[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by topher441970

Don't care about real estate in Florida, I wouldn't buy a house here to save my life, it's the cost of living and crappy pay, hot weather, CRIME!!!!!

Gee I wonder why Florida has the largest inventory of houses up for sale in the U.S. that never sell??? Every sign has "reduced" on it around here.

Good luck to all you who stay and like it here...

There are a lot of people/families here in Florida who have good jobs with good pay, affordable homes/mortgages, and enjoy a great quality of life in their town - my husband and I are one of them. Florida is not defined by a few cities - it is a big state, but I can understand how some of you get frustrated by the bad areas - I have lived in some of those areas myself. I have paradise now.

Good luck to you, too.

[FoRuMRideR420]

Originally Posted by topher441970

Moving back to cold weather, snow and fresh air... Massachusetts! I'm moving to the extreme western part of the state where I'm from. The cost of living is much cheaper than here in Cape Coral, FL. It used to be the other way around, Florida was and I stress "WAS" cheap. Now I can live in Mass. for less...

I miss the change of seasons, I miss a cold Christmas. Not going out in shorts on Christmas and Thanksgiving like here. It will take getting used to, but I will get used to cold again.

I have no love for Florida anymore...

pittsfield????

im also gettin outta FL ....for many reasons ....movin in NOV and cant wait

[121804]

There are people here who like it here as much as you like far Western Mass. To each their own. There are 50 states to choose from.

We are moving outta this place in Oct & it was b/w western Mass [Amherst/Cummington/Hatfield] where my husband is from & where I am from in NE Ohio. Ohio won out...it's cheaper. Home prices in western Mass were beyond what we could afford.

Can't wait for Christmas around family. Unfortunately, it snowed last Easter, so we can do without that!

[stacylee926]

I find this thread interesting! I started posting here a few months ago when hubby had an opportunity to move to Florida (Boca, FLL area). We decided to pass on the opportunity at this time but we are still interested in future opportunities within 3 years when the youngest graduates high school.

We decided to vacation in Ft Lauderdale for a few days in 1 1/2 weeks so we can really check it out. I find the comments about lack of culture interesting - knowing that there is a large hispanic population there has to be some culture!

I lived in the Northern Virginia suburbs for 41 years then moved to Hampton Roads, Virginia 4 years ago. I see big crime in BOTH areas, cost of living was crazy in the DC area (better here, but not great) and absolutely NO culture of any kind here.

If I can tear myself away from the pool, lol, we will definitely be traveling around to all the areas we looked into.

So many of these posts on this board are so negative, yet every city has a laundry list of negatives. Living in a city is not just about the cost of housing and the real estate market - but it is about the way of life. So.... we will see how I feel after a few days going to the local malls and driving the neighborhoods to find a Starbucks!

[Petertherock]

Originally Posted by topher441970

I still cannot get why people like Floriduh? Is it the 90+ degree weather for 6 months or so? High cost of living? Low pay? The overcrowdedness(sp) everywhere? The soaring crime rates? The total lack of culture???? I can't figure it out.

I have been here for 12 years and thankfully I will be out of here in 3 days. I loved Florida when I first came, but it went steadily downhill from there. I first lived in Orlando in 1995, it was great...for a couple years. Then I steadily got more and more less fond of Florida. Too hot, unless you lived on the equator it's too humid and the air is just NASTY. I tried Melbourne, not bad there. Vero Beach is nice. I'll tell you what... Naples is the crappiest city here, they act like it is the best place on earth... YA IF YOU ARE A MILLIONARE!!!! Otherwise it sucks. Fort Myers is surely becoming a miami(crime). I'm just glad to go. I'm sure I will get responses from people saying "one less person" or "good, go" I don't care, you can have this crap hole state...

