[FloridaKash]

We chose Florida over California.... for a couple reasons.

Housing in California is ridiculous.
California has State Income Tac.
California Air Quality is horrid... it's sad that such a beautiful place is always in a haze.
California's Traffic is absurd.


Really would have loved to move to California over Florida. It's close to where the majority of our family is, mountains and desert for desert racing. Buuuuuuut, I never would have been able to afford a decent home there and I cannot live breathing that type of air.

With that said. I very much love Tampa and am glad we moved here.

[CaligirlnFlorida]

I lived in southern California my entire life . I wanted to be a teacher so bad but couldn't afford the $18,000 credential program and cal state lice sure requirements . I moved to Florida and took an exam and with my 2 degrees I'm finally a teacher . I love love love Florida . The humidity feels good to me ( like a sauna ) but I love heat . I feel like a raisin slowly getting moisture back and turning into a grape ! Lol
I live south of Tampa on the gulf side and love the beach . It's so clean here and the people are really friendly . No tax , no smog , I love the food ! Cheaper gas prices than California . I'm paying 600 for a one bedroom verses 1200 in California. I only wish I moved out here sooner!
Easy life !

[Hawaii4evr]

I'm moving to Florida next year, going to Stetson U in DeLand. The times I've visited FL, I've loved the weather. It's warm, humid and you get thunderstorms. Everything is lush and green, like a rainforest. The wetlands are beautiful. The people are nice and laid-back, the beaches have light blue, warm water and the air is clean. In CA, the weather is nice as well, but not as warm, too dry and the air quality sucks. You do have pretty mountains there, but what's the point if the smog obscures them from view? And there's nothing green here. Everything is dried up and brown, and even in winter, when it rains, there isn't much of a difference. The people in CA are more fake also, and everyone is unbelievably busy. Not as laid back as everyone thinks. CA has some great beaches, especially for surfing (FL's beaches are as flat as the land), but the water is not as warm as FL's. On the plus side, the beaches in CA don't have highrises like the ones in FL do. CA beaches have much nicer scenery: palm trees (FL has a bigger variety of palms), hills and saltmarshes. FL has palm trees and buildings. That's it. And the sand is pretty much the same. I've lived in CA for such a long time and I can't wait to move to FL, for something cheaper and a new experience.

[MetalNun]

Calgirl, glad you were able to get your teaching credential here in Florida! If only the state were kinder to other professions. When I moved here in 1994 from California, I was quite surprised to learn that my Master's degree in psychology and my Ministerial Counselor credentials were not honored in FL and I cannot legally work as a counselor. I would have had to go back to school, get a whole NEW Master's degree (they would not accept transfer credits from my private California college) and then have a 2-year unpaid internship, which I could not afford to do. I ended up having to work as a "psychic" for MUCH lower pay.

Hawaii4evr, I hope you enjoy Florida. It's pretty nice if you are in college. But, it is "cheaper" only because decent jobs here are few and far between! Yes, the housing costs are significantly lower than in California, but good luck finding a job that will actually pay enough to cover rent, let alone a mortgage and property taxes. Where I live up here in Panama City, most of us need more than 1 job to be able to survive and everyone is constantly looking for more work. Yes, the beach is very nice (what you can see of it between all the tall buildings) but we hardly ever have time to go there because we have to work constantly.

On the plus side, IF you come here already having money, you can get houses unbelievably cheap. I tried selling my beautiful hurricane-proof Aercon (aerated autoclaved concrete) home last year because I am up to my eyeballs in debt and can't make a decent living and can't afford to pay the property taxes, but I was unable to get a single buyer despite lowering the price well below what it cost to build. This is because they are practically GIVING away nice homes close to the beach, e.g. I heard of a 3-bdr foreclosure selling for $50,000! So Florida is a fabulous place to be IF you have some other source of income or savings that you can bring with you.

[Hawaii4evr]

MetalNun, interestingly enough, I am also majoring in Psychology/Sociology. After I go to graduate school, I plan on settling down in Ft. Lauderdale.

[MetalNun]

Originally Posted by Hawaii4evr

MetalNun, interestingly enough, I am also majoring in Psychology/Sociology. After I go to graduate school, I plan on settling down in Ft. Lauderdale.

If you take a graduate program that is approved by the State Board you shouldn't have too much difficulty getting an internship and subsequent licensure in psychology or social work. I do know some people who have managed to get paid internships (when I first moved here they were mostly unpaid or even pay-to-be-supervised). I'm glad you know where you want to settle, because I found out the hard way, each state has their own rules about licensing! Ft. Lauderdale is one of the more prosperous areas. All the best to you!

