Allow me to be a positive Chicago voice!
We moved from Naperville to the Palm Harbor area (northern Pinellas County) about a year and a half ago. I would be lying if I said it was all sunshine and roses, but do I want to go back to the rat race in Chicago? Heck no!
Culture? Yes, Tampa Bay is inferior to Chicago, but it's there if you're looking. There's a great Salvador Dali museum in St. Pete that always has events, Ruth Eckard Hall and other venues in the area are constantly bringing in different shows - everything from Sarah Brightman to New Kids on the Block to Phantom of the Opera to The Lion King. I know it's not the Adler or Science and Industry, but it's there if you're looking.
Restaurants? This is one thing I was very nervous about because I love food and Chicago does it well. I can truly say that I have more to choose from here than back north. I honestly can't remember the last time we stepped foot in a sit-down chain restaurant. If we're craving Greek, we head down to Tarpon Springs for an awesome authentic (and cheap!) meal. We can get a dozen huge oysters on the half shell for about $10, less than half of what we were used to paying at Hugo's Frog Bar or Catch 35. Fresh fish? I can't begin to name all the independent places that serve Grouper or whatever is in season. Breakfast - mmm...we always hit up the local places that have great omelettes with fresh veggies from the local farmers market.
In the fairness of full disclosure, I'll give you the cons of Floriday food - I miss Portillo's. I miss Portillo's more than some people. There is nothing to compare down here. We have Giordano's, so you're safe there. I also crave a good Chicago steak (Gibson's, Morton's) and the closest is Bern's. Good, but not the same. The best steak I've had down here was actually at Yachtsman's Steakhouse, go figure. There's no White Castle, but there is Krystals. And Chic-fil-a. And Whataburger...mmmm.
Specialty grocery items? Hit and miss. Once you figure out what a neighborhood's demographic is, you can go to that grocery store. I know my Publix here is different than the one two miles away. I have yet to make a one-stop grocery shopping trip down here, but I definitely have a handle on it and plan accordingly.
Florida's reputation is not always the best, that's true. It's the only state that the more north you go, the more southern it gets.
I still have friends up north that love to send me news snippets with a Floridian doing something extremely stupid, but I've gotten used to it. The education is definitely lacking in this state (we jokingly refer to it as FloriDuh), but there is an effort to rise. I came from Naperville (Money magazine's number two city to live in), so this really was a big adjustment to me. Once I stopped saying "In Chicago..." and realized that different doesn't mean always mean inferior, life became much better.
Unfriendly? Eh, you get what you give. Some neighbors are great, some are horrible - but if you took those horrible people to Chicago, they'd be horrible up there, too.
Transient? Absolutely, but that doesn't make it a bad thing. I think it's great that it's a mixing pot; I find people to be much more accomodating and open because of that. One issue I've always had with the Chicago suburbs is that so many residents firmly believe that life doesn't exist outside of Cook and the collar counties. There's more of Illinois beneath Will County? Blasphemy! Chicagoans aren't always the most open minded.
Cheaper? Yup. My car insurance and our homeowners insurance dropped. Our property taxes dropped so much I almost cried tears of joy (DuPage vs. Pinellas County). Granted, the schools bear the brunt of it, but still. Gas is cheaper. Very few toll roads. Groceries are cheaper and year round farmers markets have definitely helped keep my produce bill down. And there's happy hour!
Retail shopping? It keeps getting better. We have Kohl's, several different malls (I love International Plaza - it's similar to Oak Brook as far as retailers), all the big box stores you're accustomed to...you won't be missing too much. There's also great outlet malls, either in the Orlando area or in Ellenton.
My biggest gripe? Snowbirds. They clog the roads. They make checking out of any store a longer wait than stand by at Toy Story Mania (especially after church...good Lord). They make driving a hands on lesson in defensive driving. Our worst neighbors are the snowbirds. They have the worst sense of entitlement around here, worse that most of the youth here. I would never, ever work retail or serve down here - they would make me lose it.
To sum it up, it will be what you make of it. If you come down here with a chip on your shoulder and expect everything to be the same, you're going to be miserable. If you do your research and keep an open mind, you should be happy.
There's so many other things I could touch upon, I'm sure I'll be back with more blabber!
I just never felt welcome or that I belonged. I had to put my education on hold for reasons that don't apply to your situation so I won't get into.
