Moving from NYC to Boca Raton, FL...

[Laugh O. Grams]

And need to know some of the benefits of life in Florida, besides taxes and Disney! We move at the end of the month and am starting to miss good ol' New York already. Walking home through the city this afternoon really saddened me, especially with all of the Xmas decorations everywhere! I'm getting an incredible pay incentive to make the move, and our daughter and dogs will love the big house and yard(!!), but I need some "extra" positive reinforcement! Anyone make the move and are loving it?

 

[Rhonda922]

Hi neighbor -- I'm in New Jersey. So, what's got you making the move to Florida (wish it were me and DH).

Sounds like this will probably be a big adjustment for you going from the city life to I guess you'd call it suburbs down there.

 

[scubamouse]

you could help turn florida into a blue state

lower taxes and housing. close to the beach. i don't know that i could do it though.

i lived on the upper east side for 10 years and am in the burbs now. you adjust. it's hard to find great asian food but it is wonderful for the kids. you won't have to make playdates as much since DD can run out and play. you'll save a fortune in cabs and childcare/schools.

i would stock up on non-perishables from Fairway! I miss that place!

 

[chrissyk]

We made the move, from a Boston 'burb to FL. I would have LOVED to move to Boca, BTW! Mizner Place (Park?) or whatever it's called is my kind of place Lots of nice restaurants, etc. there Plus, Boca has a really nice Whole Foods...it's way bigger than the organic grocery in our FL town.

Mostly, we're just glad to have a slower pace of life down here. Oh, and we still have XMas decorations like crazy here you know! Besides, Boca is only like 3 hours from Disney, and if Disney isn't the XMas decoration capital of the world then I don't know where is!

 

[palmtreegirl]

Is there a way you could move back if you don't like it? Sounds like your not so sure about the move. Good luck!

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

you could help turn florida into a blue state

Believe me, that thought definitely ran through my mind!!

lower taxes and housing. close to the beach. i don't know that i could do it though.

i lived on the upper east side for 10 years and am in the burbs now. you adjust. it's hard to find great asian food but it is wonderful for the kids. you won't have to make playdates as much since DD can run out and play. you'll save a fortune in cabs and childcare/schools.

i would stock up on non-perishables from Fairway! I miss that place!

We'll still come up a couple times a year for fun and I'll still travel here one a month for work, so our friends are thrilled that they'll still, at least, get to see me.

I think the real drawback is not being able to just walk out the front door and literally have the world at your doorstep.

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

Is there a way you could move back if you don't like it? Sounds like your not so sure about the move. Good luck!

No...I'm sure. I guess that one of the tough things about growing up is to stop the selfishness of youth and doing what's right, financially and otherwise, for your family. The incentives I've been offered to move down is way to good for me to pass up and I'd be a fool not to, I'll just miss living here. Coming up for work just isn't the same thing as living in the city.

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

We made the move, from a Boston 'burb to FL. I would have LOVED to move to Boca, BTW! Mizner Place (Park?) or whatever it's called is my kind of place Lots of nice restaurants, etc. there Plus, Boca has a really nice Whole Foods...it's way bigger than the organic grocery in our FL town.

Mostly, we're just glad to have a slower pace of life down here. Oh, and we still have XMas decorations like crazy here you know! Besides, Boca is only like 3 hours from Disney, and if Disney isn't the XMas decoration capital of the world then I don't know where is!

Yeah!! This is what I'm looking for! A nice Whole Foods...I can work with that, if it's anything like the one at Columbus Circle! Plus, I can just pull the car up...for free!!! No garages! I'm sure we'll find our share of great restaurants as well...anyone else?

 

[Zandy595]

OK, I'm sure you already know this, but the biggest benefit is the WEATHER. I moved from Buffalo to the West Palm Beach area.

City Place is great. Lots of shops, restaurants, and a really nice movie theater. Boca also has a nice movie theater, Muvico Palace

Kravis Center for the Performing Arts.

We have some nice upscale malls, Town Center and The Gardens Mall

I don't play, but I know we have great golf courses.

Have you been to this website? BocaRaton.com

 

[FergieTCat]

Super Walmart!

(When I visit Mom in Delray Beach, we always go to Super Walmart -- I could spend the day there!)

