[doggiebus]

^^^Man you were not kidding when you said you have lived in many parts of Florida.

[ChrisA70]

Originally Posted by doggiebus

^^^Man you were not kidding when you said you have lived in many parts of Florida.

I told ya!!!

[Sunny-Days-in-Florida]

Originally Posted by doggiebus

^^^Man you were not kidding when you said you have lived in many parts of Florida.

I said jokingly in another thread that Chris has been given a temporary special Florida license plate of his own.

He would be a great host on House Hunters of Florida!

Chris, your info is important because of the vast differences in the towns you have lived in.

For people to come to Florida and be successful in their move they need to read and learn about the towns of their choice.

Afterall most of us want people to make the right choice in towns that fit them. Hopefully they have done their research before moving to Florida, so they too can be successful in moving to Florida like so many in this thread have.

[Rhett_Butler]

Originally came down to Tallahassee from the Chicago, IL area to go to school at FSU. I had family in South Florida that recommended it and I went with it and have never regretted it.

When I graduated I moved back in with my parents in Alexandria, VA, leaving my girlfriend down in Tallahassee... Well, I couldn't hack that and an old college roommate of mine happened to have a room available where he was living down in the Orlando area (I figured it was close enough...).

Well, I moved down and a month later my girlfriend and I were broken up. Well, I didn't want to admit to my parents that I made a mistake, so I stayed... I began by waiting tables and fought for a year and a half to get out of it....

Finally landed a job at a rental car company at the airport, which was a slight upgrade at least... Still it wasn't what I had in mind... Found an ad for a computer sales position at a retail store, applied and got the job... Well, I learned quickly that you can't sell computers if you don't know anything about them, so I worked with the technicians and quickly learned about them and how to fix them, etc...

Eventually I moved onto computer networking at a couple of major companies in the Orlando area and ultimately settled in as a network technician for a school system in the area... About this time I got married to a girl I had met about a year after I had moved to the area.....

So anyway, eventually I was able to sustain a pretty good life in Orlando. We bought a house in Sanford after a few years of apartment living. We fortunately dumped the house right before the real estate crash..

We had our first child and eventually got to talking, and yes, ultimately the weather became something I could hardly stand anymore (along with some other things that I won't go into, but needless to say my interest in Florida had waned)... So we plotted our escape and moved out of the state a few years ago....

Now... Just because I ultimately didn't end up liking it there doesn't mean that my time there wasn't a "success"... I got into my profession, met my wife, and had our daughter in my 12 years in Florida. I also met a LOT of great people that I miss....

We ultimately determined that four seasons was what we wanted and found an area of the country that worked for us, but I don't hold any grudge against Florida..... Just wasn't for me. I didn't move there with any regard for the weather. It just wore away on me over time is all...

Anyway, work hard and you can find your way down there. I'd recommend having a bit more of a plan than I did ... I was single, just out of college and didn't have to answer to anyone but myself when I first moved down there so living like a pauper for awhile was okay, but I would NEVER put a family through what I had to go through to ultimately succeed...

As many have said before, find a job FIRST.... Good Luck...

[ChrisA70]

Originally Posted by Rhett_Butler

Originally came down to Tallahassee from the Chicago, IL area to go to school at FSU. I had family in South Florida that recommended it and I went with it and have never regretted it.

When I graduated I moved back in with my parents in Alexandria, VA, leaving my girlfriend down in Tallahassee... Well, I couldn't hack that and an old college roommate of mine happened to have a room available where he was living down in the Orlando area (I figured it was close enough...).

Well, I moved down and a month later my girlfriend and I were broken up. Well, I didn't want to admit to my parents that I made a mistake, so I stayed... I began by waiting tables and fought for a year and a half to get out of it....

Finally landed a job at a rental car company at the airport, which was a slight upgrade at least... Still it wasn't what I had in mind... Found an ad for a computer sales position at a retail store, applied and got the job... Well, I learned quickly that you can't sell computers if you don't know anything about them, so I worked with the technicians and quickly learned about them and how to fix them, etc...

Eventually I moved onto computer networking at a couple of major companies in the Orlando area and ultimately settled in as a network technician for a school system in the area... About this time I got married to a girl I had met about a year after I had moved to the area.....

