Question for those who have relocated to FL or other warmer climates

[mom2boys]

DH & I are seriouly considering relocating to a warmer climate - like FL. We are in are early 40's with two elemtary school age children. We wouldn't go without one of us having a decent job (ie - one which could support the family). We currently live in the Central/Western MD. The winter weather gets to us most years. So for those of you who have relocated to FL or other warm climates, please share your opinions and experiences.

 

[mickeyfan1]

I moved from Northern Va to Georgia, and from Georgia to Arizona. I absolutely love it here (and I HATED Virginia, all 30 some years) because it doesn't get very cold very often. But I got moved both times because of my company, to GA for a new position and to AZ because the office in GA got consolodated with the one out here. Would I do it with out a job? Probably yes now, because it's only me, DH and the 2 dogs. My son was in HS (10th grade) when we moved to GA, that was hard for him at first, but he considers GA his home now. I would prefer to live in FL because DH doesn't like it here, we have family on the east coast, and I could be closer to WDW, the beach, and he would stop griping about it. I love to see snow, but I hated to have to work when it was out there, and even in GA we had a couple of bad storms. Also, DH can work anywhere in the world, he is a carpet mechanic (lays sheet vinyl, vinyl tile, all types of carpet), and everyone needs floors. So my vote is to go for it, according to your plans (someone gets to support the family), you will probably find things you like better in the warmer climes, but you will also miss things from Maryland, just be prepared for that.

 

[Simba's Mom]

We moved from almost from one end of the country to another-from up in Massachusetts, which I hear has incredible snow, to the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, with an average of 102 days of 90+ degrees and it never snows. Frankly I have very mixed feelings, even after 9 years here, but that's because it's TOO hot here. I miss the autumn, my favorite season of the year, can't see going to a supermarket at Halloween to buy my pumpkin, and where are those beautiful colored leaves. DH tried to lure me with "Wait til you see South Padre Island-it's just like Cape Cod", which he knew I love. Well, let me tell you, the similarity ends at the fact that both places are on the ocean. But for both our sons, it was the best move! They've loved it. DS #1 was in eighth grade, which I think was a critical time, and he moved from a little country town with more cows than people to an area with active gangs. But amazingly he took to it quite well. I couldn't believe how well my kids have done. And now that I have a job I enjoy, well, I suppose it's OK. And for DH-well, golf 365 days-what more can he ask for? Feel free to ask any more questions-I was very hesitant about the move.

 

[Micca]

We've moved to Florida and back to the midwest/northwest twice.
We really enjoyed our time in Fla.(Miami and Tampa) and it's probably only a matter of time before we move there again.

 

[figmentvi]

Well living in warmer climate has it's ups and downs. We lived in Miami before we moved here to St. Croix. So I've been in the tropics for almost 20 years.

I miss the change of seasons, but I don't miss shoveling snow. It also took me a while to get used to the creatures that live in warmer climates. i.e. cockroaches, centipedes, lots of ants, lizards and iguanas. My DH doesn't have to peel me off the ceiling anymore when I see a cockroach in the house

Living in the tropics also means living in a hurricane zone, and that can REALLY stink sometimes.

But all in all, I enjoy living in a warmer climate. Both DH and I like outdoor sports and we have more opportunities to get out and enjoy them here.

 

[Michelle]

I moved from Kansas City, MO to Southern California in 1983 and never looked back. I hate cold and snow.

One caveat, though, I couldn't live in Florida's humidity in the summer, I prefer the slightly cooler and much drier climate here. There is a big difference in climates among the "warmer" ones so be sure you enjoy the temperatures year-round and not just in the cooler winter months.

Go for it!

 

[Kallison]

We researched it last year, not out of choice.

We both hated it, no open space, malls, development, stores for miles. Heavily researched the school systems and couldn't compare to ours. They spend a lot less per student. Some of the schools we visited looked nice but a few were downright frightening, I mean empty Library book shelves in Middle School. We found out the county was starting some new choice program where you had to pick three schools and after you moved into the area they would assign you to a school. So it was a probablility that our kids wouldn't be going to the same school as the other kids in the neighborhood, since if it was an excellent one it would be full.

All the neighborhoods were close together, we have a lot of privacy were we live now. Nope it definitely was not for us, I'm even enjoying the snow this winter just thinking about it.

