Orlando, FL

Pretty good nightlife I will say that much. UCF is great school as well. I  would not want to settle down here for the mere fact of really no change is seasons.I'm sure many people will find that to be one of Orlando or Central Floridas positive aspects though!

I cannot believe how little the raters for Orlando actually know about the city. The large majority of tourist-land is not in Orlando it is in south Orange and Osceola county unincorporated areas. Downtown Orlando is a beautiful place, hence the nickname (The City Beautiful)Luxury high rise condos, trendy shops and restaurants and nightclubs can keep you busy day and night. And there are many job oppurtunities outside the tourist sector, which is mainly employed by immigrants now. The Orlando area has more to offer than any city of its size, because besides Orlando and Winter Park and everything they have to offer, there is also the tourist sector and the beach to add to it. It's always on the list of fastest growing cities, and not because of tourism anymore. They used to say that Orlando is in Disney's shadow, but since 1998 Disney has been in Orlando's shadow. Orlando has the country's largest Fringe Festival, tons of art galleries and a large sector of its employment is in the creative category. EA Sports is headquartered in Orlando because of the creative workforce and schools such as Full Sail that turns out such students. Living in Orlando and the north and eastern suburbs, you never hear talk of Disney or tourism, it's non-existant in your mind, just like if you lived in say, Minnesota and you were planning a trip to Disney, residents plan trips to Disney if they care to go, like it's a seperate entitey, not a part of every day life. The tourism workforce is in what we call "the other Orlando" and they pretty much don't socialize with the city workforce, and the city has become an urban model that other cities in the south envy. Orlando has more residents in the center city than most major cities in the country. The cities residents are very trendy and many are European and there are lots of Euro style outdoor cafes. Whoever said they would rather go to South Bronx, have a great time. Have you ever been to Winter Park, Thornton Park, South Eola, College Park, Delaney Park, Maitland, MetroWest, Millenia,Oviedo,Winter Springs, Winter Garden, Ocoee,Altamonte Springs, Sanford, Lake Mary, Heathrow, Lake Nona, Waterford Lakes, Vista Lakes, the ViMi District, Colonialtown,etc. Did you know about the huge Medical City being built in Lake Nona which includes The Burnham Institute HQ, The new UCF Medical School, the new VA Medical Center, the new Nemours Childrens Hospital. Did you know Orlando has two of the top 5 Hospital Systems in the country,Florida Hospital and Orlando Health? Do you know how many people are employed in just the medical industry? Lots of architechtural firms, advertising firms, legal, financial, I work for a major brokerage company that has a large presence in Orlando, as well as 500 employees for Bank of New York, the nations largest banking institution. Home of Darden Restaurants (Olive Garden, Red Lobster,etc)and home to Darden restaurant concepts that don't even go in to most markets, such as Season's 52 and Bahama Breeze. The toll roads are some of the most visually appealing and well built roads in the nation. We were the first city to implement electronic transponders to pay your tolls and now leading the nation in our EPASS lanes where you don't have to slow down to go through a toll booth but can pay your toll at 70mph. The city is famous for its lakes surrounded by million dollar mansions, the city has probably the best golfing in the country. And in the Orlando CSA population has over 2.6 million people and is in the top 20 metro areas in the USA and the 120 mile I-4 corridor along with Tampa Bay, Orlando, and Daytona is approaching 7 million people? Out of all those people only 60,000 work in the tourism industry. So we have millions of bored residents I guess, that decided to live here because it's just so boring and ugly. Yeah, right. The opposite is true. Lots of natural attractions also, miles and miles of bike trails, natural springs and beautiful city parks and gardens. Bloomingdales, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Saks, IKEA, Macy's and most upscale retailers are here, and they sure aren't in some or the cities listed in the survey of the same size. So we are greatly offended that so many posters here are talking about tourist land, which is so seperate from the real city. When I travel to a city, I check out the actual city. I don't go to Six Flags and not check out Atlanta. And by the way, no nightlife? Does anybody know that Orlando in the 90's was the home of underground house music, the rave scene in the US, and a style of music dubbed "the Orlando sound" by Rolling Stone magazine which featured an issue on the amazing Orlando club scene. The Club at Firestone was an international hotspots, celebrities hung out there, and the major international DJ's got their US fame in Orlando, like Sasha, Digweed,etc. So many of you need to make an actual trip to Orlando, since apparently you've never been. Thanks!

A dismal tourist trap in thrall to Team Rodent AKA Disney Corporation.

I'd sooner visit the South Bronx.

I am SICK of it. Having been there 3 times, I have had ENOUGH. Good for 1 or 2 visits during a lifetime, but if you're like me, you'll get tired of it very easily.

Other than Disney World, what is there? I don't see the appeal.

Ditto the other reviewer. . .Disney-controlled hell. . .couldn't wait to fly out of that place. . .

Bass fishing is an underrated sport around here...but its bascially just a bubbling factory of mall rats.

