Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
^^^ Many people move to Florida and then figure out Florida isn't for them, and then they move half way back home to the Carolinas or Virginia. Not as cold as New England, but not as hot as Florida. Thats where the term half-backs comes from.
Naw Jambo, don't have it closed because a few hellraisers come up in here. I'm enjoying your thread & the opinions of the posters. You already know that if anyone say's anything the least bit negative regarding FL a certain "crew" will challenge & try to intimidate the poster, well we're use to their guerilla tactics but won't submit to their oppression, I encourage posters to say what you will & ignore the FL cheerleaders. I went thru the same thing on this forum as well as the DE forum when I spewed my negative feelings but it was ok cause I stood my ground regardless of the opposition.
Maybe you should read the entire thread. This thread took a turn after the first few comments or so when Marielamb basically negated the positive experiences that some transplants had. There's nothing wrong with posting your NEGATIVE experiences but discount the thoughts of others. This thread is about YOU and and what you've experienced. What's the purpose of making a statement like this: "I think lots of people who love Florida either never lived anywhere else, or came from some real dump, or a place where is snows 9 months a year. (there are states between upper new York and Florida, FYI...)”
I’m aware that there are other states. It's insulting and off putting that someone's first post would be to tear down the previously stated opinions. Keep the thread about your OWN experience and keep it moving. No need to tag….”well I hate florida and these other people must be crazy” or vice versa. If you actually read the previous comments, people were giving as full of an overview as they had. It’s ridiculous that it would hit a nerve in such a way. Some people came looking for a battle. I can see that now.
I do not think Florida has "cheap gas". But you are always about .35 lower than NY.
If you drive 15,000 miles per year and get 25 mpg you will save approximately $15 per month.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Not4longNY
I know all about the the Car Reg. NY charges over $150 yrly and Inspections are required annually.
The price here to register a car is about $50 per year (depends on the weight). So your savings are approximately $8 per month.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Not4longNY
Most can't afford a home here. You would pay over $250,000 for a fixer upper in a "decent area".
Housing is higher in NY but most people here can't afford homes either. You see although prices are slightly lower in FL, wages are MUCH MUCH MUCH lower. You $25 per hour NY worker is making $15 per hour here. So while he might be saving $15 a month on gas they will be taking in $1600 a month less in income. Your average $15 per hour worker can afford an $80K home but single family fixer uppers in "decent" neighborhoods cost more than that (at least in Fort Lauderdale).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Not4longNY
My Homeowners Ins is over $2100 a yr. Is that cheap? I know Florida property taxes have gotten higher, but most in Fla don't pay half of what I pay.
Homeowners insurance in my area will cost more than $2100 per year. When I moved from NY in 2000 my property taxes in Westchester County were $7000 per year. My property taxes in Broward County were around $6000 on similar value homes ($370K range). However, my homeowners insurance more than made up the difference.
Car insurance is higher in FL than NY. Ours went up when we moved from Westchester to Broward.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Not4longNY
I see Cops making over $200k a yr and Teachers making over $100k a year. I have a civil sevice job as well but I dont make anywhere near that. Things are bad up here and will probably get worse.
Cops and teachers do not make that much money here. They make low wages like the rest of FL workers.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Not4longNY
I have also read some mention the rudeness of some people in Fla. Is Fla the rudeness Capitol? I think not. Try driving on the LIE and getting flipped off and cursed at every 2 mins. Also, the conditions of our roads is ridiculous. We pay huge taxes and the roads and bridges are falling apart. I am not looking for Utopia, but I am looking to slow down and have a better life style for less money. To think that I will have to pay $13 next week to drive across the Verrazano Bridge on my way down to Fla is sickening.
People are rude here but I think there are rude people everywhere. I don't think FL has a monopoly on rude people. Besides, as long as I have good friends that I like it really makes no difference to me if other people are rude. They can only ruin my day if I let them and I choose not to let them.
I think that FL is a good option for people who can make the same income as they could have made up north. My husband is a lawyer and can charge rates that are competitive on a national basis because his area of specialty is national. So we can live well here. However, for those who have to work to support their family I have to caution them about making the move. You may save some money on a few small items but the items that you spend the most money on will not be that much lower.
Retirees find it appealing as there is no state income tax here. That does save quite a bit of money for higher income earners.
Overall, we have been happy in FL. However, I always caution people who want to move here just because they think it will be cheaper to be careful. For workers it's not always a good tradeoff. For retirees it can be a very nice place. For those who can maintain the same income in FL as they had in other places it can be a good tradeoff.
I think that FL is a great place for some, not so great for others.
Maybe you should read the entire thread. This thread took a turn after the first few comments or so when Marielamb basically negated the positive experiences that some transplants had. There's nothing wrong with posting your NEGATIVE experiences but discount the thoughts of others. This thread is about YOU and and what you've experienced. What's the purpose of making a statement like this: "I think lots of people who love Florida either never lived anywhere else, or came from some real dump, or a place where is snows 9 months a year. (there are states between upper new York and Florida, FYI...)”
I’m aware that there are other states. It's insulting and off putting that someone's first post would be to tear down the previously stated opinions. Keep the thread about your OWN experience and keep it moving. No need to tag….”well I hate florida and these other people must be crazy” or vice versa. If you actually read the previous comments, people were giving as full of an overview as they had. It’s ridiculous that it would hit a nerve in such a way. Some people came looking for a battle. I can see that now.
Seems like the only nerve that was hit was your own. You are referring to post #28 which is far into the thread, not after the 1st few comments. She didn't "tag" her post onto anyone's, she expressed her opinions & experiences in which she has the right to do so. Why take it so personally, see that's the problem I have with the pro-FL folks as well as my own state.
