Moving to Florida

[CathrynRose]

Already did it for a year and hated it.

I voted "No interest"

 

[DMickey28]

I tried to vote YES but then switched it to Other. I don't know what I ended up voting.

We moved to S. Florida three weeks ago. So far I love it. However, I do not want to raise my family in S. Florida unless I can get up to Boca or something up in Palm Beach County. I would think about the West coast but I am not familar with it.

I will miss the seasons and the snow in the winter, but I suffer from depression mostly triggered by the dark winters so I think overall I will be a happier person here year round. And I can travel home for the seasons and to go skiing.

Plus down here, going on our cruises is so much easier and cheaper! No more hotel on both sides, no more airfare, no more car parking.... no more boarding the dog (we have friends here that offer to watch him!). I think I will see my family more living down here.

We rent now, and do not plan on buying for a few years to let the market stabilize a bit. However, coming from the suburbs of Boston and Chicago, and DH from living in San Diego, the housing prices don't scare me. If I was living in TX or the midwest, I'd be singing a different song I am sure.

 

[lovmy2girls]

Already live here. We want to move down south, where is warmer year round. We are tired of Pensacola, but not till the girls are out of school.

 

[Minnesota!]

See, I am looking at some houses on remax.com right now, and the prices almost seem cheap to me coming from MN. Our market up here is insane and moving to FL would be a drop in the bucket compared to what we would need to shell out here.

 

[mom2rb]

I used to think I wanted to move to Fla. The weather doesn't seem too much different than Houston. The biggest reason why I wouldn't move there now is the cost of living. It seems like the salaries are the same but the houses are double.

 

[icebrat001]

I recently moved to Florida, it will be 1 month on Friday. So far, I hate it here.

It's hot, it's sticky, it's humid, it's bug ridden, it rains out of the blue, I think I've encountered some of the worse drivers ever, the state hates homosexuals, I am terrified to hold my partners hand in the movie theatre, I feel I am treated differently because I am black, people say I talk weird (I'm from California, we don't have accents). It's super bright outside, even with sun glasses, the grocery stores don't carry half of the stuff I am used to purchasing, I have a list a mile long to be specially ordered at the grocery store.

Maybe it's just a California thing and I'm used to San Francisco tolls where you pay to cross the bridge in only 1 direction. But here, you have to pay both directions. Example, I went to tampa and spent 1.25 to cross the bridge, then it was 2.25 to come back. It's like a thousand tolls in this state.

I wanna go home, anyone wanna buy a 3 bed 2.5 bath townhouse, brand new stainless steel appliances and hardwood floors, located in a golf course community? Make me an offer!

 

[RSoxFan]

I would love to move to Florida, but all I know are the tourist areas. Like, where do people actually live??

Seriously, though, which cities and towns are best to raise families in? I don't know anything about schools, etc. I remember driving from the airport to WDW and thinking "Where do people live? Where do they shop?!"

I would have a hard time getting used to going by counties. We don't even use county names in Massachusetts. Most people don't even know what county they live in.

 

[Amity 3]

I voted 'other' because we're here. if you live near a coastline and get the seabreezes, the summers aren't that bad. I look at the heat and humidity my family in the midwest deal with this time of year and they've got it worse.

it fits our lifestyle, wearing shorts and flip-flops year-round. plants don't die in the winter and no snow to shovel.

 

[icebrat001]

Plus down here, going on our cruises is so much easier and cheaper! No more hotel on both sides, no more airfare, no more car parking.... no more boarding the dog (we have friends here that offer to watch him!). I think I will see my family more living down here.

This is the pro, I think I'll be booking a few cruises a year now that we are here in Florida. I think I'll look at some right now actually, I was just talking to dear partner about this an hour ago.

 

[JVL1018]

I love love love NJ, love the spring, summer and fall here, love the proximity to the shore/mountains/NYC..love that we really have no worries with nature(no tornadoes, hurricanes-big deal, blizzards-you stay inside and you're fine), love that we have no scary, creepy or can kill me animals roaming around.
It's home.

