[nita_disaster]

Hi. (before reading you should note that i mainly rambled and it might be hard to read. Especially if youre an English major).

I've left California twice to move to Florida... but only to be close to my family because they live here.

I've lived in Southern Cali and I've lived in Northern Cali. I would have to say that Florida is most similar to Southern California for a variety of reasons. The weather is almost similar but i'm sure that Florida offers better beaches. There are no mountains in Florida. If you love the mountains then be prepared for very flat living. Everything looks the same for miles upon miles and a lot of the land is undeveloped here with lots of bushes and trees (unless you plan on moving to Tampa or Orlando).

Its hard for young people to find anything to do. Especially if youre in a small town. I lived in the Bay Area of California (near san francisco) and have been to Berkeley, Santa Cruz, San Jose, etc. You will not find innovative and creative people here like you would find in California. You dont see the business men with briefcases on cellphones anywhere. We JUST got a Starbucks at the mall recently. The are no wireless coffee shop cafes. So the city person will not like it here.

My boyfriend just moved here for me from San Jose and he has been bored to death by the lack of social events for people under 30 that there is to do around here unless you want to drive 2 hours North to Tampa/St Pete.

California has Florida beat in every way except for the cost of living. I doubt I can ever afford to buy a house in California... not without a degree from Stanford.

however, we plan on abandoning Fl as soon as we get another chance. I think we're willing to live in a smaller place that is more expensive just to be in a better location that offers more opportunities and is more modern.

There are too many rednecks in Florida, and too many churches and "church" people who do more bad and dishonest things than people who are not religious! explain that one.

You dont have to go to church to believe in GOD. Stop building so many of them, jeebus!

Guys: if you love hot grandmas over 40 this is your place. The girls here I would rate at about a 5, compared with a 9 for cali girls. ... I cant say I have seen one hot guy here either. Lots of fat old people. Not the place if youre looking for love.

I guess what I can say positive is that if youre married and ready to retire then you should move here.
My parents initially came here because they had only lived in apts in california because they could not afford to buy a house. When they came here in 1994 they bought property over by JONES LOOP in Punta Gorda and moved into a house. Then they upgraded and moved into a bigger house. My mom got stuck working at Walgreens. My dad is a VP for Rubber Tree Tile and Carpet. Their plan was simple. Find a place where they can afford to buy and have a place for their 3 kids to grow up & away from the city life of the Bay Area. If you really must know what really happened to us kids from living here, ask me privately.

The exact opposite happens when you try to move your kid into a rural area so that way they can grow up right. Try looking at the crime rates for Florida. It has the worst. Sheltering your kid away from the city in an effort to have a "good" kid is just a fantasy. Kids with a lack of things to do or stimulus from their environment, I believe, are the worst kinds of kids. These are the kids who find trouble because they are bored and because the town offers them nothing to do.

Face it.

[OC2OC]

Well, add me to the list. Currently in Orange County, CA and moving to Orange County, FL in the next few months.

Though I haven't yet experienced living in Florida just yet, I can share some of my observations from past trips and comparative research done before buying the home in FL:

- Californians are better drivers;

- Highways are much cleaner;

- People in FL are very friendly but tend to be a bit xenophobic;

- You get more square footage per Dollar in FL;

- Air is much cleaner;

- FL lacks richness in cultural activities such as performing arts, museums, etc.

- Education- The public school system in FL need improvement.

Well, these are just a few from my notes. We're looking forward to moving to FL but have limited expectations. Nothing is the same, better or worse anywhere- just different. We're open minded and we'll make the best out of it.

[blauskies]

Originally Posted by OC2OC

Well, add me to the list. Currently in Orange County, CA and moving to Orange County, FL in the next few months.

Though I haven't yet experienced living in Florida just yet, I can share some of my observations from past trips and comparative research done before buying the home in FL:

- Californians are better drivers;

- Highways are much cleaner;

- People in FL are very friendly but tend to be a bit xenophobic;

- You get more square footage per Dollar in FL;

- Air is much cleaner;

- FL lacks richness in cultural activities such as performing arts, museums, etc.

