Question for Florida residents.....

[irish dancer]

We have been giving serious thought to moving to a warmer climate. We've spent a great deal time considering as to what was the compelling reason to stay in Chicago and we're coming up empty

I've had problems with SAD these past two years and it seems to be getting worse. DH is really HATING the weather (and putting up with me ) So...

I am asking your opinions of the great state of Florida. We are primarily looking at the Tampa area, though there is an employment opportunity in Winter Park for DH. DH has been blown away by how much more home we can get for the same money down there. His understanding is that, on top of the difference in home value, Florida has no state income tax and generally low property taxes. Not to mention we'd save thousands every year in trips to Disney.

How do you like it? Is it unbearably hot in the summer? Do you miss the change of seasons? Is my tax information accurate? Does the preponderance of small "critters" bother you? Anyone from the Tampa area? Where are the best schools?

I welcome your input and appreciate it.

 

[CathrynRose]

We moved from Chicago (west burbs) to Florida (Tampa area) and hated it. Hated every single second of the year we lived there. Some people love it - so YMMV.

It's hot. REALLY HOT in the summer. Like make you sick, hot.

The Disney weekend were wonderful.

The schools (IMO) are terrible.

There is no sense of 'community'. I dont know what west burb youre in, but there's no 'downtown naperville, lisle, glen ellyn, downers grove, hinsdale' in Florida.

Ummmm...what else?

Have you tried using a tanning bed once a week? You could cure your SAD and save yourself a move.

 

[CathrynRose]

Critters - yes! Lots of them - everywhere. Lizards in your house is kinda neat. Or your car, cuz they go in through the engine into your vents! Then your car smells like a dead lizard carcus, cuz you cant find the body. And in the middle of the summer, 90 degree weather, who doesnt want a "Dead Lizard" air freshener in their car?

Taxes is right. But what you save in some places, you spend in others. Things even out there. We didnt suddenly feel rich because we lived there. Milk was ridiculously expensive. Ice Cream was ridiculously cheap. Figure that one out.

There are (were) no Kohl's. Do like Kohl's? I missed Kohl's.

No Portillo's or any Chicago Hot Dogs - anywhere.

No Grandma Sallys, Omega, Dimitri's type restaurants - anywhere.

No decent Chinese - at all, what so ever (unless Panda Express if your thing)

No Chicago Pizza.

Hmmm.......

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

We moved here from the northeast in '97 and haven't looked back. Heavy snow area, comparable to Chi-town.

We originally moved to the Ft. Myers area (sw FL) and really liked it. We had to relocate to Central FL (family reasons) and don't like it as well.

We particularly do not like the Tampa area. Sorry.

Do spend some time looking at the statistics for crime in any area you are serious about.

Hot? Jaysus yes! Treat summer like winter and you'll be fine. (You know, stay indoors during the worst of the day, don't plan outdoor events...etc.).

There is no culture here, in the greater sense. Before anyone gets in an uproar, what I mean is there are no 'hoods. No districts, no like minded individuals in locations... no garment district, no special shops for ethnic foods, no cheese shops, no butchers, that sort of thing. Oh, you'll find an isolated decent shop from time to time, but they are few and far between.

Traffic is terrible in many places, and this should scare you - only Miami knows how to drive.

All in all we're ok with the Sunshine State climate wise, but it ain't paradise.

 

[Angelhalo]

We moved from NC to Florida and we LOVED it.

We lost extra move because NC is much cheaper. But, we made up for it in taxes.

We loved the hot weather even in the summer. We spent a lot of time in our backyard. If we hadn't had a pool or hadn't lived near the beach I'm not so sure we would have loved it so much.

Being able to go to Disney anytime was a definite bonus. We never had the lizard issues that Cat had. Every once in a while we'd have one scurry into the house but it wasn't too often nor a big deal. They don't bite. I'd rather have them than bugs. They're actually pretty cute.

