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Tampa v. Orlando


nuhusky

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Lake Nona is beautiful. A lot of celebrities live their including Golfers Nick Faldo and Anika Sorestam (I'd love to be her neighbor). There are also a lot of Europeans living there...my Norweigan friend lives there.

To touch on Malls a little bit...I've been to Tampa's "best" mall-International Plaza and it really doesn't even come close to Millenia. People around the world know Millenia by name.

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Well just to play Devil's Advocate, I think you guys are giving Tampa the short end of the stick.  There's much more to do in Tampa than downtown/Ybor.  Hyde Park is Thorton Park on steriods and there's no urban upscale nightlife and dining district in Orlando, like SoHo.  Downtown's a wash because both cities have so many projects going up that what you see today will be totally different 3 years from now. 

Nightlife in the Bay area also exists outside of Ybor.  Try SoHo, Channelside, Bay Walk, St. Johns Pass, Central Avenue (St. Pete) for a change.  If you're into nightlife at shopping malls, the Blue Martini, opened their first Central Florida location at Tampa's International Mall, Bay Street Entertainment section. 

The best spots, by far in Orlando are downtown and Winter Park.  Everything along I-Drive is nothing more than a giagantic tourist trap that will get old pretty quick if you're a resident.  You also can't beat the stroll down Bayshore, the US's longest continous walkway, a popular spot for joggers, cyclist and roller bladding.  The paths around O-town's lakes are nice, but don't compare.  To tell the truth neither of these cities are anywhere close to being cosmopolitan and I really wouldn't worry about Hurricanes, just get Flood Insurance. ;)

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I find it hard to compare Hyde Park and Thornton Park. Simply because Hyde Park is Tampa's most exclusive neighborhood, Winter Park is Orlando's. Look at it this way, I would say that Park Ave blows Hyde Park up. Thus, Thornton Park is similar to Soho in that it has upscale dining. Edgewater Drive in College Park is also very up and coming.

Yes, I-Drive can get old, but what can't? Its not one GIANT tourist trap. Take it from a resident, I enjoy many of the restaurants and clubs over there on hospitality night when its all locals (Karma, for instance).

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Orlando has a lot to offer and it is unmatch by a lot of cities. We dont have the big cities living expenses but we have the entertaintment that even a lot of big cities cant offer.

Because of the toruism industry, we have a lot of shoppings from high end in Millenia Mall to low end cheesy stores.

Urbanity in downtown Orlando is at least 10 years ahead of Tampa and the gap is getting bigger. The direction and development of downtown Orlando will further enhance its urbanity. Shopping, office and residential all mixed within. When you walk on downtown Orlando street, it gives u the true feeling of being in a city compared to downtown Tampa.

As in culture, we have Fringe festival and Bob Carr Performing art center. Broadway series that go to Tampa normally stop here too. We have a lot of small theaters around the metro. Winter Park is a hidden jewel in central Florida.

Tampa is more like a decaying northeast cities with older population and a redneck town. If u are into settling down and jogging or walking dogs is what your are looking to do daily, Tampa is the place. Since you already dont like Clearwater and St Pete (the only two places that you can actually like), I think you should choose Orlando. As for Ybor city, Citiwalk and Downtown Disney is maybe 100000% better than that.

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Keep in mind as you read these responses that Orlando forummers outnumber Tampa's by a good deal on this particular website. You'd probably get a different overall response by looking at a similar site and posing the same question.

I think the guy that gave the advice about following your career path hit it on the head. Truth is, these two cities are fairly similar in many aspects, hence the rivalry. The fact that you're torn should reinforce that.

Both cities are growing fast. Both are experiencing rapid development in the downtowns. Orlando's newer and has more retail and tourist attractions. Tampa offers more culture and sports options.

But also take a look at traffic, commute times, cost of housing, taxes, insurance rates, school systems, etc. You sound like a pretty level-headed guy who's not going to be influenced by a Ybor vs. Citywalk debate.

Whichever you choose, best of luck on your new job and hope you make lots of friends in your new home. :thumbsup:

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I am not looking for a debate here, I am just giving the truth. Why do you thing all the this development in Orlando is occuring? Anyway like said these are both great cities. You can't go wrong where ever you move to.

