Works for me! (-:
-
5/11/2023
I made the decision to move to Orlando when I was 20. My father was a contractor so by then I'd lived in many different states & countries so I have a unique perspective. I stared at a map of the U.S. & finally decided on Orlando... 25 years later I am so glad I did!
Caveat #1: I have a child & raising a child in Orlando is amazing so that is a big part of my review. If you are not planning on having children, it may not be as amazing. I see people struggle to save up thousands to afford a trip to a theme park & my kid has always been able to go regularly because I don't have to pay for a hotel or airfare. The city is made for kids & that part has been amazing.
Caveat #2: I love the weather here 10 months out of the year... but I'm fairly thin. Most Americans are overweight (& some slender folks are hot-natured) so if you are wearing a body-blanket or are hot-natured, don't come- it will be too hot for you for at least half the year. (We swim 7 or 8 months out of the year to give you an idea of the climate.) As for me, I love swimming, gardening, nature, biking, skating, etc... so being able to go outside year-round is very important to me. When it does rain, it's usually only an afternoon shower for 40 minutes while I'm at work so by the time I leave at 5 it's sunny again. I have spent a lot of time in terribly cloudy and rainy places like Seattle and London and for me, the sunshine is very important- I just don't feel as happy when it's cloudy and gray.
Caveat #3) A big part of why I moved here was I planned to attend the university (it's the largest university in the nation) so that was also a factor for me that may be different for your situation... This takes us back to the kid thing because my kid will likely attend college here as well. So, my 2 cents are that Orlando is amazing- there are tons of amazing restaurants & parks & fun things to do... but there are those 3 caveats that may not be relevant for others. Shoot I just thought of a few more:
4) We don't pay state taxes... That sounds like a great thing but it's why we have toll roads. You never *have* to take a toll road- you can always take a longer way and hit the traffic lights or get a job close to home, etc...
5) If you have mental health issues, we are at the bottom of all 50 states in terms of our ability to deal with that because we don't pay state taxes and we haven't expanded Medicaid (our leaders are very myopic in this way and hopefully will get a clue and expand Medicaid soon). I work in mental health and substance abuse, so I see this as a huge problem in Florida.
6) The housing prices here have SKYROCKETED since I came so- make sure you can afford it!
Finally, I am a very friendly, outgoing person... because so many people transplant here either for work, school or the weather... a lot of people are new here. If you are shy and/or pessimistic, you might have a hard time finding friends but that's the case if you're new anywhere as an adult. It's not like grade school where you can call someone your best friend on the second day...
Good luck in your decision-making process and remember, "Wherever you go, there you are!" Your sense of gratitude and optimism is what will make the place nice. If you are feeling good on the inside, you will see your surroundings much differently- all the important moves are to be done within. But I digress... Good luck in your search! (-:
FAITH | Orlando, FL