[cantleaveherequickenough]

Hi,
We (me, my wife, and two daughters aged 12 and 14) are hoping to move to the USA from England on an investment visa, Florida looks nice on paper and we have been a few times to play with Mickey and also looked around a bit of "real" Florida......

There are a million questions to ask but could I just start with a couple....

How does our education system integrate with that of the USA, both my daughters are just above average, will they find the switch OK or will there be lots of extra work involved?

Also, any suggestions on weather to find a nice place to live, then find a business to buy or vise versa, and any advise re buying a US business would be gratefully received,

If anyone has been through this type of move recently and wouldn't mind 101 silly questions then please let me know.

Thanks in advance

Pete

[Annie of Oldsmar]

I don't think your daughters would have any problems transitioning to schools in the US, I do suggest you do it when schools start ,mid august for
FL or midterm which is January. If you have been to visit Mickey world,it is grand for vacations not so great to live there(crime,traffic,housing). It all depends on the kind of business you want to get into.
I am a resident of an area near Tampa FL and I am also a migrant.Any other questions please post.
Good Luck!!

[bamboosmom]

Hey Cant,
The schools are good. It depends on where you want to live. North Florida?
Central Florida? SW Florida or the East coast of Florida...
We have different temps throughout Florida. In North Florida you have a bit of a change of season. The trees turn colors in the fall. SW Florida is sub-tropical. Warm balmy breezes, very natural and peaceful. I am in Punta Gorda and the weather here is very nice. The schools also received all A's throughout Charlotte County. The area is growing fast and alot of younger families are moving in too. Starting a business depends also on what type you are thinking about. There are so many different opportunites here where we are. You just have to do some research on which areas appeal to you and your family then go from there.

[paintballer1708]

Well to start off the Florida school system is horrible. It ranks 49th in graduation, only Georgia is last in graduating. I would look more into North Carolina. Florida is going downhill very fast.

[MiaDolFan]

Originally Posted by paintballer1708

Well to start off the Florida school system is horrible. It ranks 49th in graduation, only Georgia is last in graduating. I would look more into North Carolina. Florida is going downhill very fast.

This from the guy from Ohio, the posterstate for decline. Cleveland area, no less.
North Carolina doesn't have Florida's population growth, and an expanding market is important to any new business.
Be weary of Miami area, as many Latin Americans and Europeans will buy businesses here just to get themselves easier immigration access, and they've flooded the market here with small businesses that aren't necessarily around to make profit. Try upstate.

[mich2fla]

Originally Posted by paintballer1708

Well to start off the Florida school system is horrible. It ranks 49th in graduation, only Georgia is last in graduating. I would look more into North Carolina. Florida is going downhill very fast.

Florida schools has been improving ever since families with kids moved in. It will only get better. In the past, older people without kids frequently voted against mileage increases to support schools. It's getting better.

North Carolina cannot keep up with the new people moving in...class sizes at the elementary level is around 38 kids. 38 kids! Be cautious about NC.

[lulu]

I was reading somewhere that some part of Orlando has lots of English citizens that have set up business' there. I'm trying to think where (?) but I just can't remember. Maybe, somebody here will know.

[paintballer1708]

I go down to Florida every year and i have a great time, but im just warning this person before they make their final decision. Florida still has damage from the hurricanes last year. Many native Floridians like my family have plans on getting out of Florida ASAP and i meet many people that have the same views. My family and i are originally from Pennsylvania but we all moved out. I have family all over the country now. I think every single one of my family members in Florida want to move out. I hate to see the damage in Florida when i go down and it pains me to hear the negative stories that are going on in Florida. Esp with the hurricanes. Still the schools in Florida are in horrible condition and the cost of living is going way up. I really do want Florida to do well, but with these hurricanes and the rapid development its hard for that state to come back to what it was back in the 70s and 80s.

[MiaDolFan]

I had relatives in Cincinnati who had a tornado hit their neighborhood one night, 2 blocks away a row of about 8 homes were fully demolished, 2 killed, said tornado sirens went off right when the tornado passed by--no time to even make it to the basement. They live in Florida now, 2 hurricanes have ripped off a couple roof tiles and pool screens in their neighborhood, nobody died.

[cantleaveherequickenough]

Hmmmm

Well that wasn't the type of replies I was thinking I would get......

Florida was first choice because of the weather, I'm sick of the British climate, two weeks ago we nearly put the central heating back on as it was so cold, now its boiling and sticky, I can't stand the quick repeated changes from cold to hot, wet to dry. I want a climate that is warm/hot all the time or at least somewhere that is not constantly changing, it just does me in.

So bearing that in mind, where do we start looking, I want somewhere not to crowded but not isolated and, to sound like a total snob, somewhere where people still have respect for their fellow man and treat others as they would like to be treated themselves, I was looking in the panhandle, but know nothing about the area....... whats it like further North in the southern states??

Any Ideas?

Pete