Denver, Orlando or Tampa HELP ME CHOOSE (Fort Collins, Loveland: neighborhood, college)

[Bigg Mann]

What does take the Tube mean?

[reginhild]

I have relatives and friends living in Florida and planning to move to Colorado!

I recommend the area from Colorado Springs to Castle Rock, Colorado. You will be in reach of Denver and have better views (less flat) and be closer to the front range. The communities are not as large as Denver but Denver is in easy reach.

[the3Ds]

Originally Posted by MantaRay

I'm really surprised to hear that, especially since Denver has a fairly sizeable latin population. Although I think Denver's latin population is more Mexican than Cuban, and perhaps that is the difference since Tampa has a fairly strong Cuban culture component. Personally I happen to prefer Cuban cuisine to Mexican cuisine, although I'm ok with both. Anyway, is that what you mean when you say you can't find great latin food in Denver- Cuban food offerings?

I can answer that question. The latin population in Tampa is primarily Cuban, but heavily influenced from other places like the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. Mexican food is practically non-existent in Tampa. They have Don Pablos which is a joke and then a place called Tia's. Not good...kind of like On the Border.

Though I love Mexican food, we found ourselves enjoying the amazing Greek food in Tarpon Springs (home of a large Greek population), awesome sea food, BBQ, and Cuban food. Rarely does a day go by when I don't wish for a nice, strong, Cuban cup of coffee. That stuff takes that cake.

Having lived all over the country, the best thing to do is enjoy where you live. Find the local food specialities (I found that I can actually taste the difference between beef and bison now that I live in Colorado...to the endless amusement of my out-of-state friends) and enjoy where you live. Nothing beats a NY pizza, crab cakes in Baltimore, Tex Mex in Texas, Tully's coffee in Seattle, Tillamook cheese in Oregon, and Cuban coffee in Florida. It doesn't do you much good to wish for food chains in your new home state. There are great places to eat all over the country, you just have to adjust your palatte.

[buffalobirdie]

Originally Posted by Trinity Florida

tampa is ok you get nice weather all year with a nice breeze off the gulf so it dont feel hot and muggy just nice all year round.

Uhhhh - WHAAAA? Tampa is IMMEASURABLY HOT AND MUGGY
Lived there 24 years.

[Jimrob1]

Originally Posted by MantaRay

I've been to all 3: Denver, Orlando, and Tampa, and even lived in Cape Canaveral for a short while and in the Pensacola area for a few years. All 3 were on my list to investigate for my top 5 places to retire. Orlando quickly missed the cut because of the horrendous traffic, lackluster downtown, and coming up short versus other cities on pedestrian/bike trails linking downtown to the suburbs. Tampa Bay faired much better with its Pinellas Trail, Suncoast Pkwy Trail, Bayshore Blvd Trail, great Gulf Beaches, and great downtown. It almost beat out Dallas for the #5 spot, but I wanted somewhere I could drop a kayak in, and I'm too afraid I'll run across some gators if I do so in that area. Denver came in #1 for me and my interests. But IF I was going to live anywhere in Florida again before I retire, I would definitely try to make it be the Tampa Bay area.

Will you retire in Denver or stay in South Carolina?

[Nav]

Originally Posted by buffalobirdie

Uhhhh - WHAAAA? Tampa is IMMEASURABLY HOT AND MUGGY
Lived there 24 years.

As someone who spent the last 20+ years in Tampa, the only place you get a breeze if if you are right on the water on the gulf side, where the tourists are located. Even then it is not a steady breeze like you would find on the atlantic (The gulfstream provides a steady supply of constant breezes on the east coast). A lot of days the Gulf is so still that is flat like a mirror.

If you go 2 or more miles inland, where the other 99.9995% of the population lives and works, you will find it is oppressively, hot, humid and dank with very little if any breeze. Remember, because the humidity is so high 95 degrees in the sun is also 95 degrees in the shade. There is no escape from the heat. Tampa is a heavily treed city so there are no open areas for breezes to pick up speed.

I also second the opinion on no good Cuban food in Denver. I would die for a good authentic Cuban sandwich or a "Bistec de Palimillo". There is NOTHING in the denver area for some good inexpensive "comfort food".

Nav

[D-town 720]

Originally Posted by Nav

As someone who spent the last 20+ years in Tampa, the only place you get a breeze if if you are right on the water on the gulf side, where the tourists are located. Even then it is not a steady breeze like you would find on the atlantic (The gulfstream provides a steady supply of constant breezes on the east coast). A lot of days the Gulf is so still that is flat like a mirror.

If you go 2 or more miles inland, where the other 99.9995% of the population lives and works, you will find it is oppressively, hot, humid and dank with very little if any breeze. Remember, because the humidity is so high 95 degrees in the sun is also 95 degrees in the shade. There is no escape from the heat. Tampa is a heavily treed city so there are no open areas for breezes to pick up speed.

