[bamboosmom]

I don't know now about TN. We were considering that too but the locals aren't very friendly to outsiders. You may end up feeling like an outcast there.

[cakeprincess]

I've been living in florida for almost 20 years. I've seen so many things changed, from the job pay rate to housing cost. Raised in PA, I ended up living in FL because my mother sold her PA home and she bought a place in FL. Living in FL was a dream for me for the first 5 years.

Florida used to be a great place to live, but not anymore. Maybe because I grew tired of it and had a hard time finding a high paying job and a new house for under $160k. Speaking of school, it's not getting better due to lack of highly qualified teachers. We are having a crisis in teacher shortage and Florida have no choice, but to hire teachers from other countries or A.A.S. degree holder. My son was in an 'A' plus elementary school from Kindergarten to 2nd grade. I just recieved a letter last week that his school is no longer "A" plus. It went down to 'B' and they let us to choose a different top-rated school, regardless where you live. I was shocked.

I bought my house for $36,000 (2 bedrooms/1 bath) 15 years ago and it's now worth $155k that I just sold. Getting a new home in FL is out of question for us. Around here, the starting price is near $200k and taxes per year is more than $1,000!


I have been working in the hospital and earned $10 per hour. I just found out I could've earned $15 to $20 per hour outside of FL state!

The insurance for the house (hurricane/windstorm/flood/fire) had gone up 200%. I paid $200 a year and that was 15 years ago. Now I ended up paying clost to $1,000!

The only things I liked about FL are Disney, saltwater fishing, and perfect winter weather. It won't be too bad for anyone who's moving to FL, but in long run, they will find themselve grew tired of living in FL.

[backtofla]

wont get you much in fla with housing costs. it is expensive here, but honestly anywhere in the southeast you are going to make 7-10 dollars an hr in customer service, admin work, etc...

what did you do in a hospital where you could make THAT much more in a similar position??? nyc, boston, d.c.? please dont say va, ga, tn or the carolinas, b/c it's not true... i have first hand experience with this one, as i am sure you do too, but i have lived in both places and i know that fl pays better. higher cost of living, but take that up with the supply and demand guy.

not trying to be rude, please dont take it that way, but the grass always looks greener thing isnt always true. i have met so many ppl that have moved out of fla to say, tn or ga, and many have moved back. for many reasons ppl choose to move away from places, and one person hit it right on the head earlier ==> some ppl arent too friendly with outsiders. fla is THE MOST WELCOMING state in the southeast. easily

[JAS]

backtofla - be careful not to judge all of NC by Asheville. That area is more closely identified with the mountain regions of NC, VA, WV, and KY than it is with the rest of NC. I've met some people from that area who don't consider themselves as NC'ers - their loyalties are to the hills as opposed to the rest of the state.

Although I like visiting the mountains and enjoy living in NC in general, I couldn't live in Asheville for many of the reasons that you have stated. It's the freak-show of the southeast. In addition to the homeless people and the hippies, the "natives" can be tough to deal with. I know a "good old boy" from central NC - a self-proclaimed redneck - who didn't like living over there because it was too backwards.

I'm a Florida native and still miss some things about Florida. I could very easily live there again, but I have a very good job here in NC, one that I know for a fact pays more than it did in FL - I wouldn't ever blame someone for wanting to live in FL, however, as opposed to NC if you were accustomed to the FL lifestyle. But just be careful not to lump the rest of NC in with Asheville - western NC has a culture of its own that is different than many other parts of NC.

[sami]

Research this state, there is lots of variety in climate, weather, lifestyles and culture, prices, etc. Check other threads for pros and cons of living here. Some people hate it and others love it....and it makes no difference if you were born here or not. I believe that Florida, like elsewhere, is a personal decision and with an informed choice, you may like to try it out. Hey some people never want to leave, warts and all....while others are desperate to go...... How is this for a definite maybe?