As far as having shopping areas and communities and suburbs and such, I think it all depends on where you live. There is more of that in the Orlando area and larger cities than there is in the smaller cities. This actually was a sticking point for us. We like to go out and listen to live bands, and shop and just go out and have fun, but we lived in a smaller town that didn't have as much to do. Our friends had kids and they were always having a blast but we are newlyweds and there just wasn't a lot for us to do on the treasure coast, not to mention not many job options if you're not in a big city, again, not a problem in Orlando, but a big problem in smaller cities.

So because of the lack of jobs for my DH we ended up back in NC. However if he had been able to find a better job there, we really loved it minus the lack of nightlife. We lived 5 minutes from the beach and loving going there on weeknights and on weekends taking our boat out on the ocean. We could sail to the bahamas in a few hours.

I think it just depends on what kind of person you are. The experience will be different for every person.

We NEVER EVER EVER had any problems with traffic. Stay away from Miami and you should be fine trafficwise, although Orlando has some doozie times of day too!

My advice would be to really research the area in Florida that you are interested in. What is crime like? Cost of living? Is there enough entertainment for you and your family? Do you like the heat and humidity? Some people hate the heat, we LOVE it. My advice is to research research research!

Good Luck!

Cat we had a Kohl's!!! LOL!!!

 

[RadioNate]

I'm sorta middle of the road on living in Florida. There are things I like and things I could seriouly do without.

I'm from Chicago and have lived in Oregon, South Carolina, Iowa, Tennessee, Texas and Illinois (obviously).

I haven't been as enamored with Florida as I thought I would be before I moved here.

It is hot, VERY hot. I LIKE hot and I still think it gets too hot in the summer. I haven't had a problem with bugs. The lizards are annoying but they don't bother me too much.

Home prices are dropping rapidly, so it assessed value and therefor property taxes. IMO, housing used to be crazy out of line. About equal to Chicago but they are plummeting. Good for you, horrible for me. I also think property taxes are middle of the road. People scream here that they are high but they are significantly lower than I paid in Texas. Yet higher than we paid in Tennessee.

Winter Park is a lovely area (but VERY pricey IMO) and has a great 'downtown' area. We also have Kohl's.

Schools are generally icky. My DS is in a A rated public school and I don't love it. It is fine but I wouldn't call it great. I would like to put him in a private school for Jr High/High School if we can afford it.

 

[Mean Queen]

Just like with any area, there are pros and cons of this area. I've lived just south of Tampa in St. Pete most of my life. Yes, the Summers are really hot. But right now, I'm sitting in a tank top and shorts with the a/c still on while others are preparing for snow.

I've never knowingly had a lizard die in my car and stink it up. Just a few lost sippie cups of milk, which can be pretty bad in our heat. But the lizards are kind of cute and they eat the roaches.

Some areas have really bad traffic (anywhere on I-4) but others aren't so bad. It also depends on the time. I can get from my house to Disney in a little over an hour on a slow traffic time. That's always a plus!

Our public school system is not the best but you can find areas with good ones.

I'd recommend visiting any area you are considering to see if it's a place you could live.

 

[CathrynRose]

I was so gypped out of a Kohl's.

Somebody told me Bealls (which to me, looks like Bee-l's - not Bell's ) was like Kohl's. BLASPHEMY!!! That is not a Kohl's (and it's pronounced funny)

I absolutely miss Disney weekends. I cant lie about that. That was great. But everyday inbetween those weekends, stunk.

Theyre kinda 'behind' (again, in the area I was at) as far as fashion goes. Hobo bags were SUPER in during that time, and I COULD NOT FIND ONE TO SAVE MY LIFE. I love purses - so I try not to spend a LOT on one - cuz I swap them out too quickly. I was so deserate for a HOBO I spent way over budget on a Ralph Lauren one simply because I was thrilled I finally found one (after months of searching).

There was a little chain joint called Pita's (I think) They had falafel. That place was good.

