Moving to Florida-Florida Real Estate Network-Living plus Relocating

To see average January temperatures across the United States go tohttp://www.mapsofworld.com/usa/thematic-maps/usa-temprature-january.html
Compare where you live or want to live in Florida. For more specific info, look at the area you are interested in and go to the weather page.

So what about Hurricanes, the rainy season and humidity?
We are a tropical climate, so our rainy season comes in the summer. Generally it will rain hard for a half hour then subside. It does get humid then. Although not as bad as you’d think. Our water breezes really help cool us off.
Hurricanes.
Despite four devastating hurricanes in 2004, the number of Florida visitors rose 7% to an all-time high of 79.8 million last year and is on target to hit 80 million this year.
To think on:
If you live on the coast you stand the greatest chance of having one affect you. Some areas of Florida have gone fifty years plus without one but you never know.
As a resident having lived in the Keys and now in central Florida I’ve been through them.

In my opinion, the best thing you can do is buy a home that was built after Andrew-August 92 that was built to stricter building codes. Have window protection and a backup generator and make sure your insurance is up to date. If they ask you to leave, do it!

Realize-If you live in an older home that was not built up to the stricter building codes (After Hurricane Andrew-August 1992) or you live in a mobile home you stand the best chance of having major structural damage.

Living on the beach in a mobile home is asking for it. Although, you may never have a problem, you’re still definitely taking your chances. Barrier islands and open-water Ocean or Gulf front are the most prone to damage.
Having lived in California, I prefer the threat of a hurricane however as opposed to an earthquake. At least you have a warning.

• For current information about hurricanes go to http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
• For 2005 climate info by areas go tohttp://www.coaps.fsu.edu/climate_center/LCD/2005LCD.html
• For current weather forecasts by cities go to http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov/iwin/fl/fl.html

*Living in a waterfront home typically means that you will pay a higher Insurance premium. The insurance is higher due to flood and wind concerns.
Part of this is also because the pricing on these homes is higher so there is more value to insure against.

Having said all this, I can’t imagine living elsewhere. It is really great to wake up and it’s sunny out.
We spend over half our lives indoors, so when you do go outside, wouldn’t it be nice if it was warm and sunny?

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When the name Orlando is mentioned we always think about Disney and theme parks. And these were the economic engines that drove Orlando’s growth for a quarter century.

But today’s Orlando is much, much more than that.

It is a diverse community, with great neighborhoods and excelent educational and health systems that manage to serve this rapidly changing community and still compete with the best in the country. Orlando-Orange County and adjacent sections of other Central Florida counties are home to a number of colleges and universities which over time are helping transform this area into a center of higher education. Seminole, Volusia, Lake

Built around literally hundreds of lakes, Orlando is also an extraordinarily beautiful city.  As Orlando has grown, it has enclosed old Orange County cities like Winter Park,which then become fabulous neighborhoods within the greater metro area, adding to the character of this unique city. Towns of interest in surrounding parts of Seminole, Volusia, Lake, and Osceola counties have also become part of this process

It is already an economic giant in business and job creation,and is on its way to becoming one of the world’s major metropolitan areas. The Florida Turnpike and the I-4 Corridor cross here, making Orlando the connecting hub of Central Florida and linking it to both Coasts.  Its state-of-the-art, award-winning  international airport is connected by dozens of carriers to every spot in North America and around the globe.

You might think that such rapid growth would create an unacceptable price in terms of poor infrastructure but you would be wrong.  Central Florida counties have stayed ahead of the curve, and the roads and highways are generally excelent throughout the metro region. Some have compared this area to a growing mini-Los Angeles, but Orlando’s freeway system is better.

What else is there to say? Well, add in a great quality of life and recreational choices ranging from professional sports, outdoor activities, vibrant nightlife, excelent dining out choices, fine art and cultural events, world famous family attractions, a beautiful natural environment and nearby beaches on either the Atlantic or the Gulf. Orlando has much of what you would expect to find, and the offerings seem to increase every day. And if you’d like to explore another metropolitan area as well, Tampa-St.Petersburg are just over an hour’s drive West.

Another word about the diverse recreational options outdoors: to the North is the Ocala National Forest and Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge, with hiking, paddleboating, and birding. All of the Lake Country that was part of the 19^th century Steamboat Era lies just to the North, and the great Citrus Ridge area lies just to the South. To the East are the great Atlantic beaches at Daytona, New Smyrna, and Cocoa Beach, not to mention Cape Canaveral National Seashore. Also East, in the Mosquito Lagoon, the Indian and Banana Rivers, and of course any number of fresh-water lakes one finds myriad opportunities for boating, fishing, and exploring.

And last but not least, the cost of living in Orlando is below the national average, and compared to other areas of the United States it’s way below. In fact, Central Florida remains one of the last great bargains in the Sunshine State(see cost of living page).

General Information, Orange County:

• Located in the middle portion of Florida, 85 miles northeast of Tampa, 231 miles north west of Miami and 243 miles south of Tallahassee.
• Average summer Temperature 90°F, but hotter in July and August, although it tends to cool off at night
• Average winter temperature is 71, with warm comfortable days and cool nights
• Average yearly temperature 72
• Average Annual Precipitation 53 in
• Average Rain Days 116
• Population projection 2005 -1 million, Orange County County
• Average home cost-June 2005-$242,000
• Cost of Living-99.98
• Median age-33

Major Employment By Industry in order of numbers

• Construction 5.1%
• Education & Health Services   15.0%
• Financial Activities 6.5%
• Information 2.7%
• Leisure & Hospitality 22.2%
• Manufacturing 4.6%
• Natural Resources & Mining    0.8%
• Other Services     2.9% 3.2%
• Professional & Business Services 17.3%
• Public administration     4.4%
• Trade, Transportation and Utilities 18.6%

A great quality of life amidst a rapidly growing area a vibrant and rapidly diversifying economy, good schools and medical services, safe neighborhoods and a unique lake-filled, protected natural environment are some of the things that Orlando-Orange County  all about.

For specifics in other general categories, see the links to the left.

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