[harrycrat]

Well,yes,I think I am...

[lilred0005]

Okay, nobody wants to hear incessant negative rants about a place, but that said, there is often some truth to the negative posts. For instance, I looked up the stats for Miami-Dade Co. this morn(which is how I found this thread). In the two yrs('04 & '05) that they list the crime stats, there were around 150 murders and around a 1000 rapes, not to mention the tens of thousands of cases of theft. Yes, I know big cities have these problems but that does not discount the fact that much of So. East Fla. does in fact have a great deal of crime. I remember a few yrs ago that there was a murder every day in Broward Co. for the first 6 or 7 days of the new year. Does this sound like paradise to you? How much are you willing to sacrifice for warm weather? Sadly, in the 33 yrs I've lived here I have seen whole neighboorhoods go from really nice communities to burned out ghettos where gun shots ring out in the night. I don't have a choice as I was born here, but I will be leaving soon. I'm just saying that maybe this is the reason why some ppl find North Fla to be the better choice. Not that I think that's a land of milk and honey either because no place is truly paradise, that doesn't exist. One thing in South Fla favor is that you can truly do your own thing, act as eccentric as you want, never set foot in a church, and truly march to the beat of a different drummer without fear of being ostracised or condemned like you would be in a small town environment like much of North Fla. If I went to the beach today in jeans and a regular shirt, went in the ocean like that, and then wandered around after, nobody would bat an eye as truly nobody cares! The downside to that however is you could be attacked in the middle of the street and nobody would help as they probably "wouldn't want to be involved in someone else's business". Look how many hit-&-run homicides we have down here as opposed to even North Florida. Lastly, everyone is different and what you or I may hate, someone else may love and value.

[Skarlett]

Jacksonville =/= all of North Florida. The only time I was in Jacksonville, I couldn't wait to leave. That being said, we were staying in a very questionable area, that is not a reflection on ALL of Jacksonville; but it is a reflection of things that the town will allow and further evolve into. If you look west, Florida actually goes on for some more miles. Tallahassee has some bad crime, but that seems true with all capitals (ahem! D.C).

I don't get the church reference, maybe because I'm Catholic and there aren't that many of us up here anyways so the Baptists don't spend their time looking for me at service.

I'm not a cop or a statistician, but I have noticed one serious thing about the crimes in North Florida versus any big city I have lived in previously, notably Chicago. The criminals here are sick. Instead of "run-of-the-mill" murders, and violence it's a lot of heads in the freezer, children starving to death because mom only left jello on the counter, child molesting.

I'm biased because I am in the military, but aside from weird-gross crime I'd rather be in an area dominated by military bases. We are generally regulated more than civillians. Some people don't want to live by us, and that's fine but I find we are better neighbors for the most part. Plus if you don't like us we leave for 6 months out of the year.

You are not going to find the culture you would be exposed to in Miami, say in Crestview, but you have to weigh that out. It takes longer for me to get to Orlando than to Atlanta. I'd rather go to Atlanta. I think that Destin's beaches are nicer than Miami, Daytona, or Ft. Lauderdales.

Truth be told, you are going to find "Floridians" everywhere. This is not just an annex of New York's elderly. It's actually a southern state. If you hate big dudes with pick-up trucks living in your neighborhood you will probably find less in southern Florida, but rest assured they are there.

[harrycrat]

Let's face it,nobody would shoot & even then nobody would watch...

CSI Jacksonville ,
or CSI Reno,
or CSI Albany...

Glamour is the spice of lifestyle...

[TheWatercolorist]

WOW!
Gotta love that Florida passion!!!
Seems to me that all of your posts speak to the incredible diversity in lifestyle, life preferences, racial and cultural differences that IS Florida. Speaking as an artist who is a native Floridian now living in the Midwest, I can say that I truly enjoy all of the enriching experiences Florida has to offer. I love to paint the rural life of the Panhandle and enjoy the quiet energy inherent in that region. But I also enjoy the cultural diversity, entertainment opportunities and high energy of the southern region of the state. It is the very fact that there is an opportunity to enjoy such varied of experiences in one state that keeps me coming home. Well, that and the fact that much of my family still lives in Panhandle.

I would suggest you all to look at the differences between North and South Florida not as a dichotomy but an opportunity to enjoy many different lifestyles, people and places all in your own home state. There are things to like and dislike about both, but IT’S FLORIDA! IT’S WARM. IT’S YOURS!!!

[harrycrat]

Just to enjoy the climate of Mia /SoFL is enough compensation for any shortcomings...

[Lior Arel]

Interesting thread! The various areas of Florida are different and offer varied lifestyles. Compare them? One may is well compare New York City to Portland, OR to Mesa, AZ! We all like what we like. There is no objective "better or worse". I love South Florida - love the tropical feel and the mix of cultures as well as the big city feel. I also love Jupiter, just on the edge of the South Florida Met. Naples on the other coast has a wonderful, serene get-a-way feel to it and the Tampa Bay area has its own charm. Many different things for many different people. I like 'em all!

[Innotech]

I live in Louisiana and cant really fathom leaving my beloved state, but if I had to live somewhere in Florida, my choice would be Tampa Bay. As a huge football fan I think Tampa is more invested in their team and would be more fun to heckle than Jax fans. But besides that, Tampa seems like the ideal location. Not too far from a weekend jaunt to a tropical coast, but far enough away from all the bustle, and yet populated enough to be interesting. Im not a fan of year around warm weather. I like cold snaps sometimes. I like the occasional though rare snowfall. Most of all, I kind of find the beach monotonous after too long. Its beautiful for a week but my God Id miss home so much on the mainland. Hell Im sure I could find some reasonably affordable property inland in Florida. It is an underrated area in my opinion, as is the panhandle.
Dont get me wrong. The allure of tropical paradise is undeniable. I would really love to visit white sand beaches and crystal green and blue waters again./ Id love to dive down and see the tropical fish in a million colors and the sheer ecstacy of life there. But living there, I say no thanks.

[StreetSmarts]

Originally Posted by harrymiafl

Just to enjoy the climate of Mia /SoFL is enough compensation for any shortcomings...

The climate is one reason why many people leave. A lot of people find the constant heat and humidity unbearable. I prefer the 4 seasons I get up here in Asheville NC (I'm a native Floridian), but the winters in FL are nice, especially north and central FL.

[Innotech]

Originally Posted by ComSense

The climate is one reason why many people leave. A lot of people find the constant heat and humidity unbearable. I prefer the 4 seasons I get up here in Asheville NC (I'm a native Floridian), but the winters in FL are nice, especially north and central FL.

exactly why Im not crazy about florida. I like variable weather, and I dont mean alternating between hot and rainy.
My Aunt lived in Hawaii. HAWAII. and she got bored of it because it was always the same weather, always the same temperatures, just never changing.
Frankly, that would drive me crazy.