[Avram42]

Originally Posted by psulions2007

Where did you live, Montgomery County?

Chester County

[ferret111]

Originally Posted by psulions2007

Where did you live, Montgomery County?



This too. Palm trees do not have enough green, and most everything else is pine. There are just not enough deciduous trees.



"Back where I came from" is Florida. Born and raised for 18 years. Never again.



Once again, I came from Florida. I'm only in "my city" temporarily until I go back to school at IU in Bloomington. Regardless, I have way more to do around where I live now than I ever did in Florida. If I get bored with Louisville (of which my city is a suburb, and it is a metro area of 1.2 Million), I can drive in 45 minutes to Lexington, a half hour or less to Cincinnati or Indianapolis or drive 2.5 hours to Nashville. All of these cities have different characters and different things that are exciting about them. Florida's cities are nothing but cookie cutter sprawl with a few amusement parks or beaches (exception: Miami, which is second to Phoenix in terms of American cities that can be described as "Hell"). My sister lives in St Petersburg, and I'm sorry, that entire Bay Area is boring as hell, with the exception of Ybor City which actually has character as long as you stay in it during the day. It is one giant sprawling suburb. Oh, and the beach? Pfft. When you drive past it every day, it loses its attraction... and when you get bored with it, you can go to another beach! ...which looks the same except the condos look slightly different.

With respect to crime statistics, you can find any city in any state that matches crime statistics. I only care about the overall look of a place...and the midwest and Pennsylvania are way safer than Florida.

Louisville is best known for the Kentucky Derby and horses, which is pretty amazing if you are here for it (better than polo). Indianapolis has the Indy 500 (better than Boca's racing... not that I really care about Nascar). The only thing you've really got over this area is watersports... but then again, there are always lakes one can go to for a swim (including the Great Lakes... which are way better than down there considering they neither attack you nor contain jellyfish/sharks).

You sound like a pessimist. Nothing is going to please you unless you want it to please you. Louisville has plenty of its own sprawl, too, and aside from the Churchill Downs, there's really nothing else to it.

[psulions2007]

Originally Posted by Avram42

Chester County

Close enough. Of course COL there was high.

Originally Posted by ferret111

You sound like a pessimist. Nothing is going to please you unless you want it to please you. Louisville has plenty of its own sprawl, too, and aside from the Churchill Downs, there's really nothing else to it.

So because I don't like Florida, I'm a pessimist? Awesome. I'll keep that in mind while I enjoy living up north. Of course *every* city in America has sprawl... but it is the percentage of sprawl that really matters. When nearly an entire city is sprawl, it is character/soul-less. I'd be hard-pressed to find any city in Florida that has a neighborhood like the Highlands, for example.

Aside from Churchill Downs, there is the Louisville Slugger Factor/Museum, the Muhammad Ali Center, the Waterfront/bridges, the Olmstead Parks System, the Highlands, a billion different types of restaurants that landed Louisville on the top 10 list for most foodiest cities in America, many hiking opportunities.... etc. All of this isn't even including all of the festivals/fairs highlighted by the Derbyfest (which starts off with Thunder over Louisville... the largest fireworks display in the world), the St James Artsfest, etc. etc.

[ferret111]

Originally Posted by psulions2007

So because I don't like Florida, I'm a pessimist? Awesome. I'll keep that in mind while I enjoy living up north. Of course *every* city in America has sprawl... but it is the percentage of sprawl that really matters. When nearly an entire city is sprawl, it is character/soul-less. I'd be hard-pressed to find any city in Florida that has a neighborhood like the Highlands, for example.

Aside from Churchill Downs, there is the Louisville Slugger Factor/Museum, the Muhammad Ali Center, the Waterfront/bridges, the Olmstead Parks System, the Highlands, a billion different types of restaurants that landed Louisville on the top 10 list for most foodiest cities in America, many hiking opportunities.... etc. All of this isn't even including all of the festivals/fairs highlighted by the Derbyfest (which starts off with Thunder over Louisville... the largest fireworks display in the world), the St James Artsfest, etc. etc.

No, that's not what I meant at all. Your post came off as someone who was jaded and deadened to everything, in an almost deliberate attempt to seem unfazed or disinterested. Sure, master-planned cities like Port St. Lucie and Deltona are pure sprawl with absolutely no architectural merit, but every single "real" city in the state has unique, non-cookie cutter cores, even down to the rural county seats.

Eh, I guess that's stuff, but aside from the bridges and the Derby, none of that interests me in the least.

[ChrisA70]

Originally Posted by Spring Hillian

The only drama I ever see here are from people who left and have a compelling need to come here to tell us how lousy their lives were here and how much that hated it. Yet they still show up on this forum. I often wonder if some of these posters actually ever lived here in the first place.

