Lifestyle and Leisure
Orlando: A magic kingdom?
In search of the 'real' Orlando, we're guided around the city by expat Jim Warren, who shows us there is more to Orlando than a giant mouse. Matt French asks the questions
Matt French (MF): And why did you decide to emigrate to the Orlando area specifically?
Jim Warren (JW): We had an opportunity to open a business related to my UK telecommunications company in the area. We thought it would be a good experience for us and the family as a whole, and the draw of the weather was too strong. I also think that the amount of travel and re-location programmes on TV may have inadvertently pushed the desire.
MF: Who did you emigrate with?
JW: I came with my family, comprising my wife Jane, and daughters Lydia (13) and Olivia (10). We also have two Florida-born Border Collies (Roxy and Troy) who are now part of the family.
MF: It sounds like you've settled in nicely, so where are you as you write this?
JW: I am here at home in Harmony, Florida. Near me a window overlooks a golf course - I see the 5th hole, a 625 yard par 5, with two large ponds down the right-hand side. The sky is blue, and the ground is looking dry, as this is the dry season in Florida - it is cool but usually dry, with average temperatures of around 72 degrees.
MF: Is the weather good year-round or are there 'bad' months? [obviously that's a relative term as it had been bleak in the UK when Jim and I spoke].
JW: The weather in the area is great from October to April, but once the summer months set in, the humidity rises, and the heat comes in. Hurricane season runs from 1st June to 30th November, and weather during these months can be unpredictable. However, the area has not had a hurricane since 2004.
MF: Can you describe your home town Harmony for us?
JW: Harmony is a new town east of St Cloud, and west of Holopaw. Started in 2003, it is built on 11,000 acres of pasture. It is the largest certified "Green" community in Central Florida. It's vision is promoting living with Florida's nature and natural habitat. A minimum of 7,000 of the 11,000 acres will always be left undeveloped.
It has the last two privately-owned lakes in Florida, which are populated by a number of electric and solar boats, as well as kayaks, that are available to use for residents only. It is a beautiful place to live, with an abundance of wild animals, and three dog parks making it a great dog community. With two new schools in walkable distance, we saw it as an ideal place for us to bring up and educate our kids.
MF: I get the sense Harmony isn't in the centre of the city, so how far does Orlando spread in each direction?
JW: The Orlando metro area stretches out over a huge 4,000 square miles, with Winter Garden to the west, Oviedo and Lake Nona to the east, Apopka and Altamont Springs to the north, and Kissimmee to the south.
MF: And if you drive into downtown Orlando, what route would you take?
JW: I take US192 west to the Florida Turnpike (toll road). Then I travel north on the turnpike before turning onto the I4 and continuing to any of the five-or-so junctions that lead to downtown Orlando. I usually turn off at the Amway arena exit (83a).
MF: Are there any particular 'highlights' of the journey, in terms of the scenery and attractions that you pass?
JW: The journey takes about 45 minutes. I travel through St Cloud which is a nice town with a small town feel. It has a historic downtown area which is great to visit. It is a real rural type US town, with it's town hall, hotel and spa, a music shop and a variety of cafés and restaurants.
The Florida Turnpike also cuts through the south east corner of the Orlando Metro area, which is very residential, with gated communities for both residents and vacation homes, as well as a vast array of strip malls.
The I4 is a hard part of the journey, with a six- to eight-lane highway and a lot of heavy traffic going into and through Orlando. Heading off the I4 into downtown we can shop in Winter Park, or visit the home of the Orlando Magic (basketball team), or often watch a show or event, at the Amway arena.
MF: Are there distinctly different suburbs and communities in Orlando?
JW: The suburbs and communities around Orlando are very colourful, with a diverse mix of cultures and people.
MF: Which of these suburbs are considered the best and worst to live in? And why?
JW: Well Windermere is very pricey, but exclusive, as its near some great golf courses; Winter Park is in downtown Orlando, but has a small-town feel; in east Orlando there is Waterford Lakes and Lake Nona, which has new hospitals and medical facilities being built near the University of Florida.
There are also a number of great, newer family-friendly neighbourhoods built in the last decade or so that have some reasonably priced properties. Heathrow has some great middle-income homes, and its an easy commute into the centre of the city, with good access to Orlando's two major airports.
Elsewhere Celebration is the town that Disney built, which offers a real sense of 50s living. Some see it as tacky, but the quality of homes and amenities, coupled with the closeness to Disney World, make this area a big pull for foreign investors.
MF: Where in the city is Disney World then?
JW: It is on the outskirts of the city, to the south west of downtown Orlando - a 15 to 20 minute drive.
MF: And are any of the main tourist centres anywhere near you?
