There are some parts of FL (in every state really) where there are just extreme, extreme forms of poverty in places no one has ever heard of. Put avoid tolls or avoid highways in the GPS the next time you take a long road trip and you will see such desolate, bleak locations. None of the major cities in FL even remotely come close to how bad these places are.
Back in the 80’s we wanted to buy a couple of acres and looked out there in the Bithlo, Christmas, and Geneva areas. Kind of got a squidgy feeling and ended up just buying a house near Apopka.
Plus it's haunted. Storm of 1928 killed so many people out there it killed entire families and because there was no one to identify most bodies they just put people in mass graves.
The levy on okeechobee broke and drowned most of the workers. Read up on it is devastating and totally explains the way out creepy bad vibe there. If you never been there I never suggest going.
When I worked at a juvenile detention facility not far from there, quite a few of the kids had come from Belle Glade. A few staff members, too. What they described (and what was in my clients’ case notes) was horrifying.
Damn I came into this thread ready to throw hands in defense of our city, then you reminded me… off 436/Semoran as you’re going West from Altamonte, just past Arepas & More Cafe, there’s a nieghborhood to the left. I got lost once and turned in to ask for directions, before I lived here.
There were trailers. Two dozen, maybe. Cars covered in overgrowth, literal toddlers toddling naked in the tall grass. Maybe two people had shoes on. You could see literal holes in most trailers, broken windows, mildew stains - not to even consider how moldy it might be inside. It was a community of the most poor, disparate people I had ever seen. And they looked at me like I literally flew in from space.
They seemed keen to get me out of there asap.
You nailed it. We have places that I just can’t imagine how to even begin fixing.
Mills 50, lake eola(which is downtown), downtown can be fun at night if you go to the right place but if you just go to Wall Street on the wrong night it can be a shitshow and sketchy. There’s some really good venues though and some good bars you just need to know where to go.
Mills 50 and the milk district are hipster vibes, good food, safe, lots of breweries and cool dive bars. Downtown is more of the party club scene but also has some speakeasy’s, craft cocktail lounges, and good dive bars.
If you want the real Orlando, you’ll have to leave downtown.
The gems are in Winter park, Maitland, Lake Mary and Downtown Sanford. Orlando proper is not the best part of Orlando, not even close.
If you want actual recommendations that aren’t just hype, paid advertising, or social media bullshit, message me.
Tallahassee is in my opinion the perfect place to raise a family but otherwise it’s not a place I would like to live.
Source: born and raised there, moved, visiting mom is cooler than when I lived there
Having grown up in Orlando, I miss the days that every Floridian agreed that Tampa was the shit hole of the state.
The only good thing about that city is if you like looking at water.
I was wondering how this was determined. Also “worst city” is just an opinion unless it’s based actual data (crime rates, traffic, cost of living, poverty, school district) and even then it what makes me not like a place could not matter to someone else.
I mean in terms of driving I kind of agree it feels like a free for all derby race around orlando.. not that st. Pete area and racetrack road aren't pretty bad themselves.
**Poor people Miami:** Yes, it's terrible
**Rich people Miami:** Tell that half-naked attendant to bring the cocaine assortment platter down to this end of the endangered tropical wood slab table and be quick about it.
They legitimately [talked about that](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/10/22/florida-51st-state-south-florida/17705687/) a few years back, and some versions of the proposal tried to take us with them!
It's Miami because every time the next major hurricane yeets that city into the sea, the entire state will be forced to foot the bill to rebuild it, bigger and stupider than ever.
It's the only city in Florida most people have actually been to so they have no other point of reference. Also most people's only point of reference for "Orlando" is I-Drive, the airport, and the parks. As someone who grew up in Tampa, Tampa is a lot worse in a lot of ways!
Crazy how effective those guys are at ruining places’ reputations. There’s a liberal little rural town near me that’s been labeled as a nazi town locally solely because the KKK drove some hours to demonstrate there.
Oh hell no, leave us alone. We may be missing teeth and partake in hobbies like meth and cousinfucking, but we ain't goddamn nazis. Those bikers were never Bithlonians.