Just so you know I was originally from North Adams, MA which is as far west as you can go in MA without being in NY and it USED to be cheap. When I left MA in 2000 you could get a very nice house for under 100,000 or right at 100,000. Not so any more. I saw dumps that are going for $150,000-$200,000 now. It's like that here in Maine now too. We bought a house in South Portland that was pretty decent and in a good neighborhood and paid $130,000 for it. We had to move because taxes got too much for us as did the upkeep. After only living in it for 1.5 years we got $150,000 for it and now it would go for about $200,000. You are looking at $200,000+ for anything decent in southern maine. So, it doesn't matter whether it's Florida, Maine, or Massachusetts, housing costs are high all over...and for rents in the Portland Maine area...you are looking at $1000+ for anything decent for a 2 BR apartment. We are paying over $1200 for our 2 BR townhouse and rents have been going up an average of $75-$100 a year.

[topher441970]

Originally Posted by gypsychic

There are a lot of people/families here in Florida who have good jobs with good pay, affordable homes/mortgages, and enjoy a great quality of life in their town - my husband and I are one of them. Florida is not defined by a few cities - it is a big state, but I can understand how some of you get frustrated by the bad areas - I have lived in some of those areas myself. I have paradise now.

Good luck to you, too.

Bad areas???? I have been to nice areas... Winter Park, Naples, Fort Myers, Vero Beach, Melbourne, Bradenton, Lake Wales... Vero and Bradenton were the best, Cape Coral second. I just hate the hot weather mostly, and please.... Crime is going up and up in this state, not that any states are perfect.

[topher441970]

Originally Posted by FoRuMRideR420

pittsfield????

im also gettin outta FL ....for many reasons ....movin in NOV and cant wait

North adams, nice small town.... 16,891 people..... Extremely low crime rate. Cheap to live. Pittsfield would be great too. I will eventually be back to Northampton....

Congrats on getting out of here to you. Don't blame you a bit. Good luck.

[Strel]

Originally Posted by topher441970

I still cannot get why people like Floriduh? Is it the 90+ degree weather for 6 months or so? High cost of living? Low pay? The overcrowdedness(sp) everywhere? The soaring crime rates? The total lack of culture???? I can't figure it out.

I have been here for 12 years and thankfully I will be out of here in 3 days. I loved Florida when I first came, but it went steadily downhill from there. I first lived in Orlando in 1995, it was great...for a couple years. Then I steadily got more and more less fond of Florida. Too hot, unless you lived on the equator it's too humid and the air is just NASTY. I tried Melbourne, not bad there. Vero Beach is nice. I'll tell you what... Naples is the crappiest city here, they act like it is the best place on earth... YA IF YOU ARE A MILLIONARE!!!! Otherwise it sucks. Fort Myers is surely becoming a miami(crime). I'm just glad to go. I'm sure I will get responses from people saying "one less person" or "good, go" I don't care, you can have this crap hole state...

Congratulations. You have formed a solid opinion on a state you have seen about 2% of.

There are plenty of places in Florida that are the precise opposite of what you describe above. Evidently you did not find them.

[floridamove2]

Florida is the place to make easy money ! Smart people come here and leave any thinking up north. Its too easy.

[Granny Sue]

Originally Posted by topher441970

I still cannot get why people like Floriduh? Is it the 90+ degree weather for 6 months or so? High cost of living? Low pay? The overcrowdedness(sp) everywhere? The soaring crime rates? The total lack of culture???? I can't figure it out.

I have been here for 12 years and thankfully I will be out of here in 3 days. I loved Florida when I first came, but it went steadily downhill from there. I first lived in Orlando in 1995, it was great...for a couple years. Then I steadily got more and more less fond of Florida. Too hot, unless you lived on the equator it's too humid and the air is just NASTY. I tried Melbourne, not bad there. Vero Beach is nice. I'll tell you what... Naples is the crappiest city here, they act like it is the best place on earth... YA IF YOU ARE A MILLIONARE!!!! Otherwise it sucks. Fort Myers is surely becoming a miami(crime). I'm just glad to go. I'm sure I will get responses from people saying "one less person" or "good, go" I don't care, you can have this crap hole state...

You have just discovered that Florida is not for you!!! I hope you find the best fit for you.