Orlando

BETSRN · Apr 6, 2005

Hi everyone. I am going to be moving to the Orlando area in January 06 from Nashville. I will be a new RN (yay!) and new to the area.
Right now I am working in trying to find the best areas of town to live. I will be wanting to rent a house (not apt), and I would prefer to live on the outskirts of Orlando in the suburbs, rather than the inner city. I am leary of getting advice from the rental agencies...was wanting a real point of view on the better neighborhoods. I heard Winter Park was nice, and that Seminole County was good, but a bit more expensive (not on my new RN salary).
Also, I have heard mixed reviews about Florida Hospital vs ORMC. I do not know yet which field I want to go into, but I am leaning toward cardio or perhaps working my way up to surgery, starting off in general MS to get my skills honed. I will be taking my boards down there for the FL license. Any advice?
Any information from any Orlando native (of former native) would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Jenn :)

I lived in Winter Park as a child. It is very expensive and has grown tremendously. When I was down in October, I have to say I was very disappointed with the way orlando and that entire general area has grown. You have to be very careful in Orlando.

taltos · Apr 6, 2005

I have heard some of the same. This will be a big move, and we are just wanting to make sure that we aren't renting a house in the ghetto. We plan to go down there in December to drive around and look at some neighborhoods. It's kinda scary- don't want to be in a bad part of town. Are the outskirts of Orlando nice?

Annabelle57 · Apr 6, 2005

Welcome from a Central FL nurse-to-be! I've lived here since I was a toddler 26 years ago, so I'll try to shed a little insight on the Orlando scene.

Orlando is a very spread-out city - welcome to "urban sprawl" - so you can technically be within the city limits and yet not be in the middle of downtown. For example, one of my best friends lives within the city limits, a couple of blocks from the Orlando campus of FH, and it's pretty suburban there: kids, toys, sidewalks, families, minivans. Don't necessarily limit yourself to areas outside of the city - there are lots of deals to be found if you search.

If you do go outside of the city, there are lots of nice suburbs. In Orange County, there's Winter Park, which has outrageously expensive sections for the local "old money" and some not so expensive areas, like Winter Park Pines off of Aloma, near 436. Maitland is also a nice area, but it's also getting quite expensive since it's quickly becoming a desirable area of town. On the west side of the county, there's Winter Garden, Windermere (home of the uber-rich Bay Hill and Isleworth), Ocoee, and Apopka - these areas, if you get far west enough, can feel very country, if you prefer. There are also a LOT of new homes popping up around east Orlando that are very accessible by either the 408 or 417.

There's a lot of great stuff out in Seminole County, and not everything is expensive. I love Oviedo myself, though it's getting more and more expensive to live there. Chuluota used to be "the sticks", but new housing developments are cropping up out there, and it's worth a look. Also, check out the Lake Mary/Sanford area - you'll find some nice older homes mixed in with new developments. Heathrow is out that way, but it's very expensive on the whole (though a great place to live, I hear). Altamonte Springs is also a great area - it borders on Maitland, so those homes are also going up in price, though not as fast.

Every area of town, even Winter Park, has good sections and not-so-good sections. I would avoid Pine Hills, Orlando just west of I-4 (very ghetto), the Metrowest area (expensive homes with a surprisingly high crime rate), and Bithlo/Christmas in east Orange County (which is actually improving, but still very backwards in a lot of sections).

Hope this helps! The important part, of course, is to not just trust your realtor/renter person - go visit the place yourself. Talk to neighbors and ask about the neighborhood - we'll be pretty honest.

Good luck!

taltos · Apr 6, 2005

Dude, you totally rock. Thanks so much for all of that info. It really helps when I'm looking at these houses on maps via the internet.

I greatly appreciate all the help and advice. Have you thought about where you're gonna work when you graduate? I am mixed between FH and ORMC. I have only spoken w/ ORMC, but have heard that they are disorganized or something. Agh, I don't know... I figure I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

What semester are you in, Annabelle?

Annabelle57 · Apr 6, 2005

Dude, you totally rock. Thanks so much for all of that info. It really helps when I'm looking at these houses on maps via the internet.
I greatly appreciate all the help and advice. Have you thought about where you're gonna work when you graduate? I am mixed between FH and ORMC. I have only spoken w/ ORMC, but have heard that they are disorganized or something. Agh, I don't know... I figure I'll cross that bridge when I get there.
What semester are you in, Annabelle?