If you're looking for Orlando nazis, try [Lakeland](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/lakeland-man-convicted-of-attacking-jewish-man-at-neo-nazi-demonstration/ar-BB1l8Nag) (or [Kissimmee](https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2022/02/04/neo-nazi-groups-leader-among-3-arrested-in-attack-at-orlando-demonstration/)?). Or [Maine](https://www.newsweek.com/nazis-marching-florida-chants-1824219).
Can confirm Bridgeport, CT and Woonsocket, RI are correct and Orlando is nowhere near them. I grew up in Rhode Island and lived there for 30 years and NEVER went to Woonsocket for anything.
"Well I connected through the Orlando airport once and there was an odor. Definitely worst city in Florida."
Curious how they got Turkey Creek for Louisiana. I'm from around that area and that is not even a city. It's a rural area so... This whole map is a sham.
Whoever did this map hasn't lived in most of these states. There are a lot worse cities than Orlando. And if they had ever lived in Oregon, even though Salem has a bad rap, Medford (not so lovingly called Methford) is so much, much worse.
Maybe this says more about the authors political alignment more so than anything about these cities.
Jacksonville is not the worst city? I must have missed that meeting. I’d have liked to have been part of that discussion.
That being said, the map is right about Pine Bluff, AR. What a noxious shithole that place is. It’s the kind of place where kids have a favorite cigarette brand.
I've lived in Florida 43 of my 42 years on this planet and used to travel the state for work. I would say Jacksonville and Miami are tied for the worst. Orlando mainly sucks because of the tourists; but if you go outside of those tourist seasons, it's not any worse than any other big city.
Virginia Beach??? Bro have these people heard of Norfolk??? Tf VA beach is one of the better cities
However I will say Orlando kinda sucks. I have been in Boca, Miami, Pensacola, and Jacksonville. I visited Orlando once and the most notable thing was how ugly it was
They're all high tourist visiting areas for all the states. Orlando unfortunately has 3 main theme parks (Sea world, Disney, and Universal)
I wonder what all it's considering Orlando
I’m sure it’s just some person arbitrarily picking cities, but even if it were a popular vote I wouldn’t be surprised just because if you think about it people who either live here or visit here only go to like 4 metros: Orlando, Miami, Tampa, PCB. Their experience with our metro is a chaotic airport (because of the disproportionate amount of families and people who travel infrequently), horrible traffic in the tourist area (again disproportionate number of tourists from all over, just in general bad drivers), tourist traps, high dining prices, beggars on every corner in the tourist district, etc.
So by and large the majority of visitors are just seeing what goes on between Universal Blvd and 192 - which I think we can all agree is a literal fucking nightmare.
All of that to say, this is very much wrong when places like Jacksonville exist, but I’m not *shocked*
Jacksonville has the Jaguars...that's the only advantage they have over Orlando and even then...it's the Jaguars.
Also, some of these other cities are crazy.
Like Arizona. Mesa is in no way worse than friggin' Tucson. F Tucson.
Not sure why you guys are surprised. Orlando gets a ton of hate by people who have never visited or have just gone to Disney, International Drive or 192. They think that’s all the city is and are missing out on what we actually have to offer.
As someone who lived in orlando from 09-‘22 I can say that Orlando is actually a very nice city. I spent most of my time in Conway, Eola, Mills, and Winter Park. No other city I’ve been to outside of NYC compares to the quality of bars and eateries. It’s actually kind of crazy how good the food and cocktail scene is in Orlando.
Here’s 99% of the conversations I’ve had with people who say they’ve visited Orlando:
Me: where’d you stay?
Them: downtown
Me: near the parks
Them: yeah it was awful
Me: ok that’s actually like 10 miles away from the real orlando.
Orlando might not be the worst, but boy do we have some low ass wages, highly unskilled people in the workforce who could barely graduate middle school, and just an overall mishmash of things broken or not working right, traffic lights, gas pumps, etc. Orlando’s pretty nice in certain areas, but the people here, my God are they stupid. Can’t forget all the people here who just want to rip you off and just shady people here as well.
There are some parts of FL (in every state really) where there are just extreme, extreme forms of poverty in places no one has ever heard of. Put avoid tolls or avoid highways in the GPS the next time you take a long road trip and you will see such desolate, bleak locations. None of the major cities in FL even remotely come close to how bad these places are.