The topper was when we looked at a house and there were woods out back and I said to the realtor "Can the kids play back there?" and she looked at me like I was insane. Oh no there are gators and poisnous snakes and scorpions, etc. Another friend who lived down there said their kids never bike to a friends house alone or to parks because of a high percentage of drifters in the area. My kids are used to a lot of freedom riding their bikes around. Even the thought of monthly Disney trips couldn't persuade us or the kids. But my best friend moved there 20 years ago and she absolutely loves it. We both grew up in rural New Jersey.

 

[MissMinnie]

I moved to Florida about 8 yrs ago from New Jersey and I suggest you do a lot of research and soul searching before you move down here. I know everyone talks about the weather thing and the truth is the winters are wonderful and mild. The flip side is that you have at least 6 months of heat and high humidity and it can get very uncomfortable. Unless you have a pool at your disposal, you will hate it. I live within walking distance of the beach but hardly ever go because every summer there are sea lice, rip currents, sharks (lots of them!) and I don't like to go if I can't swim. Nice place to take a walk on a winter day of course! Also, statewide the school system is horrid. I was lucky and was able to enroll my Kindergarten age son in a charter school that is privately run and it is wonderful. Unless you have that option or want to pay for private school, the news is not good. The crime rate is much higher here than where I am from in New Jersey and the people are not as friendly or warm. People move here one day and are gone the next, it is very transient. By the time you find a new friend and get to know them, bye bye. It can get to you. I would move back to New Jersey in a heartbeat, and will someday when it is possible. I know a lot of people love it here but it seems they are in the "millionares club" and are isolated from a lot of the bad stuff. Also the salaries seem to be a lot lower than in other parts of the country unless you are in a field with high demand such as nursing. The cost of living is not much lower as some would have you believe. The only slightly lower thing would be home prices, but if you rent, watch out, very high in areas. Food prices are high. If you decide to come, just know as much as you can ahead of time so you don't get surprised like I did. Your experience hopefully will be better if you do decide, and you may find nothing but good. Every area of the state is a bit different from the other, but that is my long and humble opinion. Good luck in whatever you decide and let me know if there is something specific I can help you with.

 

[Pin Wizard]

We came to FL from NJ 14 years ago and would do it again in a heartbeat. Cold weather is NOT for me! My aunt and uncle lived in MD years and recently moved here.

 

[mom2boys]

Thanks for the great replies. Please keep them coming. I can see that there are things we need to research futher. DH is concerned about the bugs - he's not afraid, just not interested in sharing his home with them.

 

[Shadeaux]

We moved from Chicago to rural southern Louisiana 27 years ago and can't imagine moving back to the cold, snowy winters. The heat, humidity & bugs do take some getting used to, but I'll take them anyday over the snow & ice. When we moved here, I was deathly afraid of bugs; I got over that very quickly. Good luck with your decision.

 

[pollyanna]

SHADEAUX....mais cher,you sound like you may live in my "Boudreaux-Thibodeaux" area?

 

[ZPT1022]

Good luck with your decision- it is one that my DH and I are currently struggling with. Originally I thought Florida sounded nice, but I think those thoughts are based more on memories of idyllic childhood summers spent there at my grandparents houses (they all retired there). Upon further investigation we have found that in general the school system in Florida sucks, so we would either have to be ready to pay private school tuition or move to an area with a better public school system. Celebration's school system is much better than a lot in the surrounding area, but look into the prices to live there and you may change your tune! Currently we are looking into the Carolinas, they seem better than Florida, and you still have the nicer weather, but they do still have seasons. I personally have a strange need to live in a state that borders the ocean, not too sure why but it is important to me. So we are looking into the southeast. Make a pros and cons list, we did and it is funny a lot of things appear on both sides, like No snow and family not nearby. I know there are things that we would miss in CT, like harvest fairs and going to farms to buy our milk and produce, but lately I feel like the only reason we are here is because we have always been here, not some great love for the state of Connecticut. The thing that we keep getting really stuck on is the school systems. Good luck with your choices, I will be interested to hear what you end up deciding.

PS- Our job criteria is a little bit easier since I am a stay at home mom and DH works for Home Depot, and as such,can transfer basically wherever there is a Home Depot.

 

[ryanpatricksmom]

I agree with the comments made regarding the school system and salaries. We will most likely retire to Florida...when those two factors will no longer be an issue.

I spend alot of time in SW Florida, and I love it! The summer months don't bother me...and since you're from Maryland they shouldn't scare you either. Anyone who complains about Florida humidity has never lived in the Washington Metropolitan area.
I love the laid back style and the warm weather...retirement can't come soon enough for me.

