Am I crazy? Need advice on relocating to Florida

[georgia4now]

Hi all. Newbie here.

I just have to run something by everyone and get some advice:

Our family lived in Florida for 10 years (Tampa and Orlando) and we loved it. The only problem was we were young, not out of college yet, and poor as dirt.

Now that we've finished school, relocated to Atlanta, and have several years of professional experience under our belt, we're doing just fine financially. My problem is this:

I miss FL so bad that I can hadly stand it, and although my wife does too, she equates FL with us being broke. I try to tell her its because we were just kids and we've passed that now, but she is still scared. So what I've done is made a 5-year plan that allows us to finish grad school, pay off all the bills, and then launch a job search in FL. She seems ok with that, but she's still unsure.

Am I being unreasonable or unfair? Atlanta is NOT the place for us...we both agree to that. I really miss those weekends at the parks, having AP's for virtually everything, and hosting friends and family a couple of times each year.

The only major issue for me is the recent explosion in the cost of housing. The home we sold for $145,000 3 years ago is now at $290,000.

Any advice from people in FL or seriously wanting to relocate some day? How is the job market down there?

 

[byoung]

Go and Enjoy, will join you in a couple years.

 

[georgia4now]

Go and Enjoy, will join you in a couple years.

I think I'm going to put my mind to making it happen. Life is too short to be stuck in some place that you don't want to be.

Good luck to you too. Maybe we'll be neighbors in a half-decade!

 

[Tinker74]

I dream of living in Florida! If my balls come up on the lotto...guess where Iam going?? I can dream can't I.

 

[coasterj]

welcome, my plan is to get down there and make sure i like working at the parks then transfer college to ucf, during college or shortly afterwards i hope to buy a house nearby

 

[Evil Queen]

You all come on down. I am planning of getting out of S. Florida by next summer.

But I understand why so many folks love it, it's just not my cup of tea.

 

[georgia4now]

You all come on down. I am planning of getting out of S. Florida by next summer.

But I understand why so many folks love it, it's just not my cup of tea.

I hear that from a ton of people who live (or lived) in SOUTH Florida. There's several people in my office who lived for at least a few years in FL, and those from Tampa, Orlando or Jax say they would like to go back someday, but the people from West Palm, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami all say "there's no way they would ever go back!"

What's the deal with that? Is the culture/way of life so different down there from the rest of FL? Like I said in my original question, I lived in Tampa and Orlando and absolutely loved it. The only reason we moved was for work.

I guess to each his own!

I just can't wait to get back to my adopted home.

 

[Evil Queen]

I hear that from a ton of people who live (or lived) in SOUTH Florida. There's several people in my office who lived for at least a few years in FL, and those from Tampa, Orlando or Jax say they would like to go back someday, but the people from West Palm, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami all say "there's no way they would ever go back!"

What's the deal with that? Is the culture/way of life so different down there from the rest of FL? Like I said in my original question, I lived in Tampa and Orlando and absolutely loved it. The only reason we moved was for work.

I guess to each his own!

I just can't wait to get back to my adopted home.

I was born in Central Florida, but mainly raised in S. Florida. The house here has been in our family for over 35 years.

People are my main problem, not so many nice folks here, at least for me.

I don't like weather that's basically the same year round, and really dispise the summer heat.

And now hurricanes. So strange going over 30 years of only worries to actually getting the storms.

Pay isn't enough for the prices of basically everything.