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JenniK and I have discussed moving to Fl, as she loves working for Disney and wants to make it a career.
I work for JC Penney, and I don't really care where I move to, as long as it is out of MA.
Jenni worked at Disney for 5 years, and lived there on their property for 2-3 years of it, working full time. She only has one year left of college, but UMASS has gutted their languages program so bad that it would take her 2 years to get all the required classes now. When she graduated she would receive a general language degree instead of the Spanish degree she had worked so hard for, and Disney won't hire her with that degree. They want people with language-specific degrees to act as recruiters, which is what Jenni wants to do.
So we have decided to move now rather than get stuck here in MA, where neither of us really enjoys living. She hates the cold, and I just don't like it here...not to live here, anyway. I think it is a wonderful place to visit, but i don't care for New England ....a little too reserved and stuffy for me. A lot of my best friends are from here, but I find that they are the exceptions rather than the rule.
So, we want to live somewhere in the Kissmee area, near Disney but not too close. Does anyone have a good site or Realtor we could call or even better visit on-line? I need to know how much the average rent is down there, probably for a two bedroom apartment because we would probably be renting for a year or two. We don't have enough money to put a down payment on a house, and financing might be a bit difficult because of it.
Also, I have 10 years experience in restaurants, mostly waiting tables. The last 3 years were fine dining, and if i go back into that I would like to remain in fine dining. I will probably apply at Disney as they have a lot of fine dining, but are there any other places I should consider?
I am pretty sure Jenni and I will be moving this winter, as soon as we can afford to do so. We will probably come down in February to find jobs, and as soon as we have jobs lined up we will move.
Any advice from people in the area would be appreciated.
I just sold my house on the east side of Orlando, and the realtors were okay. However, when I bought the house 4 years ago, we used a buyer's agent in Orlando. I'm thinking the company they work for is Buyer's Realty or something like that. They were outstanding, and I'd be pleased to give them a good reference. If you're interested in getting their names, I'd be glad to email it to you, but feel a little uncomfortable posting it on the forum.
If you're coming from New England, you shouldn't have too much sticker shock over prices, and don't forget that Florida has no income tax, so the paycheck appears bigger.
You might look closer to Lake Wales or Lakeland rather than Kissimmee or Orlando. More rural but still a reasonable commute to Disney.
Posts: 230 | Registered: Sep 2003
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Oh yeah, Darden Restaurant Group is based in Orlando, I think. They're the ones who own Olive Garden, etc., and there are plenty of those. There are also excellent fine dining restaurants at all of the Disney parks, but there are also really spectacular places in downtown Orlando. It's really a different city than one expects if you're expecting Disney World. Orlando itself is pretty classy in places.
One other thing, my step-daughter just moved up to Sanford, which is quite a ways from Disney, but is a straight shot up I-4. She says the cost of living is better there, and not so much traffic, except I-4 itself.
Posts: 230 | Registered: Sep 2003
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If you don't mind a rural-looking, old-fashioned, rather dull town, that revolves around a university.
Posts: 2756 | Registered: Jul 2002
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I'd second the vote on going for lakewales or lakeland. I have an aunt that lives in Orlando and the traffic is a bear...and it it just a hectic place to live. Lakewales and Lakeland are much better places to live. I forget the exact commute from lakeland to disney, but I have family that lives there so I could ask. If memory serves it is somewhere in the range of an hour. Rent would also be cheaper in lakeland than in orlando (or tampa).
Also, if more college classes are needed USF has a campus in Lakeland...though it is much smaller than its Tampa campus. There is also a liberal arts college called Florida southern in lakeland that might be of use.
Gainesville and Sanford are outrageously far if your wife will work for Disney. Believe it or not, Kissimmee does have some nice parts, and there are some affordable apartments west of the toll plaza on the Osceola Parkway, just two or three traffic-free miles to Disney. Another good choice would be Haines City, but there is some awful construction on I-4 right now that would make that commute hellish. Of course, you could always buy Bob's old house. I know a lot of people who have found affordable housing in Clermont.
As far as restaurants, my instincts say it would he hard to do much better than working for Disney, as their restaurants are somewhat pricey and get business all week long, all year long--all of which sounds good for tips.
I'll have to ask my father what rents are running in his neck of Kissimmee. I think he pays somewhere in the 580 - 600 ballpark for a one bedroom apartment, but I could be wrong. Rents where I live (Celebration) are somewhat higher, but if you work for Disney, you can't beat the commute!
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Well, that is pretty close to what we pay here...above the $500 mark, anyway.
I know that my electric bill will be high there, but I have electric heat now so in the winter I average almost $175 a month...summer much, much less. It will be the opposite there, I am sure-higher in the summer because of the AC.
My best friend lives in the Kissmee area, he bought a house down there a few years ago when he was a DJ for Pleasure Island. He moved up here and bought a brewery/restaurant, and sold it this year. He really missed FL, and moved back there, and is now the manager of a restaurant/bar in Orlando...I forget the name of it, but it is a pretty big complex...4 bars & restaurants in one place, something like that.
JenniK thinks she can get hired there right away, as she left with her re-hire status as excellent. She can't lifeguard anymore, but she could go back to the International Recruiting office, which would be ideal for her as that is what she wants to do when she graduates. Or be a guide for EPCOT, he favorite place in the world.