I also second the opinion on no good Cuban food in Denver. I would die for a good authentic Cuban sandwich or a "Bistec de Palimillo". There is NOTHING in the denver area for some good inexpensive "comfort food".

Nav

Did you try the cuba cuba cafe or samba room in Denver for cuban food?

[MantaRay]

Originally Posted by Jimrob1

Will you retire in Denver or stay in South Carolina?

There's no WAY I'm staying in South Carolina, not if I can help it. When that day finally does come, I'm outta here. It's a nice place to raise a family and all, but it's not for me once I finally can retire. Too hot and humid during the summer. I work in AC so it's not that huge a deal, but when I want to be outside, I really can't except mornings and evenings. It's do-able for just weekends, but when I'm actually retired? No way, no how. The only exception I could even envision making under any circumstances is Fort Mill, SC.

As to whether I will retire in Denver, I can't say with 100% certainty, but what I can say is that I'm looking at Denver (Stapleton), Nashville (East Nashville), and Baltimore (specifically and only the areas near the harbor) as my top 3 and there is a 50% probability of me retiring to Denver, a 45% probability of me retiring to Nashville, and a 5% probability of me retiring to Baltimore. Time could change those weightings, and lots could change- Colorado could eventually go through DRASTIC water shortages, Nashville could actually complete their Riverfront Plan and significantly boost how compelling it is, California could actually become affordable (yeah, right, probably about the same chance as St. Petersburg becoming more arid), etc.- that can't be predicted outright, but my top 3 are pretty much set in stone at this point and if I had it to do right now, Denver would be my pick.

[FLABoyJ]

Originally Posted by LondonDweller

Hi all...be gentle with me...I'm a newbie.

My wife and I are currently living in London, England. I'm a Brit but she's a native of small town Ohio. We've grown tired of life in London (horrid traffic, high prices for EVERYTHING, even higher prices for petrol, low paying jobs, long commutes and a general lack of things that we want to do). We've been talking over where to move to for a while now and have it narrowed down to Denver, Orlando and Tampa. Why those three? Well, we both have family in Denver and we both fell in love with the sunny days and mountains in the background. Orlando and Tampa? The wife has family in Orlando but more importantly, we're sick of London weather (no it doesn't rain all the time...it's just cloudy a lot and summer isn't really any good) and want to try some warmer/more tropical climates. Tampa?....In case Orlando is crap

I found this website a couple of days ago and was horrified at what people were saying about Orlando and Florida in general. I've been to Florida once...the dreaded summer of '04. Inbetween Hurricanes I liked what I saw, but it was only a week so I couldn't get a very good picture of what it was like. I've been to Denver a handful of times, for a little less than a week each time and loved it every time. I just haven't seen or been told about the bad parts of each place.

So what are we looking for?

The wife and I want SUN...we can handle cold, as long as there is sun...even partly sunny. From my recollections, Denver can deliver that and Florida is a no brainer, but I need to know about the other areas of living in each of these cities. What is crime REALLY like?! Remember, I live in London, and although crime is an issue here, I don't live in a dangerous part of town (although you can get robbed anywhere, anytime in London) but you generally have to be somewhat streetsmart to live here. Commuting times...I generally have a one hour commute each way usually by train and tube (subway) so 45 minutes in a car is an improvement. How is the credit crunch hitting the jobs in the area? What areas should be avoided for a young couple in their late 20's?

Any help like this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.

Tampa is your best bet.

[Jimrob1]

Originally Posted by MantaRay

There's no WAY I'm staying in South Carolina, not if I can help it. When that day finally does come, I'm outta here. It's a nice place to raise a family and all, but it's not for me once I finally can retire. Too hot and humid during the summer. I work in AC so it's not that huge a deal, but when I want to be outside, I really can't except mornings and evenings. It's do-able for just weekends, but when I'm actually retired? No way, no how. The only exception I could even envision making under any circumstances is Fort Mill, SC.

As to whether I will retire in Denver, I can't say with 100% certainty, but what I can say is that I'm looking at Denver (Stapleton), Nashville (East Nashville), and Baltimore (specifically and only the areas near the harbor) as my top 3 and there is a 50% probability of me retiring to Denver, a 45% probability of me retiring to Nashville, and a 5% probability of me retiring to Baltimore. Time could change those weightings, and lots could change- Colorado could eventually go through DRASTIC water shortages, Nashville could actually complete their Riverfront Plan and significantly boost how compelling it is, California could actually become affordable (yeah, right, probably about the same chance as St. Petersburg becoming more arid), etc.- that can't be predicted outright, but my top 3 are pretty much set in stone at this point and if I had it to do right now, Denver would be my pick.

I hope if you decide on Denver it will be a good fit for you. I toy with the idea also. Im told $20,000 of retirement/pension income is deductable on Colorado income taxes. Thats an incentive right there. Im not sure though the Denver area is a big draw for retirees. I see the retirement mags marketing Ft Collins and Loveland areas, but Denver would be good also I think. Good Luck with your choices.