Reflections on my move from Boston - Ft. Lauderdale (Miami: incomes, live in)

[United_Caps_Skins_Fan]

Originally Posted by Whereitwent

I feel so badly for people that think that discussing the negatives of South Florida automatically equates to "hating" the area. Am I supposed to move every time I encounter the slightest adversity? Who does that?

This area is overpopulated, the traffic is awful no matter where you live in South Florida, the cost of living is high while wages are on the low end, and so on and so forth. Because I said those things does not mean I "hate this area". That is an overly simplistic, black and white way of thinking that is more reminiscent of an adolescent's state of mind. And anyway, I own a piece of property in Lauderdale by the Sea. Own it. No mortgage, no financing. I could move out any time if I wanted to, if I was "so unhappy", but I'm not: I just choose to acknowledge this area has several potentially deal breaking flaws that people should know about outside the sales pitch, stuff of fantasy 100% everything is perfect in this area real estate agent modus operandi that is so common around here.

No area is 100% perfect. If you move here to South Florida, there will be several things you dislike. There is NO 100%, flaw free area of the world.

Only real estate agents live in a fantasy world where everything is 100% perfect in South Florida.

Now this post, I will gladly give you positive rep for, as this is much more insightful to the reasons (at least some of them anyway) why YOU find the area not good for you. Being someone that has spent considerable time there, and is seeking to possibly move there, I appreciate posts like these much more.

That said, I don't think you can get much worse traffic wise than I have here in the DC/ NoVA Metropolitan area. (6.2M people) I found the rush hour traffic and traffic in general down there to be substantially better than up here where I currently am. The only place worse than here that I know if is L.A..

I would hope to see more objective posts citing things people both LOVE, like, dislike, and even HATE about the area. I'm a D.C. Native, I was born and raised here. Believe me when I tell you there is nothing like the love-hate relationship I have with the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area. So much I love about here, and SO much that I also hate.

[Ft Laud Guy]

Originally Posted by United_Caps_Skins_Fan

The ONLY point you make that I can agree with is the slow left lane drivers. They are terrible and there needs to be a law against that.

There is...

The 2016 Florida Statutes

316.081 Driving on right side of roadway; exceptions.—

(3) On a road, street, or highway having two or more lanes allowing movement in the same direction, a driver may not continue to operate a motor vehicle in the furthermost left-hand lane if the driver knows or reasonably should know that he or she is being overtaken in that lane from the rear by a motor vehicle traveling at a higher rate of speed. This subsection does not apply to drivers operating a vehicle that is overtaking another vehicle proceeding in the same direction, or is preparing for a left turn at an intersection.

The first exception in the second sentence, though, does tend to cause some raging...If a driver in the left lane is actively passing vehicle(s) in the right lane, then that driver in the left lane is under no obligation to move over to allow vehicles behind them to overtake at an even-higher speed.

[deboinair]

Originally Posted by cfbs2691

In looking at your previous posts.. it looks like you literally just got here in the last few months?
Maybe post your thoughts/update after you've been here 2 years or so?

2 to 4 years is about the time frame out of towners come and go.

[Papillons2]

Originally Posted by United_Caps_Skins_Fan

I spent nearly 4 months in south Florida (Fort Lauderdale) and thankfully met NO ONE like this poster. The negativity is unbelievable. I am considering Fort Lauderdale (Broward County) as one of my two places that I am going to move to this coming August, and I sure hope that most people are NOT like this, and are like the ones I ran across there in the 4 months I spent there last fall.

Glad you are considering Fort Lauderdale, and good luck in your search. Most people who post on the Fort Lauderdale/Broward board do provide good, solid, accurate information (and it's not necessarly positive when it comes to issues such as housing costs, iffy neighborhoods and local government corruption). Unfortunately, however, there's no shortage of over-the-top negative posts that contain misconceptions, half-truths and "fake news" (you've already encountered one concerning summer climate data). Here are a few I've encountered on these message boards over the years:

1: Hurricanes strike every year or two. FACT: We haven't had a direct hit since Wilma in 2005, although we've had a few close calls, such as Matthew last year.

2: People are fleeing the area in droves, and the population is declining. FACT: The population declined slightly after Hurricane Wilma and then for a year or two when the economy crashed. Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties have seen population increases of 10 percent or more since 2010.

3: You need to earn $100K annually to live here. FACT: The cost of living here (mainly because of housing) is considerably higher than the national average, and the $100K figure is no doubt true if you're trying to raise a few kids, or you need a lot of big-ticket luxury items. But my wife and I don't earn that much and have done OK, although we've had to be conservative and prudent.

4: Broward County is mostly trashy, ignorant people. FACT: Broward's population is 1.9 million, and calling the majority "trashy" and "ignorant" is a terrible generalization and an insult to a lot of hard-working, intelligent and creative residents.

5. Traffic is out of control. FACT: It's a major metro area -- so yes, there's a lot of traffic, and driving from here to there usually takes a while. But I've driven in Atlanta, Phoenix and Chicago over the past year or so and it isn't any worse here (and better than Atlanta and Chicago based on my experience). And it isn't limited to big cities: One of worst traffic snarls I've encountered in recent years was near Asheville, N.C.

5: Thugs hang out on every street corner. FACT: Hardly worth dignifying with a response.

[Tamika929]

Originally Posted by blueherons

According to Papillons link, it has never reached 100 degrees in Fort Lauderdale.

Not including the heat indices, the hottest temp on record seems to be 98.

I personally LOVE Fort Lauderdale and think it is pretty perfect. Except expensive.

It's 100 degrees today.

[ruski]

Originally Posted by Tamika929

It's 100 degrees today.

Are you trying to be funny? Or are you trying to lie?

Monday, April 3, 2017 saw a high of 84 degrees in Fort Lauderdale.

https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/...rdale/historic

[Marc Middleton]

Originally Posted by ruski

Are you trying to be funny? Or are you trying to lie?

Monday, April 3, 2017 saw a high of 84 degrees in Fort Lauderdale.

https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/...rdale/historic

Yeah, yesterday was very nice. In Miami Beach, it was in the low 80s and a nice breeze.

Please save the 'its too hot here' stuff for June/July/Aug. Nov - late April is the best time to be in Florida.

[OptimusPrime69]

Why people complain about the heat in south FL is beyond me. All one simply needs to do is look where we're located on a map, just above the tropic of cancer!! We down there, folks. We down south...near an equatorial sun, of course it's gonna be hot.. .

[ruski]

Originally Posted by Marc Middleton

Yeah, yesterday was very nice. In Miami Beach, it was in the low 80s and a nice breeze.

Please save the 'its too hot here' stuff for June/July/Aug. Nov - late April is the best time to be in Florida.

Even June/July/Aug is not too hot for me, and I grew up in Siberia.

[ruski]

Originally Posted by OptimusPrime69

Why people complain about the heat in south FL is beyond me. All one simply needs to do is look where we're located on a map, just above the tropic of cancer!! We down there, folks. We down south...near an equatorial sun, of course it's gonna be hot.. .

Some people probably don't know how to use maps...