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I really don't care for NY especially the weather. We currently live in a very small town which I also dislike. I am looking for in between small town and big city though am not opposed to big city if I can know the safer areas to live. My biggest concern is my teenage daughter, going from small town to big city. Prefer a private rental home but will consider townhouse etc... Don't care who I live by as long as they are nice and respectful. Love the tropical climate and would love a home near the beach but I am sure that is way out of our price range.
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Originally Posted by lynne921
I agree I just wasn't sure how soon would be to soon. I was told that the trucking industry was pretty good in jacksonville and that my husband would have an easier time finding work there...
Jacksonville would be a good option for you and there are a few nearby communities to check out that will offer that in-between feel of small town security with bigger city amenities. Jacksonville's south side has communities like Julington Creek and Durbin Crossing (located in neighboring St John's County), which has the top-rated school district in the state. Just across the St John's River on the SW side of Jacksonville is Fleming Island, which is part of Clay County and it also has good schools (within the Top 12 in the state). Up on the extreme north side of Jacksonville is Fernandina Beach, which has a more laidback, beachy feel and also good schools (Nassau County is Top 10 in the state). Of the three it might be the better location for your husband's job given it's proximity to both the airport and Port of Jacksonville, an area where there's a lot of truck terminals/warehouses. In addition the traffic is much less congested on the northside than the southside during peak commute times.
I really don't care for NY especially the weather. We currently live in a very small town which I also dislike. I am looking for in between small town and big city though am not opposed to big city if I can know the safer areas to live. My biggest concern is my teenage daughter, going from small town to big city. Prefer a private rental home but will consider townhouse etc... Don't care who I live by as long as they are nice and respectful. Love the tropical climate and would love a home near the beach but I am sure that is way out of our price range.
If you want warm, stay south of the fort Myers/West Palm Beach line. I live in Tampa bay, and I am freezing my Arse Off right now. This whole week, the high isn't getting out of the 60's.
Pasco county FL is still close to TAMPA region of FL but less expensive, less crowded and more beautiful.
The homes here , you can get some great deals on New construction. Trinity area and land O lakes off of state rd 54 -- its located to New Port Richey (which many call New York Richey because we have many transient homeowners. Lennar is top builder in the region , but there are many new construction builders here and prices are still affordable, A rated schools!
Dont let the negative posters get you down. You really have to weigh what people are posting though because sometimes they do have some good solid information mixed in with their negativity. Best thing to do is to look back at their previous posts and see if they are always singing the same tune.
The internet is your friend. You can read the local newspapers in places of interest and watch their news programs. You can gain a lot of knowledge by doing that or just subscribe to the local n newspaper and get the Sunday only edition. Another wealth of info.
There are several job web sites. Monster, Careerbuilder and Indeed.Com all should help figure out what jobs are available and where. The big problem is being out of state. Perhaps you can use a friend or relatives mailing address so it appears you are here. Some employers dont care but may tell you "give us a call when you get here and get settled in".
CD can be a good source of inside scoop info, but it gets very tainted with misinformation and plain old bs. Again, weigh the sources carefully.
I am on the West coast in a bedroom community called Spring Hill. Tampa is 45 miles away so as far as providing big city info I am at a loss though we lived in Orlando for 17 years. We are not fond of cities anymore. We grew up in NYC and Orlando was nice in 1988-1998 or so and then it started getting crowded and the quality of life dropped.
You can also get a lot of info about utilities, rents, grocery prices from various web sources.
Good Luck
Quote:
Originally Posted by lynne921
I am hoping to relocate from NY to the Florida area around the beginning of July. I have been reading through several forums on this site and others and have become discouraged from the things people have to say about Florida. While I went into this knowing that everyone has different perceptions and some just thrive on negativity I have to admit I have still become alarmed. I am trying to keep in mind that crime, a lack of jobs, and a less than great school system is everywhere. However what has concerned me is the forums that directly insult everyone from NY and how they blame New Yorkers for the problems in Florida. I also have been concerned over how many forums are saying racism is alive and thriving in Florida… while I am not trying to be naive, of course it exists; I just thought Florida had become more diverse than some other areas. So with that being said, I am hoping to get some genuine responses on what the Florida area is really like.
