The Disadvantages of Living in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, FL is one of the fastest growing cities in the US, and it's not just by babies being born here. Over 80 percent of Orlando's growth is people moving here. I'm not going to try to convince you not to move here, but I do want to point out that not all of Orlando is a Magic Kingdom.
Here are my top disadvantages to living in Orlando.
1) It can be physically punishing
Orlando is hot, and believe it or not it can be difficult to escape from it. Yes, we have beaches, but it can be a long drive and on the weekends even longer with traffic. And once you arrive at the beach you can struggle to find a place to park unless you are willing to pay to park, or you want to take your car on the beach. But then guess what? You're on a beach with cars. Who really wants that?
Let's talk hair. My hair is naturally very straight. One of the reasons I often film inside is because the second I step outside my hair is totally flat. The humidity weighs it down and any semblance of curl is immediately gone. My curly-haired friends report the exact opposite effect.
Because it's hot, it's very hard to dress professionally. Many simply give in to flip flops and shorts. Trust me, your feet will quickly grow unused to the confines of shoes. And then when you need shoes, don't be surprised if you can't stand them.
2) Critters
I admittedly am not the sort of person who is wildly afraid of bugs, or snakes or alligators. Have you ever heard of a Palmetto bug? I suspect this is a politically correct word for a cockroach. Only it's not just any cockroach. Look at your big toe. No, actually go find the biggest person you know and look at their big toe. Now imagine it is a cockroach, with wings, and it is flying at you. That's a palmetto bug. They can enter your home all sorts of ways, and trust me, they will find a way in. My cats love to find them and rip them to shreds late at night and leave them in pieces in my kitchen. The cats position themselves near an ac vent that is the bugs' entrance point in my house at night. It's great.
Gators. You dream of living near a lake right? You may even imagine taking dips in that beautiful lake. You may wonder why you never see anyone doing that. That's because of alligators. It's best to assume they are in all bodies of water. Now, it's pretty uncommon to be attacked by a gator unless you are doing something in their territory, but they do enjoy eating small pets so it's best to keep your little animals indoors and away from the neighborhood pond.
No list of complaints of central Florida would be complete without mentioning the love bugs. Lovebugs come in plague proportions twice a year. They are pairs of bugs flying around by the thousands. They get in your hair, stuck on your lipstick, all over the front of your house, inside your front door and all over your car when you drive. The good thing is, lovebug season only lasts for a week or two, and then they go away for a while.
3) Guests
You want to move to Orlando because Orlando is awesome and fun, right? Well, your friends back home are going to love visiting you for the same reason. Get the guest room, you'll need it. Your guests can arrive using Orlando International Airport, or Sanford airport, which services discount airline Allegiant. Believe me, they will find you. If you can't afford that guest room, at least keep an air mattress on hand.
If you have aging family members, accessibility to guest rooms can be an issue. One thing that this phenomenon has done to the real estate market, is to make homes with downstairs guest bedrooms more valuable and harder to find. Remember, you really won't find basements here as this area is all swampland. I think I've only ever seen one basement in all the homes I've seen, and it had a special pump to get the water out. It's not a room you'll want to use, on the off chance you can find one.
Guest houses aren't extremely common, but you can sometimes find garage apartments in historic districts, and Lake Nona, among other areas, offers a floorplan that has a detached garage with an apartment over it. This can be a great thing if you typically get longer term visitors.
4) Expenses
There is a lot to do in Orlando, but a lot of it costs money. See that boat in your neighbor's garage? Looks like fun right? Maybe you should consider getting one. And that's how it all starts. First the boat, then the fishing gear or maybe some water skis or jet skis. I mean, you gotta enjoy the weekend, right?
Let's not forget annual passes to Disney, Universal and Sea World. You get a Florida resident discount, so that'll save you....a ton. Don't forget to buy the annual parking pass, too!
Who moves to Florida without a getting a pool home? No one, right? Figure in something extra for maintenance and a somewhat higher power bill. It's not just a luxury here. It's (almost) a necessity.
I've covered this in my video about cost of living in Orlando, but don't forget that homeowners insurance, possibly flood insurance and car insurance are all probably going to be a bit higher than what you're used to.
5) Travel difficulties
Look, you're in the center of a long and narrow state. You can be to beaches in about an hour if you go east or west. But what if you don't want to see beaches? Or maybe you want to visit the tropical part of Florida, and snorkel or do some lobster fishing. Orlando, don't forget, is not tropical. Orlando's flat landscape, believe it or not, can get a little boring. Feel like popping down to Key West for a tropical adventure or up to the mountains of Georgia? Believe it or not, both are an eight-hour drive away.
Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of good reasons to live in Orlando, I just wanted to give you my - hopefully realistic - opinion of some of the disadvantages of living here.
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