1,000 People a day move to Florida (Tampa, Crystal River: lawyer, incomes, jobs)

[Mike Peterson]

Originally Posted by TNRyan23

I've personally found that homes can be bought in every South East state very cheaply, with the exceptions to North Carolina and Florida.

What helps in Georgia is that homeowners insurance and property taxes aren't as high as they are in Florida.

You can get a newer 3br, 2ba home on a half acre where I am for $130K-$140K. Some areas are even cheaper.

The average Florida property tax will be slightly higher than Georgia but not by much. Floridas tax on average is .79% of the homes value and Georgia is .71%. On a $150K home the difference would be $120 a year.

Insurance varies greatly from area to area so it is hard to compare but I pay $698 for $360K in coverage. Someone in GA would have to let me know how much it would be there. I am sure it could not be that much cheaper though.

As stated though Georgia has a state income tax. Most people pay about 6% so an income of $30K would pay $1800 a year.

If you look at those numbers it seems like those in GA are paying quite a bit more overall for what you mentioned.

[DailyJournalist]

Originally Posted by Mike Peterson

You can get a newer 3br, 2ba home on a half acre where I am for $130K-$140K. Some areas are even cheaper.

The average Florida property tax will be slightly higher than Georgia but not by much. Floridas tax on average is .79% of the homes value and Georgia is .71%. On a $150K home the difference would be $120 a year.

Insurance varies greatly from area to area so it is hard to compare but I pay $698 for $360K in coverage. Someone in GA would have to let me know how much it would be there. I am sure it could not be that much cheaper though.

As stated though Georgia has a state income tax. Most people pay about 6% so an income of $30K would pay $1800 a year.

If you look at those numbers it seems like those in GA are paying quite a bit more overall for what you mentioned.

But Atlanta is a city with a diversified economy that provides a wealth of employment opportunities and access to much higher wages. This is almost non-existant in Florida cities that are almost completely reliant on tourism dollars.

[Mike Peterson]

Originally Posted by DailyJournalist

But Atlanta is a city with a diversified economy that provides a wealth of employment opportunities and access to much higher wages. This is almost non-existant in Florida cities that are almost completely reliant on tourism dollars.

As previously pointed out, the difference in median income between Atlanta and Tampa is $3000.

Hardly a huge difference in median income and the difference would mostly be eaten up with the state income tax.

Here are some more facts for you. Yes, I use facts not just my opinion which seems to be what many around here do.

* Tampa Bay ranks in the top 20 nationwide for medical device manufacturing clusters. The industry employs more than 10,000 people with an average wage in excess of $49,000 and produces over $2 billion worth of goods and services for an economic impact of more than 51,000 jobs and $5 billion.

* Tampa Bay's seaports support 130,000 jobs and contribute more than $15 billion per year to the local economy. The Port of Tampa comprises nearly half of all sea borne commerce in the state and is the state's largest seaport, the 12th largest cargo port in the nation, and a major cruise port.

* Tampa Bay is a center of excellence for hospitals, research and medical-related firms - and the gateway to the Florida High Tech Corridor, a 23-county area that is home to more than 3,000 high-tech companies. Biomedical and life science centers of excellence in the region include the University of South Florida, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, and Pepin Heart Hospital, among others.

* Tampa Bay's financial services cluster is the largest in the state of Florida and ranks 20th in the nation in terms of domestic employment. The size and scope of this sector has drawn many service vendors to the region to support the financial services industry. Add to that a large, experienced financial serives workforce for local recruiting and you have a powerful combination.

Would you like some more?

[DailyJournalist]

Originally Posted by Mike Peterson

As previously pointed out, the difference in median income between Atlanta and Tampa is $3000.

Hardly a huge difference in median income and the difference would mostly be eaten up with the state income tax.

Here are some more facts for you. Yes, I use facts not just my opinion which seems to be what many around here do.

* Tampa Bay ranks in the top 20 nationwide for medical device manufacturing clusters. The industry employs more than 10,000 people with an average wage in excess of $49,000 and produces over $2 billion worth of goods and services for an economic impact of more than 51,000 jobs and $5 billion.

* Tampa Bay's seaports support 130,000 jobs and contribute more than $15 billion per year to the local economy. The Port of Tampa comprises nearly half of all sea borne commerce in the state and is the state's largest seaport, the 12th largest cargo port in the nation, and a major cruise port.

* Tampa Bay is a center of excellence for hospitals, research and medical-related firms - and the gateway to the Florida High Tech Corridor, a 23-county area that is home to more than 3,000 high-tech companies. Biomedical and life science centers of excellence in the region include the University of South Florida, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, and Pepin Heart Hospital, among others.

* Tampa Bay's financial services cluster is the largest in the state of Florida and ranks 20th in the nation in terms of domestic employment. The size and scope of this sector has drawn many service vendors to the region to support the financial services industry. Add to that a large, experienced financial serives workforce for local recruiting and you have a powerful combination.

Would you like some more?

Your examples are hardly indicative of a diversified economy. Tampa consistently ranks worst city for young professionals mostly due to the city's lack of professional opportunities and extremely low wages when compared to other major cities. Although I am not a fan of any city in the south, Atlanta has consitently grown and diversified its economy and is know as an excellent place to start a career.

