[simple girl]

We have a possible opportunity to move to Florida sometime in the next 6 to 9 months. The specific location may dictated to us (this would be a relocation for DH's job), but maybe not either...we may be able to "push" it one way or the other. My job prospect(s) are wide open, being in healthcare, so I am asking really about location/quality of life/costs, etc.

So, if you had to choose between living in any of these 3 cities in Florida, why/why not would you live there?

[compelled to reply]

The quality of life between the three is similar to be honest, and it's mainly the local culture that might make one better than the other for someone. Traffic, crime, schools, etc are similar although crime is higher in Jax and the cost of living is higher in Ft. Lauderdale. Basically, the main difference between the three...

Jacksonville is more "southern" with a few transplants, old mixed with new, least "tropical" between the three with consistently cool winters, more crime than the other two, similar cost of living to Tampa but lower than Ft. Lauderdale. Never heard good things about the public schools up there but I know there are some excellent magnet schools. You are also right near Georgia and have an quicker drive out of the state and into other Southern destinations, but going to places within Florida can be a drag. There are many nice beaches nearby.

Tampa is a surprisingly old city with a pretty blue collar feel, but there are still plenty of newer areas nearby. Culturally, it's also surprisingly unique being influenced by many historic immigrant groups (Cuban, Italian, in some areas in the Pinellas County area, Greek), although there is a strong Midwestern influence that overpowered some of it's traditional culture, and still some Southern left in the outskirts especially and a little bit of Northeastern influence. Location wise, it's about 45 minutes to the Gulf Coast beaches (you can live closer in Pinellas County which is the St. Petersburg/Clearwater side of the bay), an hour or two from Orlando, a few hours from Ft. Lauderdale and Miami and a few hours from Jacksonville, but it's a drag to get out of the state. Crime has been on a major decrease over the years to the point where the Tampa area could now be considered pretty typical. The climate is warmer than Jacksonville, but still prone to winter cool spells.

Ft. Lauderdale is newer and flashier with not much history. Culturally it's a very mixed/integrated place with a mostly Northeastern influence and growing Caribbean and Hispanic influence. There is definitely a faster pace compared to the other two. There are suburbs with some of the lowest crime rates in the US, but overall the South Florida area has an above average crime rate. Compared to the other two, Ft. Lauderdale is more transient and that can be a good thing and a bad thing. Being at the bottom of the state, it's not particularly convenient to anywhere within the state. The area definitely has a cleaner look than the other two, but it's also more crowded and finding a home with land can be challenging. The cost of living is significantly higher than the other two, but you do get many of the advantages of living in a major metropolitan area (Miami is very close) as well as the disadvantages, and you are never more than 30 minutes from some of Florida's best and most easily accessible beaches. The climate is also the most "tropical" between the three with a more bearable summer and very mild winters.

I live in Weston, which is about 30 minutes from Ft. Lauderdale. After spending a week in the Tampa area, I'm going to say pick Tampa, it's the most well rounded and neutral of the three.

[fauve]

CTR really laid it out. There's not much I can add. Do you have the opportunity to visit all 3? The vegetation is very different in all 3 and so is the beach. The feel is also completely different.

I've lived in both Tampa & Ft Lauderdale. Tampa is more conservative politically than Ft Lauderdale. The zoning of signs in Tampa is non-existent. Tampa is "whiter" than Ft Lauderdale. Tampa feels like a large suburb with the exception of the Ybor City area. I feel much more at home in Ft Lauderdale but I can't say why. Maybe simply because Tampa has more transplants from the midwest while Ft Laud has more transplants from the northeast.

[Jonotastic]

I would choose to live in Weston, which is right outside of Fort Lauderdale.

Visit them all...

[simple girl]

Thank you so much - this is excellent feedback - very helpful!!!

We are very excited about this potential move!

[daytonadewd]

Originally Posted by simple girl

We have a possible opportunity to move to Florida sometime in the next 6 to 9 months. The specific location may dictated to us (this would be a relocation for DH's job), but maybe not either...we may be able to "push" it one way or the other. My job prospect(s) are wide open, being in healthcare, so I am asking really about location/quality of life/costs, etc.

So, if you had to choose between living in any of these 3 cities in Florida, why/why not would you live there?

To me, the answer would be dependent upon if you have kids and looking at schools. Also what your interests are outside of work relating to "quality of life" issues.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by daytonadewd

To me, the answer would be dependent upon if you have kids and looking at schools.

I don't really think so, because all three have a mostly shoddy school district with a few exceptional pockets. Most people would probably say JAX wins (not sure why though) but it is acutally the worst of the three, at least on paper, but it too has some major exceptions.

[IslandNomad]

On this same thread.... I've been looking, but haven't found the answer and this is pretty close. I don't want to start yet another "I'm moving to xxxx" thread, so I'm just going to piggyback off this one

I'm in my mid-30s and divorced, looking for an fun place to start over. Corporate professional, love the water, sailing, fishing, bars (not clubs really), baseball, football and going to the beach (not always a fan of spending the day - get bored easily). What more can I tell you... rent should be around $1500, youngish, single crowd that enjoys having a nice evening out.

I've been looking at Tampa and Fort Lauderdale as they seem to be the top two. Any other thoughts, or any thoughts at all?

Thanks a lot!!

[Trusses]

Simple Girl, I also think it depends on where you are moving from. Based on that, I could probably tell you what you would probably enjoy most, assuming that you are comfortable with the culture/quality of life of where you are currently living.

[gypsychic]

I have to agree that compelled to reply summed it all up pretty well. Overall I would say Tampa might be the best for you as well, but everyone has their own preferences as to the look or culture of a place, the differences in weather, etc. It would be good if you could visit each area for yourself to get the vibe of each place.