[yellowsmileyface]

I've been on these forums for other states too and it seems to boil down to this. Everyone is looking for something other than what they have. Northerners want to get away from the blizzards, Floridians want to get away from the humidity and hurricanes. Every state claims to have lousy schools, because, for the most part, government schools are lousy. In any district though, there are the good and the bad. I live in Orange County, which has some horrible schools. We just happen to live in Winter Park though, which has excellent schools. We have high insurance rates, but no state income tax. Our sales tax is still reasonable, say compared to Tennessee, which also has no income tax, but has 9% sales tax. Our housing prices are high compared to Georgia, but low compared to California. It is all a matter of what you personally are looking for. Do your research before you move. Determine what you really need and want. Florida has become a buyers market, which is great for those of you wanting to move here! There is plenty to choose from, and you can get a good deal. Anyway, the housing market is down in most parts of the country, so I think Floridians need to take a deep breath and relax. It is all going to be okay.

[RAINBOWWAVES]

I never realized how great the schools in Jersey were till i came here...When my son was in 9th grade and comes home and says, Ma, I was doing this work in 6th grade..they think i'm a genuis! LOL....so it's not very hard to be an honor student here...or even a Valor Victorian...LOL....Teachers allow kids that are a disturbance to sleep in class..LOL...PSL high is just the pits, a really horrible school with really horrible teachers!!!

[backtofla]

to sleep and curse in class for the most part... very few teachers really gave us a hard time if we acted up in class. this wasnt in fla btw...

[rodsterin_fl]

I have lived in Florida for 27 years.

Florida has changed considerably economically since hurricane Andrew in 1992 but it did not begin to effect ALL of Florida until about the last 6 years or so. The change that I refer to is housing costs, homeowner's insurance premiums & availablility, and taxes and surcharges. Another issue has upset many people too - massive hispanic migration. It is not most people are racial but it seems to be more anti-cultural in nature - wanting them to learn the culture of where they have moved to (US) rather than turn it into where they came from (learn english, etc.) There is controversy on this but be aware that in Florida, Spanish is very good to know.

Housing in my area has close to tripled in cost in just the past 5 years. I have observed this in several examples - a small home I bought in 1997 for $98K I sold in 2002 for $150 and I priced in on avg going rate for sq ft. That same model is selling for more than $300K in 2006! The same is true for my current home and all over the area. Taxes are also increasing as the values are increasing. Insurance continues to rise. This year our premium was close to the same as last year ($300 more) but included a surcharge to help those whose policy was dropped when they needed help. Ours is $2450 year (homeowners) w/$300000 replacement on home of 2500 sq ft. BUT the new policy has a $6000 hurricane ded. even though it cost more.

My parents are nearing retirement and live here as well. I have been studying books - David Savignau's Best Places to Retire and also doing research on the internet and I can say that what I learned about Florida is eye opening - highest in the nation for (hidden taxes) in gas, etc., population density (persons per sq mile) among the top highest states, crime - nearly all types, Florida tops the list or is near the type in each category, etc.

If you asked me 15 years ago where to live I would've encouraged you to consider Florida. People have begun migrating from the state and many others considering the same action. Some friends of mine just last year moved out who were born here and were hoping to buy another type of home but both couples were priced out of that possibility and forced to stay in their first home. So, they sold their homes for a great amount of money and moved north. One I know of paid cash for their home in Indiana and is happy.

Some comments on this thread say things like "its in your mind" or "that's your opinion" but the facts are that Florida is losing its appeal as a retirement haven for all but the more affluent. Even the younger people "start-ups" will have to consider their salary and the cost to live and the price they will have to pay for warmer weather year-round.

[backtofla]

according to research i have found on the net, fla is not one of the highest for MURDERS. yes, lots of car theft and things of that nature, but not murders. in the southeast, louisiana, mississippi, and georgia, south carolina, north carolina, arkansas, tennessee, kentucky, and alabama all had higher murder rates from 1995-2004. this is according to deathpenaltyinfo.org.

let me guess, someone is going to say that the research is misleading or wrong??? right??? remember fla has like 17 or 18 million ppl. tn or alabama has like 7 million ppl. all stats have to be compared by the number of ppl living in the state. fla is below national avg in murders according to this website.