Probably something you wont find on research is the dreaded highway 19 going north from St Petersburg, if you are considering relocating to the area you dont want to live where you will be using this road a whole lot as its one dangerous road that is similar to an interstate highway with traffic lights,turn offs and businesses along the entire length from St Pete to Weeki Wachee. 34th St N to Commercial Way - Google Maps
Quote:
The Most Dangerous Road in the United States
According to Dateline NBC, US 19 from Pasco County to Pinellas County in Florida is the most dangerous highway in the United States. A five-year study found that an average of 52 fatal traffic accidents occurred here each year. Approximately 20 pedestrians were killed along this stretch of road each year.
Here's what I don't get. So many posts from New Yorkers Moving down to Florida talk about how they're wanting to live a more relaxed, laid back lifestyle, how rude people are in New York, how expensive - and then the only place they consider moving is Florida! South florida! Then, what you have is the south/east side of the state, where everyone (seemingly) is from new York or new jersey, and you are again surrounded by the same rude, stressed out, angry people, all vying for the same piece of expensive real estate- just in a warmer climate. If people were serious about wanting to de-stress, looking for a laid back atmosphere with really friendly people in a warmer climate, I think the Carolinas, Virginia, maybe Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland would be much better bets. So, secretly, I think people from Ny/NJ who come to Florida (esp. Southern Florida) wanting to find a more laid back atmosphere are full of it. They just want to live in New York and be warmer.
I have to disagree with you there....We moved from NJ to NC then to South Florida, We love Florida for what i has to offer and we aren't full of crap..We know what we like in life and what kind of people we want as friends etc, and from what we have found living here in 3 years it really isn't any different than living in any of the 5 states we have lived in...We are Brooklyn natives and find florida to be what we were looking for.....HOWEVER with all that said, the Cost of Living in South Florida is almost what our expenses were in NJ but we knew that going into our move from NC to FL in 09.......Everyone runs from something but in the end they find that one place is really not much different than the other place maybe a few exceptions like nicer people but overall Every place has all its negatives but it also doesn't mean that where one doesn't find happiness the next person will....We have moved Alot for my DH's Career and well encountered all sorts of people and our favorite places were NC and FL and we didn't Love NC but we didn't hate it either so the same could be said for those who feel the same way about Florida....the bottom line is there is no such thing as Utopia...and for us South Florida was alot better than NY or NJ....
Probably something you wont find on research is the dreaded highway 19 going north from St Petersburg, if you are considering relocating to the area you dont want to live where you will be using this road a whole lot as its one dangerous road that is similar to an interstate highway with traffic lights,turn offs and businesses along the entire length from St Pete to Weeki Wachee. 34th St N to Commercial Way - Google Maps
There are a lot of dangerous roads in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, but 19 is by far the worst.
I think that FL is a good option for people who can make the same income as they could have made up north. My husband is a lawyer and can charge rates that are competitive on a national basis because his area of specialty is national. So we can live well here. However, for those who have to work to support their family I have to caution them about making the move. You may save some money on a few small items but the items that you spend the most money on will not be that much lower.
Retirees find it appealing as there is no state income tax here. That does save quite a bit of money for higher income earners.
Overall, we have been happy in FL. However, I always caution people who want to move here just because they think it will be cheaper to be careful. For workers it's not always a good tradeoff. For retirees it can be a very nice place. For those who can maintain the same income in FL as they had in other places it can be a good tradeoff.
I think that FL is a great place for some, not so great for others.
I agree with this.
Florida has a reputation for being a low cost retirement state. What people don't realize is the reason you can afford to retire here is you likely have downsized your lifestyle, therefore it costs less for you to live than you were used to because you are retired.
A lot of retirees sell their paid-off home up north and buy a smaller one here, for cash. A huge monthly expense gone.
It doesn't matter if you are retired or not, nor where you are, you can live cheaper anywhere by downsizing. I think a lot of folks miss that point when they want to move here and are not retired. We have the rat race here, too. They can't or don't want to downsize since the kids are coming with them and have the same standard of living-and the expenses that go with it-here in Florida.
Florida has a reputation for being a low cost retirement state. What people don't realize is the reason you can afford to retire here is you likely have downsized your lifestyle, therefore it costs less for you to live than you were used to because you are retired.
A lot of retirees sell their paid-off home up north and buy a smaller one here, for cash. A huge monthly expense gone.
It doesn't matter if you are retired or not, nor where you are, you can live cheaper anywhere by downsizing. I think a lot of folks miss that point when they want to move here and are not retired. We have the rat race here, too. They can't or don't want to downsize since the kids are coming with them and have the same standard of living-and the expenses that go with it-here in Florida.
Plus-their downsized lifestyle is being supported by an income earned in a higher earning place. If someone tells me that they can earn 90% of what they earn where they are now then I say go for it. But if someone wants to move here just because they think it is cheaper than where they are now I always tell them to rethink it.
It is less expensive to live here than the most expensive states in the US. But it is not dirt cheap and wages are low. Now if someone is a well paid health care person, or employed by an employer who will pay them the same regardless of where they live then it may be a great deal for them. If someone runs a business that earns the same income regardless of location then FL can be a good place to live.
I think that there are pluses and minuses to daily life anywhere. Since people are different it is hard to assess whether a particular person will like a specific location. Money is easier to assess but living in my area (Fort Lauderdale) is not that much cheaper than other places.
you dont want to live where you will be using this road a whole lot as its one dangerous road that is similar to an interstate highway with traffic lights,turn offs and businesses along the entire length from St Pete to Weeki Wachee. 34th St N to Commercial Way - Google Maps
Looks like decent road to me, visit Bulgaria, and see how people protest by fishing in the holes on the roads.. I'm sure, I'll like Florida!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm sure, I'll like Florida!