 

[CathrynRose]

I'd recommend visiting any area you are considering to see if it's a place you could live.

Agreed. My transfer with my company and move was all done in a month.

I think I could have enjoyed Florida life if I had more of a chance to figure out somewhere to stay.

I picked my place over the phone, using Google Maps, and from the reccomendation of other people with my company.

Go visit.

 

[sarasotamom]

I have lived in Florida all my life so I can not compare it to where you live now. My daughter went to college in Tampa so I got to know it pretty well. I would say that one of the nicest parts of Tampa is the Hyde Park area (although it is quite expensive). The New Tampa area and Tampa Palms is very nice. It is a newer area with very good schools. My daughter interned in these schools and was very impressed with them. You can buy a very nice home there for under $300,000 now that the prices have fallen. (4 bedrooms, 3 baths, 2-car garage etc).


As far as taxes go, there is not a state income tax. My house was assessed at $297,000 this year and my taxes are 3000.00 after homestead exemption.
I live 50 miles south of Tampa on the west coast.

Yes, it does get extremely hot in the summer. The humidity can knock the energy out of you. But all homes and businesses are air-conditioned so it is not that bad. The winters are wonderful. It is my favorite time of the year, especially when the sky is so blue without any clouds. Also being on the coast you do get the sea breezes that makes it cooler than Orlando.

You mentioned Winter Park. My daughter went on a tour of Rollins College her senior year which is located there. It was a beautiful town. Many large trees and old historic homes. I don't know anything about the schools there but the college was very good. It is very close to Orlando but the town has a much more homey feel to it.

 

[SydneyBristow]

We live in Lake County, Fl and love it, especially my town. I grew up in NJ and lived in PA for 18 months before we finally move down here.

The areas of Florida are so diverse in everything from landscaping, crowd level and even just the feel of the area. Some places feel more "northern" and others more "southern", I prefer the latter. In Central Florida alone, there are places I love and places you couldn't pay me to move to. It took us a year and 2 moves to find our spot. I highly recommend renting for awhile first no matter how attractive the house prices are.

As far as critters it hasn't been bad at all. Fire ants are nasty but other then the occasional spider that jumps, it's been fine. I love all the birds and wildlife too.

I use to have severe problems regarding SAD, I would be depressed all winter long, now I love winter! We get cold snaps and they're just enough for a taste and then they're gone. It even stays lighter longer down here, no 4:30-5:00 sunsets here! The earliest sunset is at around 5:30 pm. I don't mind the summers at all, everything is air conditioned and I really love the warm nights. Once you get use to the heat it's no big deal, at least from my experience. I really love the weather down here and I've turned into such cold weather wimp.

Winter Park is a nice town, very scenic, If DH has a job offer there you should check it out because the job market is terrible right now.

Good luck deciding, just make sure and check things out for yourself because one person's paradise can be another's nightmare and vice versa!

 

[Katieinwonderland]

I moved to Kissimmee, Florida from England two and a half years ago thanks to DH (he's American, I lost the coin toss and had to move!)

I think there are pros and cons to any place, and Florida is no different. We live 30 minutes from Winter Park, and it is a beautiful area. It has a real community feel to it, with all those little things a PP mentioned; a cheese shop, a butcher, little boutiques. It also has great restaurants, but as someone also mentioned, it's SOOOOO expensive.

I love being 10 minutes from Disney, it's great to be able to say "hey, want to go to Ohanas tonight?" and just mosey on down after work one night. You can also see Wishes from my house

The heat in the summer is pretty rough, there are times I actually think I'm going to melt. If you have a pool, and lots of homes do, it's way easier to bear though. Things here are fairly cheap, and I've heard you can get more for your money. I wouldn't know about the school system, but I've heard you sometimes have to hunt around a little to find a really good one.

