Orlando ranked worst city for young people

Year-round sunshine and Mickey Mouse have made Orlando a mecca of tourism, but for young residents the area may not live up to being "the most magical place on Earth."

Orlando was ranked the No. 1 worst American city to be young in by The Daily Beast, an online news source published by Newsweek. The ranking was based on statistics such as unemployment, education and debt per individual.

According to the article, 23.7 percent of people who fall between the ages of 20 and 24 are unemployed, in comparison to Orlando's overall Aug. 2011 unemployment rate of 10.4 percent.

The Daily Beast also analyzed changes in statistics among young people and found that Orlando's 18- to 24-year-olds are 9.1 percent more in debt, and 12 percent fewer have bachelor's degrees in comparison with last year.

The article also said 5 percent fewer males are getting married, and females doubled that trend with a 10 percent decrease in marriage among 20 to 34 year olds.

But these statistics may not be prominent factors in how UCF students assess their overall quality of life. In an online poll conducted by the Central Florida Future, 44 people said they enjoy living in Orlando compared with 13 who said they do not enjoy living in the city.

"I love [Orlando]," said freshman biomedical sciences major Ariya Mobed, who said he has lived in Iran, the Netherlands, Germany, Massachusetts and New Jersey. "Wherever you live, there's going to be good and bad, regardless of where you go. It's just what you make of it."

Mobed, as well as several other students interviewed by the Future, repeatedly claimed three advantages to living in Orlando despite the city's Daily Beast ranking: the theme parks, the weather and residents' overall demeanors.

Freshman health sciences major Deandra Darmalingum recently moved from New York City to Orlando with her family. So far, she said Orlando is an "OK" place to live.

"It's not like New York City. People are nice here, whereas in New York people are actually really rude," Darmalingum said. "As far as activities to do, though, there's not as much as there as in New York, like hangout spots."

Mechanical engineering graduate student Jonathan Torres begs to differ.

"There are plenty of things I can afford to do around here and plenty of things to entertain me," Torres said. "And I don't always have to drive to downtown Orlando. I can go down the street, grab a couple of beers and go home."

Junior pharmacy major John-Jay Manalastas said that he moved to Orlando from the Philippines when he was 12 years old and liked the area so much that he decided to go to UCF.

"You can do pretty much anything here," Manalastas said. "There's bike trails, theme parks, there's clubs; stuff for everyone."

Joanna Puccio Ball, a freshman event management major, said that she isn't a fan of Orlando because of the large amount of tourists it brings in. However, as a hospitality major, she expects she will stay in the area for a while due to the lucrative nature of Orlando's tourism industry.

"I don't think it's a good place for families," Puccio Ball said. "It's really crowded and that can get annoying."

Many students also cited high crime rates as a downside to living in the area.

"There are some areas that are not so safe," Torres said. "All my stuff was stolen at my old apartment, and two days ago there was a police raid in my neighborhood to find a car thief."

A 2009 U.S. News article Orlando tied with Birmingham, Ala., as the third most dangerous city in America. This ranking was mostly based upon property crime, such as theft, opposed to violent crime.

Orlando also didn't make CNN's list of the 100 best cities to live in America.

According to CNN, Orlando rates a 536 on the "personal crime risk index." The national average is 100. The lower the index score, the safer the city.

In 2010, 78.9 percent of Orlando residents had a healthcare plan, opposed to 88.2 percent in cities that fell into the "best places to live category" such as Fort Collins, Colo. and Sugar Land, Texas.

Similarly, the average Orlando household income was $43,143, compared with $76,893 in places that are considered to offer a better quality of life.

Jacksonville and Tampa also made The Daily Beast's list, coming in at 21 and 24 out of the 25 "worst cities" ranked. Jacksonville has a 8.3 percent unemployment rate among 20 to 24 for year olds, opposed to Orlando's 23.7 percent. Tampa has 12.5 percent unemployment among those who fall into the same age bracket.

Despite the varying opinions on Orlando, many UCF students said that they plan on living in the area after graduation.

"I want to travel, but I'll probably come back," freshman molecular biology and microbiology major Channen Anderson said. "This is my home."