to transplanted florida residents from the Northest

[joeokw]

My dw and I are looking to move out of the NYC area. We are RNs and we are lucky because we can just pick up go anywhere. . we now live about 30 miles north of nyc. We are looking to sell our house. We plan to pay off a lot off debts and move to a. cheaper area to live. Our first option is to move to south jersey.. the probelm is I love my job in New York and am wiling to commute 90 miles each way by train and auto. ( I work 13 12 hour shifts in a 28 day cycle). If I decide to work in south jersey/ Phily.. I would take a 30% pay cut plus be at the bottom senority wise Plus If I stay at my NYC job I can retire in 14 years ' and get a great pension that did not cost me a cent.. So keeping my job in NYC hasa stroing pull.
NOW here is the next option.. moving to the warmer climes of Central FLA. !!!!!
I am asking to those who are NE transplants.. how do you like living in florida. being 1000 plus miles from all of your family and moving your kids too? I know some area like Mailtalnd County are nice near Orlando both school system wise and house wise(Ii think by looking at the realtor.com site which is great site.) We always were planning to retire in warmer climes anyway so moving would not be problem. But I am asking if it was all worth it in the end? To pull up stakes and move to Florida without any family or friends? and how does kids respond? my boys are 13 and 9 Than you all

 

[Cindy B]

Well, I live in South Jersey.. and it is cheaper to live, than say the Main Line area of PA.

I know you both love your jobs, but many Philly area hospitals are begging for RN's, with decent sign on bonuses as well... Pennsylvania, Childrens, and many other big name ones are looking for help!


We also looked into moving to FL as well, and the change in school, and other things prevented us.

 

[Helopoh]

Where are you in NY now. We are North of NYC in Kingston. Much cheaper area and nice schools. I love my sons school I couldn't ask for a better one. My friends DH commutes to NYC via Metro North in Poughkeepsie or Amtrak in Rhinecliff, NY which is right near Rhinebeck. But I know myself how appealing FL is.. My FIL just moved there last summer and has been yelling at us to come since.

 

[marlasmom]

We just retired and moved to Winter Haven (35 minutes from WDW). My daughter who is an RN moved too with her 12 year old son. She initially worked as a travel nurse (through one of the travel nurse agencies) and received the same pay she was earning in NH plus $900 per month tax free for living and travel expenses. She just signed on with a hospital here with a substantial sign-on bonus.

Our house is less than one year old, three bedrooms, two full baths, large "great room," eat-in kitchen, 2 car garage, screened in lanai and pool. We paid $120,000. Our grandson is very bright but has attention deficit disorder. She decided to put him in a private school which costs her about $400 per month. He is doing very well there. He only has one more year and then its on to the public high school. Yes I am lonely, but I have booked my house for lots and lots of friends coming down in March and April. Our house is a whole lot smaller than the one we left, but is perfect for a retired couple. Actually many retired couples live in much smaller quartrs.

There is lots to see and do., We bought annual passes to Disney, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens. There is also Universal, as well as lots and lots of other attractions. We also love the beach. Feel free to pm or e-mail me with questions. I'll be glad to take you around if you come down here to look around.

I am a gardner and I am having trouble getting used to Florida gardeniing. I can't have iris, peonies or lilacs and that just about kills me. A nice lawn is virtually impossible. Food prices are higher and car insurance and house insurance prices are MUCH higher. I can't get used to paying sales tax - although thankfully there is no sales tax on food. There is no income tax or inheritance tax which is good - except we didn't have an income tax in New Hampshire either.

Hope this helps.

 

[Lucky4me]

We haven't moved yet, but I finally got my husband to agree that we WILL be moving to central FL one day.

His job is very precarious right now. When he gets laid off, we go.

Make out a list of pros and cons. Sometimes seeing it in writing makes it all seem clearer.

Our pros: Warmer climate, much lower property taxes, no state income tax, same grocery prices, a comparable job for DH, and of course, Disney!

My kids are planning on moving there and teaching, so that seals it for me. I will miss my friends and extended family, but they will visit.

 

[hercamore]

Hi,

I know your question was directed to Flordia residents,

but RN's are desparately needed in SE Minnesota. (Mayo Clinic and two major hospitals here).


Herc.

 

[pollyanna]

Observation....My sis and family lived in the Orlando area for one year and hated it(They were NOT theme park fans). BIL (who was born and raised in Key West)is a College prof and went to work for the company that he does consulting work for.Sis's gripe was the terrible traffic and road conditions ,but mainly the transiet nature of her neighborhood....folks constantly moving in and out-hard to make friends- and everyone is from someplace else. They moved back to NC,and love living on the ocean in a great place-Wilmington.