Great place to visit, but I don't know about living there. Lots of places to go - Disney World, Universal Studios, Epcot, etc. City itself does not have much to recommend. Lots of sprawl and not very historical or cultural. Weather is hot and humid. Kissimmee is really tacky with nothing but run down motels, flea markets, low-grade tourist traps, etc.

Trash, trash, trash. How could a place get so damn nasty? It is nothing but a 99 cent outlet land which doesn't make any since because there are hundreds of these damn places all competing for the same business.

live here you will see!

Lots to do, not necessary to go to disney world to have fun.

Orlando used to be entirely for families on a budget visiting Disney. However, since they built a huge Convention Center on International Drive, many more upscale shops and attractions have helped the place a lot. There is now a veritable ghetto of chic restaurants on W. Sand Lake Drive. Real world shops and restaurants are on Orange Blossom Trail. The best weather is in December and March. Toll roads are a pain, but they are practically empty compared to the non-toll roads so they save time.

Disney's heaven to any kid. Outside of that Orlando's a fairly exciting place, very cool club scene, great weather aside from summertime. I taught baseball down there one summer and my ears were so blistered up that they actually bled. I had to wear black protective shields over my ears and the kids started calling me mickey mouse.

Disney World and Universal is all it has going for it, i like vacationing there, but would never want to live there, or anywhere else in the Plywood state for that matter!

This is a very fun place if you have children, but very overwhelming and crowded. Just trying to keep your family together can be a challenge. After four trips there, I'm ready for a real vacation.

I had a lot of fun in Orlando, and I didn't even go to Walt Disney World. Dan Marino's Town Tavern was a blast, and the Mall at Millennia is arguably the best shopping mall I've ever been to. There are plenty of elaborate mini-golf courses there too. Also, check out the elevated go-kart track on International Drive, as well as the world's largest McDonald's. On the downside, there are too many damn toll roads in the area. Overall, though, I had a lot of fun there.

i thought this, along with tampa, was a great place. everyone was willing to help. so friendly and full of pleasant people. lovely and flat compared to my country. spacious and beautifully laid out. there are too many places to visit. it is awesome.

Orlando is a company town. Disney dominates the economy of the area, meaning that it's a very plastic city made for tourists. The upside is that there's always something to do, the city is very clean and generally the people there are nice and representative of the country at large. It's a good place to raise kids as well, lots of good schools and stuff to keep them entertained. The beaches are nearby, but I prefer the ones in Tampa and the Gulf, they're much cleaner than Cocoa or Daytona. The climate can't be beat, although it's really hot and rainy in the summer, more than in other parts of Florida.

Orlando is the city in which I live, and I must say this is a great place or I wouldn't live here. There is nothing boring or stupid about it. Not only is the weather wonderful all year round, but the people are really nice here and they are so diverse, too. The job prospects are at a decent level, and it isn't all in the hospitality sector either. I mean of course Orlando is mostly a tourist city, but there are locals here, and alot of them. Orlando is an all-American city, and I am proud to call it home. :)

Orlando is a great place to visit on vacation, but do not ever move there. It then becomes (B)Orlando. Outside of the temem parks there is nothing to do. The traffic is horrible, the weather in summer is miserable. It is completely lacking any cultural attractions unless you count karaoke bars. Forget live music or jazz clubs. Very few touring shows play in Borlando, which is good becuase there are no good concert venues. All in all a miserable city with very poor job prospects except for the hospitality sector.

This is a great town to visit and has many job options. Many people think it is only about Disney, but there are millions of others things to see and do : Point Orlando, Sea World, Church Street Station, Universal and Wet Wild just to name a few. The traffic may be bad but there is never a dull moment. There are many types of people and it never gets to cold. There are so many places to shop it would take you a whole month to go to them all and you would never run out of resturants.

I'm not very big on Disneyworld, but Orlando does have plenty of other attractions. It's a great place for a vacation, but unless you want to work in the tourist industry, avoid living there. Orlando is clean, has little crime, and is a pleasant central Florida city. I have to remove a star because of Disney (a personal opinion only, many people love Disneyworld) and a star because of employment options.

It's a fun place to visit because of all the attractions and good weather, but I wouldn't want to live there.

My idea of hell on earth. Sterile, corporate sponsored, artificial, beautifully planned - I would rather vacation in North Philadelphia.

I think this is the best city in Florida. I really enjoyed my visit there. The International Drive (or Avenue??) was awesome. I totally recommend this to all you shop-addicts!! :) Amazing golf-courses. When you have nowhere else to go to, you can't be wrong with Disney World and Universal Studio. Fun nightlife too!!

Orlando's sprawl has spawned lots of traffic problems and a bedroom beltway that doesn't care about the social and political issues of downtown. It has lovely weather, interesting neighborhoods, and outrageously expensive theme parks. It will never be a fashion, intellectual, or entertainment mecca, but it does hold its own with other uninspired large American cities.

Where would this town, not city, be without Mickey?