[cuse]

Keep us posted after you have lived here awile...your tune may change.

[Nomoresubways]

If I were expecting to live a vacation style life all the time, yeah my tune probably would change. The difference is that I'm not going down there with any delusions, I know exactly what to expect.

Since I've had a house down there for a few months now, I've been able to spend time as a resident when I come down every few weeks so I'm not blindly swinging for the fences here.

[Prichard]

Hope you enjoy it back in Denver - that's where Christian11 is going. How ironic - no relation to you, is he? If not, it sounds like the perfect paridise for all disgruntled translplants to uproot and move to.

Good luck getting there before the summer thaw.

I hope all of the angry, dissgruntled people who have lived in Florida for the last 5-10 years move back where they came from or go to Denver. Good luck. For those happy transplants that like it here, regardless of much of the same problems we have in common with many other cities across the nation, WELCOME, and make your new home a happy one.

[Jammie]

Mary Lou, I'm sorry you felt that your move to Fla. was a bad one. Some of the things that bothered you are very legit such as your husband losing his job because he couldn't speak Spanish. That just isn't right.

It still does not detour me from my plans of moving to Fla. We are moving for different reasons. We are moving because the only family we have left live down there. My sis in law is a born Floridian so they all live down there. We have always lived in a right to work state so those things won't change for us. I've never belonged to a union, but have never been fired from a job either~YET.

We know it won't be like vacation. We will have to work for a living just like up here. (Although my husband will be able to work less hours since he will receive a bit of retirement income from his present job.) I do expect to have a bit less pain since the cold and winter seems to bother me. I've always hated winter and it will be nice to live where it's a LOT warmer.

One of the things that occured to me while I was reading your post was that you really didn't have things that bad financially down there since you could afford to build a swimming pool. Yes, I feel bad for someone who has to live out of a motel, but I'd be quite satisfied with a small condo and it sounds like you belittled something like that.

I truly am happy for you that you have a good paying profession, but is it possible that you are looking for too much materialistically?

As far as your feelings about the unfriendliness there, it's too bad that some people can't be friendly and wave or speak to strangers. Maybe they've experienced bad things and are actually scared to talk to strangers so they've built a little wall around themselves to protect themselves. Anyway, I do wish you good luck in Denver and I truly mean that.

[MaryLou2007]

Originally Posted by Jammie

Mary Lou, I'm sorry you felt that your move to Fla. was a bad one. Some of the things that bothered you are very legit such as your husband losing his job because he couldn't speak Spanish. That just isn't right.

It still does not detour me from my plans of moving to Fla. We are moving for different reasons.

We know it won't be like vacation. We will have to work for a living just like up here. I've always hated winter and it will be nice to live where it's a LOT warmer.

One of the things that occured to me while I was reading your post was that you really didn't have things that bad financially down there since you could afford to build a swimming pool.

As far as your feelings about the unfriendliness there, it's too bad that some people can't be friendly and wave or speak to strangers. Maybe they've experienced bad things and are actually scared to talk to strangers so they've built a little wall around themselves to protect themselves.

Moderator cut: this is not a blog site or a chat room

Let me try to respond to all the postings all in one. First of all, the language requirement for a job is ridiculous. I stand by what I said, it is discrimination for non-Spoanish spekaing people, period.

Much like you, the cold thing used to bother me as well, but how will massive heat and humidity affect you? It will take time to re-adjust, I am sure. It gets hot in Denver (somedays up to 100 in the hot sun) however, it is dry, you don't sweat like this. Even with the A/C on in the car, we feel very hot and uncomfortable. One idea is to get the super dark tints (not legal) but then when you are in traffic, the A/C is able to keep you cool.

The bad job picture down here did not deter our family from moving down as well. You are right, our financial position was not bad, but we still had to juggle things around in order to make ends meet. My biggest surprises were the property tax costs and the insurance costs. My car insurance almost tripled after we moved (before the hurricanes) we were shocked when it happened. Things did get rocky when my hubby got fire over the Spanish thing, but even after he got another job, things were still very tough. I guess it was all the expenses that got out of control. I also had a pay-cut and we had a major increase on out insurance rates, so it all just snowballed over.

