As a resident of Tampa and former Orlando resident one of the biggest difference I notice is in the area of Aesthetics. In Orlando and most of the surrounding communities there is an emphasis on Streetscaping and Beautification. They seem to pay attention to the look and feel of a place. I suppose it's due to the tourism industry. Please note that there is much more to Orlando than the tourist district, which I would not live next to. Orlando seems to have a buzz of excitement, absent in Tampa. Orlando seems to position itself as the second most important area in FL, after Miami of course, and it might just be. Also I miss the numerous community lakeside parks in the Orlando area. All of this talk of aesthetics may seem like a petty issue, but it makes a huge difference on the overall feel of an area. Tampa on the other hand has large portions in their north, central and eastern core that are very, very depressing and dilapidated. If you have ever driven on Busch Blvd near Busch Gardens that's what I am talking about. There are miles of commercial corridors that look like that in a large area. I know Orlando has a few areas like this, but it doesn't compare in size. For Tampa folks, I guess they're used to it and are mostly apathetic. It's a shame because a lot of these areas are historic or near natural beauty and have great potential. The area near Lowry park zoo has a navigable river connected to downtown, a historical water tower near two natural springs in an area that is filled with the unhoused. I don't think that situation of grunge appearance would happen in Orlando. The leaders over here mostly don't care about quality urban design. Think of the large Eola fountain, nada in Tampa. Think of Leu Botanical Gardens, nada in Tampa. These cultural amenities are mostly absent. Even parks in South Tampa are very subpar. Most of our parks have few designed amenities, they're just haphazard. Hyde Park in south Tampa is small and nice and is a Jr. Park Ave. As far as lakes, Tampa does have many beautiful lakes but most of the land is hogged by private property so you can't enjoy them if you don't live on them. The bay is typically not walking distance for most people so that doesn't help much. Tampa's downtown is much better than Orlando, even St. Pete's downtown is better than Orlando. Downtown Tampa is where the city spends the infrastructure money and that area is good. But just be aware of the vast area in Tampa that is left behind. So downtown St.Pete does have a lot of the missing cultural amenities that Tampa lacks, but it is pretty far away from Tampa. It doesn't feel like Tampa stomping grounds. The beach is not close, timewise, to Tampa. As spread out as Orlando may feel, you have more of everything within a 10 mile radius of downtown Orlando. Just a little further and you have incredible springs that rival the beach. If you want a big water sunsets go to the eastern side of Lake Apopka. Again St. Pete bolsters our metro but its not around the corner. The St. Pete suburbs are older and may not be appealing, but I don't know about St. Pete as much. I think north Pinellas is better than south Pinellas. Coastal West Pasco is blah and Central growing. East Pasco is hilly in parts and booming suburbs. Other booming suburbs are Riverview and South Hillsborough county. Brandon has a southerner vibe. Something annoying here is the competition between St Pete and Tampa. St. Pete thinks their better and even wanted to change the Rays name. Orlando really just has the one major downtown so it usually the focal point as the regions living room. For sports, it depends on your sport preference, but Tampa likely wins. The Bucs are huge, then the Lightning and oh yeah the Rays. So Tampa has a ton of potential and missed opportunities and Orlando, with less assets, does a much better job of capitalizing on the history and natural resources they do have.
Thank you for chiming in and giving a perspective of someone who has actually lived in Orlando! I completely agree with the aesthetics. Orlando has some suburbs and areas that are just so beautiful and you can tell they were planned that way. In Tampa you often need to be in a HOA community or a really expensive area (like Hyde Park or Davis Island) to get that same feel. I think that Tampa has just as great of springs to the north (like Weeki Wachee)! Which springs in near Orlando are you referring to? Rock Springs/Kings Landing?
@@tamparei Thanks for replying. Yes Rock Springs and also Wekiva are amazing to say the least. As an example of missed opportunity the Westshore Marina district built a village that is for the public. One would think that there is a promenade with views of boats in the Marina, but no..You can't see water from the village..How did the city not notice that. That kind of stuff is prevalent. Well any way, Central FL as a whole is great!
@@tamparei also as a recommendation when visiting Orlando, if you haven't already, drive around the quaint village and neighborhoods of Windermere. Also Winter Garden, Baldwin Park, College Park, Winter Park, and sunsets at Magnolia Park on Lake Apopka. As you probably know Lake Nona has a really cool downtown area.