Here is some proof:
The Worst City for Young Professionals | Re/Creating Tampa

No Respite For Tampa - Forbes.com

[Mike Peterson]

Originally Posted by DailyJournalist

Your examples are hardly indicative of a diversified economy. Tampa consistently ranks worst city for young professionals mostly due to the city's lack of professional opportunities and extremely low wages when compared to other major cities. Although I am not a fan of any city in the south, Atlanta has consitently grown and diversified its economy and is know as an excellent place to start a career.

Here is some proof:
The Worst City for Young Professionals | Re/Creating Tampa

No Respite For Tampa - Forbes.com

If medical device manufacturing, financial services, medical research and the country's 12th largest seaport are not diversified enough then I don't know what to tell you. I guess computer software companies don't count either. Or Danka, Jabil Circuit, HSN, Sykes Enterprises, Publix and Sweetbay's headquarters, OSI Restaurant Partners, Tasco.

So, maybe this is not a top destination for young professionals but you have been shown that it is definately not just tourism here and we are diversified.

You bring up low wages again but as I stated before, Tampa is only $3000 below Atlanta in median income and based on a 6% state income tax on a median income of around $40,000 that would bring the difference to around $600.

[TNRyan23]

Originally Posted by Mike Peterson

You can get a newer 3br, 2ba home on a half acre where I am for $130K-$140K. Some areas are even cheaper.

The average Florida property tax will be slightly higher than Georgia but not by much. Floridas tax on average is .79% of the homes value and Georgia is .71%. On a $150K home the difference would be $120 a year.

Insurance varies greatly from area to area so it is hard to compare but I pay $698 for $360K in coverage. Someone in GA would have to let me know how much it would be there. I am sure it could not be that much cheaper though.

As stated though Georgia has a state income tax. Most people pay about 6% so an income of $30K would pay $1800 a year.

If you look at those numbers it seems like those in GA are paying quite a bit more overall for what you mentioned.

That 3br/2ba home in Weeki at $135k.. what's the square footage ?

I had a 4br/2.5ba house in the Nashville area at 3,000 square foot it's in a more desireable neighborhood in Hendersonville that cost roughly 230k new. Insurance was roughly $600 a year and the property tax was never more then $1,200 a year.

I'll agree though, if that 3br/2ba house in Weeki was above 2,000 sqft, then that's really a damn good deal for FL.

[TNRyan23]

Originally Posted by Mike Peterson

As previously pointed out, the difference in median income between Atlanta and Tampa is $3000.

Median income is usually VERY skewed.

I would venture to say, ( As I have been to and lived shortly in Atlanta and Tampa ) That yes, The Median income for Tampa is $38,568 and Atlanta is at $39,752 ( says City-Data.com )

IMHO, Tampa most likley has ALOT more people ( Doctors, Lawyers, ect, ect ) That make close to $100,000 per year and ALOT of people that make $12,000 per year.

Whereas, Atlanta IMHO, would have alot more people making between $35,000-$60,000 with alot less people making $12,000 and alot less people making $100,000.

Basically saying...

In a city of 2 million people, I would say Tampa would be closer to 1 million people making $100,000 and 1 million people making $12,000 with a median income of $56,000

Where I would say Atlanta would be closer to 1 million people making $66,000 and 1 million people making $46,000 with a median income of $56,000.

Yes, the Median incomes are the same, but in Atlanta's case, All of the people mentioned make a living wage, whereas with the same median income in Tampa, half the people are below the poverty line.

[compelled to reply]

I think it would actually be the other way around. Atlanta has a lot of disparities (Buckhead vs Bankhead, nuff said!), whereas Tampa is pretty much just a solid lower to middle income blue collar city within city limits, with some disparity between parts of South Tampa and northern areas of Tampa. You are right though, median, per capita incomes are very skewed, so are average incomes, but the median income is supposedly the lesser of the statistical evils.

[TNRyan23]

Originally Posted by compelled to reply

I think it would actually be the other way around. Atlanta has a lot of disparities (Buckhead vs Bankhead, nuff said!), whereas Tampa is pretty much just a solid lower to middle income blue collar city within city limits, with some disparity between parts of South Tampa and northern areas of Tampa. You are right though, median, per capita incomes are very skewed, so are average incomes, but the median income is supposedly the lesser of the statistical evils.

I can't comment on Tampa these days as I haven't lived there in 10 years. However, I can remember that when I lived there, Unless you had a college degree you couldn't find a job that paid over $8/hr unless it was a call center. That was the main reason my family ended up leaving the state because with the increases in cost of living added in with the fact that my parents didn't have a college education. It was too much.

I wouldn't say there are any areas of the Tampa Bay area that are really THAT impoverished, However, I can say that in every southern state with the exception of Florida, You can walk in anywhere and make $12/hr reguardless of education. Hell, once on vacation in Louisiana three years ago I was offered an off-shore job paying $45k a year.

Statistics are like a girl in a bikini. They show a lot, but not everything. -- Toby Harrah

[Alatex]

It's been a decade or so since the last time I visited Weeki Wachee/Homosassa/Crystal River. How is the job base/unemployment rate there now, compared to Tampa Bay ?

Also, how is the Weeki Wachee park doing now ?