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Thank you for two very nice responses. Like you I just wanted to get handle on it and get different ideas from different perspectives.
Of course I see more negatives then positives and I expected that from reading before I posted this question.
Your post have given me the encouragement to do tons of research before I do anything and I will.
The most important sentence from you was the fact that all the negatives you read here were found out to be all wrong.
I understand I need to do my homework, spend time in Florida which I will do before making any solid move, I have already lived in the south and have missed it since we returned here.
Yes, we have a 10 year old, we have checked with a current teacher who has a sister teaching in the Tampa area and she said that she would put her 5th graders against any in the country and that the school systems are just like everywhere else, you get out what you and your kids put into it.
My list would be short I think as I already know enough about many of the other issues.
Education would be no. 1
Safety and housing no. 2
And so on.
Things that do not bother me at all, heat, love it hot. Traffic, try to drive in Cincinnati Ohio at 5 pm on Friday nights, you will become a Nascar driver real quick.
Cost of living, cheaper for us to live in Florida with the tax structure and cost of living expenses. If we live in a similar home, similar way of life we will be money ahead by living in Florida because of taxes, COL expenses etc.
If I am reading right, so everyone here says that the heat, taxes, schools, jobs and traffic are a problem.
Heat is what we want, no more snow.
Taxes, cheaper for me in Florida.
Schools, I have checked schools close to Margels area and her schools our perform most all schools in my own district here in Ohio.
Jobs, already lined up even with a small raise to boot.
Traffic, does not bother us at all. It cannot be any worse in Florida then most of the cities we have lived in.
We have spent considerable amount of time in Florida in our lifetime and towns such as Charlotte, Indianapolis, Cincy, Cols, Philly have much worse traffic then any town we travel in Florida to.
The bottle neck in Florida for me was always on I-4 close to Tampa but I always go back and forth to the beach and Disney with making sure more time as needed.
I appreciate all inputs, I especially appreciate many of you who have told me specifics to look into and for Margel and the others who said we need to research and spend time in Florida, I think what we will do is rent and move to Florida a week after school is out and live there in Florida for the summer months and not sell our home until everyone likes to the place we pick.
We love the heat, the water, the year aorund life of warm weather, we lived in the south for a while and have regretted it since we moved back.
Sick of the cold, the snow, sick ice and living inside for months on end during the winter.
We love outdoor sports and cannot do it here in the cold.
One thing is for sure, the only reason we came back to the cold was for family reason, now we realize that you cannot make yourself and your immediate family miserable just so they can see family once a week when about every single one of them could not wait to come to Florida to see us and be warm and close the the ocean.
We are heading to Florida in the future and appreciate more input as to areas of interest.
We love outdoor sports, good schools and will go private if needed, we love to be central, close to Disney, Busch, etc. Family areas in smaller spots like 20-40 miles outside of major cities preferrably.
Probably will not look much more south then maybe Port Charlotte across to Jupiter area.
Any input would be appreciated, positive or negative is fine with me.
What I cannot get myself to understand is if it is so miserable in Florida then why in the world does everyone still live there and why does everyone want or cannot wait to move to Florida.
We are miserable here and we are leaving as soon as we can. Hopefully this will be the last winter for us here.
Your post reads like someone wishing to reinforce a decision that has already been made. You have formulated your opinion of Florida based upon factors that the state "cannot possibly be worse than where you live/ have lived before". You are deluding yourself by thinking that you will sway the opinions of those attempting to tell you the reality of Florida today. Like any state , it has its positives, as well as, its shortcomings.
I must be in a different state of Florida because so far my kids are doing well in school, have good caring teachers, and really like and feel safe in their schools and neighborhood. My subdivision is very well maintained and thank God have had no issues with crime or sex offenders. I'm not saying they don't exist....but the entire state? Come on now, be a little realistic. People come here looking for real advice not scary generalizations. This state is just too big to give it such a bad rep.
Although on the other hand, someone who would believe that if you move to Florida with kids, there necesarily will be people looking for every opportunity to molest, rob, or kill them, that they'll end up as goobers if you let them attend public school, and that they'll probably end up as drug addicts, AND who would believe that you could move somewhere else instead where, all else being equal, there is significantly less crime threat to your kid, far less chance that could experiment with drugs, and far less chance of them ending up a goober, probably isn't someone we should lament not moving to the state in the first place. For one, I wouldn't miss a person of that intelligence making or influencing local legislation affecting how I can choose to live my life.
A lot of us are trapped here. It's easy to move here but hard to get out due to the poor wages.
No matter how difficult your situation, if you really want to get out you can get out. When I first left 15 years ago, I was in a lot of debt. I left with not much money to my name (I really couldn't have survived more than a couple months without working), and with no job in my new location, no friends or relatives there, and no contacts. I had just gotten married (my wife was living in Washington D.C. at the time--I met her when she was visiting a friend of hers in Florida), and we moved to New York City of all places (the significance being how expensive it is to live here). The only thing I had lined up was my new apartment--which I found in the classified ads of the Village Voice. I had never seen it or the area it was in. I set it up by phone from Florida. Before I moved to the NYC area I moved to a roach, mouse and termite infested apartment in the ghetto in West Palm Beach (right by Palm Beach Lakes near Tamarind) because it was the cheapest place I could find, and I was working three different jobs (I worked in a hospital business office, I did talk radio, and I gigged as a musician). Shortly after I got here I first took a job as a foot messenger--partially so that while I was working, I could stop by various locations and drop off resumes/apply for better-paying work.
