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Hello All,
this is just an idea I was having. Please take time to read if you like and if not, then that's OK too. I am a 19-year-old guy currently attending a small liberal arts college in Wisconsin, with roots in Wisconsin and the Midwest. A possible idea I was having was to move to FL..my primary objections to WI are the cold/snowy weather, lack of culture, and lack of job opportunities. Also, I have always LOVED everything about citrus trees and tropical plants and would love to live in that sort of climate..MIND YOU..just an idea, so don't jump on me about my naivete, I know I'm naive
The place in Florida I am looking for would be a small town with a long/interesting/old history, preferably suburban or rural, relatively safe, friendly, and quiet- not too expensive, and a house or farm with an acre or more of land on which I could grow citrus trees and tropical fruits on a small scale for my own use. Does such a place exist?
When I went to Key Largo in the early 90's as a child, it seemed like much more rural/less touristy of a place than Key West, but this may have changed. I also have fond memories of Marco Island. I didn't like Key West and was positively frightened by Miami (no offense to Miami folks! Any suggestions?
I ought to mention I am gay, but I don't want to live in a "stereotypically gay" place with lots of gay bars and a huge homosexual population..my boyfriend and I are monogamous and SO tired of "the scene" We just need a place that would be tolerant...
if you read this long post, thank you. I would appreciate any input you may have. It is Just an Idea! like I said. I have also read the Florida Horror Stories on this forum about Florida being a dystopia and hellhole..so if that is your only argument, please don't tell me that. If you have valid reasons for steering me away from particular regions, please state them; if you want to bash on the whole state, I have read 10,000 variations on that argument and am aware of it. I need real and realistic information, as much as you feel like sharing with me.
Thank you and God Bless. I would particularly appreciate input from native Floridians..my bus driver in high school was a native Floridian and she was the COOLEST lady ever. Where do you Florida people get your accent? It sounds like none I have ever heard...you guys are awesome. Peace.
Last edited by dreamingmark; 03-02-2008 at 01:00 AM..
Ha-ha about the Florida accent. There is one in northern Florida but farther south it's more NY on the east coast and more midwest on the west coast.
I grew up in Florida (West Palm Beach) and gay people are everywhere in Fla., the question is not that, it's where will you be happy.
My husband and I just drove around SE and SW Florida getting the "feel" of different towns until we hit the one that is right for us.
Don't pick your town from a book of "Best Fla towns for (fill in the blank). We tried that and it was SO wrong.
Vacation in the place you'd like to live but don't just lay on the beach, get in drive-time traffic and see how you cope, see how friendly people are in the supermarket near where you'd like to live. The best recommendation will come from gay friends who can also tell you where NOT to go, like the redneck areas.
Good luck. Florida is a diverse place but has pockets of very hostile groups. It's more important how nice your neighbors are on your street than a whole town.
And if you are going to adopt children in the future check out the sex offender registry to see where they are located on the map. Google "Florida sex offender registry".
P.S. Key Largo is nice but the tourism takes over the local feel of being in a community.
Hello All,
this is just an idea I was having. Please take time to read if you like and if not, then that's OK too. I am a 19-year-old guy currently attending a small liberal arts college in Wisconsin, with roots in Wisconsin and the Midwest. A possible idea I was having was to move to FL..my primary objections to WI are the cold/snowy weather, lack of culture, and lack of job opportunities. Also, I have always LOVED everything about citrus trees and tropical plants and would love to live in that sort of climate..MIND YOU..just an idea, so don't jump on me about my naivete, I know I'm naive
The place in Florida I am looking for would be a small town with a long/interesting/old history, preferably suburban or rural, relatively safe, friendly, and quiet- not too expensive, and a house or farm with an acre or more of land on which I could grow citrus trees and tropical fruits on a small scale for my own use. Does such a place exist?
When I went to Key Largo in the early 90's as a child, it seemed like much more rural/less touristy of a place than Key West, but this may have changed. I also have fond memories of Marco Island. I didn't like Key West and was positively frightened by Miami (no offense to Miami folks! Any suggestions?
I ought to mention I am gay, but I don't want to live in a "stereotypically gay" place with lots of gay bars and a huge homosexual population..my boyfriend and I are monogamous and SO tired of "the scene" We just need a place that would be tolerant...
if you read this long post, thank you. I would appreciate any input you may have. It is Just an Idea! like I said. I have also read the Florida Horror Stories on this forum about Florida being a dystopia and hellhole..so if that is your only argument, please don't tell me that. If you have valid reasons for steering me away from particular regions, please state them; if you want to bash on the whole state, I have read 10,000 variations on that argument and am aware of it. I need real and realistic information, as much as you feel like sharing with me.
Thank you and God Bless. I would particularly appreciate input from native Floridians..my bus driver in high school was a native Floridian and she was the COOLEST lady ever. Where do you Florida people get your accent? It sounds like none I have ever heard...you guys are awesome. Peace.
Hi from Stuart Fl.!!
I am a tropical landscape designer here & can give you some factual information pertaining to your "dream". Citrus grows only in Central & South Florida basically...North Florida gets too cold in the winter (though I'm sure there are microclimates that make an exception & not the rule), so that narrows your search there.