As much as you and I disagree on most things, you are right on that. Some do come here posting things, I doubt lived here to begin with... One thing I do not do, is come here saying how lousy my life is in FL, it's not. I am fine with FL as a place, my issue is the heat, I think you already know that.

[ChrisA70]

Originally Posted by justNancy

Just in case there's any confusion, let's review the original question.

I'll cut and paste it below in green.

What does Florida lack that makes everyone want to go "home"?


Isn't this asking people to list the things they or others they know don't like about Florida? It's almost as if people who are answering honestly have been set up for an argument.

Pretty much... But ANY thread on here turns into a war of words, haters vs Cheerleaders, it has been this way since and before I came to CD in 2008... Nothing new.

[seeriously]

Originally Posted by Mike1306

Except for the fact that you are not just posting your opinion, you are posting complete untruths.

Lets hear again how there is no fresh seafood in Florida. How all the restaurants in Mass are great and every one in Florida sucks.

Let me rephrase this... Florida has plenty of fresh seafood, grouper and mahi glazed in suntan oil. I prefer northern seafood, right out of the sea, baked with little accoutrements. And yes, Florida restaurants suck. We've got vivid memories of a celebratory evening in Vero Beach at a well known hotel restaurant where the fish (can't remember what it was now but it was $32/entree) was cut in a perfect rectangle, just like a fish stick. It was the exact moment that we decided we'd save our dining experiences for our trips north.

[CDusr]

Originally Posted by chrisa70

pretty much... But any thread on here turns into a war of words, haters vs cheerleaders, it has been this way since and before i came to cd in 2008... Nothing new.

lol...

[Mike1306]

Originally Posted by ipoetry

Let me rephrase this... Florida has plenty of fresh seafood, grouper and mahi glazed in suntan oil. I prefer northern seafood, right out of the sea, baked with little accoutrements. And yes, Florida restaurants suck. We've got vivid memories of a celebratory evening in Vero Beach at a well known hotel restaurant where the fish (can't remember what it was now but it was $32/entree) was cut in a perfect rectangle, just like a fish stick. It was the exact moment that we decided we'd save our dining experiences for our trips north.

Your posts are a joke and I am sure the majority see through them.
Each time you write this drivel more and more people laugh at you.

[Spring Hillian]

Well Chris, at least we agree on a couple of things. We certainly can agree that it is hot here.
But take a look at this map and you will see that MOST of the U.S. is pretty hot in the summertime.

http://www.weather.com/maps/maptype/...res_large.html

I prefer a sweltering summer and a mild winter vs. cold winter and mostly hot summer.

We also agree that there are people posting here that never lived here. And those that did live here had lousy lives. I think one of problems with those who actually did live here is that they wound up in large cities when they mostly came from smaller cities or towns.

As I posted earlier, I just don't understand why people who returned to their homeland come back to this forum, which is intended to inform potential residents of the actual situation based on their questions, for the sole purpose of complaining about a place they no longer live. Frankly, I think it shows lack of intelligence or is simply a way to justify their situation. That situation mainly being the failed at life in Florida and had to go back to where they started, tails between legs. Reminds me of that song "It never rains in California". Perhaps they feel that coming up with the most asinine comments possible that they will discourage others from
coming to FL. I don't know, because I could never see myself going to the NYC forums to ***** and moan about how I prefer it here.

If you had a lousy time during your attempt to live in FL, explain that to your local compatriots instead of coming here to tell everyone who does live here how lousy you found it. It just seems to be a complete waste of time and must cause some sense of aggravation.

Complaints about COL, insurance etc. are baseless. The COL is high everywhere. Insurance is what it is. If you live in an area that is prone to hurricanes and sinkholes you are going to pay more to insure that property
against peril. Same with car insurance. If you live in a high density population area, you are going to pay more because the odds of an accident are greatly enhanced. Complain about crime? Gee whiz, that is every too including the most rural areas. Same with drugs. Everywhere they are desired.

But yeah, it's hot, but so are a lot of places. There is too much else to enjoy in FL to make the weather a reason not to be here, but if a person can't stand the heat, they need to move pretty far north and trade the summer heat for brutal winters and the discomforts it involves. It's more than just shoveling snow.

As usual, I won't ever see any responses to my queries addressed to the full-backs and half-backs. They just like to moan and groan to make themselves feel better. After all, they all left their personal paradises to come to mine in the first place.

Its only a few months till cooler more acceptable temperatures.

Originally Posted by ChrisA70

As much as you and I disagree on most things, you are right on that. Some do come here posting things, I doubt lived here to begin with... One thing I do not do, is come here saying how lousy my life is in FL, it's not. I am fine with FL as a place, my issue is the heat, I think you already know that.