I'll admit, I'm ready to move on after just two years. I love the winters here in Florida, where it's crisp but warm with blue skies every day. But I miss snow and seasons and the feel of a small town I had in England, and we're looking at moving back up Long Island where DH is from.

Just come visit, you'll know if it's right for you.

 

[LargoLori]

We moved to Florida 17 yrs ago from upstate NY. At the time we were both laid off and living in an economically depressed area. It turned out to be a good move for us. We were both able to get jobs and improve our quality of life. We live in Largo in Pinellas County which is just south of Tampa. Never had a prblem with lizards. Sure they get in the house but to me that's a plus cause they eat other bugs. It is very hot in the summer. When you walk outside it is so humid it is like breathing water. For us the school system has been great. DD12 is in 7th grade at a public school in Seminole enrolled in a gifted math and science program. I know not everyone school experience is the same but ours has been awesome.

Property taxes are not too bad but watch out for homeowners insurance. That's what really gets you. Plus, I think you will find wages here lower than the Chicago area. Also Giordano's Pizza has opened a few locations in Fl including one in Tampa. I heard that they have good Chicago pizza

 

[kaysmommie]

We live in Lake County, Fl and love it, especially my town. I grew up in NJ and lived in PA for 18 months before we finally move down here.

The areas of Florida are so diverse in everything from landscaping, crowd level and even just the feel of the area. Some places feel more "northern" and others more "southern", I prefer the latter. In Central Florida alone, there are places I love and places you couldn't pay me to move to. It took us a year and 2 moves to find our spot. I highly recommend renting for awhile first no matter how attractive the house prices are.

As far as critters it hasn't been bad at all. Fire ants are nasty but other then the occasional spider that jumps, it's been fine. I love all the birds and wildlife too.

I use to have severe problems regarding SAD, I would be depressed all winter long, now I love winter! We get cold snaps and they're just enough for a taste and then they're gone. It even stays lighter longer down here, no 4:30-5:00 sunsets here! The earliest sunset is at around 5:30 pm. I don't mind the summers at all, everything is air conditioned and I really love the warm nights. Once you get use to the heat it's no big deal, at least from my experience. I really love the weather down here and I've turned into such cold weather wimp.

Winter Park is a nice town, very scenic, If DH has a job offer there you should check it out because the job market is terrible right now.

Good luck deciding, just make sure and check things out for yourself because one person's paradise can be another's nightmare and vice versa!

Winter Park sounds great to me! I would be interested to know which areas fell more "Northern" because that is where we would be happier . That would narrow down the search. We have contemplated moving to FL so many times.

 

[DisneyGirl4188]

We moved from WV (near DC) to FL in May. We live north of Tampa.

The weather is wonderful. It is hotter up north than down here (and the humidity is less down here too). It does get cold here. A few weeks ago there were some nights that were in the 30's. Today, it was 86.

The pay is usually way less. For instance, Burger King up north paid $12 an hour; here you would make around $7. I made $17 an hour up north and the same job here pays $13. There is no state tax, so it does make up for some of the pay difference.

I love the area we moved to. It isn't what you think of when you think FL. There are palm trees, but it looks more like WV or NC than Miami. I would consider moving east of bit (towards Clermont). Some of the people here are very backwards (and this is coming from someone that has seen some of the backwoods towns of WV).

The change of seasons has been weird. I do miss seeing the leaves change and some of the cooler weather, but I also suffer from SAD and being here seems to help that.

We have a lot of great stores and restaurants. I do mss Food Lion (grocery store) as Winn Dixie is HORRIBLE.

I do think you should visit and check out the areas you are interested in. Good luck with your decision.

 

[irish dancer]

Thanks for the replies, keep them coming!!

We currently live in Elmhurst, around 15mi west of Chicago. Home prices in our area are HIGH, our ordinary 4bd 1.5ba home is appraised at $390,000 and taxes are around $4500 per year.