Having said that.....DH and I went on a "scouting" expedition during the holidays and personally, we love the west coast of Florida....it's more laid back and we love nature. I believe if we retire to Florida it would be Southof Tampa ,rather than the Orlando area.

 

[tstobb]

We moved from western NJ to SW FL just over 7 years ago. Our oldest was then 2 and our 2nd was about 7 weeks old when we moved.

We decided on SW FL (Fort Myers) because we'd be close to WDW (3 1/2 hour drive) but not so close that we'd be distracted!

Some people say it gets too hot and humid but it's no worse than summer in NJ & we rarely (haven't yet in 7 years) see a 100 degree day.

Housing prices run the extreme ranges, usually depending on proximity to waterfront but some of the more upscale developments are moving inland as well (they're not building any more shoreline!).

Overall, cost of living is dramatically lower. Car insurance is lower, property taxes are MUCH lower, there is no state income tax, homeowners insurance is MUCH higher.

Most of our family still lives in the NE and we do get up to see them once in a while and DWs parents come down for Christmas & once in summer and e-mail is great for keeping in contact.

We wouldn't consider moving back.

 

[DVC-Don]

I have a cousin who left the Albany, NY area with her 2 boys to Florida last summer. She got a job in a little hospital and a nice sign on bonus about 90 miles north of Clearwater and loves it.

 

[pollyanna]

tstobb......we absolutely LOVED Captiva and Sanibel, during our visit. Didn't have time to explore Ft. Myers but it looked like a great place to live.(Besides the fact that Ben and Renee'-Debate Boarders- live there! )

 

[LindaG4458]

We are retired, bought a condo in Vero Beach three years ago, and just upgraded to a bigger, brand-new one last fall. Vero is on the east coast and is about 2 hours from WDW. If you need a "fix" of Disney the Vero Beach DVC resort is on the northernmost edge of the city on the barrier island.

We looked at houses versus condos but, because we only spend 2-3 months in Florida at this time, we decided on the condo. In addition, my husband's elderly aunt lives close by and we can lend a hand when she needs it. I don't know anything about the schools, but the hospital in Vero is very well respected.

The housing prices were very reasonable. We looked at lots of homes with pools, three or four bedrooms, 2-3 baths, and they were MUCH less than we would have paid in our original MA. The price inflation of other places in FL has not arrived in Vero yet.

We have met people who moved to Vero from the Orlando area. Most said that they didn't like the traffic and congestion of Central Florida. They said that they couldn't tell, from looking around, where they were living. It could have been anyplace.

We will be moving to Vero full time within 5 years, and I am looking forward to it.

Good luck with your decision.

Linda

 

[Pin Wizard]

We moved from NJ to southeast FL 14 years ago and love it! There's no way I'd ever go back. Our main reason for leaving was the cost of houses up there. There was no way we could afford to buy one. After renting in FL for about 9 months, we found a gorgeous place. Nurses are basically needed all over the country. I know at the college I attend, they offer some incentives for people to go into nursing. Not for me though! I used to work for Tenet Healthcare, and they also were looking for nurses with decent start-up bonuses. But they don't have facilities in Central FL. Good luck in your decision.

 

[joeokw]

Thanks for the feedback.. I know nurses are needed all over the country. The cost of living up here in New York keeps going up. I am working a lot of overtime , so my Dw can work part time. we occured a lot of debt when I was disabed from a blown out knee and missed 3 months of work. plus we just lived to much over our heads. I am looking to slash my mortgage in half and still be able to pay off debts with th proceeds of our house sale. I would like to have a better quality of life. I do love where I live, but the constant worry about our finances keeps us awke at night. but So we will be looking to move out of the extended new york metro area. So we will see what will happen and pray to God for some guidiance.

 

[CPM]

I'm a New England transplant. We moved to Ft. Myers 4 years ago (Hi tstobb, didn't realize there was another FM member here except for Barry!)
I would NEVER move back & we ALL love it!!
My DD didn't want any part of the move, she was 11 at the time. But in about two months she was happily adjusted. My son was only two and Florida is the place for him.
The schools are good here in Lee County. We have school choice and there are many different programs to chose from.
Housing is available in all price ranges but is climbing. Our house has increased by $150,00 since we built it less then three years ago!!!
I could never live in a land locked area so Orlando is out for us. We are three hours to the thme parks which is just fine.
They desparately need RN's here, why not check into it.
The two big hospitals are Lee Memorial & Health Park.
With no debt & no state income tax, you'll be living the high life here!!
Good luck with your decision, let me know if I can be of any help.