People who moved from Connecticut......please! (Miami, Tampa: crime, movies, public schools)

[ruski]

Originally Posted by MiamiLIFE

Those are good points on Weston. It does have nice locational advantage. However, if move to FL, I will be living near the water.

Yes, I often wish I was near the water.

But near the water = evacuation zone when hurricanes come. Something to think about too.

[hat456]

Isn't Weston about 15-20 to the beach?

[ruski]

It is, more like 20.

but you can't compare 15-20 driving minutes to 4-5 walking minutes

And also take into account time needed to pack all your beach stuff into the car.

Also depends on what beach you want to go to.

But again, from Weston you can easily get to the beaches in Miami area or Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood area or Palm Beach/Delray/Boca area. And even Naples. My neighbors always go to Naples instead of any South Florida beaches.

[hat456]

Wow! Naples, really? I will have to google that and see how far the trip is. My mother was there when she first went to Florida and the beaches were beautiful. I do hope to bring good pizza and other ideas. when I come down.

I guess when you live by the water, 20 min.s is far. Here, I am 40 min.s to "beaches" on the Long Island Sound, and trust me, they are NOT beaches! Then, if you go to RI beaches, its cold! Long Island beaches are nice in July & August, but its a hall from here. I can't wait to feel like 20 min.s is a long time for the beach!

[ruski]

Originally Posted by hat456

Wow! Naples, really? I will have to google that and see how far the trip is. My mother was there when she first went to Florida and the beaches were beautiful. I do hope to bring good pizza and other ideas. when I come down.

I guess when you live by the water, 20 min.s is far. Here, I am 40 min.s to "beaches" on the Long Island Sound, and trust me, they are NOT beaches! Then, if you go to RI beaches, its cold! Long Island beaches are nice in July & August, but its a hall from here. I can't wait to feel like 20 min.s is a long time for the beach!

You could take the ferry from Bridgeport to Port Jeff...

Back when I lived in Yonkers, I drove to Robert Moses almost every weekend in the summer.

[Rock Newman]

Originally Posted by MiamiLIFE

Florida is great, but it is very different than the northeast. I live in NJ and work in NYC. I travel to FL often for business and have been to most of the major cities across the state many, many times. Weston is a great community, but not near the beach. Still very nice family community. Florida is different than up north in that the neighorhoods change very quickly from good to bad. People from up north get shocked by this because they're not use to such rapid transitions. I would encourage you to check out Palm Beach Gardens in addition to Weston. PBG is a very nice community. In terms of things to do, I think there is lots to do...you just have to be willing to jump in your car. Fort Lauderdale has some good nightlife, Atlantic Ave in Delray Beach is great, City Place in West Palm is fun, Brickell Ave in Miami and of course South Beach when you really want to paint the town.

The other thing that could be an adjustment for you is that the people in FL aren't as educated as up north so you come across a lot of folks you wouldn't meet in the northeast. That is also a thing northeasterns need to adjust to. But again, Weston and PBG are areas where you are less likely to run across those problems. By the way, Juno Beach near PBG is a really great beach. I go there all the time. My sister lives there.

Good post Miami Life .... although I would also add Parkland , Boca Raton and everything west of university in Plantation and Coral Springs as well .. Cooper City also has some terrific areas .. I lived in Weston for several years and loved it .. but the above areas are excellent as well .. I live In Parkland and it is lovely also .. very on par with Weston .

[Rock Newman]

Originally Posted by hat456

Hi, my family and I are looking to move from Connecticut to Weston. Can't stand CT. Cold and boring. We are originally from New York and are shocked at how much more "New England" it is here. Stuffy! How do you like it down there? More action? Is it lively? We are also considering Raleigh, but friends that just came back said stay away, a warmer CT! Thanking you.....

I was in Connecticut last week ... hotel in Wallingford and office in Northford ... it was freezing and there was tons of snow on the ground .. got back with terribly chapped lips !! I could never live there personally .. I also have an issue with those wooden homes ... look like mini haunted houses to me .... leave me with California or Florida style stucco and Spanish style tiled houses !!

I enjoy being up there in the Spring, and Fall just could never live there ... the summer can actually feel like south florida ... giant skeeters and all . We complain about people being unfriendly in South Florida .. well CT is not far behind in that department ..drivers are better , but people are cold . Hartford is generall nasty except for a small area downtown and New Haven other than Yale University is not much to write about and be quite ghetto . Despite all its problems and there are many I prefer South Florida .

I believe you would enjoy Weston ... but also look into the areas I mentioned on earlier post and include Abacoa in Jupiter and Wellington in Palm Beach County as well .

[hat456]

Rock Newman,

You gave me a laugh with the haunted house comment. I totally agree. Don't really appreciate all the New England stuff. I was just talking with a friend during all these storms and ice we had, and we were asking who's idea it was to make these houses out of sheetrock in the Northeast? Some Indian friends of mine stood there and watched their house be built in awe at the materials used. Every other house is leaking like crazy this winter. Ice rakes for your roof were sold out at Home Depot, and guys were charging $2000 to remove ice and snow from the roof! My insurance adjuster came here from the south because they are overwhelmed with claims. Each winter here is like going thru a slow-motion hurricane. There's painting and repairing to do after every winter, wood rotting, etc... All this maintenance is not my cup of tea, and is time consuming, and COSTLY. My wife likes to garden and its a very short season and involves a lot of fixing up, instead of the gardening itself. Also love the Spanish style homes. Loved my mother's house down there. Solid and quiet. Even my kids loved it, having no steps.

I agree on CT people being a bit cold. They are very reserved. You can hear a pin drop at my son's basketball games, hardly any cheering. Which is hard for us being from New York. My son always jokes with us and tells us, "Not too much cheering." The weather makes everyone miserable, but there's plenty of good people. Just people that don't necessarily want to be here. Everything comes down to the jobs. I hear people say all the time, if I could get a job in (fill in the blank), I'd be out of here. I myself don't need the Southern friendliness thing, being from the New York area. I traveled a bunch, and a simple smile once in a while is fine. In the South, I didn't trust it, you know? I always think that its not real. I don't make demands on people to go out of their way to be friendly. This way, when people are nice, you know its genuine. As for the problems of South Florida, trust me, they are everywhere.


I'm coming down next week to look around on my way to Key West, and my wife told my kids we were going to home school them down in Key West. They smiled and thought it was cool idea. Hey, life is short and we really need a change. You never know.....

[hat456]

Ruski,

My neighbor moved here from Port Jeff. I was never there, but his wife woke up one morning and said, "I'm leaving." She totally freaked out being in the sticks. I don't live on the south coast of CT, so that might have been better for her. We are about 35 min. from the coast. She said she just couldn't take the silence anymore. "The unbearable lightness of being", type thing. Other people have felt this way too. We live in a little New England town, a bit isolated. Once the novelty of old homes wears away, there's not much happening.

Robert Moses is gorgeous, just a bit far. We have two older and one young child, so this is more like an overnight. But, yes, its great.

[max's mama]

Originally Posted by hat456

Hi, my family and I are looking to move from Connecticut to Weston. Can't stand CT. Cold and boring. We are originally from New York and are shocked at how much more "New England" it is here. Stuffy! How do you like it down there? More action? Is it lively? We are also considering Raleigh, but friends that just came back said stay away, a warmer CT! Thanking you.....

We had relocated from NY 1 1/2 years ago, we've moved to Weston. There are pros and cons to living here, but overall, I have no regrets. My son looooves it here and I'm still enjoying it too.