That is why I say, you have to have a job before moving down. If you do not, you will be shocked at how much lower the wages are. It is VERY HARD to get a job from out of state. If you are not on the professional level, you will find it difficult to get hired from out of state. It took me almost 6 months to nail the job whoch prompted our move. And don't expect moving expenses, this will most likely not be one of the job benefits offered. We also buy our own health insurance, which is very expensive (not offered through work).

Two word as for condos: stay away. I read an article in the local newspaper not long ago about "the pros and cons of condo ownership". The cons list is very extensive and some of the cons are downright scary. One point made on the article was how condos are nothing more than cheaply built apt rentals that go on sale for the big bucks. I understand owning a home is not cheap at all in central Florida and I am not trying to make you guys feel bad, but you really need to do your homework before buying.

As for the person saying Denver will become Orlando or something like that, it could anything is possible, but out west we can relocate quite easily. Pueblo, CO is a developing community so is Castle Rock and they are near Denver South. If you have never been to Denver South, you certainly cannot compare it to Orlando, Denver South is modern, well built, tons of tech jobs, not a tourism-based economy. The crime thing in Dernver is very localized, you can stay away from crime very easily, in Orlando we found ourselves surrounded by bad areas, you see vagrants and undesirable types prowling around mall parking lots and grocery stores. You don't feel safe at all. Even as a family (4 of us) we don't feel safety in our numers.

You know, I wish they had had one of these boards way back when I moved. There wasn't a whole lot of info available when we made our move, but again, would this have changed our plans to move down here anyway? We were dead-set on coming, I guess if we had read all this information, we would be now thinking "told you so". I guess you learn from your mistakes. My new outlook is to take what I have learned here and move back home and appreciate the cold weather and all of the things we did not like before and remember how much worse it was down here.

[BlueWillowPlate]

Nice post, Mary Lou.
I appreciate what you say here.
And I sincerely hope that Denver will not turn into another Orlando--and I agree that the ingredients are not all there.
As for it turning into another Los Angeles--well that's another topic.
One thing about cold weather: crime goes down during those snowstorms.
I can see how Florida's property taxes and insurance issues could wreak havoc and really change your life and priorities, and obviously these concern us.

[Ladywithafan]

Originally Posted by MaryLou2007

Finally, we made the decision to move back to Denver. I was offered a job earning almost $130k now (that is only me, not both of us combined). We are entering a contract in a 3/3 house, 2 car garage, huge yard for $210k. The area is very safe and clean. We visited the area and stayed in a hotel down from the house and it is quiet, safe, and the neighbors all talk to each other. No one seems afraid or angry. I talk to people at stores and everyone communicates back in a normal, calm way. Everyone is civilized, everyone was willing to talk, kids actually invited my son to play, it is a complete new worlkd we had lived in and "re-discovered" how good we had in Denver. It took Orlando to show how wonder the rest of the USA is, despite the winter weather!!

Getting paid in “sunshine” just wasn't cutting it out. We sold our home here, took a loss due to the cold housing market, but we are still moving. I must add that people might think I am bitter about living down here, but I am not. I never lived in the ghetto down here and thank God, we never scrapped for food, but I feel bad for anyone moving down here unless thay have locked a $100k+ a year job in Central Florida. If you come here with less than that, you will live in the ghetto. MOve down here with an IT job or medical jobs that you are used to get paid $100k in your state, get ready to get paid $40k here. Believe it, or not, it's your choice. You may have a good life where you are now and here it will be a living hell. Heck, you might get stuck in a condo for all you know.

I'm not coming from a position of bias or ignorance. I understand some people will love this place. But a lot of the out-of-state folk I know that live here (25+ people) are ceasing to function in Orlando and slowly loosing their minds and souls. Most have expressed such concern of how this place has made them angrier, made them less tolerant, more harsh, more distrusting, & more depressed. Not to mention more stressed, the stress levels here are very high, people seem like that a lot. It is just extrmemely sad to hear such commentary from people you know.

Yes, I am going to leave like lots of people I know. By April 2007, I'm gone back to Denver. The weather out there is much nicer, cold in the winter, but the rest of the year enjoyable, no more crazy humidity for me!