Next, to own a "farm" or any amount of acreage just about ANYWHERE in Fl. is going to cost a mint unless you move towards the center of the state which is mainly "rural", & being gay myself, full of evangelicals & "bubbas" (no offense to the nice folks there!!) which may cause issues! If you want "culture" you need to be basically along the coast & near a major city like Jacksonville, West Palm Beach, Tampa, etc.
Our house is on a 1/3 of an acre here in Stuart & my yard is a tropical jungle, so don't think you need acreage to grow the plants you love.
I love Stuart because it has that "old-town" feel while having ALL the amenities as well as being near the sea. We are only 40 minutes from West Palm Beach which has museums & exhibits & a ton of other events year-round for the "culture" part of your dream. We also take short vacations to places like St Augustine (rich in history) & the Keys (just plain fun).
As far as the "gay scene", there's a lot of gay people in the area & there's plenty of bars in WPB & Port St. Lucie if you want, but we also don't do "the scene". All our neighbors are straight & we all get along just fine!!
If you need any links or more info, feel free to respond or PM me.
Good luck in your search!!
George
Hello All,
this is just an idea I was having. Please take time to read if you like and if not, then that's OK too. I am a 19-year-old guy currently attending a small liberal arts college in Wisconsin, with roots in Wisconsin and the Midwest. A possible idea I was having was to move to FL..my primary objections to WI are the cold/snowy weather, lack of culture, and lack of job opportunities. Also, I have always LOVED everything about citrus trees and tropical plants and would love to live in that sort of climate..MIND YOU..just an idea, so don't jump on me about my naivete, I know I'm naive
The place in Florida I am looking for would be a small town with a long/interesting/old history, preferably suburban or rural, relatively safe, friendly, and quiet- not too expensive, and a house or farm with an acre or more of land on which I could grow citrus trees and tropical fruits on a small scale for my own use. Does such a place exist?
When I went to Key Largo in the early 90's as a child, it seemed like much more rural/less touristy of a place than Key West, but this may have changed. I also have fond memories of Marco Island. I didn't like Key West and was positively frightened by Miami (no offense to Miami folks! Any suggestions?
I ought to mention I am gay, but I don't want to live in a "stereotypically gay" place with lots of gay bars and a huge homosexual population..my boyfriend and I are monogamous and SO tired of "the scene" We just need a place that would be tolerant...
if you read this long post, thank you. I would appreciate any input you may have. It is Just an Idea! like I said. I have also read the Florida Horror Stories on this forum about Florida being a dystopia and hellhole..so if that is your only argument, please don't tell me that. If you have valid reasons for steering me away from particular regions, please state them; if you want to bash on the whole state, I have read 10,000 variations on that argument and am aware of it. I need real and realistic information, as much as you feel like sharing with me.
Thank you and God Bless. I would particularly appreciate input from native Floridians..my bus driver in high school was a native Floridian and she was the COOLEST lady ever. Where do you Florida people get your accent? It sounds like none I have ever heard...you guys are awesome. Peace.
Also something to take into consideration is the type of plants you want to grow in youre yard. Citrus is a sub-tropical specie. It takes cold snaps better than a lot of the tropical species that grow in South Florida. Also, the further away from the coast the less tropical species you can grow, as it gets colder in the winter the further inland you go.
The further south you are the more variety you can have. South Florida (on the east coast) starts at around Melbourne south & on the west coast at around Punta Gorda south. There's a ton of tropical fruits you can grow here but not in Central Fl. (over 1100 varieties of banana alone!!)
So, depending on how "tropical" you want to be will narrow your search also.
I was thinking Martin/St. Lucie/Indian River counties as well. Stuart is a little gem- near enough to West Palm for culture and activity- but so much nicer than Palm Beach County. And it's in the heart of Citrus Country.
I am a native Floridian and was born in Bradenton and have lived everywhere from Bradenton to Port Charlotte(SW Florida). I've never moved out of the state and have never seen snow! We always travel in the summer. Funny, I don't think of myself as having an accent but maybe I just don't hear it and others do
I would look in Sarasota County or maybe St Augustine. I know that St. Augustine has a long old history. The only thing with St. Augustine is that I don't think it is very tropical. It is way above the frost line (which I believe ends after Tampa). You may have to trade off some things for others. Sarasota is full of culture but isn't very farmy unless go get east of the interstate or farther down into parts of North Port.
Come to think of it North Port Estates would probably work quite well. It is all three to five acre parcels, citrus grows well here, and it's about 30-40 minutes from Sarasota and maybe 25 minutes from the beach. Also the prices are some of the most reasonable from Naples to Tampa.
