[ShepsMom]

Originally Posted by Floridabound09

If you cannot enjoy and make it in Florida you are going to have a hard time living or making it anywhere else.

Same thing can be said about you. So why can't you make it in Ohio???

"If you can't make it in Ohio, you can't make it anywhere" .... sounds familiar??

I don't think your opinion counts as much, as you've never lived in FL and calling this place a paradise is beyong rediculous. Don't paint "picture perfect Florida" and tell people to move here if you have no clue how it is. Some will love it, some will hate it, but telling everyone it is only place on earth... please!!!

Cheers!

[icelady]

Originally Posted by JunoAqua

I love Florida so much, and always thought about moving from NY to Florida, but family,lack of decent paying jobs in my field, relative to housing prices and other costs make the cost of living high. Hurricanes are another concern but, I've always loved Florida, if I won the lotto i'd be there in a heartbeat. Am I really missing out living down there, isnt palm trees nice beaches a beautiful site or does this wear off after you been there awile? I look at it this way, when i vactoin there im not working im having fun playing on the beach spending money eating out this gets fun., but if i had to work there i would think that most of my time would be spent working many hours to pay housing expenses and other costs and leave very little time for enjoyment of Florida... <br>
Thanks<img src="http://pics3.city-data.com/forum/images/smilies/confused.gif" alt="" title="Confused" smilieid="10" class="inlineimg" border="0">

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Hi JunoAqua"I have lived in South Fl. for 28 years. I moved here when i was 15. I have to say South Fl. has CHANGED BIG TIMES I live in Boca Raton. s I feel that there are very nice areas in Fl. to live in. You are from New York so I think you are use to high cost of living. You might want to check out northern fl. However in Southern Fl. it is costly. Fl. is going through alot of changes right now. Fl. has alot of things to do however in my sitution I do not have time or make the time to do anything exciting. I am to busy plus I Do not have the extra money. You need to do the research before moving. Yes we have wonderful beaches. No I do not use them.&nbsp; As for homes it is a buyers market. However it is gettig harder to get a loan. As for the hurricans Been here for 28 years I am some what use to it know. I don't panic anymore i have mt routin of what needs to be done. You do have neg. on Fl. threads because of what is happening here. Especiaaly in South Fl. and it seems as residents we have no control of what is going on. src At least that is how I feel. As of right now I am being FORCED to leave Fl. since my insurance doubled I have enough money to make my bills and go food shopping for 1 more year.After that year if I am still here I don't know how I will manage. Well I wish you luck

[121804]

Originally Posted by gypsychic

Strel, I agree! Here in Dade City where we lived for 10 years, and now in Lakeland, we are up on "the Ridge", some of the highest land in Florida is around here, and the land is very scenic with rolling hills, many lakes and we have BOTH the moss-draped oaks and palm trees! I love it. Rather have the hills, lakes, rivers and streams any day over the sandy beach and flat land devoid of trees.

Different strokes, y'all!

As much as I dislike SW FL due to living here, it is nice to know that there are some areas that are not flat & have some real foliage.

For all the hype on SWFL beaches, I just don't see why. Right now, the water is murky brown & 90 degrees. It's really not all that enjoyable mixed with the heat index.

It is easy to sit here & mope until we move but we have also said that we want to travel & see some of the areas in the panhandle. We remember on the drive down here how many horse farms there were up there. And it was prettier [in our eyes]. I need to see some trees & living plants & flowers to get some life back into me

[Strel]

Originally Posted by macguy

I don't know if you mentioned it but what city do you live in? We are dealing on some land in Liberty county but I am not sure my offer is going to be accepted. My borther-in-law lives in Tallahassee for about the last 10 years. He is from New York but loves it there. They just moved into a new house this week.

I have lived in Tallahassee for about 20 years now. It is the opposite of the title of this thread: a nice place to live, but you wouldn't want to visit here (no tourist attractions).

The area (including Liberty County to the west) is the southern terminus of the Applachians. No mountains, but lots of hills and green forests and wildlife, etc. Most of the area is "country", but Tallahassee itself is a good enough size town to support two universities and some cultural activities. There are a lot of golf courses and a big equestrian community here (the Olympic horse trials for the Eastern US are held here, just a few miles from my house). It has its bad parts, but about 95% of the crime is confined to the southwest quadrant, or at least that's how it seems to me. I live a few miles north of Interstate 10 and it is a very safe, very family-oriented area with lots of outdoor activities, bike trails, etc. The southeast, east and northeast sides of town are the nicest. Northwest is OK. West is student ghetto. Southwest is just plain ghetto, and a lot of trailer parks around the airport.

Downtown is nice and very safe, except for the area around the bus station and the north side of west Tennessee street ("Frenchtown").

[Ladywithafan]

It's a great place to vacation, just like anywhere else...but when it comes to working in your own playground, the sand just doesn't seem as soft anymore.

However, if you're coastal/near beach, yes, you can stop for a break before going home and catch some rays, & the 5:30 tan is the best...never a burn. Just knowing that you can go to the beach/ocean/gulf/park basically year round improves one's mental condition down here....

If you're a golfer, you've got your pick of courses all over the state.

If you don't like the beach, don't golf, don't tan, have experienced tourist traffic in Florida, this is not the place for you.



It's expensive everywhere; don't blame it all on Florida.

