1.  Orlando has many established neighborhoods with lots of character and mature trees. Most visitors to the Orlando area form their impressions of the region’s housing from what they see from the highway in between theme parks.  We can see where one might get an unfavorable impression of the area’s homes from these normally “cookie-cutter” subdivisions with small lots and no trees. Truth is, from the historical districts in downtown Orlando, to the brick streets of Winter Park lined by centuries old oaks, to the lush vegetation of Seminole County’s Sweetwater Oaks and Markham Woods areas, to the quaint charm of Windermere with its pristine chain of lakes, the region is loaded with beautiful places to live.

2.  Orlando’s economy is not 100% tourist-based. In fact, the Orlando area has the most diverse economy of all the state’s major metropolitan areas.  Tourism is indeed huge, but is complimented by banking and finance, insurance, defense contractors, simulation contractors, restaurant management (Darden), video game development (EA Sports, Tiburon), telecommunications, and a growing high-tech corridor in the Lake Mary area.

3.  Orlando did exist before Disney.  It was just a much quieter existence.  The dominant industry was agriculture.  Citrus groves were most numerous, with vegetable farming to the north and cattle ranching to the east and south.  Some describe pre-Disney Orlando as a “sleepy southern agricultural town”.  Certainly not the international city  we see today.

4.  Orlando is not all flat and swampy, with no physical beauty.   Again, these impressions are formed from trips to theme parks.  Most tourists never get to see the “real Florida”.  A trip to lush Wekiva Springs, with its beautiful crystal clear spring with 72 degree year round water temperature, a ride up the St. Johns River to spot alligators and manatees, a Sunday drive to the rolling hills of Lake County, a walk around Lake Eola in downtown Orlando, or a scenic boat ride touring the mansions of Winter Park’s chain of lakes will quickly change your mind about the Orlando area’s physical beauty.

5.  Orlando has a change of seasons and it does get cold here.   Okay, maybe that’s a stretch, but new residents can be surprised at the temperatures November through March.  While our subtropical climate is mild most of the year, we will see frost and occasional freezes during the winter months.  Even with freezing temperatures in the early morning, it is not unusual to see it warm up to the 70’s later in the day.  There are rare occasions where the temperature gets extreme and we will lose landscape plants.  In fact, extreme freezes in the 1980’s were enough to drive most of the citrus industry south.  I can remember one particular Christmas day in the 1980’s where temperatures were in the teens.

6.  Orlando homes have a wide variety of architectural styles.   There is no dominant style here.  You will find a little bit of everything including Georgian, Victorian, Federal, Cape Cod, and Classic Spanish in the historical areas.  Newer areas were dominated by Mediterranean and Palm Beach styles in the late 80’s and 90’s, with more recent trends leaning toward traditional or transitional designs.  The recent development of neo-Traditional communities, such as Celebration in Osceola County and Baldwin Park close to downtown Orlando. have sparked a return to more traditional architecture with highly functional and modernized floor plans.

7.  Orlando is relatively hurricane-safe. Orlando is far enough inland where the typical storm will be significantly weakened before it reaches the area.  I used to tell people we haven’t had a hurricane  in over 40 years and even then the highest recorded winds in the area were 75 mph, barely hurricane strength.  Then 2004 happened.  We were hit by three hurricanes in a six week period.  Ironically, Charley, the most destructive of the three, traveled 200 miles over land from the southwest where it made landfall at Captiva Island.  Charley still packed winds of up to 100 mph in the Orlando area.  It traveled so quickly over the land that it didn’t have time to weaken.  As bad as it seemed at the time, the damage from Charley was still minor compared to the coastal areas.  I can’t help but think that three hurricanes in six weeks was a freak occurrence we will never see again. While Tropical Storm Fay dumped up to 15-20 inches in some Central Florida locations in 2008, we have not suffered a direct hurricane hit since that freak summer of 2004.

8.  Orlando has an arts and cultural scene. No, we’re not talking about t-shirt shops and bungee jumps on International Drive.  There is a growing theater scene, from Shakespeare to improvisational comedy. There’s the Orlando Ballet (formerly the Southern Ballet Theater) and the Orlando Opera.  The planned 330,000 square foot Orlando Perfoming Arts Center will break ground in 2009 and will be a premiere destination for world class culture and entertainment.   There are several world-class art museums, including the world’s largest collection of Tiffany glass at the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art in Winter Park and the renowned Cornell Museum at Rollins College.  The Cornell Museum was named as one of the top ten free attractions in the world by travel guru Arthur Frommer.

9. There is plenty to do in the Orlando area without going to the theme parks. Cook your own pancakes at your table at the Old Spanish Sugar Mill in DeLeon Springs State Park.  Paddle a canoe down the Wekiva River while observing alligators, otters, deer, and black bears.  Stroll the quaint streets of Mt. Dora with its eclectic shops and restaurants.  Witness a space shuttle launch from the banks of the Indian River Lagoon in Titusville.  Catch an Atlanta Braves spring training game or an Orlando Magic basketball game.  Cheer on a real cowboy at the Silver Spurs Rodeo in Kissimmee.  Count the manatees or swim in the boil at Blue Spring State Park.  Enjoy a round of golf at one the finest courses in the world.  Atlantic beaches at New Smyrna Beach, Daytona Beach, and Cocoa Beach are less than an hour’s drive away.  Not to mention plenty of opportunities for freshwater fishing in the numerous local lakes and inland salt water flats fishing at the world renowned Mosquito Lagoon.  You’ll never run out of things to do in Orlando.

10.   I-4 runs north/south through town. Okay, then why is it marked East/West?   Running from Tampa to Daytona Beach, I-4 does run from the east coast of Florida to the west coast, but the general direction through the Orlando metro area is north and south.  Just remember, north is east, and south is west.  Or is it, east is north and west is south?  Oh, never mind.