[Samby58]

Hi, I'm 18 originally from Minnesota. I'm leaving for college in the spring, and can't decide where to go, California or Florida? I'm going to community college for generals then transfering to a state U. But I'm gonna be living by myself in an apartment (not dorms).

I want to know what are the pros/cons of florida vs. cali. I don't party, drink or any of that so the "night life" doesn't matter to me. I just want to go somewhere different on my own for a while and decided on either cali or florida. I've never been to Cali, but have visited florida numerous times and love it there. My biggest problem with Florida though is the traffic. People drive like maniacs!

I would also like to get a job. I'm a quad-lingual (if that's what it's called haha), where would I have a better chance finding a good job?

I would love comparisons in crime, work, education, friendliness, transit time, ect...What are your opinions? Cali or FL???

Thank you so much for any input...

[Samby58]

Hi, I'm 18 originally from Minnesota. I'm leaving for college in the spring, and can't decide where to go, California or Florida? I'm going to community college for generals then transfering to a state U. But I'm gonna be living by myself in a rental apartment (not dorms).

I want to know what are the pros/cons of florida vs. cali. I don't party, drink or any of that so the "night life" doesn't matter to me. I'm not preppy at all like the MTV show girls, n to be honest, that shallow lifestyle has nothing to do with me. I just want to go somewhere different on my own for a while and decided on either cali or florida. I've never been to Cali, but have visited florida numerous times and love it there. My biggest problem with Florida though is the traffic. People drive like maniacs!

I would also like to get a job. I'm a quad-lingual (if that's what it's called haha), where would I have a better chance finding a good job?

I would love comparisons in crime, work, education, friendliness, transit time, ect...What are your opinions? Cali or FL???

Thank you so much for any input...

[Reptoid Humidian]

You should take the leap and go straight to Miami or Ft Lauderdale! California's just too damned cold! There are also huge climatic differences between North Florida and South Florida. The greens are far more vibrant and vivid in mid winter in SoFla. In San Diego it's so dry here and generally cool that the palm trees look halfway dormant and a lot of the vegetation looks halfway dead -- and I'm not even talking about the stuff thats supposed to dry out in the summer. It takes a lot of heat, rain and humidity to get the kind of brilliant colors you get in Miami. Oh yeah, and the air is MUCH cleaner! Girls still wear bikinis and swim in the ocean in December through February. That'll never happen in San Diego. The water temps are around 57 degrees December through February.

[Reptoid Humidian]

Quad lingual! That's a great way to be! What four languages?

[Moderate Guy]

Originally Posted by Reptoid Humidian

Girls still wear bikinis and swim in the ocean in December through February. That'll never happen in San Diego.

That's all I need to choose Florida!

[Samby58]

Originally Posted by Reptoid Humidian

You should take the leap and go straight to Miami or Ft Lauderdale! California's just too damned cold! There are also huge climatic differences between North Florida and South Florida. The greens are far more vibrant and vivid in mid winter in SoFla. In San Diego it's so dry here and generally cool that the palm trees look halfway dormant and a lot of the vegetation looks halfway dead -- and I'm not even talking about the stuff thats supposed to dry out in the summer. It takes a lot of heat, rain and humidity to get the kind of brilliant colors you get in Miami. Oh yeah, and the air is MUCH cleaner! Girls still wear bikinis and swim in the ocean in December through February. That'll never happen in San Diego. The water temps are around 57 degrees December through February.

Thank you so much for your opinion! Although cold isn't really a negative for me... I am from Minnesota after all haha 50*weather is summer for me! But you are very right, miami is definitely beautiful. It's always been my home away from home. Thank you =)

Originally Posted by Reptoid Humidian

Quad lingual! That's a great way to be! What four languages?

English, Portuguese, Spanish, and French I'm fluent in, and I understand all and can speak a little Italian. =)

[annerk]

In both states there is a residency requirement to get in-state tuition, and you can't just show up and claim residency for that purpose. I want to think in Florida it's a one year wait, California may be even longer.

Also have you investigated the cost of living in the areas you are considering? Keep in mind that both states are HUGE (from the Keys to Pensacola FL is a 16 hour drive, similar time from one end of CA to the other.) So while various costs and crime and transit times might be one thing in one area, they could be completely different in another.

How do you plan on supporting yourself? You realize that the unemployment rates in both states is around 10% or higher, and jobs are very scarce--even minimum wage dishwasher jobs are almost impossible to get. On top of that employers want to hire people with full availability, not someone they have to work around class schedules with.

It sounds like you haven't really thought this out and looked at the reality of the areas you are considering.

[DailyJournalist]

California, the state just has so much variety it is hard to beat.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by Samby58

Hi, I'm 18 originally from Minnesota. I'm leaving for college in the spring, and can't decide where to go, California or Florida? I'm going to community college for generals then transfering to a state U. But I'm gonna be living by myself in an apartment (not dorms).

I want to know what are the pros/cons of florida vs. cali. I don't party, drink or any of that so the "night life" doesn't matter to me. I just want to go somewhere different on my own for a while and decided on either cali or florida. I've never been to Cali, but have visited florida numerous times and love it there. My biggest problem with Florida though is the traffic. People drive like maniacs!

I would also like to get a job. I'm a quad-lingual (if that's what it's called haha), where would I have a better chance finding a good job?

I would love comparisons in crime, work, education, friendliness, transit time, ect...What are your opinions? Cali or FL???

Thank you so much for any input...

You need to narrow it down to cities in each state - both states are HUGE and vary greatly from area to area. Also, as a general rule California is horrendously more expensive than Florida, so you have to factor that in. I agree you need a whole lot more planning on this.

[Moderate Guy]

Originally Posted by Samby58

Hi, I'm 18 originally from Minnesota. I'm leaving for college in the spring, and can't decide where to go, California or Florida? I'm going to community college for generals then transfering to a state U. But I'm gonna be living by myself in an apartment (not dorms).

I want to know what are the pros/cons of florida vs. cali. I don't party, drink or any of that so the "night life" doesn't matter to me. I just want to go somewhere different on my own for a while and decided on either cali or florida. I've never been to Cali, but have visited florida numerous times and love it there. My biggest problem with Florida though is the traffic. People drive like maniacs!

I would also like to get a job. I'm a quad-lingual (if that's what it's called haha), where would I have a better chance finding a good job?

I would love comparisons in crime, work, education, friendliness, transit time, ect...What are your opinions? Cali or FL???

Thank you so much for any input...

As others have pointed out, the criteria and areas of concern will vary within each of the two states. It's really a very open-ended analogy for the two states as a whole.

Many prefer California while others like me will do cartwheels over Florida. Cali is indeed more expensive in general. Each state, though, has its own issues - some favorable, some not so great.

Factors to take into account for you personally can include whether there are any family/relatives/friends in either state, your financial situation for college, your career goals, college application processses, and whether one state has a colllege that you feel offers a superior curriculum toward attaining those goals, etc.