Schools would be important so if anyone has input on good areas please share. Our son has Autism and is in public school for the special services so we'd definitely need a good area for him. Our girls are currently in Catholic school and I'd like them to continue so that might impact our decision on area as I'm not sure how prevalent those are.

I too would like to know which areas feel more "northern" as that might make the transition easier.

I've never lived anywhere else besides the Chicago area so this is all so foreign to me. It's easy to pick from towns around here because it's familiar, knowing nothing about Florida makes it scary!

 

[safetymom]

I love it here in FL. I would never move back to PA. It does get hot but at least we have air conditioning. I live 12 miles from the park out in the country and it is great.

Moving to FL was one of the best things I ever did.

 

[GeorgeG]

We moved here from New York a little over three years ago. It was the best thing we ever did. Yes, there are some trade-offs, but you can minimalize them depending on where in Florida you settle, for things can be significantly different in different areas.

There is no state income tax and Forida will not allow other states to tax you on pensions paid from the other states.

The cost of houses is much less than in New York, which should be a similar comparison to your area. Costs will vary from one area to another.

Property taxes are generally lower and the Homestead exeption take $50,000 off your assessment. Life the cost of real estate, taxes will vary.

Homeowner insurance rates recently went through the roof on wind damage (hurricanes), but counties in the middle of the state got a significant reduction because we're at a lower risk than the coastal counties. The closer you are to a coast, the higher the risk and cost of insurance will be.

Yes, it can get pretty hot during the summer months, but while some people think it's unbearable, I do not. That, too, depends on where you are. The ambient temperature in my area rarely gets to 100%, but the sun is what really heats things up. If you can stay out of the sun as much as possible, it's not too bad. Walking around WDW on a sunny 90% day just might be unbearable to many, which is why we tend to go more the rest of the year. Our first two summers here were quite pleasand and even the humidity wasn't bad. You adapt. Consider how much time you spend outside in Chicago during January and February.

Yes, we have critters. Again, where you live makes a difference, even within a specific area. In our community, we do not have much of a bug problem because everyone has a pest control service and smaller yards. If you want a big yard, or a pond or open area in your back yard, you will have more critters to deal with.

We're an adult community (a huge one), but they have started building similar developments for families right next to us.

We have all kinds of shopping, including a brand new Kohls.

The down sides:

Well, there are a lot of pizza shops and delis that claim to be "New York style," but most of them fall way short... way short. We do have a pizza place that comes pretty close, though. I suspect the same would be true for Chicago style favorites.

Bakeries, diners (especially all-nighters) are also pretty elusive. Bagels aren't the same.

I think that no matter where you come from, there is going to be something you will miss, but item for item, I'll take Florida over New York any day.

I do recommend doing as much research into the different areas in Florida and once you have a short list going, visit. If you can, visit at different times of the year.

 

[Galahad]

We lived in the Tampa area for a few years - until 2003. I'd have to say Florida was a much better place to visit than it was to live. Weather was fine. Didn't mind the heat. But many of the things CathrynRose said we experienced as well. Paradise it's not. The no State tax thing is really misleading. You really don't save a lot in real terms. The economy was weird, even when it's good. I've heard the schools are better now in places but when we were there they were just dismal. Finally, I'd have to say that the "weekends at Disney" thing was for us a negative and went a long way toward killing the magic for us. As others have said YMMV, but I've met a lot of disappointed folks that moved there expecting one thing and getting quite another.

 

[kimluvswdw]

I love it here in FL. I would never move back to PA. It does get hot but at least we have air conditioning. I live 12 miles from the park out in the country and it is great.

Moving to FL was one of the best things I ever did.

This is exactly what we are looking for. Can you give me some neighborhood names that are like where you live. I am looking for something where the neighbors are not at arms reach. My husband will be working in the Kissimmee/Orlando area and we need to stay within about 15 miles. We are coming down at the beginning of December to find a place to live and have no idea where to start looking. We really don't knw the area at all.

Thanks for any help, Kim