I moved to Orlando from Philadelphia in August of 2016 to pursue my Master's degree. I'd spent many a childhood vacation at Disney World and had returned to the resort area to train for a job with Disney Cruise Lines right after undergrad, but any forays into the rest of the city had been brief and dictated by others. As a busy graduate student, it took me a while to really go exploring, but I've now been here long enough to understand why this city is so special. Here are six reasons why I love living in Orlando:

1. The Weather

I’ll start with the obvious. When the coordinator of my program called me in February of last year to tell me that I’d gotten into UCF’s MFA Writing program, she made sure to throw in a, “I see that you’re in Philadelphia. I should tell you that it’s 70 degrees here in Orlando.” At the time, I was covered in blankets on my couch, looking out at a sludgy backyard, so I was already sold from the start.

Yes, hurricanes are terrifying, but they’re always detected in advance, giving you time to prepare. Half of your hurricane prep will be footing phone calls and Facebook messages from concerned friends and family, explaining to them that you live inland and that while Florida is ridiculously flat, you are a bit above sea level and that the sand-tinged Florida soil provides much better drainage than the ground in Texas or Louisiana. Summers are rough, but summers up north aren’t that much better and I’ve never skidded off the road because the road got too hot. Winters are mild, generally dry and give you a chance to explore Central Florida's countless parks (of both the theme and natural variety.)

2. The Attractions

Again, the obvious. If you’re a fan of a certain mouse, or a certain wizard, or just really like rides, then you are of course in the right place. If you can scrounge up a down payment, you can get an annual pass to Disney World that’ll set you back at a monthly rate that’s not that far off from what you pay for Netflix. You can sometimes buy discounted theme park tickets through UCF and it’s free to get through the gates of Fun Spot, where you can buy a daily wristband, pay for just a couple rides, or simply sit and people-watch.

Don’t feel like wading through tourists? You can go feed swans downtown at Lake Eola, take a boat tour through the canals of nearby Winter Park, or walk through the lush foliage at Leu Gardens. Being in the middle of a narrow peninsula, you have your choice of beach trips, too – and the whole year to take them. There’s no sense of urgency when you’re not sure if you’ll make it out to the Jersey Shore one more time before Labor Day.

3. The Visitors

This goes hand in hand with the weather and the attractions, but you won’t exactly have to beg your friends and family to come visit, sparing you the expense of time/money and the risk of cold weather that a visit home can bring. Being one of the best family vacation spots in the country, when you move away to Orlando, you still get sporadic chances to see your friends’ kids grow.

4. The Food

Okay, this is sort of a drawback when you are a cost-conscious student, but Central Florida is home to some awesome restaurants. If you have it in your budget, Disney is always good for a tasty meal with top-tier service and this time of year, it’s fun to walk around EPCOT's Food and Wine Festival and grab some small plates.

Closer to downtown, there are more out-of-the-box culinary options and the diverse population of Orlando lends itself to all kinds of cuisine. It’s no surprise that Wallethub recently listed Orlando as the sixth best American city for foodies, but you may be surprised to learn that the city also beat out L.A. and San Francisco to be ranked as the third best city for vegetarians and vegans (losing to NYC and Portland, but that’s a given.)

Before you go running for the nearest steakhouse (I hear Linda’s La Cantina is good?), know that many veggie-friendly spots in town offer great meat dishes as well (Oblivion Taproom is a personal favorite) and that rather than serving up plates of sprouts, veg*n favorite Ethos Vegan in Winter Park offers delicious Shepherd’s Pie and calzones – I promise, you won’t know the difference.

5. The Familiarity

This might be my suburban Philadelphian bias, but Orlando feels a lot like a sunnier version of home. I grew up in the same Pennsylvania zip code as the Wawa headquarters and while Florida Wawa locations are more likely to have gas stations and a beer cooler, they’re pretty much the same. I recently discovered a few locations of the Bucks County, Pennsylvania-based Rita’s Water Ice in the area. We’re still waiting for a Wegman’s, but for the time being, there are plenty of ways to get a taste of home.

On game days in my aunt’s neighborhood out in Clermont, their community clubhouse shows not just one game, but many in different rooms, letting residents root for their native teams. With no baseball or football team, you’re pretty free to root for your home teams while in Central Florida, plus you have the chance to embrace a local soccer team, which is pretty rare in this country.

6. The Community

Orlando is a big enough city where you can meet new people every day (especially if you count tourists), but it is small enough to have a strong sense of community, which really shines through in times of trouble. Seeing how the city came together post-Pulse, right before I moved here and as I was hunkered in my cinderblock house during Irma, confirmed what I already knew: just how beautiful of a place the City Beautiful can be.