I would like to find people who live in Orlando or near. I am moving there in a few months and scared anyone?

Question

I would like to know as much as possible about the Orlando/ Kissimmiee Florida area before getting there. Anything will be helpful. I am not looking for hangout etc. I am a 30 some woman moving because her husband teaches at MMI. Please I am afraid. I am so used to small areas.

Answer 1

I am the complete opposite of you and very much a city girl. I bring this up because currently I live in Clermont which is literally right outside of Orlando (about 20 minutes from Disney) and can't stand it because there isn't much here. My fiance and decided to give it a try because the area was close enough to home and a lot cheaper (about $200 for an apartment) too. It seemed like a nice area until we moved in and realized that the only thing really out here is Wal-Mart. Tourists still come out this way but it is a quite area, although it is growing (along with the rest of FL). As far as I know Clermont is probably the smallest area right next door to Orlando that you can get.
A few things to watch out for though are horrible drivers in this area especially on US 192, Orange Blossom Trail (OBT), Disney property (or any surrounding areas), International Drive (I Drive), Colonial (50), and I4. Watch your surroundings carefully as you drive because one minute you'll be in a great neighborhood the next you'll be in the worst, but drive around so you learn the roads and can avoid highways. Rude people almost every which way you turn, and customer service is the worst (very unfortunate and sad). Racism not pretty or nice or fun dealing with. A lot of places and people are Hispanic and speak Spanish so it could be helpful to learn the basics.
There is just so much about Orlando that I don't even know what else to say but I hope I helped you out a bit.
Good Luck on your move, hope you enjoy it down here!

Answer 2

I don't know what you are afraid of. You are in your 30's so you should know that moving to a new area is a part of life that you need to accept. Maybe moving will help you grow up. My brother is in Iraq with a baby at home and he is not scared and neither are all of our other troops serving in Iraq.
I would advise that you stop spending so much time on-line and get out and learn some social skills. You certainly don't need to be taking advise from people who don't even know how to write or spell. I lived in Orlando for 5 years and would still be living there if I hadn't joined the military. Orlando is a wonderful city with a very diverse population that will teach you to think and broaden your horizons. Anyone who tells you that Orlando is a racist city is an idiot. It doesn't matter what color you are if you act like a clown in Orlando people will treat you like one.
Just stop worrying and suck it up. I am in my 20's and I have moved to 8 completely different cities in my life. There are people who are even younger who have moved to different countries and they are still around to talk about it and as a result have become smarter people because of it. There comes a time when we must all leave our comfort zones and be an adult.

Answer 3

Well. Orlando & Kissimmiee are both large city's. I'm a small town girl too. Moved to Daytona 17 years ago. But the past 3 years I have living in the Lake county area. Smaller town, less people. I love it compared to the Daytona area. You need to shop around alittle before your permanent move. Check out Mt. Dora area. Thats a really nice area. And not that far to travel to Orlando. Welcome to Florida.

Answer 4

Well I used to live in the St.Pete/Seminole area.....and the only thing I can tell you is be prepared for hot & very humid weather. I lived in florida for over 39 years. If you're used to a small town, then the Orlando area may be a bit overwhelming. Just take it one day at a time. I moved from florida (being born & raised there) to New Jersey (which sucked) and was HUGE compared to Seminole, fl. Then we moved to Lancaster, PA., which is pretty big also. You do get used to it. Give it some time. It's only normal to be scared or apprehensive about moving to a totally new place. You'll do fine :)

Answer 5

Kissimmee is smaller than Orlando. There is nothing to be afraid of. I live on the west central coast of FL. I came here from a small town in PA. I live about 150 miles west of Orlando, on the Gulf of Mexico. It's just like anywhere else as far as people are concerned. I have traveled throughout the state and found this tio be true.

You'll love it here in the winter if you are coming from the north. Buy Combat roach traps and put them throughout your house. The traps are harmless to people and pets.

The whole state gets tourists from all over the world. You get people who come here to stay for the winter from colder climes. We call them "snowbirds".

We do get more traffic here than a small town. The cost of living is good. You will save money on clothing because of the nice weather. There isn't any excessive crime.

There are alot of things to see and do. Wishing you the best of luck!

Answer 6

Greetings
The Kissimmee/Orlando area is really no different from any other city. There is the good and the bad. Things are a bit laid back here and the area really depends on the tourist industry. If you are interested in the big town feeling, Orlando is the place to be with a few skyscraper buildings and night life. Kissimmee is always crawling with tourist and more of a cowboy town. A good example is in the school system, the kids go to school on President Day but they are out of school for Rodeo Day. Hope this helps and Welcome to the Orlando/Kissimmee area.

Answer 7

I have lived in Orlando for about 4 years now. I absolutly HATE IT. I love the weather in winter & thats about it! Sorry if this seems mean, but you should hear negative news as well as good. Since I'm sure everyone else will tell you the good, here are some bad points...

1. Bad Drivers - traffic, etc
2. VERY HIGH property tax & insurance
3. Too many "fake nice" people here (I found nicer people in the bad side of NYC!!!)
4. Lots of Racism
5. Most people move after 5 years or so

I could go on & on. I work for a screen enclousre company & have met many people. I am white & my roommate is puerto rican. If we both go to a house together (for work we do estimates), either the spanish families WILL NOT talk to me (& are mad at him for not speaking Spanish) or the white families try to speak to me only (even tho HE knows more than I do). Everyone else seems to be ok with us. Most homes here are in subdivisions. Each subdivision has "groups" of people in mind of who can live there. I know this may sound odd, but at my job, we deal with many builders & know this is true. There are subdivions that only have cops, or all whites, or all blacks, or only spanish couples, or teachers, or rich athelets, etc. They will NEVER tell you that they are segrated, but once you live here & get to meet tons of people (like I have), you find out quick. I have gone to dinner with my roommate in a "white neighborhood" & had bad service because we were the only mixed couple there! I don't say that about all places. Maybe I just notice it more because I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio which is still VERY racist (even the schools are sepreated by race).

We plan on moving within the next year. Not sure where, but we are trying to look for a non racist city (which must be hard to find!). I'm not the only one who feels this way. When my sister came to visit me in Orlnado, she & her husband (who is Chinese) got stares EVERYWHERE...

Kissimmee is OK if you live near Narcossee Road. That is a very rual area (well, half of the street is anyways). One thing you will notice is that TONS & TONS of homes are for sale in central FL. Housing is getting very expensive & more people are moving out than in. I hope you are VERY GOOD at keeping a budget. There are lots of "motivated sellers" in the area because they bought a home for $150,000 & now it's worth $300,000 (two years later) & they cannot afford the higher insurance or taxes.

I would suggest if you are to stay in FL, try Winter Garden or somewhere in Lake county. Winter Park area has anice downtown area that you can actually walk in (unlike the rest of the county). There are not many places you can take a walk & feel safe (like someone won't run you over).