Has anyone moved to FL away from family and regretted it?

[WDWBarb]

Ok, this thread hits close to home because I have been considering a move to Florida. I lived there for 2 years when I was younger and I LOVED it.

But now I'm reminded of the one thing that I hated... truly hated....

SO, how far north do you have to go before the spiders get smaller than your hand??

 

[DebbieB]

I live in Western PA and I did training in Jacksonville in August a few years ago. I couldn't believe how hot it was. I went out to lunch and when I got out of the air conditioned car my glasses totally fogged over! I wouldn't miss winter but I don't know about those hot & humid summers.

 

[cassandrap83]

I do not regret it, but my ex sort of does. He cannot make nearly as much money here as he did in PA. Also, he misses his family.

I don't regret it at all. Occasionally I will feel homesick for my family, but we visit either here or there at least a couple times a year.

 

[shortbun]

My grandparents moved to FL when I was 3. I never really got to know them. That's all I have to contribute.

 

[minnie56]

Yep..
Lasted 8 months...and then moved back.
Vacation is one thing, living there. Another all together, just my opinion..

 

[southlakejr]

Not FL, but...

My mom's entire family lives in MO. We grew up and live in CA. I never got to know that side of the family well, we saw them once a year at the absolute most. We didn't grow up with extended family, or cousins, or any of that. I'm jealous of people who did.

But the biggest thing was how hard it was for my mom when my grandparents got older. My grandfather has emphysema and lung cancer. My grandmother had Alzheimers and it was awful. If it had not been for my sister and I out here, I think she would have moved back. My grandfather passed away several years ago, and my mom just happened to be there on a visit when he passed and got to see him one last time. My grandmother passed away the day my sister went into labor. My mom and I got on a plane the next day to plan the funeral. That side of the family still has not met my (now two) nephews.

Despite the fact that I despise the cost of living in CA, and I wish we lived somewhere with less traffic, more trees, and better schools... I will never move too far from "home" (where my family is, not the location) out of fear of going through the same thing,

(sorry to be such a buzzkill!)

 

[Feralpeg]

Ok, this thread hits close to home because I have been considering a move to Florida. I lived there for 2 years when I was younger and I LOVED it.

But now I'm reminded of the one thing that I hated... truly hated....

SO, how far north do you have to go before the spiders get smaller than your hand??

I always find the mention of huge bugs in Florida to be funny. I never have this problem. I've lived in Florida almost 11 years. The worst bug problem I've had were some ants in my kitchen. They didn't last long.

I have an exterminator that treats the inside of my home every six months. They treat around the outside of the house every three months. I don't have bug issues. In the entire time I've lived here, I've had a couple of palmetto bugs get into the house when I've left the door open. I've seen large spiders outside, but not in my house. If you keep up with the treatment, the bugs really aren't a big deal inside. The bugs seem to be a bigger problem for people who live in highly wooded areas.

Mosquitoes love me, so I try not to run around at dusk. I had the same problem when I lived in Missouri. There were a couple of years where we had an issue with yellow flies. They bite and bite hard, but they never got inside.

I love living in Florida. I have no desire to ever move and I am an extreme bug hater!

 

[Robinrs]

It was my plan to move my family to Florida back in 2001. I had previously moved from NY to Ga and moved my parents to Tennessee with my sister's family.

Ugh...haaaaaaate Georgia. Took a trip to Florida in 1999 and thought I'd DIED and went to heaven!! Loved everything about it, really felt like I wanted to live there.

My Mom always dreamed of living in a house like the Golden Girls so we dreamed together. She wanted a "lanai"! My Dad was shaking his head but my Mom and I planned a trip to find houses and MOVE!

Then my Mom found out she had terminal cancer and was gone in 3 weeks... She never got her lanai...

My Dad died 6 months later and I no longer felt the need to stay in Atlanta. Started my dream but this time with just my son who loved it just as much as I did.

Then I lost my JOB!!

Nowadays I think back on all the mishaps that kept me from moving to Florida. We traveled down there about 5 to 6 times a year and I knew Orlando better than I knew Atlanta! With all of it's pluses the minuses of the political atmosphere, the schools and the recent judicial cases have convinced me it is NOT the place for me.

I still like to visit but one day will find another state to move to that fits me better.