Moving to Orlando to be Close to the Parks?

march2

Earning My Ears
Joined
Mar 24, 2016
Hope this doesn't sound nutty, lol. Has anyone moved to Central Florida to be close to the parks or seriously thought about it? When our kids were little, we were in a position at the time to where we could go to Orlando pretty much anytime we wanted and stay as long or as little as we wanted; up to 35-40 days per year. Our 4 children are now young adults (22-26), so we don't go as often. We travel a lot, but love where we live in the Charlotte area. We have been to the Central Florida area so often that we know we could live there and be happy. It's always been a little fantasy of mine to live so close to the parks (Disney, Universal, Seaworld) that we could visit ANYTIME we wanted. Plus both the Orlando and Tampa/St. Petersburg metro areas are 2 very good metros in which to live. But the only way we would seriously consider such a move would be if 2 or more of our kids moved there, then we would follow. Our middle son is applying for the Disney College Program in March and our youngest son wants to apply at Disney and Universal when he gets out of the Army and gets his degree. Has anyone ever had any thought or experiences like this? Not looking for any advice or anything. Just other's experiences and such.
 
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I lived in Southwest Orlando area (5 minutes from what is now Disney Springs, literally) for 20 years. What I'll say is this: Visiting somewhere isn't like living there. The area changed markedly over the time I'd lived there, and in many ways not for the better. At the end of the day, what you like is what you like. We've got relatives who remain in Central Florida, who often explain just how much the negative things continue to increase such as crime and traffic problems. Whether or not the total picture is worth it to you is definitely subjective. I think also, there's something to be said for "going" somewhere special as opposed to it just "being" there all the time. For example, I could see the fireworks from Universal and Sea World from my 2nd floor townhouse, and what once would have been novel quickly faded back into the wallpaper, so to speak. .02 cents, FWIW.
 
My son and his family were not Disney fans but moved to Orlando last year for a job (not disney related). They are now annual pass holders and Disney fans and go most weekends to the parks! They tend to stay indoors in the summer though, the heat and humidity are a little much.
 


I love the heat and I will live in Florida one day. Probably central Florida but that's TBD. I am sure the traffic gets old but i'd take it just to be there. Currently in Louisville, Ky where I am excited to say that it's 57 degrees today
 
I certainly would give it a lot of thought once i retire... even still,i could live anywhere with my current job since i work from home but my wife is a Delta employee and wouldn't leave Atlanta or quit her job even if we hit the lottery!
 
I certainly would give it a lot of thought once i retire... even still,i could live anywhere with my current job since i work from home but my wife is a Delta employee and wouldn't leave Atlanta or quit her job even if we hit the lottery!
Same here. I work from home & can pretty much transfer anywhere. Just waiting for the wife to get on board...
 


Has anyone moved to Central Florida to be close to the parks or seriously thought about it?

Life-long Texan and long time resident of San Antonio. This thought has crossed my mind at least once a year, especially since the pulse shooting. I may seriously consider moving when I retire and going to work for The Mouse.
 
DW and I am in the exact same boat, considering a retirement move in maybe 5-10 years. I don't worry about the high traffic as we have plenty in the DC area (one stretch on my PM commute is supposedly rated as the worst stretch in the country, what an honor), and we also have hot humid weather but of course not as often (hot and sticky is generally Jun-Aug here, probably a month or two more on each side of that window in Orlando).

Anyway, the second post in this thread is what DW and I have been discussing (namely, the viewpoint of someone who has lived there for many years), that we don't want to move to an area if crime is going to be an issue, so our decision is not definite and we have a few years to decide.

So we just got APs and will activate them this summer, and also have a couple quick long weekend trips planned in Oct/Nov (probably also Jan and then next Spring) where part of the itinerary will be Disney and part of it will be touring the various housing developments that look good online and try and get a feel for them in person. We will probably do that for the next 2-3 years with trips down there now and then to help us make a decision with eyes open.
 

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