[kcov2005]

Originally Posted by sunnyhelena

It is hard to enjoy the beach when you can't walk on it. The humidity in April to Sept was a killer. So were the 600.00/month central air bills.

I love the beach, but if you get up at 7AM and are already dripping from the heat- that is too much for some people.

sunny

And don't forget about the sea lice! The beach is not accesssible year round(at least for swimming--IMO) due to sea lice!

[backtofla]

also, another positive response from me.

i like fla a lot. problems? yes. traffic, toll roads, crime, yes. hot summers? definitely. but, i still really enjoy it here. much more than nc. i lived in fla and nc before moving back to fla. and glad i did. nc has nicer summers, but the winters are rough. i am not a big fan of cold weather though. we make more money, but pay more in housing. so it kind of evens out for us. we enjoy the fla lifestyle, going to the beach (even in the summer --- the most popular time of the yr. you wont see too many ppl in the water when it is 63 degrees outside. so pretty much, you wont see too many ppl in the water from, say, november through march. there are the exceptions, but for the most part, it's best to take a stroll.

overall, with everything included (positives and negatives), i'd give fla a 7.5 out of 10. i'd give nc about a 3.5. nc is nice in the summer and the views are pretty (if you live on top of a mtn and can see them), and ppl are more friendly there than in fla. but i still like too many things about fla to move out. one day, getting a summer home in nc/tn/or perhaps the upper peninsula of michigan may be in store for us. that's too far ahead to think about though now.

[kcov2005]

Originally Posted by CURT

I live in central florida and I have wood floors, fire place and tree lined streets. Sorry your experience was bad. I enjoy the heat, sometimes a little much for me but trees help. I have been through a few hurricanes and my first experience with one was while i was living in the north east.

thanks for your opinion but I am talking about the west palm beach area of florida not central florida.

[seeriously]

Originally Posted by sunnyhelena

It is hard to enjoy the beach when you can't walk on it. The humidity in April to Sept was a killer. So were the 600.00/month central air bills.



sunny

I couldn't get a 600.00 electric bill if I ran the a/c on 64 with the windows opened. Why so high? My a/c bill for a 2800 sq house in July & August is around 260.00.

[pianogal]

Originally Posted by verobeach

I couldn't get a 600.00 electric bill if I ran the a/c on 64 with the windows opened. Why so high? My a/c bill for a 2800 sq house in July & August is around 260.00.

True...I have a 3200 square foot home and the highest it's ever been is around $400.00 in August and that is running a pool pump, running 4 -5 TV's ALOT, 4 computers on ALL the time, landscape lighting every night, washing and drying 15-20 loads of laundry every week, running the dishwasher at LEAST once a day - cooking every day, LONG showers with hot water (I can't get my guys out in less than 15 minutes no matter what I do) and sometimes they take 2 a day and I could go on.

[CURT]

Originally Posted by kcov2005

thanks for your opinion but I am talking about the west palm beach area of florida not central florida.

this is true. you also state you miss the northeast due to such things as wood floors, etc. i'm trying to point out that it is here in florida as well, just maybe not where you are.

[javamdnss]

Originally Posted by jgussler

just outside of Tampa. The humidity sucked. The heat sucked. The bugs were terrible. The RV park I set up in was hooded with big tall oak trees that shaded us pretty good. So thick I couldn't even get a satallite signal.

This is true. Mosquitoes bite you all year long. The oak trees are one of the things I love here. They're so beautiful. I also love the color of the sky most of the year, and the big white fluffy clouds.
When I got there, I thought, damn thunderstorm every day. By the time I left I'd be setting out in a lawn chair drinking a beer with a neighbor saying, "Where's our thunderstorm today?"

Right again! My SIL told me we would miss the thunderstorms after summer was gone. I told her "I don't think so", but you know what? We do! Only the dog doesn't miss them.
What I'm trying to say is that you get used to an area. You learn to live with the environment instead of fighting it. Once you break that threshold, your home.

Yes, you do, and it's important to find at least a few good things about a place, no matter where you live. My mother always told me "If you can't be happy here, you won't be happy anywhere". I balked, but I know she is right. There is something to be said for "bloom where you're planted". And then there is a time to uproot.

[javamdnss]

Originally Posted by JimKing

But since almost 70% of the adult population is sedentary and overweight, I suppose thats why there are so many negative posts here. Some of these people are just miserable people, plain and simple. They would find a way to be miserable anywhere they lived.

I don't think that is why there are so many negative posts here. Have you considered some people just cannot take the heat or humidity? Everyone's body is different. Some people cannot take it because of their heart, some thyroid, or like my father in law, skin cancer, or then...there would be myself, who is due to move next year, but would have to/want to anyway, due to an anaphylactic (sp.?) reaction to fireants, which seem to be everwhere in Florida!

[ssgt]

Originally Posted by javamdnss

I don't think that is why there are so many negative posts here. Have you considered some people just cannot take the heat or humidity? Everyone's body is different. Some people cannot take it because of their heart, some thyroid, or like my father in law, skin cancer, or then...there would be myself, who is due to move next year, but would have to/want to anyway, due to an anaphylactic (sp.?) reaction to fireants, which seem to be everwhere in Florida!

My neighbors kid is 4 years old and has never been to Florida but even he knows that Florida can be hot and humid. Most people move to Florida expecting paradise but find out that they still have to work for a living.I dont understand all the whiners here.....If Florida sucks so much, move! There are bad things no matter where you go. For every bad thing in Florida I can show you a bad thing in Chicago. Or New York, or Atlanta or.....you get the idea! I submit to you all that whiners will whine no matter where they are. Its the things that are good that should hold the most weight when it comes to deciding where to live or anything else for that matter!

[LeavingFlorida05]

I'm happy. I just know that Florida is a place where I don't want to raise a family. I want my children to grow up in a place where people live, not retirees and immigrants.