- Education- The public school system in FL need improvement.

Well, these are just a few from my notes. We're looking forward to moving to FL but have limited expectations. Nothing is the same, better or worse anywhere- just different. We're open minded and we'll make the best out of it.

Central Florida is very different from South Florida, cultural activities, performing arts, museums and etc are bountiful here. "xenophobic" may exist in the panhandle, northern and parts of central FL probably due to the native floridians fear of urban sprawl, I can't blame them. You won't find it in South Florida because very few are native but from the Northeast USA.

California has better road systems, eventhough they are gridlocked around the major cities, you will find out very quickly once you frequent I-4 a few times. I see much more road improvement in South Florida with the explosion of growth. Though I avoid I-95 at rush hour.

[dennismpat]

To all you Californians either moving to considering a move to Florida:

If you absolutely LOVE shopping at Trader Joe's, be forewarned that there are absolutely NO Trader Joe's stores in the entire state of Florida. There is an older thread in the California forums where someone asked the forum regulars what their favorite grocery store chain was, and most respondents said Trader Joe's by a HUGE margin.

From perusing Trader Joe's website, it looks like the closest store to Florida is in Atlanta, GA.

Unbelievably, there are also no Trader Joe's stores in Colorado, either, despite the fact that many Californians have moved there.

[OC2OC]

Originally Posted by dennismpat

From perusing Trader Joe's website, it looks like the closest store to Florida is in Atlanta, GA.

Ok. That'll be a heck of a shopping trip. But how can I possibly live without my organic chocolate covered pistachios?!? Publix will do just fine I guess. We need to start saving $$

[Nicoli]

I've lived in Ohio for 20 years, drove west till I ran outta land and turned out to be SF, CA...for 7 years...then went to NYC (Manhattan) and lived though 9-11 taking care of sick family...and more sick family back in Ohio Toledo, passing away last year....now (OMG) time to live my life again...heading Federal Jobs Program and they sending me to Key West if I'm lucky. God Bless America....the midwest can drown in its own...

[brian_2]

" From perusing Trader Joe's website, it looks like the closest store to Florida is in Atlanta, GA."

dennismpat, this will change. Georgia didn't have TJ's, and I told relatives to just wait - they're coming. GA has TJ's now. The Albrecht boys from Germany who own TJ's, don't miss a chance to make more $$$$$$$$, they are amongst the richest families in the world for a very good reason.



nita_disaster, your post rings true from my experiences - especially your remarks about moving the kids to a rural area to keep them safe. I have plenty of stories about that popular misnomer.

I've lived in many, many places including LA/SF/Miami/Palm Beaches/NYC/NYS, and they all have there positives & negatives. I remember walking through the debris visiting the 9/11 site, I remember seeing the stick-like denuded trees and damaged homes in Cutler Ridge after Andrew, I remember being shaken out of bed in the Valley after the Northridge quake when the water in our apartment pool was splashing from one end to the other from the motion. Looking back on these life experiences, I wouldn't have missed them for the world.
I b___ & moan with the best of them, but really people should just embrace what they have where they have it. ps. I sure could go for some Cuban food and/or some Stone Crabs with Mustard Sauce!

[moving again and again]