My husband and I have chosen Florida to relocate because of the weather. (I would look into California but my husband won’t move that far from family.) I have Multiple Sclerosis and have permanent nerve damage to the entire left side and the cold weather is just brutal for me (I leave home only when necessary because of the cold.). My father is moving with us and has degenerative back problems, barely being able to stand, and the cold weather is becoming difficult for him to tolerate as well. Therefore, it will be myself, my husband, my father, and my teenage daughter. We had originally looked into SC but after visiting were not real impressed with the area or the weather. Yes warmer… but still a bit to cool for me. The cost of living being lower of course was accompanied by lower wages. When I began my search on the Florida area trying to find a place that is affordable and family friendly I found several towns that met the family part but not the affordability part. I would prefer a town with lower crime rates, decent schools, near public beaches, with positive things for a teenager to do, and within reasonable commute to ample jobs. My husband will be looking for work (and has the most work experience) in the trucking industry. He has his CDL and has driven OTR, worked as an emergency repair dispatcher and as a service writer. While he would prefer to be back in the office (dispatcher, service writer etc…) he will do OTR driving again if needed. He currently is working for a landscaping company driving flatbed and dump trucks and operating various heavy equipment. I am on disability because of my MS but am also working on my bachelor’s degree hoping that maybe someday I will feel well enough to go back to work. My daughter is going to be in 10th grade by the time we relocate….
Our plan is for him to come down around June to find work. Once he finds work he will hopefully secure a place to rent for us to come down. I had been interested in Cape Coral area but keep finding many negative things about the area. While Cape Coral has a larger population than what I was looking for it seemed to have decent schools, lower crime rates and affordable housing while being within reason for my husband to commute….. I would have preferred some smaller areas but they seem to be way out of our level of affordability. Another area I had looked at was Palm Coast… though forums I have read indicate bad crime and a very big dislike for people from NY. I am not looking to move to a place where we will not be welcomed… I have enough to worry about with my health….
So please, if anyone could please offer some input to the realities of Florida living, pros and cons, best places to reside for families that include affordable living, as well as most possibility of my husband finding employment I would be very appreciative.
Jacksonville would be a good option for you and there are a few nearby communities to check out that will offer that in-between feel of small town security with bigger city amenities. Jacksonville's south side has communities like Julington Creek and Durbin Crossing (located in neighboring St John's County), which has the top-rated school district in the state. Just across the St John's River on the SW side of Jacksonville is Fleming Island, which is part of Clay County and it also has good schools (within the Top 12 in the state). Up on the extreme north side of Jacksonville is Fernandina Beach, which has a more laidback, beachy feel and also good schools (Nassau County is Top 10 in the state). Of the three it might be the better location for your husband's job given it's proximity to both the airport and Port of Jacksonville, an area where there's a lot of truck terminals/warehouses. In addition the traffic is much less congested on the northside than the southside during peak commute times.
A old high school acquaintance actually suggested Jacksonville. She lived there several years ago and now lives in Orlando. We were a little concerned because we have heard certain areas are very conservative and we my daughter and I are liberal... husband liberal with a touch of conservative upbringing. Thanks for the recommendation... I will keep this on the list to research further!
If you want warm, stay south of the fort Myers/West Palm Beach line. I live in Tampa bay, and I am freezing my Arse Off right now. This whole week, the high isn't getting out of the 60's.
I think at first 60 degrees would be fantastic! (It is currently 38 here ) Which brings up a question my daughter asked... how long does it usually take to become more acclimated with the weather change.... I mean I am sure for the first year or two we will be loving the winter temps because we are used to way colder but I know that will not last.... just curious...I am sure it is different with everyone...
Pasco county FL is still close to TAMPA region of FL but less expensive, less crowded and more beautiful.