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by planonmoving

I was born in California, lived in Tracy, San Francisco, San Ramon but moved to St. Petersburg in 1990. Even with the changes and the rising real estate taxes, this place has California beat hands down. You and your kids will love it here, trust me. A much slower pace, less sarcasm, less cutthroat, nicer people by far! Your kids will spend as much time outdoors as in and will not grow up online. They will grow up healthy. This will be a wonderful move. Check out Riverview, FL if you get the chance. A friend of mine moved there to raise her family. Loves it.

SARCASM.

Interesting that you mentioned Florida has much less sarcasm than California. I hadn't thought about sarcasm before, but California does way overdo it with sarcasm.

[Tiger Beer]

I'm not originally from California, but I did live in SF for a year. Amazingly, I didn't like it. On paper, and even now, I would have assumed I'd have loved it, but it was just 'okay'. I struggled with the extremely high cost of living. I don't mind that too much, as I deal with that living in Japan as well. But, much of day-to-day existance in the U.S. is pretty much the same where you are living. I couldn't afford the best of what SF has to offer, so often found myself doing the same types of things I would have done in any other state. I certainly liked car rides along the ocean or into the mountains, but I wasn't doing that regularly by any means.

Surprisingly I'd been to 48 U.S. states, and Florida was the 49th I'd been to. I always assumed I might not like it. But, once I drove around Florida, especially South Florida and Tampa and even Orlando, I really loved it. Loved the thunderstorms, the warmth, the palm trees, the general 'feel' of the state. I didn't like that so much of it seemed 'paved over', but California had that same feel as well.


In short, I'd probably never return to California to live, although there were a lot of things I liked about it. However, I am seriously considering any Florida opportunities. I also like that there is so much variety of Latinos in Florida, compared to mostly Mexican in California. The big difference that I'm so sure about, is the relative lack of Asians and Asian foods that Florida generally wouldn't have, comparitively.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by daisysforme

Wondering if anyone out there has left California to live in Florida? How much of a difference is it? Is it cleaner, fresher, better air quality, people friendly just wondering?

There are vast differences between California and Florida. However, both states are so diverse and large, you can't really characterize them, especially California. I moved from Orlando to San Francisco and then to South Florida then back to San Francisco (where I currently reside). There are pros and cons.

Cleanliness: Orlando and Boca Raton are much cleaner than San Francisco when it comes to litter. However, when it comes to being "green" and actual waste, San Francisco is much cleaner.

Freshness: Orlando and Boca Raton along with all of Florida has that muggy feeling from the high humidity. You can take a shower and go outside for 15 minutes and feel like you need another shower. In San Francisco, the air is very crisp and feels fresh.

Air Quality: San Francisco, Orlando, and Boca Raton all seem to have good air quality.

Friendliness: I met great people in all three cities and in both states overall. I also have come across jerks too. In general, if you are proactively friendly, you'll come across a lot of friendly people. I would say it is a tie. I do think drivers are more courteous in San Francisco though.

Quality of Life: I guess it depends on what you want. I've been juggling this back and forth myself. In Orlando/Boca Raton, you can buy a beautiful home with a front and back yard with your own private pool and two car garage for $300,000. In San Francisco, you can buy a studio or small 1 bedroom condo that may come with in-unit laundry and one parking space. In Orlando/Boca Raton, you need to drive to get anywhere because everything is spread out, while in San Francisco you can walk or take public transportation to go from place to place easily. This really is the main difference. Some people don't mind living in a old small condo if they are in an urban location where they can get around by foot, while some people don't mind having to drive everywhere if it means they can live in a nice big house.

Personally, I really love San Francisco, but the older I get, the more I miss the "luxuries" of Florida homes. I see myself moving back in 2-4 years. I was also considering Texas, but I think I'll pass now.

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

Freshness: Orlando and Boca Raton along with all of Florida has that muggy feeling from the high humidity. You can take a shower and go outside for 15 minutes and feel like you need another shower. In San Francisco, the air is very crisp and feels fresh.

I liked the entirity of your post, but just wanted to comment on this small aspect.

San Francisco felt so cold to me. I don't mind when it's suppose to be cold (winter months), but the summer months were equally cold. Even in June/July, I always felt I absolutely had to have layers of clothing with me at all times.

Some people like that feeling. But, I actually like warmth. San Francisco doesn't deliver warmth. That being said, if I had lived in San Jose or east of SF, I heard they regularly had hot summers.