As a resident of Tampa and former Orlando resident one of the biggest difference I notice is in the area of Aesthetics. In Orlando and most of the surrounding communities there is an emphasis on Streetscaping and Beautification. They seem to pay attention to the look and feel of a place. I suppose it's due to the tourism industry. Please note that there is much more to Orlando than the tourist district, which I would not live next to. Orlando seems to have a buzz of excitement, absent in Tampa. Orlando seems to position itself as the second most important area in FL, after Miami of course, and it might just be. Also I miss the numerous community lakeside parks in the Orlando area. All of this talk of aesthetics may seem like a petty issue, but it makes a huge difference on the overall feel of an area. Tampa on the other hand has large portions in their north, central and eastern core that are very, very depressing and dilapidated. If you have ever driven on Busch Blvd near Busch Gardens that's what I am talking about. There are miles of commercial corridors that look like that in a large area. I know Orlando has a few areas like this, but it doesn't compare in size. For Tampa folks, I guess they're used to it and are mostly apathetic. It's a shame because a lot of these areas are historic or near natural beauty and have great potential. The area near Lowry park zoo has a navigable river connected to downtown, a historical water tower near two natural springs in an area that is filled with the unhoused. I don't think that situation of grunge appearance would happen in Orlando. The leaders over here mostly don't care about quality urban design. Think of the large Eola fountain, nada in Tampa. Think of Leu Botanical Gardens, nada in Tampa. These cultural amenities are mostly absent. Even parks in South Tampa are very subpar. Most of our parks have few designed amenities, they're just haphazard. Hyde Park in south Tampa is small and nice and is a Jr. Park Ave. As far as lakes, Tampa does have many beautiful lakes but most of the land is hogged by private property so you can't enjoy them if you don't live on them. The bay is typically not walking distance for most people so that doesn't help much. Tampa's downtown is much better than Orlando, even St. Pete's downtown is better than Orlando. Downtown Tampa is where the city spends the infrastructure money and that area is good. But just be aware of the vast area in Tampa that is left behind. So downtown St.Pete does have a lot of the missing cultural amenities that Tampa lacks, but it is pretty far away from Tampa. It doesn't feel like Tampa stomping grounds. The beach is not close, timewise, to Tampa. As spread out as Orlando may feel, you have more of everything within a 10 mile radius of downtown Orlando. Just a little further and you have incredible springs that rival the beach. If you want a big water sunsets go to the eastern side of Lake Apopka. Again St. Pete bolsters our metro but its not around the corner. The St. Pete suburbs are older and may not be appealing, but I don't know about St. Pete as much. I think north Pinellas is better than south Pinellas. Coastal West Pasco is blah and Central growing. East Pasco is hilly in parts and booming suburbs. Other booming suburbs are Riverview and South Hillsborough county. Brandon has a southerner vibe. Something annoying here is the competition between St Pete and Tampa. St. Pete thinks their better and even wanted to change the Rays name. Orlando really just has the one major downtown so it usually the focal point as the regions living room. For sports, it depends on your sport preference, but Tampa likely wins. The Bucs are huge, then the Lightning and oh yeah the Rays. So Tampa has a ton of potential and missed opportunities and Orlando, with less assets, does a much better job of capitalizing on the history and natural resources they do have.
Thank you for chiming in and giving a perspective of someone who has actually lived in Orlando! I completely agree with the aesthetics. Orlando has some suburbs and areas that are just so beautiful and you can tell they were planned that way. In Tampa you often need to be in a HOA community or a really expensive area (like Hyde Park or Davis Island) to get that same feel.
I think that Tampa has just as great of springs to the north (like Weeki Wachee)! Which springs in near Orlando are you referring to? Rock Springs/Kings Landing?
@@tamparei Thanks for replying. Yes Rock Springs and also Wekiva are amazing to say the least. As an example of missed opportunity the Westshore Marina district built a village that is for the public. One would think that there is a promenade with views of boats in the Marina, but no..You can't see water from the village..How did the city not notice that. That kind of stuff is prevalent. Well any way, Central FL as a whole is great!
@@tamparei also as a recommendation when visiting Orlando, if you haven't already, drive around the quaint village and neighborhoods of Windermere. Also Winter Garden, Baldwin Park, College Park, Winter Park, and sunsets at Magnolia Park on Lake Apopka. As you probably know Lake Nona has a really cool downtown area.
you need to learn to get to the point faster - no need to list everything you plan to talk about - just say it.
just put the video on 2x speed then 😘