The homes here , you can get some great deals on New construction. Trinity area and land O lakes off of state rd 54 -- its located to New Port Richey (which many call New York Richey because we have many transient homeowners. Lennar is top builder in the region , but there are many new construction builders here and prices are still affordable, A rated schools!
Thanks for the suggestion... I will look into Pasco county... we won't be buying anytime soon... my youngest is almost 15 with three years left of school so we will probably rent to keep ourselves flexible if we need to downgrade when she leaves for college.... which poses another question... previous threads have placed renters as the reason for the decline, drugs and criminal activity in many of the cities/towns/neighborhoods..... This is a bit scary as we will be renters.... any suggestions how to determine a good rental area from a bad? I have heard that it is hard to tell just by looking because it is not uncommon to find a really nice rental with nice kept up yard and good renters then have two or three homes that aren't so great with not so good renters?
Dont let the negative posters get you down. You really have to weigh what people are posting though because sometimes they do have some good solid information mixed in with their negativity. Best thing to do is to look back at their previous posts and see if they are always singing the same tune.
The internet is your friend. You can read the local newspapers in places of interest and watch their news programs. You can gain a lot of knowledge by doing that or just subscribe to the local n newspaper and get the Sunday only edition. Another wealth of info.
There are several job web sites. Monster, Careerbuilder and Indeed.Com all should help figure out what jobs are available and where. The big problem is being out of state. Perhaps you can use a friend or relatives mailing address so it appears you are here. Some employers dont care but may tell you "give us a call when you get here and get settled in".
CD can be a good source of inside scoop info, but it gets very tainted with misinformation and plain old bs. Again, weigh the sources carefully.
I am on the West coast in a bedroom community called Spring Hill. Tampa is 45 miles away so as far as providing big city info I am at a loss though we lived in Orlando for 17 years. We are not fond of cities anymore. We grew up in NYC and Orlando was nice in 1988-1998 or so and then it started getting crowded and the quality of life dropped.
You can also get a lot of info about utilities, rents, grocery prices from various web sources.
Good Luck
Thank you thank you for your encouragement. It has been a rather daunting task I must say.... it is so much more difficult than we anticipated because we do come from such a small town therefore it is difficult to even compare with other areas on what to expect.... the town we live in now has a population of around 1500 and the closest city after this one is a half hour away with only around 11,000...(there are other small towns with the same or less population in between) the closest city with a substantial population is around an hour drive from us (approx. 210,000 people) and what seems like a million miles away... a lot of country in between. Though we are looking to get out of such a rural area as it leaves very little to do... absolutely nothing for kids in the area which results in them being up to no good most of the time. Although I am willing to move to another small town if it is a relatively short distance to a larger area. I really wanted to be near the beach but so far all the places we are seeing a better fit are more inland, so I am thinking that will have to be a sacrifice... well hopefully I will find a rental with a pool at least for my daughter. I have been looking on hotpads.com and homes.com for rentals.... anyone know if those are reliable sources? Sometimes I see very nice homes for what seems to me like a steel.... and I question if it is for real?
The most important thing you can do is research yourself tons of info. Put your family in an area that is safe, has access to the jobs you need and of course as I mention before, spend foot time in a couple of days to get an idea.
I usually do not help liberals but you seem to be a sweet liberal so I will be straight up with you on my personal likes and dislikes.
I did not see if you have ever spent any time yourself in Florida.
As a gulf side lover myself I can see you liking more towards SE Florida myself based on the recent post of yours.
If you want warm, stay south of the fort Myers/West Palm Beach line. I live in Tampa bay, and I am freezing my Arse Off right now. This whole week, the high isn't getting out of the 60's.
It wont stay cold long. Coming up the frozen tundra up north 60 is too cold for us but we know it wont last long. Cant wait to hit hits 85+ again!!
* Treasure Island * one of my fav places to get shells.....
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) Which brings up a question my daughter asked... how long does it usually take to become more acclimated with the weather change.... I mean I am sure for the first year or two we will be loving the winter temps because we are used to way colder but I know that will not last.... just curious...I am sure it is different with everyone...
