[Showstopping]

Hi all,

Im currently residing at the Jersey Shore (make your jokes now)
My goal is to move to the keys after the summer.

Are the keys a good fit, and if so which island?

I love watersports (have jetski/kayak, surf), riding my beach cruisers to stores and bars, riding my motorcycle, etc

Im thinking of swapping surfing for scuba diving, and moving down.

Do the other keys have nightlifes? Are there islands with "kids" 20-30 or as we call them young professionals. People that work 9-5 but still party hard weekends and occasional weekday. Worst case, maybe weekends in south beach/KW

Lastly, I wouldn't mind buying a 3 bedroom and renting the rooms out. A very easy task here in NJ due to websites like craig's. Is it the same down there?

any advice would be killer!
thanks again, Dan

[Shoreone]

Cant answer your questions but I live at the Jersey Shore and love it. Although hate the show lol

[doggiebus]

Have you been to the Keys?

[CrowGirl]

Key West has a good nightlife. Not sure about the others. Housing is pricey, though, at least by Florida standards. You'll have plenty access to the watersports. It's an absolutely wonderful place. The issue, however, will be jobs. Even when the economy was good jobs were hard to come by there.

[Lake Pirate]

You'll find lots of people that like to party in the Keys, don't worry about that. You'll also probably not have a problem finding roommates, but be cautious about what kind of roommates that you take in. It's a transient area and people come and go all the time. Cost of living is high and wages are low.

[cicilyb]

My husband moved out of Big pine Key 11 years ago because it was so pricey and he got tired of the Key's in general. Be prepared to board up and evacuate d/t hurricane threats sometimes several times each hurricane season. I live and grew up in Naples my whole life and recent years the threats have become more common. Just curious- what kind of work do you do? It could be a challenge finding a job that pays enough to live there. Good luck to you!

[Rabflmom]

Originally Posted by Showstopping

Hi all,

Im currently residing at the Jersey Shore (make your jokes now)
My goal is to move to the keys after the summer.

Are the keys a good fit, and if so which island?

I love watersports (have jetski/kayak, surf), riding my beach cruisers to stores and bars, riding my motorcycle, etc

Im thinking of swapping surfing for scuba diving, and moving down.

Do the other keys have nightlifes? Are there islands with "kids" 20-30 or as we call them young professionals. People that work 9-5 but still party hard weekends and occasional weekday. Worst case, maybe weekends in south beach/KW

Lastly, I wouldn't mind buying a 3 bedroom and renting the rooms out. A very easy task here in NJ due to websites like craig's. Is it the same down there?

any advice would be killer!
thanks again, Dan

Do you have a job lined up in the Keys?

[stars99]

There are cheaper places to live in south Florida. Unless you have a lot of money I would live in the Miami/Ft. Lauderdale area and go to the Keys for fun on weekends.

[Coconut1]

Originally Posted by Showstopping

Hi all,

Im currently residing at the Jersey Shore (make your jokes now)
My goal is to move to the keys after the summer.

Are the keys a good fit, and if so which island?

To be honest with you, the Keys are not going to be a good fit for you. If you're set on them, Key West is really your only option.

I love watersports (have jetski/kayak, surf), riding my beach cruisers to stores and bars, riding my motorcycle, etc

Im thinking of swapping surfing for scuba diving, and moving down.

You could do all that except surf. No place in FL is really good for surfing. In the summer, you'll be especially disappointed, unless there's a hurricane. The water is as flat as a sheet of glass.

Do the other keys have nightlifes? Are there islands with "kids" 20-30 or as we call them young professionals. People that work 9-5 but still party hard weekends and occasional weekday. Worst case, maybe weekends in south beach/KW

No. Key West is really the only nightlife in the Keys. People don't usually work 9-5 as it's mostly a service based economy. You're not going to find suit and tied professional heading to the office. The crowd that lives in KW tends to be older (as is the case for the rest of the Keys)

Lastly, I wouldn't mind buying a 3 bedroom and renting the rooms out. A very easy task here in NJ due to websites like craig's. Is it the same down there?

Housing prices, especially in Key West, can be very high. You could easily rent a room out, I'm sure.

-----------------

I'm a fan of FL and what is has to offer, but will tell you the Keys are just not going to be for you. They're not like the Shore, and the only place similar to the Shore would be Key West.

You're really best off checking out Miami Beach. It's much closer to the Shore, only warmer. Additionally, you have Miami and more professional jobs right across the bay.

If you're set on the Keys, please visit during August or September. If you're content with what's going on during those months, you'll make it the rest of the year.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask

[Showstopping]

Thanks everyone. I work from home, and am highly educated/awarded and have a small company so I should be ok there. But I can understand the concern.

Im flying down tonight to look at some houses and explore the keys more in depth. Not ust toursit spots, but everything from prices at home depot, grocey stores, to schooling systems.

Thanks again for your help, the more the better!