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Again, you need to be more knowledgable on this subject. I don't think anyone would deny that tourism greatly affected Orlando's economy for the past 30 years, and will do so in the next 30. However, tourism has actually slowed down. Disney and Universal have both stopped their rapid growth initiatives for more of a quality over quantity outlook. Hence that is having a ripple effect. The largest growth numbers in Orlando for the past few years have been in conventions and computer science, not tourism. Orlando will continue to diversify in this way. That is the truth.

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Thanks for the great input. Some very constructive comments. I do however see a larger portion of posters from orlando than the tampa area.

i was however always biased towards orlando myself and was hoping for such a biased response from all of you.

This has certainly made my choice a bit easier. Now all I have to worry about is the 1000 mile plus move. Should be fun.

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Yea man these 2 cites are great! Tampa and Orlando are in a good area. Sometimes my folks in Tampa will book a hotel in Orlando for the weekend. These 2 cites aren't that far from each other so you and your wife can enjoy all these cities have to offer. Wheter it's going to a baseball game in Tampa or a theme park in Orlando. Hopefully you and your wife will enjoy living here, and I do wish you the best.

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I find it hard to compare Hyde Park and Thornton Park.  Simply because Hyde Park is Tampa's most exclusive neighborhood, Winter Park is Orlando's.  Look at it this way, I would say that Park Ave blows Hyde Park up.  Thus, Thornton Park is similar to Soho in that it has upscale dining.  Edgewater Drive in College Park is also very up and coming.

Yes, I-Drive can get old, but what can't?  Its not one GIANT tourist trap.  Take it from a resident, I enjoy many of the restaurants and clubs over there on hospitality night when its all locals (Karma, for instance).

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I wouldn't classify Hyde Park as Tampa's most exclusive hood.

Harbor Island and the waterfront areas south of Westshore are pretty posh themselves.

The I-Drive take is one from my experience of growing up in Central Florida. I spent a lot of time in both cities because it was roughly a 30 minute drive in either direction to each city.

Now that I think about it. Maybe you should check out Lakeland. Its the best of both worlds and the cost of living is cheaper.

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As an unbiased observer, I think some of you Orlando people are not giving Tampa a fair shot. I grew up in Orlando and have spent a lot of time in Tampa. City to City I'd probably give the advantage to Orlando over Tampa, but the Tampa Bay region is more diverse. I also hate the density in Orlando, or lack thereof. Central Florida is just too spread out. The same could be said of Tampa Bay but I feel it does better. Both cities are booming, so I don't think you can go wrong with either one.

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nuhusky,

Orlando would be the better choice of the two.

In the Orlando area, top on my list is College Park, just a mile North of downtown Orlando. There is a beautiful lake with great views of the Orlando skyline. When I lived there, there was always someone walking around the lakes, and many of them walked their dogs down there. College Park is unique because it does not experience the rediculous through traffic that other area like Winter Park experience. Living there seriously feels like living in a town of 10K-20K. But, it is tucked within a miles distance of downtown Orlando. Check it out. The major roads are Princeton Ave. and Edgewater St. There is a nice little downtown area with shops/restaraunts on Edgewater. The area is slightly pricy, but so is the Lake Nona area. If you can afford to move there, I highly recommend College Park.

My second pick would be Winter Park, followed by the Lake Nona area.

For suburban living, check out Winter Springs or Oveido.

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You make very good explainations.  However, I feel this only strengthens my argument.  Take the "excuses" out and you have a city with grit, and a newer, nicer looking city.  Hey, those old cigar factories have character, but they look like crap.  I would rather take the newer and cleaner city.

It all depends on the person. For example, I took a lower paying job in Jax, two years ago, over a higher offer in Orlando, partially because of the historic and grit factor. While majoring in Architecture, during the late 1990's, I fell in love with older urban neighborhoods, something that Jax and Tampa had a large collection of, while Orlando had fewer hoods and they were more suburban. That wasn't a knock against the city, but that grit factor, as well as the beach, played a major role in my decision.

Also, Orlando has all the upscale places to match Tampa's.  Orlando has more entertainment.  Orlando does lack in culture, such as the arts and theatre, but so does Tampa.  Neither is that close to the beach.  In Tampa you have a half hour drive across the bay and to the Gulf coast.  Orlando is a 45 minute drive to Daytona.  Cocoa an hour or less depending on where in Orlando you are.
Tampa's a waterfront city...period. The Bay, the cruise ships, the port and the Hillsborough River is just as impressive as the beach, that's only a skip and a hop across the Courtney Campbell. If you like lakes, Lakeland/Winter Haven is the metro to go reside in Central Florida.

