabbed the other in the neck. I’ve had strange things happen like someone followed me in their car all the way to my house (if this ever happens to you anywhere, drive to the police station). I would not call these common occurrences, but they did occur. I think you’ll generally be safe here, but you need to take note and stay out of the very bad areas such as Pine Hills. If there are bars on every single window in a neighborhood, it’s likely not too safe.
Housing / Cost of Living: People have been moving here like crazy for my entire life. Thus, apartments and housing developments are being built indefinitely. The rent might be going up a bit, but this probably has a lot to do with the current state of things, including COVID. This is still one of the cheaper cities to live in. Taxes are generally low, and cost of living is pretty cheap in my experience. You get paid less here, as well. You just have to weigh everything out and see if it works for you. I think it's fair to say it's pretty affordable here, as long as you don’t live right in downtown Orlando.
Schools: Can’t really speak to this. My public schooling was not great, but there are nice areas here that provide good schooling from what I've heard. Lake Brantley is one of the better ones in the Altamonte Springs area. However, it is getting pretty expensive to live there. You’ll have to research and see what works for you.
Overall, Orlando is a 2/5 for me. It isn’t for me. If you despise the cold and 85-95-degree weather most of the year interests you, you love the beach and theme parks, you might really love it here. This is probably a better place to raise a family rather than living single. Ultimately, I can’t recommend it based off of my experience. I think there are better options out there. Certainly worse, as well.
P | Altamonte Springs, FL