Anyone from Orlando (or other parts of FL south of there?)

[purbeast0]

Well I have decided at some point after I have 2+ years of experience at my first real job as a software engineer that I want to move south. I've lived in MD all my life right outside of DC. I just want to get my experience around here so I am more marketable before I start looking for another job down south.

I love the water. I also like it when its hot. I am sick of the cold winters around here and all the snow. It does nothing but screw things up, and now that school is done, it will give me no positive things to look forward to. I also love to play golf and I can play golf year round in florida. I also love water. I like clear water to be exact. I am sick of ocean city, MD or the brown/green waters of the atlantic ocean closest to me. Being able to drive to Miami in under 3 hours to clear water would be awesome. As would going somewhere to snorkel on the weekends.

What parts of florida don't get hit too much by the hurricanes? I know southern florida does, and that would be my ideal place to move, but I'm just not sure if its worth the risk. I would love to live south of miami and north of the keys (around Homestead) but it just seems risky.

Also, in MD where I live, housing is CRAZY expensive. You would get a 3Br house in Orlando or Homestead for the price of a nice 1Br condo in this area. Its ridiculous, and trust me, I've looked online at the housing prices and its true. So that is another huge reason I want to move south to a place I would enjoy year round more.

So is Orlando anything like what I am looking for? Are there golf courses close by that I could play year round (i figure there is)? What other parts of florida would be ideal to live? I searched monster.com and there are MANY software engineer/ programming jobs down there, which is a good thing.

 

[purbeast0]

woah no one?

 

[Steve]

Don't bother. I was there for a week. Highly expensive tourist trap.

Like water? Orlando is inland. Got to go to Tampa or Daytona for the beach.

Incidentally I'm leaving Baltimore today, driving back to Chicago.

 

[keeleysam]

You are looking for Chicago. Thanks to Global Waming, our winter is about a week long.

 

[aphex]

Explain what you mean by 'clear water'?

By far the best beaches are on the west coast of FL.... Powder sand (which dosent get hot, even when its 95F out) and calmer gulf waters....

I live over in Sarasota, about 10 mins from Siesta Key (almost always rated in the top 10 beaches in the nation). I love it here.

 

[aphex]

Like to list - http://www.drbeach.org/drbeach/best_beach_list.htm

Not on the list this year, but De Soto (#1) is about 25 mins north...

Sarasota is just south of Tampa Bay.

 

[CaptnKirk]

Lockheed Martin

Information Technologies Group

 

[BUTCH1]

Your best bet would be in the orlando area as there are more potenital
employers there. The downside is the traffic jams that happen daily on
I-4. One accident of any kind and it's a parking lot! I live in the daytona
area and the pace is less frantic here but the job market for software
engineer would be limited in this area. There really is no area in FL were
hurricanes are less likley to hit than another, let's face it the whole state
juts out into the spawning ground of tropical systems and we are in
the middle of an " active cycle" were there will more storms than
usuall. If your planning to buy a home check prices as they have
all crazy upward latley......Good luck!

 

[alphatarget1]

bar orlando + girls gone wild = profit.

 

[ironcrotch]

Uh, Isn't there like hurricanes n stuff?

 

[purbeast0]

Originally posted by: BUTCH1
Your best bet would be in the orlando area as there are more potenital
employers there. The downside is the traffic jams that happen daily on
I-4. One accident of any kind and it's a parking lot! I live in the daytona
area and the pace is less frantic here but the job market for software
engineer would be limited in this area. There really is no area in FL were
hurricanes are less likley to hit than another, let's face it the whole state
juts out into the spawning ground of tropical systems and we are in
the middle of an " active cycle" were there will more storms than
usuall. If your planning to buy a home check prices as they have
all crazy upward latley......Good luck!

heh trust me, your traffic is nothing compared to i495 in the MD/VA area. i think its #2 on the list of the worst traffic in the country.

 

[lokiju]

I live in the Ft. Lauderdale area, we got a direct hit this weekend from the hurricane but you get used to it, trees are down all over and traffic lights are all torn up but after going through it for so many years it's not that bad of a deal really, well except for the thousands of people still without electric.

I like the Orlando area a lot though, that's where my parents live near now and it's nice, I'd say if you're planning on living in the city part then expect to spend a lot of money on living expenses but if you can afford to live 30 or more mins out of the city then you'll be much better off with that, Lake Mary is a nice surrounding area of Orlando and not as much to live in either and Winter Park is nice but can be costly.


But in reality any part of FL is at risk any time a hurricane comes our way so that really shouldn't be your only decision for not moving down south closer to Miami if thats what you really want to do.

Just be prepared to learn spanish if you do move to Miami though.

 

[geckojohn]

I would recommend Fort Lauderdale area.. it seems to be growing quite a bit. Nice beaches too.