Someone said in Tampa you have to go to Brandon and other places to find nice neighborhoods.  If you want to go that far out, for Orlando you have to consider Windemere, Maitland, Winter Park, Lake Mary/Heathrow, should I go on?  Brandon is not great at all.  My parents actually moved to Valrico, so technically not Tampa.  I went house hunting with them.  Our Maitland neighborhood was ten times better than almost all I saw in Tampa and it's outer areas for middle class homes.  In my opinion Orlando just is better.

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I mentioned this earlier, but there are several nice neighborhoods in Tampa, only a short distance from downtown. Next time you're in town, check out the areas south of I-275, like Hyde Park, Davis Islands, Bayshore, Harbor Island, SoHo and Westshore. It may be time for me to start posting photo threads again, since my collection has been building up recently.

Btw, I haven't mentioned it, but the Channel District is a pretty unique authentic warehouse loft district, connected to downtown and Ybor, by the streetcar line. I don't know any areas outside of Miami, that can offer up the same type of urbanity. Jacksonville has the historic buildings needed, but its still about 5 years away. Orlando, on the other hand, is a lot like Charlotte. Its a fairly young city that's got to work hard to build up its urban core (core includes urban neighborhoods outside of downtown), which will take years, to reach the levels of the older cities.

In the end, as its been mentioned several times before, it really comes down to what's most important in your life at the moment. If you're young and looking for entertainment, Orlando's the place to go. If you're attracted to water and urbanity, Tampa may be your spot.

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If you like lakes, Lakeland/Winter Haven is the metro to go reside in Central Florida.

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I don't doubt that Lakeland/Winter Haven has their fair share of lakes, but Orlando's composition is 7% water thanks to the abundance of lakes that make metro Orlando only second in the country behind Minneapolis/St. Paul in terms of fresh water frequency.

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I don't know anything about Polk's fresh water frequency, but I don know that the actually cities have more acres of lakes/sq mile readily accessible to their cores.

Btw, imaginary metro lines, designated by the census can be deceiving. The majority of those lakes in metro Orlando, especially the large ones, sit far out from Orlando's true urban area. In fact some, like the massive Lake Kissimmee, form Polk's Eastern border, and are more accessible to Winter Haven, then Orlando. Many others are located in Lake County near Leesburg and Eustis, which is also a good distance away.

To poke more holes in the metro theory, it can be argued that the Lakeland/Winter Haven metro (Polk County) is actually a bedroom community to both Orlando & Tampa and thus should be split equally between the two. The Western portion has a high number of commuters to Tampa & vise versa, while the Eastern Portion (ex. Four Corners) definately serves suburban Disney/Orlando areas. Deland is also a suburb of Orlando that should be included in its numbers, instead of Daytona Beach's.

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When people talk about Orlando lakes, its the Butler chain as well as the Winter Park chain usually, as well as Lake Apopka and Lake Toho. Lake Kissimmee and those in the outreaches of Osceola County are too far to really be considered.

Lakelander, now I feel like your giving Orlando the short end of the stick. Channelside has a few warehouses, but what characterizes that area has been built in the last few years, the movie theater and the shops/restaurants, and of course the port. Orlando has plenty of old neighborhoods outside of downtown (Lake Eola heights, College Park, Delaney Park, Winter Park, Eatonville, Colonialtown, etc.) that while may not have warehouses, doesn't mean they are not equally as nice, or urban. Its clearly your personal preference. I certainly like Tampa's old neighborhoods, and I wish they would do more to clean up the gritty parts (all grit is to me is decay, and thats depressing in any city).

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Not that this is relevant to the topic of conversation, but I just came across an interesting little anecdote while messing around with Google Earth's path tool. It turns out that downtown Orlando is approximately 36 miles due west from the nearest portion of intracoastal waters. Likewise, downtown Tampa is approximately 21 miles due east from the nearest portion of intracoastal waters. Of course Tampa has the bay, but I found it pretty suprising that Tampa is only 15 miles nearer to the coast than Orlando.

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