JW: We are an hour from the Disney World or Universal tourist areas, but visit them when we can with the children - it is a great way to spend an afternoon. Kennedy Space centre and Daytona beach are an hour and a half to the north east, and Miami is three hours to the south, with the Florida Keys another two and a half hours further south.
MF: Where do people go to shop in Orlando?
JW: There are many commercial centres in the area, the main ones being Florida Mall, Millennia Mall, and Altamonte Mall. They are all based to the south east of downtown, and are great shopping areas for locals and residents.
MF: Are there lots of offices and skyscrapers in downtown Orlando?
JW: The sky line is not a big city sky line - with very few sky scrapers - but the downtown area has a good population of business activity.
MF Is there a main entertainment street in Orlando?
JW: In downtown there is Church Street, with restaurants, bars and clubs, though shops are limited to small locally-owned businesses.
MF: Is the city centre green? (does it have a lot of parkland, tree-lined streets and lakes)
JW: Orlando is very green for a metro area, with the best area being the Winter Park part of town. This area has a small town feel with parks, and boutique style shops and businesses. The area is well worth a visit, if only to sit at one of the street cafés and watch the world go by.
MF: If I were to push you, how would you define the city?
JW: Being a family who enjoy the rural lifestyle, we would describe the city as busy and noisy. But Orlando is a lot quieter than New York or London, for example. So I would have to rate it as a must-see city, if only to visit one of the museums or spend an afternoon at Winter Park or Lake Eola.
MF: What are the major industries, and are most businesses tourism-related?
JW: Tourism has to be the number one related business, with attorneys and the legal system being a close second. There are a number of tech companies based here, with computer games company EA being one of the many. Just outside of Orlando to the east by the coast lies the Brevard County community which includes NASA at the Kennedy Space centre, which of course is a high tech industry employing a great number of people from all over Central Florida including Orlando Metro.
MF: How many theme parks are there within easy reach of Orlando?
JW: Apart from the main ones, Walt Disney World and Universal, there are plenty of other attractions to spend time at. These include: Gatorland, a sprawling park based around Alligators, of course, and I believe Florida's oldest attraction; Cypress gardens is one of the theme parks that gets missed due to it's location (45 minutes south of Disney World), and its local charm and rides are often missed by tourists; then there's SeaWorld which is a great day out, and Discovery Coast - a spin off from SeaWorld, with advance booking only - where you can scuba dive with tropical fish, feed rays and, to top it off, there's a 45 minute session swimming with Dolphins.
MF: And what is there to do locally other than go to the theme parks?
JW: There is the beach of course. Florida has some of America's best beaches, with both east and west coasts a little over an hour away from Orlando. As we live to the east of Orlando, the east coast beaches are where we head. Melbourne is our closest beach, but we have visited Sebastian Inlet and Daytona on our travels. Tampa, St Petersburg and Clearwater are on the west coast, with white sand beaches, and are a completely different trip than the Daytona, New Smyrna, Melbourne and other east coast beaches, with their soft yellow sand. As well as the sand colour, the water temperature is usually eight to ten degrees different in temperature on the Gulf (west) coast to the Atlantic (east) coast water.
Florida state parks are also a hidden gem, with Blue Springs (a haven for manatees), Wekiva Springs and The Cape Canaveral Preserve.
Kennedy Space Centre is a good day out, with excellent tours, and also the chance to watch a rocket launch. If you lucky (and only until 2010) you may catch a shuttle launch. We have been lucky to see around ten launches since we have lived here. Not forgetting the landings too, which are spectacular if only for the "twin Sonic booms" you hear when the shuttle returns.
I would have to add golf is the number two thing to do in the area (if you play of course), as central Florida has a huge number of golf courses, and of course great weather to play.
MF: And are the lakes in the area put to good use?
JW: The lakes and rivers are very popular and of course can be a good way to cool off. Water sports are hugely popular.
MF: The locals can't be as friendly to residents as they are tourists, can they?
JW: No, the locals are truly friendly, and in Harmony there is a great community spirit.
MF: Alright then, so when all is said and done, is Orlando as great a place to live as it is to visit?
JW: As I live just outside the Orlando metro area, I can only give my personal view. I believe it is probably a better place to visit, than live. The wonderful settings of the theme parks contrast sharply with the metro area with low standards of living, and high crime - Orlando had over 100 murders last year. However the suburbs and towns surrounding Orlando, like, Clermont, Kissimmee, Winter Garden, Celebration, Lake Mary, Mount Dora and St Cloud are nice places to live, but prices do reflect the living conditions.
MF: And personally, have you ever had any regrets about moving to the Orlando area?
JW: Not so much regrets, but we miss friends and family of course. I miss popping down the pub, or going for a curry. We have made some good friends here, but we all miss life-long friends. Having been here only a short time, those types of friends will be hard to find. So we try to have as many friends come over on holiday as possible. I have a vacation home which I encourage friends and family to come over and use.
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