Thanks! :)

I really, really want to do NICU, and ORHS is building a huge new hospital, in addition to the Arnold Palmer kids' hospital, that will be strictly for women and NICU - a *huge* NICU. But, I currently volunteer at FH Orlando, plus one of my friends works at FH Altamonte, and I would love to work here, too. She loves it there as well. I'm only pre-nursing at this point, so I'm no expert on the hospitals - I can only go by my experience, so I'm certainly biased toward FH.

I should be in nursing school by next summer, God willing I don't get lost in some massive waiting list.

Another note on the whole housing thing: avoid anything that makes you use I-4 as your primary or only means of getting to work. Otherwise, you will curse the day you left Nashville for such god-forsaken traffic! FH Altamonte and FH Orlando are right next to I-4, but you don't have to use that highway to get there. Also, FH East Orlando and ORHS Orlando (MD Anderson, ORMC, APH, Lucerne) have very easy access to the 408, which can get clogged at times but not nearly as crappy as I-4. ORHS also has South Lake in Clermont, which has these gorgeous hills *and* lower housing costs - it's pretty close to the Florida Turnpike as well. I'd say you'd have a pretty large geriatric population in that hospital, if that interests you. It's about an hour's drive into downtown Orlando.

If I think of anything else, I'll let you know!

BlanckOne · Apr 10, 2005

and Bithlo/Christmas in east Orange County (which is actually improving, but still very backwards in a lot of sections).

Sorry Annabelle but where are the very backward areas? That area of Orlando is growing so fast that alot of new large developments are constantly going in. It actually is causing problems for families who moved there for the acreage..... :crying2:

I go through that area weekly and think it is cool that you can still get land that is NOT zero lot lined and not get tied up in traffic to get to the store.. :) Just so you know .... I live in the Union Park area and have lived on this side since 1976 and I say this area has stayed very constant. Oviedo has grown from a one light bedroom community to as spread out as Orlando, Chuluta is actually on the map now....hehehe....I cannot believe how much some areas have changed...some have gotten snotty...but others just plug away.... Like you said all have good and bad...

(east side)UCF, FL Hosp East, are both expanding with their medical programs. UCF is trying for a medical school and I think the Florida Nursing association has ties there...?

BUT like Annabelle57 said.....every area has their good points and bad points. To be fair the east side is having major traffic tie ups....almost as bad as the I-4 corridor....yuck! I suggest you rent an apartment close to one of the hospitals till you get your feel for the area. I work at Florida Hospital Orlando off Rollins and they always have adds for employees looking for roommates at all their sites. If you want lots of opportunities and you are not sure where you want to stay for employment, Florida Hospital has alot to offer! I plan on staying there through RN status and at least 1-2yrs past graduation. I want to experience ICU/ER and their Cardiac programs. They are the only hospital in Central Florida known for their Cardiac care. All surrounding facilities regularly send us their patients. Their Ped department is supposed to be expanding as well..... :balloons: Good Luck and ANNABELLE57 was pretty much on target with everything else stated..... :chuckle nothing mean intended Annabelle57...we all love the city of the mouse! :1luvu:

barefootlady, ADN, RN · Apr 10, 2005

I know nothing of the area, but my advice would be to check with the local police for insights on areas to live. They know it all. Good luck. :balloons:

Annabelle57 · Apr 11, 2005

Sorry Annabelle but where are the very backward areas? That area of Orlando is growing so fast that alot of new large developments are constantly going in. It actually is causing problems for families who moved there for the acreage.....
I go through that area weekly and think it is cool that you can still get land that is NOT zero lot lined and not get tied up in traffic to get to the store.. :) Just so you know .... I live in the Union Park area and have lived on this side since 1976 and I say this area has stayed very constant. Oviedo has grown from a one light bedroom community to as spread out as Orlando, Chuluta is actually on the map now....hehehe....I cannot believe how much some areas have changed...some have gotten snotty...but others just plug away.... Like you said all have good and bad...
(east side)UCF, FL Hosp East, are both expanding with their medical programs. UCF is trying for a medical school and I think the Florida Nursing association has ties there...?
BUT like Annabelle57 said.....every area has their good points and bad points. To be fair the east side is having major traffic tie ups....almost as bad as the I-4 corridor....yuck! I suggest you rent an apartment close to one of the hospitals till you get your feel for the area. I work at Florida Hospital Orlando off Rollins and they always have adds for employees looking for roommates at all their sites. If you want lots of opportunities and you are not sure where you want to stay for employment, Florida Hospital has alot to offer! I plan on staying there through RN status and at least 1-2yrs past graduation. I want to experience ICU/ER and their Cardiac programs. They are the only hospital in Central Florida known for their Cardiac care. All surrounding facilities regularly send us their patients. Their Ped department is supposed to be expanding as well..... :balloons: Good Luck and ANNABELLE57 was pretty much on target with everything else stated..... :chuckle nothing mean intended Annabelle57...we all love the city of the mouse! :1luvu:

Hey... no offense taken! :rolleyes: Glad to hear from someone who actually works at these hospitals - I've always heard great things about FH, and I really like volunteering there.

I work for the County right now on the east side, and occasionally, we'll be sent out to the Bithlo/Christmas area and run into some of the wildlife out there, and I don't mean the animals! I certainly don't mean that every person in Bithlo/Christmas is a hick or redneck - certainly not. I have some very wonderful friends and co-workers who live there. You'll just find some out there, maybe more than in other places. But it's not like Deliverance or anything! It is lovely there, and there's not that "keeping up with the Jones" pressure like in other areas. Plus, you're right: they have a lot of new developments going up out there - I know of Wedgefield, and I think Cypress Lakes, right?

Interesting to hear about the possible med school at UCF - I didn't know that! That would be cool...

taltos · May 4, 2005

So, I've done a little searching around, and now have questions to some "suburbs" and surrounding areas of Orlando. I have seen many of what look like very nice homes in Deltona, Sanford, Winter Park, Seminole County, and far SE Orlando (which looks like new subdivisions on Mapquest).

Are these areas really, really far out of Orlando? What would be the drive time from, say, Deltona or Sanford to say, downtown Orlando? The reason I ask is that these homes appear to be in my price range as far as rent, but if I'm gonna be making up for it in gas, then I won't even bother.

I have copied what all y'all have said about areas, and found some really good deals...just trying to spread my options at this point and time.

Thanks again,

Jenn :yelclap:

BETSRN · May 5, 2005

So, I've done a little searching around, and now have questions to some "suburbs" and surrounding areas of Orlando. I have seen many of what look like very nice homes in Deltona, Sanford, Winter Park, Seminole County, and far SE Orlando (which looks like new subdivisions on Mapquest).
Are these areas really, really far out of Orlando? What would be the drive time from, say, Deltona or Sanford to say, downtown Orlando? The reason I ask is that these homes appear to be in my price range as far as rent, but if I'm gonna be making up for it in gas, then I won't even bother.
I have copied what all y'all have said about areas, and found some really good deals...just trying to spread my options at this point and time.
Thanks again,
Jenn :yelclap:

These are long congested rides on I-4. Very busy. Tons of traffic. Winter Park is extremely expensive.

fry.girl · May 5, 2005

There is a growing HMA hospital located just 40 minutes outside of Orlando in an up and coming area called Davenport/Haines City FL. I have been doing my clinicals for school at this facility and I am very impressed with them overall. I have rotated to almost every area of the hospital and have been treated so kindly (alot to be said for a student) and I am considering applying for my first nursing job there. The hospital is Heart of Florida Regional Medical Center. This facility is about 20 minutes from Disney and there should be plenty of affordable housing in the area. I am providing a link to the hospital website where they list specific openings.

Heart of Florida Regional Medical Center Website

As far as traffic is concerned, most facilities run on 7-7 shifts so you will not find yourself in the worst traffic on I-4 which is of course during rush hours. But a good rule of thumb about I-4 traffic is you never want to go South on I-4 in the morning (8-9) or North on I-4 in the evening (5-6). So living in Deltona and working in Orlando would put you in the most traffic on I-4 at rush hour.

Hope this is helpful!

Cheri