I have a love/hate relationship with Orlando. I love it because it's my hometown. I hate it because the traffic sucks and it's an unattractive sprawl. I love it because there are good people here, but I hate it because there are a lot of douchebags too. I love it because there are NO state and local income taxes, but I hate it because salaries kinda suck. I love it because we're an hour from the beach. I hate it because there are no hills or mountains.

Dating: Since I'm basically a sex and dating blogger, I'll focus the first part of of my review around my niche. I'm a single guy, a social artist, and I love to meet and date beautiful women. Orlando, in my very humble opinion, has some of the hottest women, and the MOST hot women, of any city I've ever lived in. If you're a chick and you're reading this, there are tons of hot, professional guys too. This place is crawling with beautiful people and if you're single and dating, this is a great place to be. People look good, dress well, have tans, and work out here.

In the last 10 years I've also lived in the following cities: Gainesville, Raleigh, Durham, Austin, Louisville, Boston, Philadelphia. I've also spent a significant amount of time in San Diego and Seattle. None these cities compare to the sheer quantity and quality of the beauty here, although Austin acquits itself well. The last city I lived in, Louisville, couldn't hold a candle, and I would grumble on a daily basis that the 'Ville was the "B" league of the dating pool. If you're single and looking for a quality partner, as I imagine all of the single readers and bloggers out there are, this is a fact you shouldn't ignore. You ain't gonna find love if you're living in a place where there are no attractive people.

There's a big drawback to having all this beauty. That drawback is the dating scene is super competitive. Head downtown on a Saturday night and you'll find that all the guys act and dress like douchebags and players, and the women act like bitches and won't give the time of day to us regular guys. So if you come here looking for love, you'll need some skill and a lot of patience to thrive.

The culture of materialism is rampant, probably higher than in any other city I've lived in. Everyone I meet covets the 60" television and Lexus cars and lives without any sort of simplicity. I think this is a problem with having too much beauty...it’s a social rat race, everybody is desperately trying to get theirs, and real values get put on the backburner.

Beyond dating, I generally have a good feeling about Orlandoans and I really like the diversity of people. I did some contract work recently for the city and I worked on a team of 30 techies. Maybe half of the team were white guys. The rest were Spaniards, Latinos and Latinas, black dudes, an Israeli guy, Asians, young and old. There was a solid range of experience and culture and that really impressed me.

Dining & Bars: One of my metrics for the quality of a town is the dining scene. Are there good restaurants and bars? For the most part, NO. Most of the restaurants are chains--I hate chains--and you have to look long and far to find good places to eat. By comparison, Louisville, which is a far smaller city, has a dining scene that blows Orlando away. Austin trumps both of those towns. If you are looking for good eats, try the Thai or Vietnamese joints. The bars and clubs are merely average.

Sports: Orlando isn't doing too badly in this department. We've got Orlando Magic basketball, and 1.5 hours away, Bucs football and Rays baseball. We're getting a new basketball arena in the next couple of years also. If you play flag football, soccer, or softball, there are plenty of rec leagues. Like water sports? Choose from one of many lakes to wakeboard and water ski on.

Weather: Brutally hot and muggy in the summer, no seasons, but pleasant and perfect in the late fall, winter, and early spring. If you hate cold, this is the place to be. Oh yeah, it's always sunny here too. Hey, that’s why we're called the Sunshine State.

Green Living: At the time I wrote this, gas costs around $3.79, but only two months ago it was well over four bucks. Combine that with the fact that the traffic sucks and the city is spread out and you're going to get absolutely killed on gas. If you have a car payment, you could very easily double it in the amount you spend on gas per month. Very few people recycle, there are hardly any bike lanes, and biking in the city is pretty sketchy anyway. You have to have a very special set up if you're going to bike to work. Expect to run your AC on full blast for a good part of the year because it's friggin' hot. Organic groceries are available but pricey. There’s zero culture of sustainability or eco-friendliness here.

Conclusion: Beautiful people that revel in their materialism. Mediocre dining and bar scene. Good for sports and awesome weather. Fewer taxes, cost of living is favorable, but job salaries are mediocre and gas will kill you. Still, it’s not a bad place to live and the beaches are close by.