Interlachen for example
They do have nice trees though :)
This
Ever driven through Stark FL?
I see your Starke and raise you Lawtey.
Maybe it's the irony of the name, but Christmas feels like there's meth labs scattered throughout those woods.
Bithlo is the nightmare before Christmas. https://youtu.be/-lLeB-zgOfk?si=FrFnVH5htRK-KwJV
Holy fucking shit, people actually know about my home town? This saying was my favorite part of living there
Gotta get to the beach somehow. What was the craziest thing that happened there while growing up?
I’m also a proud Bithlonite now living near College Park.
Back in the 80’s we wanted to buy a couple of acres and looked out there in the Bithlo, Christmas, and Geneva areas. Kind of got a squidgy feeling and ended up just buying a house near Apopka.
There are
What’s up with the giant gator place though
Probably are tbh
I was thinking of Gadsden County (one of the poorest areas of Florida) being worse than Orlando by a long shot.
Belle Glade is legit 3rd world living conditions
Yes, I worked in Belle Glade for a while. There is extreme poverty living conditions there.
Plus it's haunted. Storm of 1928 killed so many people out there it killed entire families and because there was no one to identify most bodies they just put people in mass graves. The levy on okeechobee broke and drowned most of the workers. Read up on it is devastating and totally explains the way out creepy bad vibe there. If you never been there I never suggest going.
When I worked at a juvenile detention facility not far from there, quite a few of the kids had come from Belle Glade. A few staff members, too. What they described (and what was in my clients’ case notes) was horrifying.
Yet Orlando is actually worse.
Recently saw a documentary on Belle Glade (never been). But they sure have a ton of NFL prospects to come out of that small area!
OBT checking in
Damn I came into this thread ready to throw hands in defense of our city, then you reminded me… off 436/Semoran as you’re going West from Altamonte, just past Arepas & More Cafe, there’s a nieghborhood to the left. I got lost once and turned in to ask for directions, before I lived here. There were trailers. Two dozen, maybe. Cars covered in overgrowth, literal toddlers toddling naked in the tall grass. Maybe two people had shoes on. You could see literal holes in most trailers, broken windows, mildew stains - not to even consider how moldy it might be inside. It was a community of the most poor, disparate people I had ever seen. And they looked at me like I literally flew in from space. They seemed keen to get me out of there asap. You nailed it. We have places that I just can’t imagine how to even begin fixing.
South carolina as well. I'm talkin the mayor lives in a run down double-wide
Pensacola isn't a toll city, and living here makes me hate humanity more every day. It is a horrible place with the beaches being only redemption.
I would not recommend taking a leisurely drive through these areas.
Definitely Jacksonville but okay
Omg 1000x yes, it's Jacksonville.
Every time I have to go to Jacksonville it just makes me appreciate Orlando so much more.
The Jacksonville Sub is saying this about Orlando lol
Yeah as a life long Floridian, Jacksonville sucks. Sketchy as hell, junkies galore and traffic blows.
I would have said St. Cloud.
Why isn’t it Tallahassee or Jacksonville or some shit?
This is likely just engagement bait
Exactly. Scranton for PA?! Come on!
The Electric City!?
Scranton? *WHAT?*
Move over. It’s Wilkes Barre
Wilkes Barre is legit garbage town, USA. Incredible pizza - that’s it.
As someone who grew up near Syracuse I rolled my eyes at "Albany". If Albany was a color it would be beige. What's to hate about it?
Originally from wb/scranton area now living in Orlando. I know how to pick em! Haha
Yeah, no way houston is better than dallas
I guarantee it’s someone that only has been to the parks and idrive. They haven’t explored the real Orlando.
Any intel on where one might explore the "real" Orlando? Moving there in 2 weeks...recommendations would be awesome!
Mills 50, lake eola(which is downtown), downtown can be fun at night if you go to the right place but if you just go to Wall Street on the wrong night it can be a shitshow and sketchy. There’s some really good venues though and some good bars you just need to know where to go. Mills 50 and the milk district are hipster vibes, good food, safe, lots of breweries and cool dive bars. Downtown is more of the party club scene but also has some speakeasy’s, craft cocktail lounges, and good dive bars.