I must also add that it is just extremely sad that the aggressive people, the lack of culture, the lack of trust, lack of friendliness, lack of manners, lack of safety, lack of positive urban-energy, lack of a decent sense of community is indeed “The Florida Lifestyle”. My overall well-being comes first and this place is draining every good ounce of my being. I want to smile again, to know my neighbors, to watch my kids play safely outside. I do not want to continue to watch acts of violence in traffic or muders/robberies on TV. I just saw on TV tonight several murders and robberies, people being strangled over a DVD movie or over a pack of cigarettes. I actually found this board searching online and deicded to write this book.

I wish the locals would wake up and smell their kitchen burning. Central Florida is gone downhill, still going downhill. South Florida, well, it's been TRASH for years, no news there.

At least you know there are cheap motels with microwave and 'fridge waiting for you! You can always live there!

Thanks for reading. Good luck, everyone!

Gosh, you have just summed up my living experience here as well...no wonder I'm wondering if I need to seek mental help. I guess I shouldn't be so afraid to want to move but actually look at it as a positive experience and maybe even a bigger paycheck & oh, my goodness, I might not have to worry about getting in the middle of a crack deal outside my apartment...I haven't had to downsize yet to the "Blue Boy Motel" on 14th street but if I stay that might be the only room I can afford to rent

[missy sissy]

wishing you good luck in your new area. i also lived in windermere chase rd area.we sold and our going to relocate .stilling doing our homework . maybe s.c.or ga .will see .crime is everywhere i think can't run from it .but i want cooler weather .a little to hot to long here .but i really enjoyed the area i been down here 15 yrs. had a really good life down here .but want to try something else..well good luck dear

[MaryLou2007]

Originally Posted by missy sissy

wishing you good uck in your new area. i also lived in windermere chase rd area.we sold and our going to relocate .stilling doing our homework . maybe s.c.or ga .will see .crime is everywhere i think can't run from it .but i want cooler weather .a little to hot to long here .but i really enjoyed the area i been down here 15 yrs. had a really good life down here .but want to try something else..well good luck dear

Dear Missy:

North and South Carolina were in our lists as places to move to as well. Boise, ID is VERY nice, if you have been there, it went from the sticks to a lovely area within 3 years. The problem in Boise are the home prices, they are very high. Why don't you check CO? The weather is cooler, but the sun mitigates the coldness and the dry air helps you breathe easier, even when it's super cold. You might like CO a lot, we didn't realize how good we had it until we moved down here.

I cannot complain about my life as well, I am happy to ahve the little we have and to be able to eat everyday. You cannot be completely isolated form crime, but if you also remain in an area that is under attck from all sorts of vagrants and criminals, then you are setting yourself up for a disaster (sooner or later). That is one of teh reasons why we are moving.... is that your reason as well or is it the cool weather thing?

One last thing: I would like to hear from people who feel mistreated and taken advantage of from their employer because they don't have other job options to try and go for or because the other jobs pay less than you make now.

I recently have had 2 complaints from employees (who like myself are overworked w/o overtime). I have been looking for another job for over a year now and have found very few and the wage offered is very low, even lower than now.

Anyone has any comments?
ML

[faithfulFrank]

I've read this post with interest, because I just bought a house in Leesburg, about 40 miles NW from Orlando.
I know I have much to learn, but this is what I saw when I was there.

Leesburg- smaller town with controlled growth. I bought in a gated community, and with everyone I talked to who lived there, no one mentioned crime.

Now granted, it seemed like a retirement mecca, but that is what I want. My kids are grown, I've prepared for retirement my whole life, and will be ready to enjoy the fruits of my decades of working and saving in about 5 years.

As to employment, I built my own home here in WNY, and love to do plumbing, electrical, and general small repairs. I saw thousands of well to do older homeowners who were begging for someone they can trust to do quality work at a reasonable price. I LOVE to do that kind of stuff. When I DO move down there, I'll be in my early 50's and I am only truly happy when I am fixing something......I think I can stay busy, and make some pocket change to add to my pension.

Please, if I am wrong........I need to know. Thank you for your time.

Frank D.