Hello All,
this is just an idea I was having. Please take time to read if you like and if not, then that's OK too. I am a 19-year-old guy currently attending a small liberal arts college in Wisconsin, with roots in Wisconsin and the Midwest. A possible idea I was having was to move to FL..my primary objections to WI are the cold/snowy weather, lack of culture, and lack of job opportunities. Also, I have always LOVED everything about citrus trees and tropical plants and would love to live in that sort of climate..MIND YOU..just an idea, so don't jump on me about my naivete, I know I'm naive
The place in Florida I am looking for would be a small town with a long/interesting/old history, preferably suburban or rural, relatively safe, friendly, and quiet- not too expensive, and a house or farm with an acre or more of land on which I could grow citrus trees and tropical fruits on a small scale for my own use. Does such a place exist?
When I went to Key Largo in the early 90's as a child, it seemed like much more rural/less touristy of a place than Key West, but this may have changed. I also have fond memories of Marco Island. I didn't like Key West and was positively frightened by Miami (no offense to Miami folks! Any suggestions?
I ought to mention I am gay, but I don't want to live in a "stereotypically gay" place with lots of gay bars and a huge homosexual population..my boyfriend and I are monogamous and SO tired of "the scene" We just need a place that would be tolerant...
if you read this long post, thank you. I would appreciate any input you may have. It is Just an Idea! like I said. I have also read the Florida Horror Stories on this forum about Florida being a dystopia and hellhole..so if that is your only argument, please don't tell me that. If you have valid reasons for steering me away from particular regions, please state them; if you want to bash on the whole state, I have read 10,000 variations on that argument and am aware of it. I need real and realistic information, as much as you feel like sharing with me.
Thank you and God Bless. I would particularly appreciate input from native Floridians..my bus driver in high school was a native Floridian and she was the COOLEST lady ever. Where do you Florida people get your accent? It sounds like none I have ever heard...you guys are awesome. Peace.
Just thought of something else...an average house just about anywhere in Fl. runs around $200,000.00+ even with the market slump.
thanks everyone for your input! I am new to the forum, how do I private-message someone? lol. Like I said before, this is just an idea.. I won't be out of college 'til June 2010 and am uncertain about what to do for a career, so I'll have to get both of those sorted out first before I consider moving anywhere.
200,000 doesn't sound all that bad..if I had a job in the area I could probably manage to live there. I have about 100,000 awarded to me for my disability that I do want to put into some real estate..but by 2010 the price of a Florida home will be worth even more, yes? lol. In the meantime, I will dreamily look at the real estate in the places you mentioned...ah...dreams. THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE! *hugs*
this is a bit off topic.. Carl Hiaasen/Hiassen writes about all the environmental problems in Florida in his novels..have any of you read his works? He talks about a lot of the problems there really well. My mom and I LOVE him.
You might also look into Lakeland. Lakeland is inland, but an easy drive to either coast if you want the beach. We have a tremendous amount of art and cultural opportunities here, beautiful vintage architecture and our climate allows "tropical paradise meets the old south" in terms of what you can grow here. Polk County grows more citrus than any other place in Florida, maybe even the country. And cost of living here is better than most anyplace else. And no, we do NOT have a lot of "bubbas" here as was mentioned above, but it is true that there are towns in Florida where you will find a lot - not that they are bad people, but maybe less tolerant of alternative lifestyles. Lakeland is also an easy drive to either Tampa or Orlando for bigger city stuff if you need it, but this is a pretty good sized area (100,000 in the city) as it is, with plenty of it's own amenities to offer. I hope you put it on your list to check out, because the quality of life here is fabulous, IMO.
I didn't mean to ramble on. This is my first reply to anyone ever.
Hi, I was born in Tampa. Raised in Georgia. Have lived in Jacksonville, Florida since 1959 and would live nowhere else. Though I have no personal knowledge on your lifestyle, I have a very good friend who has a brother who is gay. I, and she, are practicing Christians but I think there are probably more tolerant people than you think. (There will always be 'bubbas', but you'll have them anywhere you go.)
Jacksonville is north enough to experience a little bit of the change of seasons but south enough to grow citrus. I have 2 full grown grapefruit trees, 2 full grown orange trees, and 1 full grown tangerine tree. These all are planted in my backyard in the city. The point I'm trying to make is that you don't have to have a huge amount of acreage to fulfill your dreams.
In very large pots on my deck I have planted 1 Ponderosa lemon, 2 Sanboken (Sambo) lemons, 1 Meyers lemon, and 1 Variegated lemon tree. My point to all this is even though we've had one of our worse winters, my trees are fine, blooming, and I have not brought a single one inside. (I had and enjoyed over 20 Meyers lemons on that little tree this past fall and this spring.)
As for the 'Florida' accent, I have an accent but I think it's a combination of all the multi-cultural people who move to our state from all over the nation and world and live harmoniously together.
Blessings to you. Get that education first. THEN, come on down, and find your dream. Sylvia
After thought, don't rule out St. Augustine or Ocala. (John Travolta has a home in Ocala.) Ocala is small town, very pretty. Has Silver Springs where many movies were filmed. Many ranches where Thoroughbred (sp) horses are raised for racing.
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After thought, don't rule out St. Augustine or Ocala. (John Travolta has a home in Ocala.) Ocala is small town, very pretty. Has Silver Springs where many movies were filmed. Many ranches where Thoroughbred (sp) horses are raised for racing.