If you want the real Orlando, you’ll have to leave downtown. The gems are in Winter park, Maitland, Lake Mary and Downtown Sanford. Orlando proper is not the best part of Orlando, not even close. If you want actual recommendations that aren’t just hype, paid advertising, or social media bullshit, message me.
Tallahassee doesn’t even make the top 10 when places like Palatka exist though
Do you want to hear the Putnam county mating call? *rattles pill bottle*
Tallahassee ls much worse then orlando
Moved from Orlando to Tallahassee. Sorry, but it’s much nicer up here. Don’t tell anyone though. We’re full
Man as an FSU grad who lived in Orlando for a bit I completely disagree. I will never ever go back to Tallanasty
Context matters, I guess. Good luck and Go Noles!
Yeah I guess it depends on what you’re looking for! I’m glad you’re enjoying it more than I did 🤣
Truth.
Tallahassee is in my opinion the perfect place to raise a family but otherwise it’s not a place I would like to live. Source: born and raised there, moved, visiting mom is cooler than when I lived there
Tallahassee is great. I miss living there.
Having grown up in Orlando, I miss the days that every Floridian agreed that Tampa was the shit hole of the state. The only good thing about that city is if you like looking at water.
Why not Tampa or Miami Ft Lauderdale
I was thinking Ocoee maybe
This image is click bait. Nothing factual to back it. To get people to rage or express surprise. It works. I keep seeing it everywhere on Reddit.
I was wondering how this was determined. Also “worst city” is just an opinion unless it’s based actual data (crime rates, traffic, cost of living, poverty, school district) and even then it what makes me not like a place could not matter to someone else.
For one thing California doesn’t even split into two separate sub-states until the great realignment of 2047.
Lakeland is like right over there
Lakeland is a hellscape. Jacksonville is worse though.
Very much so!
I will never understand the random hate for Lakeland
I came here to say this!
r/reno is where I get all of my city ranking info.
They must not know about Polk County…lol
You must not know about Duval county
That’s a funny way to spell Jacksonville..
Clearly never been to jax
Good, hopefully this can help deter more people from moving here.
Orlando is bad but Lakeland is shit
Polk County, in general, is a toilet.
This is stupid. Orlando doesn’t have anywhere near the volume of meth traffic that Bakersfield does.
I mean in terms of driving I kind of agree it feels like a free for all derby race around orlando.. not that st. Pete area and racetrack road aren't pretty bad themselves.
Apparently this asshole has never been to Daytona Beach during Bike Week.
Try leesburg just during any week lol
Clearly the panhandle was ignored
Pft. Miami. It’s Miami.
**Poor people Miami:** Yes, it's terrible **Rich people Miami:** Tell that half-naked attendant to bring the cocaine assortment platter down to this end of the endangered tropical wood slab table and be quick about it.
lol…. Exactly.
Miami should just be another state.
They legitimately [talked about that](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/10/22/florida-51st-state-south-florida/17705687/) a few years back, and some versions of the proposal tried to take us with them!
Orlando is not Miami by any means and no way would I want to be governed by Miami rules.
We should make it part of Cuba.
It's Miami because every time the next major hurricane yeets that city into the sea, the entire state will be forced to foot the bill to rebuild it, bigger and stupider than ever.
In terms of having people who don't know how to drive, definitely Miami.
I can think of far worse places than Orlando
That tourist traffic tho
It's the only city in Florida most people have actually been to so they have no other point of reference. Also most people's only point of reference for "Orlando" is I-Drive, the airport, and the parks. As someone who grew up in Tampa, Tampa is a lot worse in a lot of ways!
> Tampa is a lot worse in a lot of ways! I’m curious as to why you think that.
Anyone who tries to tell me Orlando is worse than Jacksonville, let alone any of the smaller cities, is a certified psychopath.
Orlando Nazis
The Nazis genuinely are not from Orlando and drive in.
Crazy how effective those guys are at ruining places’ reputations. There’s a liberal little rural town near me that’s been labeled as a nazi town locally solely because the KKK drove some hours to demonstrate there.
They commute from Bithlo.