I want her to audition for the Voices of Liberty, at the American Pavilion; she is a pretty accomplished singer, and she use to sing with them on occasion during the Christmas season. She even knew Derick Johnson, the leader of the group, but that was years ago, and she didn't know him very well, just enough to say hi.
I probably will transfer to a J C Penney close to there, at least part time. I would prefer to work at Disney as well, and I do have some friends there who might be willing to help me land a job there. I would want to do the fine dining though, as it is hard to take a step backwards...and that is what an Olive Garden would be, trust me. Not that I wouldn't work there, but after doing flambes table-side, and making Caesar Salad fresh table-side, serving generic Italian would be closer to my old Cracker Barrel job than what I am use to doing now.
Doc: I will e-mail you so that you can send me that info. I agree, posting it wouldn't really be that good of an idea. Can I reach you through here?
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Lakeland might be option, but if you want any type of life at all, don't live in Lake Wales. I grew up there. Although they do have a theater now. I think the Kissimmee area would be a good place or possibly SW Orlando, like Hunter's Creek.
They have apartment books down here that break everything down into geographic areas. The next time I see one at a convenience store, I'll pick one up and mail it to you. Email me your address. Also, we just sold our house and have moved into an apartment while waiting for our new home to be built. I'll see if I can find the websites that had apartment reviews. They were very helpful and kept us from moving into one place that would have been very bad.
And check out University of Central Florida (UCF). It will be the largest university in the state within a few more years. They may have the curriculum Jenni needs.
More stuff to add. There is a big JC Penney at the Florida Mall which is south Orlando. If you lived in Kissimmee or SW Orlando, it wouldn't be a bad drive. As far as fine dining, there is a relatively new "restaurant row" just west of I-4 in the I-Drive area. There are several rather upscale restaurants there and they wouldn't be a bad drive from Kissimmee if you weren't able to get in at any of the Disney places.
There are loads of neighborhoods in the Western part of Kissimmee/Osceola county that would make your wife's commute a breeze. I would suggest looking into places like Indian Ridge, The Oaks (formerly Indian Ridge Oaks) and then maybe some of the newer areas.
It might be a good idea to rent a house in the area for awhile. Just depends on how much you want to spend. A room in a house (a share...) costs anywhere from $350 on up (depending on where you are). Indian Ridge (where I used to live) is in the $500 range. You can get cheaper whole apartments in Kissimmee, but it'd be a trek.
As for jobs, restaurants abound, as do brick & mortar retail giants of every stripe. I can't speak for the job market at the moment, but I can tell you that I would make a trip down before committing to the Central FL economy. It can be rough there, and we do have a "war" on. Things like that can sometimes make it tough to land a job.
On the other hand, with your experience, you would probably end up rising rapidly. There's a heck of a lot of turn over in the area.
Expect a huge salary difference, unless you transfer within JC Penney or work for a national firm with salary standards.
I hope you do find a way to move down there. It is a great area.
It's growing rapidly.
Lots of opportunity.
And the weather doesn't suck.
If you want to rent a room temporarily (i.e., short term, sans lease), I might be able to hook you up. Or, I suppose, even long term (but that doesn't sound like what you'd want -- is it?
Posts: 22497 | Registered: Sep 2000
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Renting a room would be really tough, because it is Jenni and me....and our stuff, which currently fills a 2 bedroom apartment...
Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll go with either renting an apartment or a house, depending on how much it costs and where it is.
We don't mind a commute, but we only have one car between the two of us, at least right now. I will probably wait until we move before looking to buy another one; that way we won't have to drive two of them down there.
I am commission at JC Penney, so unless retail pays a lot less than $6.75 and hour plus commission my pay won't change for the worst...lol...I do OK there in the winter, but the summer sucks. That is why I think I'll get back into fine dining. That pays $2.63 per hour just about everywhere, but in fine dining the tips are much better than in chains. If I do go to a chain, Olive Garden is a good choice. I know a few people up here who work for them, and they make decent money.
Jenni said that while she wasn't making great money at Disney when she worked there, she was taking home more money than she does here because FL don't have a state income tax. She is sure she can get re-hired at Disney, but I want to make sure before we move. That is the purpose of making a trip down there in Jan. or Feb.; to line up work. No jobs, no move...at least not right away.
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Florida Mall is the closest one to Disney and all the attractions. Because of that, it gets a huge influx of tourists from everywhere. They bring in busloads of tourists from the outlying resorts. We were actually just there today and one of the salespeople told me that only about 20% of their customers were local.
I'm saying this because I would think that would even out sales at that mall. I'm sure Christmas is still their busiest time, but that mall seems crowded all of the time.
Posts: 4625 | Registered: Jul 2002
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Are there any restaurants in the mall area? Decent ones, I mean.
Good news...tommorrow I go to a new local restaurant that is opening....a fine dining German one, which is right up my alley. It is also right in walking distance from my apartment.
Best of all, they called me. A friend is their new chef, and he called me to see if I would be interested in working there. I go to take a look at it tomorrow, and if it is good I will work there part time evenings. That means extra cash for the move...yeah!
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I had an interview wuth the people at Munich Haus today, and it went well. The only problem is that their night shift starts at 3:30 pm, and I don't get out of my day job until 4:30-5 pm.
Still, they were very nice, and they will let me know later this week. I have 2-3 years doing exactally what they are trying to do, so hopefully they will be willing to work with me and let me start at 5.
I could really use the extra money for the move.. Posts: 15082 | Registered: Jul 2001
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I know a lot of people who have found affordable housing in Clermont.
