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I am in a very unique situation right now and need to make a decision by tonight. I need to decide whether to settle down in the Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL area or the Rochester, NY area. I am from the Hartford, CT area and am currently unemployed by choice (living off savings and not collecting unemployment). I am a 28 year old gay male with a master's degree in accounting and 5 years of experience. I will be moving to one of these locations with no job, but plenty of cash, and will start looking for work once I get there. So, here is my train of thought as of now...
I know that both metro areas are polar opposites, but for some reason, they both appeal to me. I like how Rochester has light traffic, a decent economy and job market for white collar professionals, four seasons, beautiful scenery and affordable housing. Since jobs pay well and housing is cheap, my money would go MUCH farther than it did in CT. I also like that it has a decent sized gay population and is only a 5 hour drive from my family in CT. The area also has a lot of character, charm and history, which I like. And a reasonably affluent, educated population, especially outside the city core. But of course, since no place is perfect, I am not too happy about the length of Rochester's winters and the amount of snow and cloudcover it receives. That's the huge drawback.
The reason I am considering Tampa/St. Petersburg/Pinellas County, FL area is because it's more laid back compared to the other large metros in FL, and I have some family there too (although my closest family is in CT). It's nice to have warm weather all year round, since I much prefer warm weather over cold most of the time. It's also more transient than Rochester. And the cost of living is also low, and it has a large gay population. My only qualms about this area is that I'm concerned that the lack of four seasons might get boring after a while, and the flat terrain might get boring, too. I'm also concerned about the quality of the people. For some reason, it seems that the general population of this area of Florida is less educated and affluent than the Rochester, NY area. Too many potheads, losers, airheads, etc. But I know that some normal, educated people still exist there, too. Then, in order to visit family in CT, I would have to fly in a plane, which of course, is more expensive than driving. Eh....but it's nice to have warm weather and a larger gay population.
What would you suggest? And please, do NOT suggest ANY places OTHER than these two areas. Been there, done that. I'm 100% certain I want one of THESE two areas.
The majority of the forum will probably disagree due to a negative perception of the city, but I'd also go with Rochester. They are polar opposites, which kind of confuses me as to why you picked those two, but I'm sure you'd be happy in either city nonetheless. Rochester however has much more in common with Connecticut, so you will not have the culture shock that you would if you were to move to Florida. Rochester also has all of what you said and more. It's big city culture with the small city charm, and it's not midwestern!
seriously, if you want to move to Rochester, you might as well stay in Hartford. There really isn't all that much difference. If you want something different, then Tampa. Warmer, greater job opportunities for accountants, better shopping, just a bigger city to grow into, no income taxes. Rochester has very high property taxes by the way.
seriously, if you want to move to Rochester, you might as well stay in Hartford. There really isn't all that much difference. If you want something different, then Tampa. Warmer, greater job opportunities for accountants, better shopping, just a bigger city to grow into, no income taxes. Rochester has very high property taxes by the way.
Overall COL is about the same though, give or take. Rochester has a higher percentage of people with a Bachelors degree or higher. Rochester's location is pretty good given the proximity to major Northeastern and Canadian cities, as well as outdoors based amenities. Eastview Mall is no slouch in terms of shopping either. There seems to be quite a few accountant positions in the Rochester area too.
Overall COL is about the same though, give or take. Rochester has a higher percentage of people with a Bachelors degree or higher. Rochester's location is pretty good given the proximity to major Northeastern and Canadian cities, as well as outdoors based amenities. Eastview Mall is no slouch in terms of shopping either. There seems to be quite a few accountant positions in the Rochester area too.
The other day I was watching The Price is Right and one of the trips in the gift package was a trip to Rochester. It mentioned lake Ontario and the pretty scenery, but don't tell that to the people here at C-D. They either act like the other cities in NYS don't exist or paint them in an extremely unflattering light, so I usually don't have to open a thread when an NYS city that isn't NYC gets polled against other cities to know which way the poll will skew
The other day I was watching The Price is Right and one of the trips in the gift package was a trip to Rochester. It mentioned lake Ontario and the pretty scenery, but don't tell that to the people here at C-D. They either act like the other cities in NYS don't exist or paint them in an extremely unflattering light, so I usually don't have to open a thread when an NYS city that isn't NYC gets polled against other cities to know which way the poll will skew
Ironically, Tampa and the other Florida cities don't get that much love on here also. There's a perception tied to cities like Tampa and Jacksonville. Orlando gets it bad also, all folks think Orlando is merely Disney and stripmalls.
I would only recommend the Tampa area to single people who love nature/ wildlife activities like fishing, boating, growing plants, bird watching etc otherwise you will probably get bored and frustrated with the area.
It would be a culture shock and the 8 months with high humidity and hot temperatures are not easy either. You just become an air conditioner slave. Just read the Tampa board the only people who enjoy being transplants are usually families who can afford pool homes in good school districts but I don't think I have ever read about any singles who was happy with their move.
The other day I was watching The Price is Right and one of the trips in the gift package was a trip to Rochester. It mentioned lake Ontario and the pretty scenery, but don't tell that to the people here at C-D. They either act like the other cities in NYS don't exist or paint them in an extremely unflattering light, so I usually don't have to open a thread when an NYS city that isn't NYC gets polled against other cities to know which way the poll will skew
I know what you are saying and many people do not realize that Rochester is close to vacation spots like the Finger Lakes and its wineries, Niagara Falls, the Adirondacks and the 1000 Islands are all within a couple of hours from Rochester.
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