[FringedNFab]

Originally Posted by LewLew

Funny,we moved back to NE OH where my husband is working for a Fortune 500 company that has not had a layoff in its 60 years of existence; our health insurance is $200 less a month but has no deductible & less copaymnet; we bought a home that is not the SWFL crappy built cookie cutter ranch; we are not surrounded by snowbirds who are cranky, grumpy & plain out nasty; my child has seen more children in 2 weeks than he did all summer in SW FL b/c it is impossible to go out & play in 110 degree heat indexes for weeks & weeks. We have all our family & friends around & live in on of the best school districts in the state.

I think you just made your point here. By the sound of things...SWFL burnt you somehow. Maybe that 75 year old guy drove 10 miles an hour in front of you for too long, but the "cranky, grumpy, plain ol' nasty" old people you speak of are glad to be rid of you the "pompous, overly-opinionated negative person". You also mention that you have your family and friends nearby...well, most people who have that nearby like where they live, and we are so happy for you. I went to the Shaker Heights school distric my whole life, and am thankful for that. I'm glad your children will get the best of the best Ohio has to offer them. Just be prepared for them to hightail it out of there to never return once they go to college. The US has a lot to offer, and you should really broaden your horizons. It's obvious you didn't go to the same schools as your children. My apologies for whomever or whatever bit you in the a** in SWFL.

lol LewLew

[FringedNFab]

Originally Posted by firemed

I just love this site!

I'm starting to think there are some people who aren't happy ANYWHERE.

[paradiddle]

You really should read the local papers, take a plane ride down, check the MLS etc....

Abandoned construction sites

There is NOTHING to do in North Port. That's fine for a lot of people. You CAN
get a lot of house in NP. You should be able to get the deal of the century at this point there is so many, many houses for sale. You MAY be stuck on a bad, undeveloped street, with bad neighbors, Grow house or NO house. I have freinds that live there in a nice neighborhood but it's hit or miss (like all Fla neighborhoods). North Port is NOT near the beach (unlike what Eric Estrada said.) Then again it is as close to the beach as someone in Punta Gorda or Port Charlotte because they have no beach even though they are on the water. Englewood beach draws all the locals from NP, PC and Englewood.

If beach is important and money is tight, move to Old Englewood or South Venice. I remember when we were having our house built in 2003 and we were at the So. Venice model. A couple came in but wanted NP because it was cheaper. Location, Location, Location. I am a very short walk to boat launch, beach etc.

All the action is in Ft. Myers, Sarasota or Tampa. Port Charlotte has some night life but not high level...( I like Gatorz, great wings...)

I would recommend renting first........the deals will be here for quite awhile...

[paradiddle]

Originally Posted by allfurrdup

In neighboring Venice, the average is 67...

North Port gets a ton of lightening hits that fry a lot of peoples' computers, phones, and faxes. Get yourself a battery backup with a surge in it. A simple surge protector won't help you. On the other hand, hurricanes and lightening are both negative forces and I've heard that they never meet. That is why hurricane Charley took the right turn into Punta Gorda in 2004. Add it to the Indian mounds and the shallow waters off the coast, you're probably in a pretty safe from hurricanes area. That's what I keep telling myself and what others confirm.

Not to sway you, but you really need to look on the FL pedophiles list. There are a LOT of them in North Port for some reason. Heck, there are a lot of them in FL for that matter. Watch your kids and lock your doors.

allfurrdup

The joke here is: Sarasota is where the old people retire and THEIR parents live in Venice...

Lightning..... Tampa is the lightning capital of the world and you will see why...Quite the light show. this year was dry, but monsoon rains usually in summer. I remember seeing lightning hits in NP while driving home from FM on Rt 75. Trees were on fire.... We have surge supresors on everything but I think a good hit would smoke a computer or TV anyways. You would be unplugging a lot in the summer.

Pedophiles and criminal types. Fla is a magnet.... It's like seeing "Cops" everyday especially if you go to parts of Bradenton, Sarasota and Fort Myers.

Boca Grande is nice, you got to pay a toll to get in (Like Sanibel Island). That's how they keep the riff-raff out..... Only RICH people live there.

[FringedNFab]

Originally Posted by paradiddle

You really should read the local papers, take a plane ride down, check the MLS etc....

Abandoned construction sites

There is NOTHING to do in North Port. That's fine for a lot of people. You CAN
get a lot of house in NP. You should be able to get the deal of the century at this point there is so many, many houses for sale. You MAY be stuck on a bad, undeveloped street, with bad neighbors, Grow house or NO house. I have freinds that live there in a nice neighborhood but it's hit or miss (like all Fla neighborhoods). North Port is NOT near the beach (unlike what Eric Estrada said.) Then again it is as close to the beach as someone in Punta Gorda or Port Charlotte because they have no beach even though they are on the water. Englewood beach draws all the locals from NP, PC and Englewood.

If beach is important and money is tight, move to Old Englewood or South Venice. I remember when we were having our house built in 2003 and we were at the So. Venice model. A couple came in but wanted NP because it was cheaper. Location, Location, Location. I am a very short walk to boat launch, beach etc.

All the action is in Ft. Myers, Sarasota or Tampa. Port Charlotte has some night life but not high level...( I like Gatorz, great wings...)

I would recommend renting first........the deals will be here for quite awhile...

That's probably just what I'll do... till I decide to buy. Anyone familiar with Middletown Ohio? Talk about undeveloped this/that and horrible roads... they still haven't figured out what to do with "Lake Mistake" up here... and their bright idea to transform the Great Miami River into some sort of swimming hole back in 1988, when I was only 14. It never fell through. Money wasted.

[PG77]

Originally Posted by FringedNFab

That's probably just what I'll do... till I decide to buy. Anyone familiar with Middletown Ohio? Talk about undeveloped this/that and horrible roads... they still haven't figured out what to do with "Lake Mistake" up here... and their bright idea to transform the Great Miami River into some sort of swimming hole back in 1988, when I was only 14. It never fell through. Money wasted.

I am from Cincinnati and am a little familiar with Middletown. I remember it being pretty dreary

[FringedNFab]

Originally Posted by PG77

I am from Cincinnati and am a little familiar with Middletown. I remember it being pretty dreary

It has been all week! Ughhh..... this is another reason I want out of here.

[Sunnydee]

Originally Posted by FringedNFab

It has been all week! Ughhh..... this is another reason I want out of here.

I live in a northern suburb of Cincinnati, went to UC, and I agree with you 100%. Seven months of cold, gray, dreary days takes a toll on a person after decades. I intend to relocate to Florida as soon as it is economically feasible, too. Ohio's been a good place to grow up, get educated, work, and raise a family, but it's time to move on to warmer, sunnier locales. Unless these naysayers have actually lived in southwestern Ohio they have no idea what it's like here. I say go for it while you can and I feel sure PG77 would agree with me since he's walked in our shoes/snow boots. Good luck and I'm cheering for you.

[PG77]

Well, on your way, could you please pick up a LaRosa's pizza, some Gold Star Chili, some Frisch's, some White Castles and some Grippo potato chips, oh yeah, and Butternut Bread for me? Now, THOSE are the things I miss about Cincinnati!

[PG77]

Oh, gosh! I forgot! I'm not in Florida anymore, argh, could you please make a slight detour to Washington State? heheh