The moral of the story is that if you really want something, no matter how difficult your situation, you make the sacrifices you have to make to get it. Complaining about your situation doesn't make the difference. But I've been around long enough to know that some folks (which doesn't mean I'm specifying anyone here before anyone gets all defensive) actually like to complain. They do not really want change that badly; they'd rather have a situation to complain about.
No matter how difficult your situation, if you really want to get out you can get out. When I first left 15 years ago, I was in a lot of debt. I left with not much money to my name (I really couldn't have survived more than a couple months without working), and with no job in my new location, no friends or relatives there, and no contacts. I had just gotten married (my wife was living in Washington D.C. at the time--I met her when she was visiting a friend of hers in Florida), and we moved to New York City of all places (the significance being how expensive it is to live here). The only thing I had lined up was my new apartment--which I found in the classified ads of the Village Voice. I had never seen it or the area it was in. I set it up by phone from Florida. Before I moved to the NYC area I moved to a roach, mouse and termite infested apartment in the ghetto in West Palm Beach (right by Palm Beach Lakes near Tamarind) because it was the cheapest place I could find, and I was working three different jobs (I worked in a hospital business office, I did talk radio, and I gigged as a musician). Shortly after I got here I first took a job as a foot messenger--partially so that while I was working, I could stop by various locations and drop off resumes/apply for better-paying work.
The moral of the story is that if you really want something, no matter how difficult your situation, you make the sacrifices you have to make to get it. Complaining about your situation doesn't make the difference. But I've been around long enough to know that some folks (which doesn't mean I'm specifying anyone here before anyone gets all defensive) actually like to complain. They do not really want change that badly; they'd rather have a situation to complain about.
Tungsten,
These are drastically different economic times than what you are referring. We are immersed in a deepening recession that will impact our country for years to come. Venturing into the unknown (without job, education, and/or housing) in the current economic climate is a recipe for disaster.
These are drastically different economic times than what you are referring. We are immersed in a deepening recession that will impact our country for years to come. Venturing into the unknown (without job, education, and/or housing) in the current economic climate is a recipe for disaster.
Location: Concrete jungle where dreams are made of.
8,900 posts, read 15,939,050 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tungsten_Udder
Which, for one, shows that there are serious problems in the ranking criteria.
I'm a teacher in NY. When I was in school, I learned about the standards in different states. Florida's state standards were about 2 grades later than when NY learns them. I remember what a previous poster said a long time ago on this exact forum. They said they moved from NY to FL while their child was a senior. They received a text book in one subject that they received when they were in 10th grade in NY. Says a lot about Florida's education.
Things that do not bother me at all, heat, love it hot. Traffic, try to drive in Cincinnati Ohio at 5 pm on Friday nights, you will become a Nascar driver real quick.
What I cannot get myself to understand is if it is so miserable in Florida then why in the world does everyone still live there and why does everyone want or cannot wait to move to Florida.
We are miserable here and we are leaving as soon as we can. Hopefully this will be the last winter for us here.
A couple of comments....
First, the heat. Of course it is hot-it's Florida. The issue is the heat is constant, along with high humidity, most of the year. I live in Naples. The weather right now is fabulous. It is 8AM and it is 64 right now. Just a few weeks ago it would have been in the 90s by 10AM. By the end of February it will start to get hotter very quickly. This sounds great if you are reading this and seeing snow outside, but it gets old, at least for me. This may not be an issue for you or your family, but it is for many. I now realize why so many people are snowbirds.
Second, traffic. The difference in Florida traffic is largely the demographics. A huge elderly population combined with tourists unfamiliar with the area makes an interesting mix. My experience has been that other cities may have the same volume of traffic but it is much calmer. I admit I have never driven in Cincy.
Finally, why do so many people move here if it is so awful? Because they came here with unrealistic expectations. Florida is a great place to live. Millions of people live here. It is not like being on vacation nor like the postcards.
This forum (especially Orlando) is filled with stories with the same theme . Sick of the cold, pack up and move with no job, housing, or family support. They get here and realize ten dollars an hour is a top wage, housing is expensive, and the cost of living doesn't match the payscale. Two or three jobs is the norm. Add to that the schools and the recipe for unhappiness is complete. Suddenly the fantasy of going to the beach everyday evaporates. The weather is great but it doesn't pay the bills. It's called the sunshine tax.
These stories are less common since the economy tanked but during the boom years they were all over the forum.
You are not falling into that trap since you have jobs, housing, and schooling all researched. This does not mean it will be perfect for you. It means you should continue to research and keep an open mind.
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