[Songbird42]

Originally Posted by PATRAIN

I lived in Fl. for 37 years. A true native I guess you can say. I hate whats become of the state. I can say for sure that I will not miss the heat. I have always enjoyed colder weather. My wife and I moved to PA and love it. We live in the mountains and we feel at home. The pays about the same and even with the taxes we save about 5,000.00 per year. Our homeowners ins is 450.00 per year....I nearly chocked...we were paying over 2k in fl. We used to run the a.c year round in FL. so the heating vs. A.C. is is about the same......electric runs about 50.00 mo. and car ins. for the both of us runs 614.00. Property tax/school runs @ 1300.00. We might have stayed if it were more affordable but we do not regret our move and are in our 3rd year. We sold our house at the peek and made out well.....I hope those who are leaving fair just as well...good luck

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I have checked out only one part of Pa. the area around The Pocono's, Milford, Bushkill......and found that the area was more than I could handle
on fixed income looking for home under $200,000.....just with taxes and HOI here its $3,061 a year. Maintenace here on homes is ridiculous, spraying lawn to keep grass green over $300.00 a yr. Inside pest control $463.00. Termite inspection $120.00 a year. pressure wash to keep mold off lani/driveway $150.00 a yr. Pool Service $1,200 a yr. I figure if I can eliminate all the maintence charges and HOI I can pay higher taxes up North somewhere and be much more happy......sun day in day out, humidity, wears on you after awhile, I need a change of seasons, leaves falling, snowflakes flying, cooler mornings, throw a sweater on and go for a walk. See kids jumping in leaves
going to pick apples..........so many things I did with my older kids, that my younger ones missed because they were raised in Fl. they have no idea what its like..........if and when I get out of here, will I miss it.....absolutely not.....
I'll pack my bags and head North with no forwarding address.......gone for good....no looking back.

[Zandrah]

I am the 5th generation of my family to have lived in South Florida the 4th generation born there and I left 10 years ago because it made me sick to watch the place turn in to this this thing!

I'd seen the city go through many changes in the 30 years (give or pleaes take) I lived there and things just kept going from bad to worse. I'm of Spanish decent but yhea it eerks me that I had to learn a freaking cubanish accent to get by in my own freaking home town and yhea that startted with the freaking boat lifts. I watched as people got ruder and ruder over the years the whole city can infact seem to be angry sometimes. The city planners must be smoking everything that doesn't make it to the streets. Oh yes lets bring more traffic in to the city but not think about the roads all these people will be on... The cost of living ... ah ha where the heck did my tax dollars go? Why can't people afford to run a mom and pop type shop in the grove? You wanna move/ distroy what histstorical land mark now? and build what?
Everytime they say they're gonna fix things they only get worse. I couldn't take it anymore. I visit ... mostly keep to the house to keep myself from having a meltdown over the distruction I see and each time I visit it pains me a little bit more than the time before. Soon it will be too painful fro me to visit anymore. That place it's not my home anymore. The yuppies and tourist and junk have taken over there's almost nothing of the Miami I grew up in left anymore. The Miami I grew up in wasn't all that great but man it was far better than this improved city we have today!
Nope I won't be living there again.

[PATRAIN]

In Responce To Backtofligo.......no Way We'll Be Back. I'm Only So Sure Because We Can't Stand The Heat And Humidity. Ever Since I Was A Kid I Told My Parents I Was Moving Up North...they Laughed. When I Finally Told My Father We Were Moving, He Said He Wasn't Surprised...i'd Been Wanting To All My Life It Seems. It's Not That Its A Bad Place (fl) For Everyone. I'm Not Attacking It. I Just Perfer Mountains To The Beach, Creeks To Fl Rivers And I Love The Seasons. Up Here, Just When You Get Sick Of The Winter Spring Explodes...which Is Good Because My Wife Loves Gardening. Just When You Can't Take Another Day Of Summer, Fall Blows In...very Scenic And Here In Central Pa Where We Are...not Much Snow..about 6" This Year....the Town We Live In Is Like Mayberry U.s.a. The Community Is Very Tight Knit...the Kids Walk To School And The Town Is About 10 Blocks Square. So, 3 Years And Counting Fi You'd Like To See My Town... Millersburg.com

[PATRAIN]

I'm a little shocked at just how different it is up here. The community is so close. When we first arrived here we remember hearing sirens and car horns at 10 pm. We walked out on our front porch thinking there was a problem of some sort. Nope! The HS football team had just won a game and was in the playoffs. Everyone at the stadium got behind 3 police cars blarring and 3 fire trucks....the team was seated in the last fire truck. There must have been a couple hundred people walking through the town at 10 pm...We were amazed...It was like something in the movies...and just when you thought the elderly might get upset being so late...nope...most everyone was on there porch waving...weird but true. I used to here stories like this from snow-birds..and I quess you just can't picture it unless you've lived here....Also, every event seems that way..festivals, halloween parades..heck the town just celebrated its 200 year aniv. and it went on for a week. We just love it. It's hard to explain.