The only thing that I can't get used to is decorating for Christmas when it's 85 degrees. I spend the Thanksgiving week in Fort Myers each year, so I decorate my Grandmother's house while I'm there. I love the warmer temperatures every other month of the year, but somehow the Christmas thing throws me everytime.
There's just something about having to trim the hedges before you put up the Christmas lights!

 

[Claudia Kellenberger]

This is a very interesting thread. I have read every word !
I often day dream about retiring to the Orlando area. I've got about 10 years before retirement. I want so much to be closer to Disney World, and this snow is really getting me down.
Christmas Day we got 24 inches, this week we got 19 inches.
The roads are a mess, and the driving with snow is very stressful.
I don't have any children, so I don't have to worry about the schools.

Maybe someday I can be wealthy enough ( lottery?) to just spend my winters in Florida. Hey - You never know !!

 

[Galahad]

If weather is your motivation and other things are REALLY secondary then go for it. We think the Tampa are weather is PERFECT. But there are trade-offs. The economy in Florida does not produce many high paying professional jobs, even when the economy is good. It is a vacation paradise, no doubt. But the schools are terrible and it is decidedly not a cultural mecca. As you can see from my tag, we aren't planning to stay (we've been here three years), but we will definitely come back to retire.

On the weather side, summer are fine. The humidity is no worse that MD or the midwest for that matter. Housing is affordable, but I'm willing to bet that the average house here is much smaller than you are use to. Growth is an issue in the larger cities and congestion has gotten much worse here in Tampa just in the 3 years we've been here. Crime is a problem, but we haven't looked up stats to see how it compares.

 

[FOJMO]

Originally posted by mom2boys
DH is concerned about the bugs - he's not afraid, just not interested in sharing his home with them.

DON'T WORRY!!! We've lived in FL for 13 years now, having moved from SE PA, then Rochester, NY, then Orlando, then here to the Tampa area.

We have a pest control guy that comes to our home and sprays once every 2 mos ($23/2mos -- very reasonable) and we never saw one bug or any other critter in our house since we've been here!

As for the heat, I remember some very HOT summers in both Allentown, PA and Rochester, NY. Unless you are outside all day here, you won't mind it. Everything has A/C -- work, cars, malls, homes, etc. People who visit say "how can you stand the heat all the time"? Well, we're not at the theme parks, beaches, etc. all the time, so it's not an everyday thing.

Yes, your kids do have to adjust to the different habitats to play in -- one would NOT want to have your kids play in the woods. But to be fair, I wouldn't want them playing in the woods in PA or NY either -- other kinds of varmints there, as well as snakes, like here.

AND, although we don't have the change in season (fall leaves, etc.), we DO have raccoons, rabbits, squirrels, and yes, even DEER -- there's a whole family of deer right in back of our house! They co-exist peacefully on the same piece of land as our neighborhood alligators.

Our children play outside just like everywhere else.

If you're looking for a specific area in FL, the Tampa/Clearwater area is extremely nice.

We had NO jobs when we moved here, although we did move in with my mom & her husband until we did. My husband got a job the first month (Eckerd Drug Corporation) and has been with them for 13 years. I got temporary jobs for a few years, before I, too, became employed with Eckerd and have been with them for 6 years.

Someone mentioned that the salaries are lower here -- yes, they are, but so is the cost of living. Housing is extremely reasonable and there are NO state income taxes!!!

Good luck with your decision. We have NEVER regretted it and still say "it's so good to see the sun almost EVERYDAY when we get up"!!!

 

[Galahad]

Yeah, bugs are not really a problem. We had a termite problem a few months back. We see a lot of slugs (large ones) and sliver fish out and around the house, but nothing in the house. Not a lot of mosquitos. Ticks are a problem in the woods if you have pets.

 

[Pin Wizard]

Originally posted by FOJMO
We have a pest control guy that comes to our home and sprays once every 2 mos ($23/2mos -- very reasonable) and we never saw one bug or any other critter in our house since we've been here!

Wow! What company do you use? I'm paying $22 a MONTH!

Don't worry about the bugs, there are plenty of exterminators. I do have my son in a private school. There's no way I'd put him in the public schools. The biggest reason we moved here from NJ was that we couldn't afford to buy a house up there. Here we started with a townhouse and now have a lovely villa. It's great!

Several years ago I actually moved from here to Virginia. I couldn't believe the traffic and intersections up there! In less than a month I got my job back and came back down. I'm here permanently now.

 

[kylara]

I have never regretted my move to FL. I grew up in MA and my family still lives there, but the visit every Christmas reminds me of why I am here...I hate the cold and snow. I love visiting my family but am always thankful when I get to leave the below 30 degree weather and head back to FL and the warmer weather.