[IFindDeadPeopleGenealogy]

Try visiting Chattahoochee, Florida. It is a quiet town about three miles wide with one main strip, two traffic lights, lots of hills and a ton of trees. There is the Apalachicola River and then Lake Seminole within walking distance. The pictures are beautiful and the cost of living is awesome! Chattahoochee is dead center of Tallahassee, Dothan Alabama, Valdosta, GA. I love it here. I was born in Chicago, and then raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. I love the small town and all the trees and the water. Love it love it love it. Hope that helps.

~Nina Anne~

[FiftyFiftyAboutCO]

Originally Posted by Sunny-Days90

You will never see anything like this in the north.

No, I won't ever see scenes like that in the north - thank God -- because I don't think there's anything pretty about palm trees. I love the 4 seasons we have here in Colorado and many other states. The poster who doesn't like what he calls "dead" trees should get his terminology right. They're dormant, not dead, and many successful photographers and artists would disagree with him vehemently about his opinions about fall and winter. And so would I.

Florida depresses me -- it's where retired people go to die and live in nursing homes. Or else they buy in to these "active" over-55 places where their neighbors tell them what to do with their own property. The rest of you? I haven't the slightest clue why anyone in their prime years would live in such a flat, hot, buggy, humid, storm-prone state. Beaches? They may be good for an occasional vacation, but I haven't seen one in over 20 years, and I don't miss it one bit. I'll take the deserts and mountains anyday.

My folks lived in Florida (Ft. Myers). I enjoyed visiting them for a week at Christmas when I worked because anyplace looked good to me then. But I'm retired now, and I don't want to sweat and play childish senior games for the rest of my life in a place with no scenery and no wide open spaces. I've experienced the traffic, especially on 41 from Tampa to Ft. Myers -- and that was during the late 70's. I can only imagine how bad it is now. I forgot to mention how much I despise the smell of mildew. We don't have that out here in the west. But thanks for your comments; I need to be reminded sometimes why I don't live in the south. I'm very lucky to live where I do.

[TANaples]

Originally Posted by FiftyFiftyAboutCO

No, I won't ever see scenes like that in the north - thank God -- because I don't think there's anything pretty about palm trees. I love the 4 seasons we have here in Colorado and many other states. The poster who doesn't like what he calls "dead" trees should get his terminology right. They're dormant, not dead, and many successful photographers and artists would disagree with him vehemently about his opinions about fall and winter. And so would I.

Florida depresses me -- it's where retired people go to die and live in nursing homes. Or else they buy in to these "active" over-55 places where their neighbors tell them what to do with their own property. The rest of you? I haven't the slightest clue why anyone in their prime years would live in such a flat, hot, buggy, humid, storm-prone state. Beaches? They may be good for an occasional vacation, but I haven't seen one in over 20 years, and I don't miss it one bit. I'll take the deserts and mountains anyday.

My folks lived in Florida (Ft. Myers). I enjoyed visiting them for a week at Christmas when I worked because anyplace looked good to me then. But I'm retired now, and I don't want to sweat and play childish senior games for the rest of my life in a place with no scenery and no wide open spaces. I've experienced the traffic, especially on 41 from Tampa to Ft. Myers -- and that was during the late 70's. I can only imagine how bad it is now. I forgot to mention how much I despise the smell of mildew. We don't have that out here in the west. But thanks for your comments; I need to be reminded sometimes why I don't live in the south. I'm very lucky to live where I do.

Very well put, and very true. Reps to you

[FiftyFiftyAboutCO]

Originally Posted by TANaples

Very well put, and very true. Reps to you

Thank you. I'm sure I offended lots of folks, but guess I need to speak my mind now and then. All the best to you.

[mazenblue]

Originally Posted by FiftyFiftyAboutCO

No, I won't ever see scenes like that in the north - thank God -- because I don't think there's anything pretty about palm trees. I love the 4 seasons we have here in Colorado and many other states. The poster who doesn't like what he calls "dead" trees should get his terminology right. They're dormant, not dead, and many successful photographers and artists would disagree with him vehemently about his opinions about fall and winter. And so would I.

Florida depresses me -- it's where retired people go to die and live in nursing homes. Or else they buy in to these "active" over-55 places where their neighbors tell them what to do with their own property. The rest of you? I haven't the slightest clue why anyone in their prime years would live in such a flat, hot, buggy, humid, storm-prone state. Beaches? They may be good for an occasional vacation, but I haven't seen one in over 20 years, and I don't miss it one bit. I'll take the deserts and mountains anyday.