So anyway, eventually I was able to sustain a pretty good life in Orlando. We bought a house in Sanford after a few years of apartment living. We fortunately dumped the house right before the real estate crash..

We had our first child and eventually got to talking, and yes, ultimately the weather became something I could hardly stand anymore (along with some other things that I won't go into, but needless to say my interest in Florida had waned)... So we plotted our escape and moved out of the state a few years ago....

Now... Just because I ultimately didn't end up liking it there doesn't mean that my time there wasn't a "success"... I got into my profession, met my wife, and had our daughter in my 12 years in Florida. I also met a LOT of great people that I miss....

We ultimately determined that four seasons was what we wanted and found an area of the country that worked for us, but I don't hold any grudge against Florida..... Just wasn't for me. I didn't move there with any regard for the weather. It just wore away on me over time is all...

Anyway, work hard and you can find your way down there. I'd recommend having a bit more of a plan than I did ... I was single, just out of college and didn't have to answer to anyone but myself when I first moved down there so living like a pauper for awhile was okay, but I would NEVER put a family through what I had to go through to ultimately succeed...

As many have said before, find a job FIRST.... Good Luck...

Excellent post. Sounds like my story a little. I came here with the ex girlfriend. Her brother was moving down, so we took a chance on a new beginning and totally new life. It seems to have worked for me.

I did the same, met my wife while here, had my daughter here, got into my career here. I'm still here. 16 years later, I can't believe it... Yeah the weather thing kills me in the summer, but I have made it through 15 of them so far, and I am still alive. Gonna move north in FL, heck even 5-7 degrees here is a huge help.

Met a lot of great people here myself. And have seen things like shuttle launches.. Things I only saw on TV as a kid....

[Chewie_77]

I moved to Florida from West Virginia in 2005. Opened up a pain clinic with my family and I am really banking it!

[Memphis1979]

I moved to Florida from Michigan about a year and a half ago.

I had the chance to do an internal transfer with the company I work with, to move to the "Fort Walton Beach area".

I did my research, I had spent some time in this area several years back, but as most everyone knows, Florida beach towns are completely different about every 5 years.

Anyway, I researched the area, found a roommate for a few months after the move, then researched the area. Found the nice spots, and I've been doing well ever since. I now have a house on the water, got my boat running, an spend every weekend I'm not working, sitting in Choctawhatchee bay, with a cold beer, and a fishing poll.

Love it.

My advice when anyone talks about moving to Florida, have a job first, unless you're independently wealthy.

[clairegoad]

I moved from Indiana in 2008. (almost 2 years ago) I had been preparing to move to FL since I graduated from college in 1998. My roommate started the idea, and it grew. I established myself in my career. My daughter was still in school. Roommate moved to Palm Harbor, FL in 2006. He selected the apartment complex, did the advance research. Two years later, when my daughter was firmly anchored in college, I moved.

I got rid of all my furniture (I heard that furniture as cheap/free down here.. that is especially true in my apt. complex). I did not move books, and silly things. Everything that came was special and chosen for a specific reason. That saved a bit on the move.

I knew that I needed friends when I got there. I looked at my Indiana friend groups (past and present) and started finding similar groups in FL. So when I moved, I already had "talked to" a yarn shop/knitter's group, Kiwanis Group, Church, and 12 step program. I plugged myself into those activities to meet people, learn the area, and get used to all the changes.

I couldn't find a local job, ended up travelling and doing consulting work. The roommate and I split. We were not roommates anymore but we're still friends, and a support system to each other.

Advice: Keep one winter coat. You'll be buying a new wardrobe when you get here... Make friends... get phone numbers.. use them. You'll need a LOT more money than you think.. (not just for the move, but later when you're making less and spending more on basics. )

That's how I did it. Lots of research, a little luck. and a lot of cash.

[Ken E]

Originally Posted by Chewie_77

I moved to Florida from West Virginia in 2005. Opened up a pain clinic with my family and I am really banking it!

That's definatly a thriving business here. You should be able to retire in no time.Good Luck

[SuperMom...]

What great stories, I really enjoy reading them. It seems they all have a common thread of people following their dreams. That's a wonderful thing. Sadly, I know people who are not happy where they are in life, but are more afraid of change. How lucky we all are to have courage, ambition and hope. You all have a lot to be proud of!