[JohnVosilla]

Originally Posted by macguy

With all due respect, I think you need a little reality check with some of your comments. A paradise? Beyond the beach Florida is a flat sandy state with nothing but scrub pine trees, sticker plants and palmettos. I can't imagine a less picturesque place and certainly not a paradise. Take a drive along the Blue ridge parkway and get back to me. Drive the Florida turnpike and after a few hundred miles of nothing you will find yourself saying, "What the hell are we moving here for". Most of what people come here for is just a manmade facade. They build a house, plant a few non native trees and roll out the lawn that even came from somewhere else and without careful care will just die on you anyway or be taken over by stickers, weeds and red ants. Florida can be nice but lets not get ridiculous.

I agree. Usually folks born and raised somewhere else who have never traveled much outside of their favorite FL vacation spot would think otherwise.. Good and bad in FL like most any place else. But being paradise and everything you could ever need or want is quite narrow focused. Whatever makes you happy I guess..

[SouthernBelle3]

Originally Posted by macguy

With all due respect, I think you need a little reality check with some of your comments. A paradise? Beyond the beach Florida is a flat sandy state with nothing but scrub pine trees, sticker plants and palmettos. I can't imagine a less picturesque place and certainly not a paradise. Take a drive along the Blue ridge parkway and get back to me. Drive the Florida turnpike and after a few hundred miles of nothing you will find yourself saying, "What the hell are we moving here for". Most of what people come here for is just a manmade facade. They build a house, plant a few non native trees and roll out the lawn that even came from somewhere else and without careful care will just die on you anyway or be taken over by stickers, weeds and red ants. Florida can be nice but lets not get ridiculous.

I have taken a drive along the Blue Ridge, and Florida scrub is still beautiful to me. I hate driving up and down mountians. What a pain. I much prefer flat straight roads

[JohnVosilla]

Originally Posted by icelady

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Hi JunoAqua"I have lived in South Fl. for 28 years. I moved here when i was 15. I have to say South Fl. has CHANGED BIG TIMES I live in Boca Raton. s I feel that there are very nice areas in Fl. to live in. You are from New York so I think you are use to high cost of living. You might want to check out northern fl. However in Southern Fl. it is costly. Fl. is going through alot of changes right now. Fl. has alot of things to do however in my sitution I do not have time or make the time to do anything exciting. I am to busy plus I Do not have the extra money. You need to do the research before moving. Yes we have wonderful beaches. No I do not use them.&nbsp; As for homes it is a buyers market. However it is gettig harder to get a loan. As for the hurricans Been here for 28 years I am some what use to it know. I don't panic anymore i have mt routin of what needs to be done. You do have neg. on Fl. threads because of what is happening here. Especiaaly in South Fl. and it seems as residents we have no control of what is going on. src At least that is how I feel. As of right now I am being FORCED to leave Fl. since my insurance doubled I have enough money to make my bills and go food shopping for 1 more year.After that year if I am still here I don't know how I will manage. Well I wish you luck

South Florida certainly has changed. Hope things work out.
This state is so large and diverse. I was in Dade City and Brooksville recently. Not anywhere close to what it is like around Asheville and the Blue Ridge but it still very different compared to Boca.. cost, people, the landscape with real hills and oak trees ect....Hurricanes threat is minimal..

[soundbreeze]

This post is for the techie's who enjoy going out, enjoying life, and want to stretch their dollars in Florida.

Atlanta. 5 hours to the north.
New Orleans. 3 hours to the west.
Orlando. 8 hours to the south.
Biloxi. Two hours to the west.

Excellent centralized location. If you know those cities, then you know how much fun you can have in them. I visit every single one, every single year. Atlanta at leas 4-6 times per year. Biloxi once per month these past few years. Orlando 2x per year.

Technology jobs, while not paying as much as when I was in the Bay Area, or Atlanta, are plentiful and keep you WELL above the poverty line the peeps on this site continually gripe about.

You can get a nice Adams or Henry Company Home for less than $200k, and thats a 3 bed, 2 bath, in a nice area.

Fast access to the Gulf of Mexico, with the most beautiful beaches in the world, though my Aussie cousins will continue to argue w. me. (they still bring back the sand w.them though, lol!)

Everything you need shopping wise. All the major "big box" retailers are here (if I have to essplain it, then this post is not for you), as well as outlet stores in Foley, Alabama & Destin that have all the major designers.

We have Porsche, BMW & Mercedes Benz dealerships up and down I-10, so no worries w. respect to your import.

We have an excellent telecommunications infrastructure, w. Bellsouth/at&t being the primary LEC, along w. Cox, Mediacom, Time Warner Road Runner, Brighthouse, etc.

We have all the major airlines coming in, and a recent study showed that we've had the busiest month yet, processing 160,000+ passengers through the airport.

We have an extremely proactive and award winning school district (Santa Rosa), as well a numerous successful manufacturing, publishing, technology & military, and pure research to commercial use entities in the area.

What city do I speak of?

Pensacola, FL.

[sunrico90]

Warning: All members are allowed to their opinion on any matter. Be civil, no personal attacks, flaming, or insults. We may attack ideas (politely) but we do no attack the speaker of the idea. Be careful with your words, there is a point where being direct crosses a line into blunt, in-your-face hostility.