[cmsvmom]

The wildlife is gorgeous.

The roads for the most part are FLAT, and not split every year from ice.

The water is wonderful. Everywhere. All year long.

Ya want Baltimore air, you can have it. The air in the west of Maryland is preferable to that.

No place remains the same over 50 years, especially if it is an attractive, economically vibrant place. Fort Lauderdale is way different than it was back in the day. (I go back that far) A lot of folks in our age bracket look for someplace else that feels like "the way it used to was" but is better for us now. Sounds like you are making a move like that, Macguy! And isn't it great that you don't have to leave the state to do so!

[Floridabound09]

Sun
Beaches / Sand / Shells
Food
Attractions - Too many to name
THE SMELL..... yes the smell of flowers, trees, the ocean etc.
Warm Breezes
Sunsets
Antiques, oh yea, lots of them everywhere
Palm Trees
The old Buildings and Towns
Being within 5-6 hours from anything you want is a definite advantage
Orange Groves/Trees Promised my daughter we would have one in our yard!
Weather, we like it hot !
Communities and Neighborhoods

Opportunites.... abound in Florida, one of the largest small business growth states in the USA. If you want to start a small business this is a great place to do so.

Happiness.... I have been lucky enough to speak with many people over the past 20 years who live in Florida and I would say 95% of them are extremely happy people.

COL.... it would be cheaper for me to live in Fla then in my home in Central
Ohio.

License Plates, simply the best group of plates we ever see, if we see one we always yell, follow that car !!

Gosh, many more but I am too tired to think of them. Dang I had them all in my head at dinner time.

One more, the history.....................

[sunrico90]

Originally Posted by Floridabound09

Sun
Beaches / Sand / Shells
Food
Attractions - Too many to name
THE SMELL..... yes the smell of flowers, trees, the ocean etc.
Warm Breezes
Sunsets
Antiques, oh yea, lots of them everywhere
Palm Trees
The old Buildings and Towns
Being within 5-6 hours from anything you want is a definite advantage
Orange Groves/Trees Promised my daughter we would have one in our yard!
Weather, we like it hot !
Communities and Neighborhoods

Opportunites.... abound in Florida, one of the largest small business growth states in the USA. If you want to start a small business this is a great place to do so.

Happiness.... I have been lucky enough to speak with many people over the past 20 years who live in Florida and I would say 95% of them are extremely happy people.

COL.... it would be cheaper for me to live in Fla then in my home in Central
Ohio.

License Plates, simply the best group of plates we ever see, if we see one we always yell, follow that car !!

Gosh, many more but I am too tired to think of them. Dang I had them all in my head at dinner time.

One more, the history.....................

WOW we are unique....Which one is your favorite....

[Floridabound09]

Originally Posted by sunrico90

WOW we are unique....Which one is your favorite....

Always like the Challenger one but have to go back to the all time fav... the Oranges.

Manatee one is also cool. Heck, they are all cool..........

I am going to follow one of those plates someday and NOT LOOK BACK at bit.

[Rhett_Butler]

Got my wife the sea turtle one and she LOVED it..... Of course now we have to get Virginia plates, but they have a pretty good selection too....

BTW, off subject I know, but Virginia actually has Florida State University plates...... I know what kind I'm getting....

[blitzpooch]

Sunsets on the Gulf of Mexico
The beach
Nature and wildlife
Cuban food
Laid back atmosphere
Family friendly atmosphere
Friendly people

Oh...and the shopping Our area gets all the new stores. Kind of a love hate thing...glad not to have to drive 20-25 miles for everything but hate the crowding that comes with it.

[Suncoaster]

Originally Posted by triton1

No Seasonal Affective Disorder

AMEN! I tried to live up north for a couple of years - this was about 30 years ago - it was a fiasco. So dark and gloomy, and the winter days were so short I about lost my mind. Really. FL is terrific - not much seasonal change, for those of us who can do without that.

Pianogal mentioned the wonderful Tropical Gardens - we have such a treasure of botanical gardens especially, if you haven't seen them, GO! They are nothing short of amazing.

The National and State Parks. We have so many, and too many of them are still on my list to visit.

Closer to home, I never ever tire of driving through my own neighborhood staring at the wonderful tropicals in every yard. Even in my (very) modest neighborhood, people plant these beauties.

Other things I love, in no particular order:

The abundance of sunshine!

The variety - scrublands, wetlands, gulf and ocean views - what a rich diversity nature offers here.

Palms - my favorites of all the plants, these are the most beautiful. And cycads, the "living fossils" growing right in the yard.

Birds! Ibises, pelicans, anhinga, roseate spoonbills, herons - here in my neighborhood! Wild parrots that visit my feeders every morning - I love the screeching call of an joyous Nanday. But above all, the awesome grace of the great egret.

The wonderful sandy flatness - this is one of my favorite things. And the roads - yes, the roads! - so flat and straight that you can see for miles.

Sunsets. Surely they are God's art gallery and have you ever seen such a palette of color! Golds, scarlets, indigo. Amazing.

All the different cultures that meet here. Accents from everywhere.

The art and music festivals.

Lower taxes!

Being able to enjoy the outdoors every month of the year.

And the low rumble of distant thunder - for some reason, a reassuring sound.

There's more but I've run out of time. Sunrico, did you start this thread? I love it

[Prichard]

Ocean
Gulf
Lakes
Rivers

Florida is warm, and there's pleanty of water to play in.

[miamiblue]

No state income tax.
What's left of the Everglades - see it before it's paved over.
Unique wildlife.
It's a peninsula!

That's about it for me.

[backtofla]

va has fsu plates? whhhhaaaaattt??????