That said, I also love Florida, I would never want to live their permanently, but DH and I absolutely plan to be snowbirds when we're retired.
Jan-April, we'll hopefully be in Flordia every year. I despise winter and can think of nothing better than spending every one in FL!

I picked other, because it would just be part time.

 

[azgal81]

I don't think I would ever want to move to florida. Humidity is horrible at least in AZ it may be hot but it's not sticky!

 

[Kimberly815]

I voted yes. My fiance and I would love to move to FL. Specifically the west coast. But my parents and some of my other family members have already moved down there, so it makes it a lot easier.

 

[NMAmy]

Nope, no interest unless I could actually live at WDW.

Too humid, too many mosquitos, hurricanes scare me. If we move to a warmer climate when we retire, we'll head back to New Mexico.

 

[pixiepower1971]

I love FL! Every day that I am in TX instead of FL I am thinking of ways to get back to FL! I will have to split my time until DH retires from the Army...at least 7 more years.

TX is way HOTTER then FL, there are more bugs-no one has screened lanais in TX! And its all community pools instead of one in your backyard! We spend a lot less time outdoors in TX then in FL.


Less them a week until I hit the road...again...getting a much needed break from the TX heat.

And I miss those 3pm thunderstorms. They are so beautiful! Can't remember the last time it rained here in TX!

 

[Minnesota!]

Icebrat - sorry you hate it so much and haven't "felt the love". However, I do need to comment!

Californians DO have accents :O) My dear friend is from the Bay area and her accent is so thick! You can really hear it in words like "Bag", "rag", etc. :O)

 

[Bumbles]

It's hot, it's sticky, it's humid, it's bug ridden, it rains out of the blue, I think I've encountered some of the worse drivers ever, the state hates homosexuals, I am terrified to hold my partners hand in the movie theatre, I feel I am treated differently because I am black, people say I talk weird (I'm from California, we don't have accents). It's super bright outside, even with sun glasses, the grocery stores don't carry half of the stuff I am used to purchasing, I have a list a mile long to be specially ordered at the grocery store.

Maybe it's just a California thing and I'm used to San Francisco tolls where you pay to cross the bridge in only 1 direction. But here, you have to pay both directions. Example, I went to tampa and spent 1.25 to cross the bridge, then it was 2.25 to come back. It's like a thousand tolls in this state.

I wanna go home, anyone wanna buy a 3 bed 2.5 bath townhouse, brand new stainless steel appliances and hardwood floors, located in a golf course community? Make me an offer!

Um, did you do any research about the state before you moved? Oddly enough, yes, we do have heat, humidity, and BTW....we occasionally have hurricanes as well.

As far as saying the state hates homosexuals, I find that a bit harsh. Yes, I disagree with the state's policy on not allowing homosexuals to adopt but I think it's a bit far-fetched to say Florida as a whole hates homosexuals.

I'm sorry you feel treated differently because you're black. I find most people in Florida treat people based on their character, not skin color.

I have no idea what kind of things you are trying to buy in grocery stores, but having been to FL grocery stores and CA grocery stores, I'm just very curious as to what you're trying to buy if you can't find half of the things you're looking for.

And as far as it being super bright, wow, it is bright here. A lot of people like that. It's called no smog.

 

[monarchsfan16]

Icebrat - sorry you hate it so much and haven't "felt the love". However, I do need to comment!

Californians DO have accents :O) My dear friend is from the Bay area and her accent is so thick! You can really hear it in words like "Bag", "rag", etc. :O)

They use different words too, like tennis shoes or "tennies" instead of sneakers. Out here tennis shoes are a type of sneakers. I remember being so confused when my aunt from CA started talking about tennies.

I'll add to my previous list about why I don't want to live in FL. I HATE thunderstorms. I've seen so much distruction from t-storms here in NH over the years. They scare me to death. FL is lightening capital. No thank you. Hurricanes scare the heck out of me too. Sure we deal with blizzards but those are less likely to completely destroy your home.

 

[dcgrumpy]

I recently moved to Florida, it will be 1 month on Friday. So far, I hate it here.

