[Restrain]

Take a look at Sarasota, Fort Myers/Cape Coral/Naples. You are minutes from some of the best beaches in the US. You can take the ferry from Fort Myers to Key West for a long weekend. And as the biggest plus, there is a strong economy. If you can get your contractor's license (start NOW) you can work as much or as little as you want and have more work than you can handle due to a shortage of contractors. The Keys are a vacation location and employ that way (costs, housing, etc). SWFL is growing very fast but is still much more laid back than Boston (and the Red Sox have spring training in the area).

[mikeindeland]

Come to the Keys for vacation. Don't move. Too expensive, too hot, and not enough to do full time.

[Ms. Intelligence]

Originally Posted by mikeindeland

Come to the Keys for vacation. Don't move. Too expensive, too hot, and not enough to do full time.

Yep! /\

[Tamika929]

Hi
I met someone years ago and they said they visited the keys and it's really very expensive to live there and that you have to work three or four jobs just to survive, oh also in the keys there's a ton of hurricanes so that's bad too.

[davephan]

A lot of great reality checks about living in the Keys while you're young and still in your working years! The jobs are low paying, I'm guessing part time with no benefits. I've heard others talk about people that lived hard lives, drinking a lot, drugs, and burn-outs are attracted to the Keys. I've visited the Keys many times, and it's a great place to visit. Probably not a good place to live, especially if you are still working.

I saw a show on PBS awhile ago that talked about living in the Keys. There was a guy that just watched the cars go by all day. He liked doing nothing all day. He looked like he was retired, and loved that lifestyle doing nothing all day, every day.

If you're living in the snowbelt, still working, making a high income, it would be a mistake to throw away a good job in exchange for having 2 or 3 part time, no benefits jobs. When the economy takes a downturn and tourism goes down, you're probably going to be the first to be laid off.

The climate in Hawaii is better, but the same applies. Most of the jobs are low-pay, part time, no benefits. We didn't experience any hostility in Hawaii because I'm Caucasian, but by wife is Asian, so that probably helps in Hawaii. There's many stories about lousy healthcare in Hawaii, especially the outer islands. If you need major surgery, you'll probably need to fly back to the mainland for that. So, make sure you never have a serious accident when you're in Hawaii. The cost of living is extremely high in Hawaii, and the jobs are low pay, part time, no benefits, which translates to a crappy lifestyle, unless you're an extreme minimalist. If you've got a lot of money and don't need to work, then Hawaii might work for you.

I think what's missing from thinking about the Keys is you've never been there, judging from what you've said about it. You need boots on the ground, and don't stay in a hotel or resort. Many people dream about living in a tropical or near tropical, having a good life. Reality sets in if you don't have a lot of money and still need to work in a low wage area. Keep dreaming, save a lot of money with your good job in the snowbelt, and you're dreams might come true in the long run.

[Ms. Intelligence]

Mosquitos! Most of you are soooo out of touch. Living with bugs is a way of life.

[snowtired14]

I'm a very practical type, some would say too practical, but it always amazes me the decisions a lot of people make when they're wearing their rose colored sunglasses. They seem to only see the "paradise" and not the uglier details of life when proclaiming and deciding to re-make their lives there. In Key West, as in most tourist towns, the vibe is artificial, "laid back" is a phony lifestyle characterized by Jimmy Buffet Incorporated. As a tourist you are the local's bread and butter, they will sell you whatever it takes to make a living and you'll be gone before you realize it is a false pretense. The Keys are beautiful, the isolation and climate are part of what makes them attractive, you just have to be sure you know your reasons for moving there. On the other hand, I'm sure a lot of people will make the jump and if it turns out it's not for them, they jump back, if you can afford to do that then more power to ya.

[unquiltom]

A lot of the contractors you see working in the Keys don't actually live there. They drive down from Miami and back up everyday. You'll see the trucks going south in the morning and north in the evening on the "stretch" all day. The reason is the cost of real estate, it's cheaper to live in Homestead or Florida City and commute down to your job site. The competition for contractor jobs is high, so unless you can perform some sort of service that no one else does, you'll have a hard time finding customers.
I got lucky and was able to get one of the few high paying jobs available in the Keys before moving, otherwise, there's no way I could afford the Keys life.