 

[Cindy's Mom]

You must have Martinis at Gigi's at Mizner's. Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach ain't too shabby either - its just like South Beach

 

[ilovepcot]

Fortunately, Boca happens to be one of the really pretty spots in FL. It just happens that FL and I don't "get along" at all (have been here 25 years!) and am looking forward to moving to a cooler and less congested climate. I've found that there's very little "middle road" where FL's concerned....you either love it or despise it. Here's hoping you LOVE it!

 

[ziggystardust]

Good Luck! I'm looking for that same incentive to move. Right now it would be too hard to just pick up and leave and not have a job to go to. I'm jealous.

Have fun! I might have to live vicariously through you for a while!

 

[ADisneygirl]

From a former New Yorker:
Positives:
You will find a lot of fellow New Yorkers among your neighbors, (I think this a plus ), the beaches are very pretty, WDW is here, taxes are much less, no personal state taxes, you get much more house for your dollar, and the sun shining so much of the year puts people in a better mood.

Negatives:
Hurricanes, skyrocketing home owners insurance due to the overwhelming amount of hurricanes that have threatened and or passed through, no real change of seasons, it is possible to have the air conditioning running during Christmas week, little lizards around, alligators, and flying roaches the size of walnuts, forget about getting a decent piece of pizza ever again, and did I mention the hurricanes??

Good luck! I hope you love it here! Most people who make the move from up north do. I don't, but that has to do with the fact that I wasn't the one who wanted to move. As someone else posted, you either love it or hate it ~ not many middle of the roaders.

 

[Feralpeg]

We have tons of Christmas decorations up in Florida! I moved from Kansas City and I love it here. Give it a chance!

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

From a former New Yorker:
Positives:
You will find a lot of fellow New Yorkers among your neighbors, (I think this a plus ), the beaches are very pretty, WDW is here, taxes are much less, no personal state taxes, you get much more house for your dollar, and the sun shining so much of the year puts people in a better mood.

Negatives:
Hurricanes, skyrocketing home owners insurance due to the overwhelming amount of hurricanes that have threatened and or passed through, no real change of seasons, it is possible to have the air conditioning running during Christmas week, little lizards around, alligators, and flying roaches the size of walnuts, forget about getting a decent piece of pizza ever again, and did I mention the hurricanes??

Good luck! I hope you love it here! Most people who make the move from up north do. I don't, but that has to do with the fact that I wasn't the one who wanted to move. As someone else posted, you either love it or hate it ~ not many middle of the roaders.

Is it the hurricanes that have soured you or was it something something else? I've always found New Yorkers to be incredibly giving and friendly. I think that's probably what I'm going to miss most.

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

great to visit - living there - not so much. We moved from Chicago to Tampa in 2002, built a house, the whole works.

Gave it three years but hated it.

uneducated population
lack of culture - no or medicore ballet, symphony, museums, art, plays, etc
lack of fine dining
boring - mostly due to the above

Again, I vacation every chance I can, but am much happier living downtown Chicago. Maybe if we had not chosen Tampa, but a more cosmopolitan city, we would have liked it.
Good luck

 

[ilovepcot]

Again, I vacation every chance I can, but am much happier living downtown Chicago. Maybe if we had not chosen Tampa, but a more cosmopolitan city, we would have liked it.
Good luck[/QUOTE]


Any guess which city in FL might be more "cosmopolitan"? That one stumps me.

 

[eclectics]

As a fellow New Yorker, I think we all seem to end up there eventually. Good luck and I hope you enjoy it! I'll be down eventually myself, I'm sure. Hope it's not too "red" hot for ya!

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

great to visit - living there - not so much. We moved from Chicago to Tampa in 2002, built a house, the whole works.

Gave it three years but hated it.

uneducated population
lack of culture - no or medicore ballet, symphony, museums, art, plays, etc
lack of fine dining
boring - mostly due to the above

Again, I vacation every chance I can, but am much happier living downtown Chicago. Maybe if we had not chosen Tampa, but a more cosmopolitan city, we would have liked it.
Good luck

We chose Boca Raton because of it's east coast locale, with it's closeness to South Beach and Palm Beach. I've heard that it's a bit more cosmopolitan than the west coast. Of course, nothing against the west coast, my Mom and Grandmother live in Naples and absolutely love it. It's just a bit too slow paced for our tastes.