I lived in Ventura County, CA for 5 years and have recently relocated to Oregon as many, MANY people have done due to the outrageous real estate costs in CA. I can't say Oregon is any better, but it's cheaper. I have lived in Florida as well and am moving back there at the end of the year for many reasons. It's warm, unlike SoCal, unless you live inland, and then it's just hotter than a desert. I always thought CA would be warm and beautiful like FL, but it's not. The beaches are not beautiful, the mountains are though and the surfing is awesome, but you always have to wear a wetsuit, cold water. The people? Hmm. It's a shallow state. It's Hollywood as I'm sure parts of Florida are, such as Miami. And all the people from CA are flocking to Oregon and trying to pass as natives, but I can see right through their fakeness. I think the East Coast is more real, as far as people go, but I could be wrong. I think FL has that southern hospitality charm and thankfully the further south you go in FL, the less likely you are to see Confederate flags. Orlando, West Palm, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, the Keys, these are places I would flock to in FL from what I have read on the internet about "liberal" areas of FL. I'd say, if you can afford to live in CA, do it, but if you can't, move to FL, but not too close to the coast. Gotta keep in mind the hurricanes.

[MetalNun]

I ran across this discussion while doing a Google search for Trader Joe's here in FL and as far as I can tell, it appears we don't have any, although there may be plans to open one or more in South Florida, i.e. West Palm or Miami which are the closest thing we have to "civilization" here... I currently live on 9 acres in Panama City, FL where I am in the process of building a new house out of Aercon (AAC) in hopes of having a structure that will stand a chance of surviving the hurricanes. I lived here for a year in 9th grade where I attended a private "Christian" school which effectively turned me off to Christ for the next 13 years. I also got my B.A. at FSU in Tallahassee, and vowed to escape this "redneck swampland" and never to return! Upon graduation I moved to California (where I had spent several years as a child) and absolutely LOVED it. I have lived in the SF Bay area, Orange County and Santa Barbara. The people are so wonderful, so open minded and accepting of different cultures, etc. I always felt at Home in California and even met some Christians who were NOT fundies (wow - what a revelation). I had my choice of high-paying jobs and although I could not afford to buy a home, I had a very decent standard of living without having to work too many hours. I returned to FL in 1994 to be near family. The good news: I was able to buy 9 acres waterfront (spring-fed pond and stream with waterfalls) wetlands, forest and meadows about 15 miles from the beach, with a nice "manufactured home." We sometimes have surfable waves. The bad news: There are hardly any decent jobs here. I am now working (via internet) for a company in San Diego! Nearly all my friends are broke. The "culture" consists of Girls Gone Wild and The Mall, which only very recently got a Starbucks (exotic!). Fortunately we do have an excellent karaoke bar on the beach. The traffic is terrible; people here could not drive their way out of a wet paper bag and don't know what their turn signals are for, and the car insurance rates reflect that. The schools are deplorable and kids are bored and looking for trouble. There is rampant obesity (fried "southern" foods are very popular and let's face it, what else is there to do but EAT?) and lots of men named "Bubba" many of whom lack some teeth. (There is no Kaiser or similar affordable health insurance here in FL.) There is a church on nearly every corner, but there is not a lot of Christian compassion for people who are "different" including but not limited to, sexual orientation and race (I was shocked by the prejudice that is still commonplace in this neck of the woods). Things are somewhat better further south, where I lived for a while in Largo (near Tampa), but still a far cry from the lifestyle I had in California. Land is somewhat affordable IF you can get a decent job (big IF) or if you retired with money from another state, but most other things are more expensive than CA, e.g. fruits and vegetables, milk, bread, wine, etc. Wine is nearly double what I used to pay in CA. And you can forget about finding the delicacies that Trader Joe's spoiled us with; if you're lucky, Publix MIGHT have it. Fortunately I have enough land to grow my own organic vegetables but had to seriously enrich the sandy soil with horse manure to really get anything to grow, unlike in CA where I could accidentally drop a seed on the ground and have lush crops without even trying. The bugs are really BAD here, too! And the reason I am building the Aercon house is because statistically with all the hurricanes, my lovely "manufactured home" doesn't stand a chance in the long run. (Which is why homeowner's insurance is so expensive here and some folks cannot even get insurance.) Here in Panama City it is freaking HOT in the summer and pretty darn cold in the winter (gets down to freezing or below). Don't mean to whine and complain, I have a good life here, and it is a big thrill to be able to own land and horses (too expensive in California), BUT anyone thinking about moving from CA to FL should be advised that you may be in for some serious Culture Shock!! Feel free to email me if any questions.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by MetalNun