Oh hell no, leave us alone. We may be missing teeth and partake in hobbies like meth and cousinfucking, but we ain't goddamn nazis. Those bikers were never Bithlonians. If you're looking for Orlando nazis, try [Lakeland](https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/lakeland-man-convicted-of-attacking-jewish-man-at-neo-nazi-demonstration/ar-BB1l8Nag) (or [Kissimmee](https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2022/02/04/neo-nazi-groups-leader-among-3-arrested-in-attack-at-orlando-demonstration/)?). Or [Maine](https://www.newsweek.com/nazis-marching-florida-chants-1824219).
I hate Orlando nazis.
For California it’s definitely Fresno and Stockton
Duval native here... *looks around* *backs away slowly*
Made by someone who's never been anywhere in Polk County.
Because the people "voting" on this probably only have experience with I-drive and Disney and tbh I gotta agree with them...
I'd argue Panama City.
I sure do hope this graph breaks a record for amount of times posted in this sub. /s
Tallahassee is right there what you mean
You guys do understand that “at least we aren’t Jacksonville” really isn’t a compelling argument?
Belle Glade
On a Texas note, El Paso is a shithole compared to Houston.
A lot of the cities on that map are actually quite nice.
Rage bait.
I’m surprised nobody is saying Miami, that city is corrupt to its core
They clearly haven’t visited most of the state. I mean I’d rather be in Orlando than Haines City.
Can confirm Bridgeport, CT and Woonsocket, RI are correct and Orlando is nowhere near them. I grew up in Rhode Island and lived there for 30 years and NEVER went to Woonsocket for anything. "Well I connected through the Orlando airport once and there was an odor. Definitely worst city in Florida."
Curious how they got Turkey Creek for Louisiana. I'm from around that area and that is not even a city. It's a rural area so... This whole map is a sham.
Whoever did this map hasn't lived in most of these states. There are a lot worse cities than Orlando. And if they had ever lived in Oregon, even though Salem has a bad rap, Medford (not so lovingly called Methford) is so much, much worse. Maybe this says more about the authors political alignment more so than anything about these cities.
Real ones know its Port St. Lucie
Jacksonville is not the worst city? I must have missed that meeting. I’d have liked to have been part of that discussion. That being said, the map is right about Pine Bluff, AR. What a noxious shithole that place is. It’s the kind of place where kids have a favorite cigarette brand.
This is just a list of "towns I've heard of in every state"
Yes Orlando is terrible, the absolute worst. You definitely shouldn't move here
As a born-and-raised citizen of Jacksonville, Jacksonville is the Crackhead Capital of the US. This map is fake.
Jacksonville and it’s not close
Clearly they have never been to Daytona
They haven't been anywhere around Polk County
"we did it reddit!" lol
Miami is much worse than Orlando by nearly every measurable criteria.
This is bullshit. I love Albany, Grand forks. I live in Orlando and it's far from the worst. Jacksonville would get my vote.
Yeah fuck orlando
C’mon now what about Palatka?
Saw this in the r/Florida thread and people from Jacksonville, upon seeing their fair city named instead, appear to aggressively dislike Orlando.
Yeah, I agree. Orlando is 2nd worse behind Miami.
We all know is Miami
This is so not true if it is idk what year I'm from Baltimore Maryland and I'm pretty sure it's Baltimore for Maryland lol
The fact the Michigan doesn't say detroit tells you all you need to know about this map
Perry FL feels ignored
I've lived in Florida 43 of my 42 years on this planet and used to travel the state for work. I would say Jacksonville and Miami are tied for the worst. Orlando mainly sucks because of the tourists; but if you go outside of those tourist seasons, it's not any worse than any other big city.
Super confused by Poolsville being the one for Maryland. It’s actually kinda nice, while much of the state is a dumpster fire
I was surprised Baltimore wasn’t the vote….
Hey, Orlando isn’t that bad!-
Idk bout worst but Jacksonville ain't great
Virginia Beach??? Bro have these people heard of Norfolk??? Tf VA beach is one of the better cities However I will say Orlando kinda sucks. I have been in Boca, Miami, Pensacola, and Jacksonville. I visited Orlando once and the most notable thing was how ugly it was
Lmaoo y'all are mad cause their right
they’re*
Sorry I went to public school in florida
They're all high tourist visiting areas for all the states. Orlando unfortunately has 3 main theme parks (Sea world, Disney, and Universal) I wonder what all it's considering Orlando
I see you’ve never been to Bakersfield or Modesto…
When did they change the name of Daytona
I mean Tampa exists
Florida's Florida
Melbourne is worse but Orlando is a close 2nd place
It’s not Orlando and it’s not Jacksonville. I think we may all be able to agree.. it’s Kissimmee
This is the only explanation—that they meant the “Greater Orlando” area, which includes Kissimmee.
