[JBMallory]

Lehigh Acres
It's Hot
The people SUCK
No decent jobs for most people (I have one)
Too many hoodrats moving in to rentals
Its HOT lol

[ferret111]

I live in Tampa. I usually enjoy the weather. I like the summer heat and I can deal with the humidity to some degree. It just doesn't phase me. I'll walk two miles midday in long pants and think nothing of it. It's pretty flat here...really flat. If I want to see any sort of change in topography, I have to go to areas along the river, where there is a slight rise. The foliage is very diverse. It's mostly oak and palm, but lots of pines and orange trees. In the metro area, it's hard to tell where someone is from. A lot of people are transplants, but they seem to be more from the Midwest than New York/New Jersey, well, until you get closer to the Gulf beaches.

Crime is a factor here, but it doesn't really bother me. Aside from things like car break-ins and the like, crime is mostly centralized and can be avoided. I'm not afraid to drive through any neighborhood in town. I've even walked through a number of bad ones during the day and night and I've had no trouble.

Overall, I enjoy where I live. It's worked for me so far. I really prefer Tampa to all of Florida's other cities, as it doesn't seem to be as sprawly or touristy as others, nor do the people seem quite as vain or "keeping up with the Joneses," though we certainly have problems with that here. As much as I enjoy Tampa, I'd like to try out another part of the country, at least for awhile.

[**NoodLes**]

Originally Posted by JBMallory

Lehigh Acres
It's Hot
The people SUCK
No decent jobs for most people (I have one)
Too many hoodrats moving in to rentals
Its HOT lol

Sounds like Central Florida, have to add flat, hot, humid, swampy.

[yellfire]

Live in the country near Venice. Work in Sarasota, Venice, Englewood, Port Charlotte, and occasionally other hospitals. I find this part of FL very "vanilla" - not much diversity ethnically, politically, or culturally. Many transplants/retirees/snowbirds from the midwest who are generally friendly.

Crime where I live is not much of a problem - not violent crime anyway. I am amazed, constantly, at the number of people who are addicted to prescription drugs (oxycodone, benzos, etc). These aren't homeless people either. They work in restaurants and liquor stores and insurance offices. FL is the prescription drug abuse capital of the US, truly. This does tend to lead to theft and robberies.

Generally this area is fairly conservative christian, right wing republican, straight white American NRA members (my apologies to any Todd Snider fans out there). There are pockets of creativity in Sarasota due to the New College and Ringling School of Design. No offense meant to anyone but North Port, Port Charlotte, Venice Englewood are miserable unless you are retired and can afford to enjoy the scenery. There is no industry other than service...construction has halted, no university between Sarasota and Ft. Myers, just nothing going on for young professionals. Of course if you have kids that changes everything - you tend to have a lot of activities planned around children.

I'm bored of the weather but understand its allure. Altogether I'm not bashing the area but it is a big shock for anyone who is used to having quick access to more cultural opportunities.

[ChrisA70]

I'm in Estero, FL. It's a nice area, low crime, no Ghetto crap like Fort Myers. BUT it's hot, hotter, and even hotter... Boring, flat, hot...

[mquintana]

I have lived all over Florida, I am currently in Brandon which is a suburb community in Tampa.

Here?

Right now it's cloudy, threatening to rain all day but hasn't.

What we offer? decent shopping, close to good beaches (ex: Siesta Key), close to Busch Gardens and only 1 hr. from Orlando.

Traffic-HORRIBLE! The people who designed Brandon did a bad job-they keep building homes and leave the 1-3 lanes so there is more traffic and no way to expand roads.

This is a great family area, has a lot to offer for people who have kids, good schools and not such a bad location.

I won't bother to comment on crime because crime has no address-it can happen to anyone anywhere...

[heydade]

South Florida here.....hot, humid, lots of traffic, lots of crime. Mix of gringos and hispanics. Palm trees everywhere the eye can see. The same ones.......royal palms and christmas palms and queen palms. everwhere. Relief please !

[kristin4]

Golden Gate Estates, Florida. Out skirts of Naples proper.

Absolutely love it here. I hear roosters in the am, donkeys too. There are sheep and goats near by, as well as horses. At night I can see the coyotes in my yard. I have bobcats pass through too. The sounds of the frogs are relaxing. We have Buck and doe stopping by almost daily.

The zoning laws are not strict here in the estates. I love the feeling of freedom. The way America was supposed to be. Free to make my own choices, without some uptight neighbor dictating to me what the proper way to live is. I walk down my street, fearing nothing at all. Grass and palm trees as far as my eyes can see. Houses are on 2 1/4 acres plus, no houses on top of each other. Mostly undeveloped lots. It is peaceful. I can blast my music, take a dip naked or just lounge without worrying who might be watching. I don't worry about neighbors complaining about the height of my grass, or that I didn't take in my trash cans right away in the morning. There is no association watching my every move. My kids enjoy the freedom from the restrictions they once lived under. They can leave their bicycles in the yard, without anyone complaining. We can plant as many fruit trees as we like. We can and are planting a garden of veggies. Nobody to tell us not to run our well. Nobody telling us we can't plant those trees without permission.

We are 37 minutes from the beach. We are less than 4 miles from the grocery store, 11 miles from high school, and far enough away to enjoy life.

My dad always said it was paradise out here, I now am experiencing this paradise every day...I love it, one very happy Floridian!

[StreetSmarts]

Originally Posted by lilred0005

Ok, Florida is a big state with lots of regional variety and even two time zones. Tell us what life is like in your part of Florida. First off, where do you live(roughly if you don't want to get too specific) in Florida? Are you in the Panhandle, Central Fla., North Eastern part, South East or West coast, Keys? Are you living in a rural area or one of our major metro areas? What is the weather like in your part of the Sunshine State? How about the geography- tropical, swampy, hilly? How about the foliage, Orange groves, Oak trees or Palm trees? Finally, what are the people like, Southern or a lot of transplants from the Northeast or Midwest? How's the crime? So, what is life like for you in your section of Florida? Thank you and have a great day, ..lil red..

Central FL.

Live outside the city limits, in a huuuuuge master planned community.

It's very hot and humid........still.

No, not hilly. All of FL is pretty much flat. There are a couple exceptions like Tallahassee and Clermont, but overall, it's very flat.

Palm trees everywhere.

Mostly transplants from NY, NJ, and the Carribean. Definitely NOT southern unless you go into the very rural areas. People in general are not very friendly. I have actually waved to many neighbors and other residents in the community, and I kid you not, some do not even wave back.

Crime is definitely a concern. Mostly theft and such, but violent crime has occurred in our area.

[ChrisA70]

Estero, VERY NICE. Low crime. I feel a lot safer here. Good job at a nice place.

Same old 100 degree summer crap.

FULL of snowbirds, lots of traffic.

Still in Floriduh though....