I ran across this discussion while doing a Google search for Trader Joe's here in FL and as far as I can tell, it appears we don't have any, although there may be plans to open one or more in South Florida, i.e. West Palm or Miami which are the closest thing we have to "civilization" here... I currently live on 9 acres in Panama City, FL where I am in the process of building a new house out of Aercon (AAC) in hopes of having a structure that will stand a chance of surviving the hurricanes. I lived here for a year in 9th grade where I attended a private "Christian" school which effectively turned me off to Christ for the next 13 years. I also got my B.A. at FSU in Tallahassee, and vowed to escape this "redneck swampland" and never to return! Upon graduation I moved to California (where I had spent several years as a child) and absolutely LOVED it. I have lived in the SF Bay area, Orange County and Santa Barbara. The people are so wonderful, so open minded and accepting of different cultures, etc. I always felt at Home in California and even met some Christians who were NOT fundies (wow - what a revelation). I had my choice of high-paying jobs and although I could not afford to buy a home, I had a very decent standard of living without having to work too many hours. I returned to FL in 1994 to be near family. The good news: I was able to buy 9 acres waterfront (spring-fed pond and stream with waterfalls) wetlands, forest and meadows about 15 miles from the beach, with a nice "manufactured home." We sometimes have surfable waves. The bad news: There are hardly any decent jobs here. I am now working (via internet) for a company in San Diego! Nearly all my friends are broke. The "culture" consists of Girls Gone Wild and The Mall, which only very recently got a Starbucks (exotic!). Fortunately we do have an excellent karaoke bar on the beach. The traffic is terrible; people here could not drive their way out of a wet paper bag and don't know what their turn signals are for, and the car insurance rates reflect that. The schools are deplorable and kids are bored and looking for trouble. There is rampant obesity (fried "southern" foods are very popular and let's face it, what else is there to do but EAT?) and lots of men named "Bubba" many of whom lack some teeth. (There is no Kaiser or similar affordable health insurance here in FL.) There is a church on nearly every corner, but there is not a lot of Christian compassion for people who are "different" including but not limited to, sexual orientation and race (I was shocked by the prejudice that is still commonplace in this neck of the woods). Things are somewhat better further south, where I lived for a while in Largo (near Tampa), but still a far cry from the lifestyle I had in California. Land is somewhat affordable IF you can get a decent job (big IF) or if you retired with money from another state, but most other things are more expensive than CA, e.g. fruits and vegetables, milk, bread, wine, etc. Wine is nearly double what I used to pay in CA. And you can forget about finding the delicacies that Trader Joe's spoiled us with; if you're lucky, Publix MIGHT have it. Fortunately I have enough land to grow my own organic vegetables but had to seriously enrich the sandy soil with horse manure to really get anything to grow, unlike in CA where I could accidentally drop a seed on the ground and have lush crops without even trying. The bugs are really BAD here, too! And the reason I am building the Aercon house is because statistically with all the hurricanes, my lovely "manufactured home" doesn't stand a chance in the long run. (Which is why homeowner's insurance is so expensive here and some folks cannot even get insurance.) Here in Panama City it is freaking HOT in the summer and pretty darn cold in the winter (gets down to freezing or below). Don't mean to whine and complain, I have a good life here, and it is a big thrill to be able to own land and horses (too expensive in California), BUT anyone thinking about moving from CA to FL should be advised that you may be in for some serious Culture Shock!! Feel free to email me if any questions.

The thing is, it is NOT that way all over Florida - many of the northern cities such as where you are, and towns are more like the "old South." From the central part of Florida to south we have many beautiful cities with lots of arts, culture and amenities. As to Trader Joe's, there aren't any here due to lack of distribution centers, it has nothing to do with "civilization." You should really try out another area of Florida before bashing the whole state.