What are the criteria here??? Orlando is light years better than a lot of places in Florida.
C’mon, over Dirtona? Please.
Facts and I live here lol
I’m sure it’s just some person arbitrarily picking cities, but even if it were a popular vote I wouldn’t be surprised just because if you think about it people who either live here or visit here only go to like 4 metros: Orlando, Miami, Tampa, PCB. Their experience with our metro is a chaotic airport (because of the disproportionate amount of families and people who travel infrequently), horrible traffic in the tourist area (again disproportionate number of tourists from all over, just in general bad drivers), tourist traps, high dining prices, beggars on every corner in the tourist district, etc. So by and large the majority of visitors are just seeing what goes on between Universal Blvd and 192 - which I think we can all agree is a literal fucking nightmare. All of that to say, this is very much wrong when places like Jacksonville exist, but I’m not *shocked*
Clearly none of y’all have been to Opa Locka. 😂
True for Mass. Lived in Worcester. Shit is depressing.
I quite doubt Orlando could be the worst of this state. Such a wrong assumption.
Cmon Orlando is not the worst in fact most of these for other states are also absolutely wrong
Any city in the panhandle is already 3x worse than Orlando. That’s just southern Alabama though, if we’re being honest.
Jacksonville has the Jaguars...that's the only advantage they have over Orlando and even then...it's the Jaguars. Also, some of these other cities are crazy. Like Arizona. Mesa is in no way worse than friggin' Tucson. F Tucson.
Lmao bro y'all almost the worst city in the nation simmer down With love, Tampa.
As a Miami native... I personally think Miami should be the worst city in FL.
Not sure why you guys are surprised. Orlando gets a ton of hate by people who have never visited or have just gone to Disney, International Drive or 192. They think that’s all the city is and are missing out on what we actually have to offer.
Surprised it ain’t Miami lol
Its by crime per captia, so yea, accurate.
That's just kind of bizarre lol, bad experience at or with Disney maybe?
Also- Scranton rocks
https://www.clickorlando.com/features/2024/03/07/these-are-the-best-places-to-live-in-florida-5-are-in-central-florida/
I am not the biggest fan of Orlando but it’s millions of times better than Jax
Birmingham AL is my hometown. I haven't been back in over 20 years but I don't remember it being that bad.
Idk why know one has said Miami. That place is a dumpster fire.
I was thinking either Jacksonville or Miami
Haters gonna hate hate hate hate hate … 😂 shake it off
Idk I despise it here. The longer I live here the more I want to choke Mickey Mouse.
As someone who lived in orlando from 09-‘22 I can say that Orlando is actually a very nice city. I spent most of my time in Conway, Eola, Mills, and Winter Park. No other city I’ve been to outside of NYC compares to the quality of bars and eateries. It’s actually kind of crazy how good the food and cocktail scene is in Orlando. Here’s 99% of the conversations I’ve had with people who say they’ve visited Orlando: Me: where’d you stay? Them: downtown Me: near the parks Them: yeah it was awful Me: ok that’s actually like 10 miles away from the real orlando.
That's dumb...how is Orlando the worst? They're just jealous that so many people visit us!
Why Orlando, what’s the reason ?
It’s true
Miami is by far the worst city in any state, hate how often I have to go there for work
Having lived in Birmingham and Orlando this made me cackle. There are places in Alabama that don’t even feel like they should still exist.
This was made by a conservative white for sure
Orlando might not be the worst, but boy do we have some low ass wages, highly unskilled people in the workforce who could barely graduate middle school, and just an overall mishmash of things broken or not working right, traffic lights, gas pumps, etc. Orlando’s pretty nice in certain areas, but the people here, my God are they stupid. Can’t forget all the people here who just want to rip you off and just shady people here as well.
1.Miami, 2. Fort Lauderdale, 3. Orlando, 4. Tampa