[Nebraska mom]

Hello my large family and I have visited Florida a few times and we love it there. Currently we are living in small-town Nebraska and want to escape the monotony and boredom that we have grown accustom to. We are looking for something with a 1300 to $1,500 a month budget for rent. We visited the Winter Springs area and that seems nice, although I keep reading about horrible humidity and Heat. Granted in Nebraska we have many days in the summer over 100 degrees so I can't imagine it would be too far off from what we are already experiencing. Any advice on the best places to live in Florida for families, we are looking for something with things to do but most importantly a safe community.
What are the people like in Florida? In Nebraska almost everyone is trustworthy and your neighbors are happy to help you out. Are people in Florida generally friendly? Are they down to earth?

[Sunshine Rules]

You have to understand that FL has quite the diversity of people who have relocated here from all over the United States and from around the world. Florida attracts the good and the bad, there are often news stories about scam artists taking advantage people, seems like there's a new type of scam almost every week. That does not mean people here aren't friendly, but it is different from living in a community where everyone knows everyone and has for generations (I too am originally from the midwest).

Will you be bringing your employment with you or have to find employment here in Florida? If that is the case, you might consider looking into relocating nearer to employment hubs rather than smaller towns. Keep in mind also that wage scales tend to be lower in Florida than "up north" unless you are in a specialty field of employment. Employers generally pay less in FL because there's always a large pool of people looking for employment that want to live in the sunshine state.

Before buying here I would recommend visiting sometime between late July and early September, experience the heat/humidity first hand. It's not so much the actual temperatures as the heat indexes that get people. And it does not cool down at night. Often the temps are still hovering in the upper 80's at midnight or after. Living in the Sarasota area within a few miles of the Gulf, we do get decent breezes on summer afternoons which does help a bit. An occasional hot day in Nebraska is not the same as day after day high heat indexes that we get from late June through mid to late September. I am not trying to scare you away from Florida, just explaining the reality of the summer weather.

That all being said, I have been here for over 30 years and would not consider moving back to the midwest at all, I would rather tolerate our summer months than go through the winter months back north. Hated the days upon days of gray skies, little sunshine. I enjoy the diversity of people from all over the world, it makes life more interesting. I enjoy not having to worry about heavy coats, freezing rain and snow and winter heat bills.

I think those that move here and stay do so because they do their homework before moving to Florida and understand the negatives as well as the positives of moving here, they understand FL is not just about sandy beaches and palm trees. It can be more difficult for people who are leaving their families behind when they come to FL, that don't have any ties here.

One thing nice about relocating now vs back when we did it is that you do have access to sites such as city-data where you can reach out to others, gather information.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by Nebraska mom

Hello my large family and I have visited Florida a few times and we love it there. Currently we are living in small-town Nebraska and want to escape the monotony and boredom that we have grown accustom to. We are looking for something with a 1300 to $1,500 a month budget for rent. We visited the Winter Springs area and that seems nice, although I keep reading about horrible humidity and Heat. Granted in Nebraska we have many days in the summer over 100 degrees so I can't imagine it would be too far off from what we are already experiencing. Any advice on the best places to live in Florida for families, we are looking for something with things to do but most importantly a safe community.
What are the people like in Florida? In Nebraska almost everyone is trustworthy and your neighbors are happy to help you out. Are people in Florida generally friendly? Are they down to earth?

Florida varies by area in terms of transplants and as a native of the state attribute it to travel patterns to/from here. SE Florida has a reputation as a place for Northeast US transplants (NY/NJ), the Orlando area is a bit of a mix in terms of transplants but trending of late mostly Puerto Rican, the Tampa Bay area consists largely of those from the Midwest, while Jacksonville attracts more from the South it seems but is diversifying in recent years. In my opinion if looking for family-friendly with safer neighborhoods, more nice/down to earth neighbors in general, less a feel of heat/humidity, with excellent public schools and things to do I would opt for coastal locations in the Jacksonville or Tampa Bay areas. Two in particular I would offer up are Ponte Vedra Beach which is southeast of Jacksonville or Palm Harbor which is NW of Tampa.