[daniellefort]

Originally Posted by PATRAIN

I'm a little shocked at just how different it is up here. The community is so close. When we first arrived here we remember hearing sirens and car horns at 10 pm. We walked out on our front porch thinking there was a problem of some sort. Nope! The HS football team had just won a game and was in the playoffs. Everyone at the stadium got behind 3 police cars blarring and 3 fire trucks....the team was seated in the last fire truck. There must have been a couple hundred people walking through the town at 10 pm...We were amazed...It was like something in the movies...and just when you thought the elderly might get upset being so late...nope...most everyone was on there porch waving...weird but true. I used to here stories like this from snow-birds..and I quess you just can't picture it unless you've lived here....Also, every event seems that way..festivals, halloween parades..heck the town just celebrated its 200 year aniv. and it went on for a week. We just love it. It's hard to explain.

It is very different up north. I know what your talking about. The communities are smaller but everyone gets together to have these little celebrations, festivals or whatever quite often. People know each other and bump into familiar people all the time they see around town. I don't even know how to describe it here in FL other than these celebrations are on such a big scale with the number of people attending that it's like you don't even know anybody or bump into any familiar faces. It's just hard to explain the way of life up north and i'm not talking weather or living expenses, just the general feeling you have in the small communities up there.

[ChrisA70]

Originally Posted by PATRAIN

In Responce To Backtofligo.......no Way We'll Be Back. I'm Only So Sure Because We Can't Stand The Heat And Humidity. Ever Since I Was A Kid I Told My Parents I Was Moving Up North...they Laughed. When I Finally Told My Father We Were Moving, He Said He Wasn't Surprised...i'd Been Wanting To All My Life It Seems. It's Not That Its A Bad Place (fl) For Everyone. I'm Not Attacking It. I Just Perfer Mountains To The Beach, Creeks To Fl Rivers And I Love The Seasons. Up Here, Just When You Get Sick Of The Winter Spring Explodes...which Is Good Because My Wife Loves Gardening. Just When You Can't Take Another Day Of Summer, Fall Blows In...very Scenic And Here In Central Pa Where We Are...not Much Snow..about 6" This Year....the Town We Live In Is Like Mayberry U.s.a. The Community Is Very Tight Knit...the Kids Walk To School And The Town Is About 10 Blocks Square. So, 3 Years And Counting Fi You'd Like To See My Town... Millersburg.com

I have nothing negative to say about the northeast either. I love it there, I'm from there, I love the fall, spring, summer. But this winter all we got there was snow, snow, and ice. Every week 2 storms hit, it was in the negative digits with wind chills of -15 to -20 at times. I hated that. If I could live in a place where it was 78 degrees every day, and 60 at night point me in the direction!!! I agree with the heat and humidity, I also hate that, but it's 6 of one half a dozen of the other, you spend 5 months inside the house here, and 5 inside there too. I do notice the economy sucks here a little more than up north, but it's not perfect there either. I miss hills and mountains, real pine trees. I just don't miss freezing. i know what it's like to live in small towns, I lived in them all my life... Sometimes it's a bad thing, everyone knows your business.

[121804]

Originally Posted by BacktoFLigo

If I could live in a place where it was 78 degrees every day, and 60 at night point me in the direction!!!

San Diego It also has the mountains & the ocean. Unfortunately, it has a heck of a price tag.

Not sure how many people necessarily enjoy freezing & dealing with ice storms...but I think for many it's just a way of life. You know spring will eventually come & embrace it when it does. For many, it's not worth it. To each their own.

The economy sucks everywhere unless you work for Haliburton. It's just important to live within your means no matter where you live. People figure out how to survive on $50k in NYC, LA, Atlanta, Miami, etc.

Live your life how you want to. Actions have consequences. Do the research & figure out a budget PRIOR to living there...no one's fault but your own if you move somewhere & than say, oh, it's too expensive here but they told me it wouldn't be blah blah blah.

And news flash...It's cold in the north in the winter which can be Oct-April & it's hot in the south in summer which can be May-November. Period.

[Georgia]

Originally Posted by mg83

I said the same exact thing when I left Florida. Ironically enough, more bad things have happened to me in Atlanta than ever happened in 20+ years in Floridaland. Oh, hilarious.

That does not suprise me, it seems up here half of Florida is arriving
As I read the comments on the thread it stuns me why so many folks from Florida think Georgia is the Utopian Land, sorry to burst your bubble but it's not.

In my development alone we have had 3 families from Florida move in and all have already moved out, back to Florida.

Georgia and mostly Atlanta, it ain't what ya think it is.

[doggiebus]

Southern California.

Originally Posted by BacktoFLigo

If I could live in a place where it was 78 degrees every day, and 60 at night point me in the direction!!!

[THX 1138]

Originally Posted by doggiebus

Southern California.

If one can't stand Florida's negatives, they would have a harder time dealing with the negatives in the SoCal.