It's hot, it's sticky, it's humid, it's bug ridden, it rains out of the blue, I think I've encountered some of the worse drivers ever, the state hates homosexuals, I am terrified to hold my partners hand in the movie theatre, I feel I am treated differently because I am black, people say I talk weird (I'm from California, we don't have accents). It's super bright outside, even with sun glasses, the grocery stores don't carry half of the stuff I am used to purchasing, I have a list a mile long to be specially ordered at the grocery store.

Maybe it's just a California thing and I'm used to San Francisco tolls where you pay to cross the bridge in only 1 direction. But here, you have to pay both directions. Example, I went to tampa and spent 1.25 to cross the bridge, then it was 2.25 to come back. It's like a thousand tolls in this state.

I wanna go home, anyone wanna buy a 3 bed 2.5 bath townhouse, brand new stainless steel appliances and hardwood floors, located in a golf course community? Make me an offer!

How much research or time did you spend in the state before you moved across country? I mean come on, who doesn't know Florida is hot, humid, has downpours and bugs?

 

[Feralpeg]

I voted "Other". I moved to the Orlando area two years ago. I've never regretted it for a second.

I love the weather. Yes, it is hot and humid in the summer. It is hotter and humid in other parts of the country during the summer. It has never reached 100 degrees since I moved here. You can't say that about much of the country. And yes, it is humid in those area as well. I heard from a friend in Missouri the other day. She told me she wanted to come to Florida for a visit to escape the heat. They had a heat index of 115.

You certainly can't beat the winter weather. It gets just cold enough to make it feel like winter, but it is pleasant enough to take long walks and enjoy the beautiful scenery. By the way, Florida really does have seasonal changes, they are just not as dramatic as other areas. Certain types of trees actual turn colors in the fall and then lose their leaves. Next to them, you will see beautiful blooming flowers! I lived in the Midwest most of my life. I don't miss the snow and ice enough to want to move back. If I do start to miss it, I'll just visit friends briefly and then go home to my beautiful Florida!

The vast majority of people in Florida are very friendly. I've met so many nice people here.

There is so much to do in Florida year round. I could literally eat in a different restaurant for years and not repeat if I wanted. There are many places to view or participate in theatrical productions. Arts and nature are abundant, not to mention the theme parks and shopping available.

As for the wildlife, we do have it in abundance. I'm not a bug person, but even I find the odd varieties here amazing. I have no problem with bugs in my house. I had silver-fish in Missouri and had a terrible time keeping them out. I have no issues like that here. I have a contract with a company that treats my home inside twice a year and outside each quarter. No problems. Fire ants are kind of a pain, but you learn to deal with them.

I LOVE the birds! I can't say enough about how much I like them. I like the lizards, wild boars, deer, bobcats, etc. I do see an occasional snake, but nothing that is a problem. There are poisonous snakes here. If I am going to climb around in my flowerbeds, I look before I do so. I'm not afraid of them. I've only seen one alligator in the two years I've lived here. If you stay away from the edge of bodies of water, they really aren't a problem.

I know this is going to sound odd, but I actually enjoyed the hurricanes. Now, that would not be the case if I lived on the coast. By the time they reach the Orlando area, they are not that bad. Yes, Charlie caused a lot of damage in the Orlando area, but much of that was because people had not kept things under control prior. Many of the homes who lost roofs or had leaking were because their roofs needed to be replaced long ago. Believe me, people let their roofs go much longer than they should here. With the amount of moisture and sun here, roofs need to be repaired or replace more often. Many large trees should have been removed or trimmed before Charlie. Hurricanes that occur going forward will not be as big a problem for Orlando because many of the problems have been corrected. I found the hurricanes to be kind of relaxing.

Is there anything I don't like about living in Florida? Yes. People drive like idiots. Of course, that seems to be a trend moving across the country. I noticed the drivers in Missouri getting much worse the last few years I lived there. I am lucky in that I don't have to drive I-4 on a regular basis. You learn to deal.

Would I ever move from Florida? It would take something major to make me do so.

 

[magicmouse2]

I would love to live in Florida but the immigration laws wont let us unless we have a million dollars to invest in a business or have close family or married an American. (I live in the UK and hate it here, rain, too many pubs.)