[TriMT7]

Lol, reminds me of people who say, "Gee, I love building snowmen, yet I live in Miami"

[psouth]

Florida is known for beaches and not trees or topography. Kind of like flat Texas with a beach.

[Chrome Microphone]

Originally Posted by annerk

Drive through rural Lake County up route 561, you'll find what you are looking for.

Minus the mountains

[Chrome Microphone]

Originally Posted by gypsychic

I had all that (except mountains) when I lived in Dade City in NE Pasco County - looks like North Carolina there. Hills, forests, woods, winding roads, lakes, etc. And all within commuting distance of Tampa. You don't have to leave Florida at all, unless you need big mountains. There are some nice size hills in Pasco and Hernando Counties.

Yes, Dade City is true Old FL, the people, the looks of it, the feeling you get when you are there, I really like Dade City. It does actually look like you are driving on I-26 in WNC a bit. (minus the mtns).

[tallrick]

There used to be trees here, until development and the immigrants from the south floated in and chainsawed them away. Hurricanes took care of many as well and with the Cubans in place no new trees were planted. Just look at places like Sweetwarer and Hialeah, they have less trees than Las Vegas!

[Chrome Microphone]

Originally Posted by Wilshire81182

If you want those things without sacrificing climate, I would suggest the Orlando or Jacksonville areas, or even better, Tallahassee. Georgia or NC will be even better.
I know what you mean. S FLorida is great when it comes to beaches and climate, but I am always surprised by how few trees are down there.

I would avoid Orlando too. Very concrete jungly. "Every corner looks the same", a family member of mine just told me this week as they were visiting.

[Wilshire81182]

Originally Posted by Chrome Microphone

I would avoid Orlando too. Very concrete jungly. "Every corner looks the same", a family member of mine just told me this week as they were visiting.

I think there are plenty of trees here. You should have taken them through some of the heavily treed areas like Longwood, Belle Isle, parts of older Winter Park, etc. There are more hills out in Lake County as well.
Most of east Orlando and South Orlando has fewer trees. I thought of being more specific when I posted, and also noted that "without sacrificing climate" because I hate our winter so I would not want to move much further north. I was also comparing our area to South Florida, not NC or GA. I hope you took your family out of the Waterford area.

[Wilshire81182]

Originally Posted by Jonotastic

Check out Portland, Oregon. It's a great city on the West Coast that is still affordable!

Do your research. Portland has great restaurants and city planning, but I hate the climate. If you do not mind rain and overcast skies, this is not even worth mention and you will probably like it a lot! I lived there 22+ years and can see the pros and cons, but I prefer Florida hands down.

[Sunny-Days90]

I have traveled this country from on end to the other, I have been on every beach known and in every mountain known. Enjoy them both.

I believe the Great Smokey Mountains are beautiful and and a drive up or down the Blue Ridge Parkway will attest to that.

I have been out west to the mountain tops, I have been in places where I was swimming in the ocean and a few hours later standing in snow to go skiing. ( wont ever do that again )

Trees are a beautiful and natural thing but when fall comes and the trees start to die and during winter when they are ugly and dead, you will see that the gray skies and dead trees around you is no treat.

The Smokies are beautiful, absolutely gorgeous during the summer months but they are dog ugly in the winter time.

Do not let the falsehood of trees drive you to areas that those same trees will die off soon and life seems to come to a standstill as far a nature goes.

I will glady trade my dead trees in my yard for months on end for a few palm trees and some fruit trees and a 1/2 drive to the ocean.

Looking out over the ocean water and hearing those waves crash into the sure is far better then hearing the whistling of a 20 below zero wind chills beating against you house knowing you have to go outside and fight it is a nightmare in itself.

Trees are not worth losing sleep over, but I can tell you that trees are that important to you make sure you find a place not so far north that the leaves die and fall to the ground.

Seasonal changes to the extremes going from beautiful to dead are not what I call life. Life is always full and when you look out and see all this dead stuff for months on end, that is no longer a life, it is a waiting period for life to come back. If anyone enjoys seeing dead trees and plants they really have a low value of what "life" is all about.

Life is not seeing dead things, its about seeing LIVE things.

* Some of the most beautiful trees I have ever saw in my life are in Micanopy, Florida. A drive through that town makes me miss Florida that much for every day.

[Sunny-Days90]

You will never see anything like this in the north.