My folks lived in Florida (Ft. Myers). I enjoyed visiting them for a week at Christmas when I worked because anyplace looked good to me then. But I'm retired now, and I don't want to sweat and play childish senior games for the rest of my life in a place with no scenery and no wide open spaces. I've experienced the traffic, especially on 41 from Tampa to Ft. Myers -- and that was during the late 70's. I can only imagine how bad it is now. I forgot to mention how much I despise the smell of mildew. We don't have that out here in the west. But thanks for your comments; I need to be reminded sometimes why I don't live in the south. I'm very lucky to live where I do.

I so agree with you!

[FiftyFiftyAboutCO]

Originally Posted by mazenblue

I so agree with you!

Mazenblue, thanks for the kudo. We have something in common -- I lived in Michigan for 15 years before moving out west 27 years ago. Although I love it here, I miss Michigan and the house I had there in Canton. Gardening here leaves much to be desired because of the lack of rain and the poor soil in some places. In Canton, I had great gardens, and could even leave them for 2 or 3 weeks for summer vacation and they'd still be alive when I returned, as I used to mulch heavily before I left. You can't do that here in the semi-arrid West, as stuff needs water every day or so.

I hope you find a way to get out of Florida soon. My Dad loved it for a while when they retired down there in '77, but over the years, he grew tired of the whole scene and worrying about hurricanes. So eventually he moved to Tucson for the dry air and sunshine.

I think about going back to Michigan, but I'm afraid to now because of the economy back there. As you know, house prices there are very low, but I don't know what will happen with property taxes with the state suffering so much because of the auto industry's troubles. Not only that, I'm not sure I'm game for the huge amounts of snow they get compared to where I am now. Mind you, I love snow; in fact, I'm a skier, but I prefer living where the snow mostly stays up in the mountains, like here. Oh, I shovel a few times in the winter but not like when I lived in Canton. We don't get tornadoes or ice storms here either. I learned to ski at Mt. Brighton and have friends there in town.

Anyway, I wish you the best. Look for the joy in simple things -- like all the songbirds they have in the south. You'll be okay if you do that.

[Strel]

Originally Posted by IFindDeadPeopleGenealogy

Try visiting Chattahoochee, Florida. It is a quiet town about three miles wide with one main strip, two traffic lights, lots of hills and a ton of trees. There is the Apalachicola River and then Lake Seminole within walking distance. The pictures are beautiful and the cost of living is awesome! Chattahoochee is dead center of Tallahassee, Dothan Alabama, Valdosta, GA. I love it here. I was born in Chicago, and then raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. I love the small town and all the trees and the water. Love it love it love it. Hope that helps.

~Nina Anne~

That whole area is simply gorgeous and luckily still unspoiled. Have you ever been to Torreya state park?

[SirenSong71]

Originally Posted by FiftyFiftyAboutCO

Thank you. I'm sure I offended lots of folks, but guess I need to speak my mind now and then. All the best to you.

It's just YOUR OPINION...we're all entitled to our own opinion. I do not view Florida that way...nor do the many friends and family I have there.

Everyone is an expert on their own opinion.

It's only offensive when someone thinks their OPINION is the truth for everyone.

[FiftyFiftyAboutCO]

Originally Posted by SirenSong71

It's just YOUR OPINION...we're all entitled to our own opinion. I do not view Florida that way...nor do the many friends and family I have there.

Everyone is an expert on their own opinion.

It's only offensive when someone thinks their OPINION is the truth for everyone.

Where did I say my opinion was gospel? I have friends who think Florida is the greatest thing in the universe, and that's fine. I just don't agree with them. They live in The Villages, FYI. That life just does not appeal to me, and neither do humidity, hurricanes, and all the rest. I have friends, too, who would never live out here in the altitude and dry air. So what? By the way, I'm originally from NJ (been gone 4+ decades). My friends and family back there were all born with glue on their soles and thought from the start I was nuts to leave. Again, to each their own.

[beachmouse]

If your primary Florida experience is with The Villages and other retirement areas, that explains the 'it's nothing but retirees' part of your perception of the state. Whenever you get a news feature trying to explain the state, they end up having to divide it into something like 5-11 different regions based on the culture, local economy, climate, and assorted other factors.

Saying that all of Florida is just like The Villages would be like saying that there's no difference between Marquette and Ann Arbor in Michigan or Boulder and Colorado Springs in Colorado.