is it really so bad??? (Miami, Fort Lauderdale: appointed, car insurance, hotel)

[Dani RL]

my boyfriend and I are planning to relocate from Pittsburgh, PA to the Ft Lauderdale area this fall, and stumbling upon this site has not been very helpful. If all of you hate it so much, why do you live there??? Weather aside, does anyone have any encouraging thoughts?? Isn't there anyone out there who wants to stand up and sell me south florida?

[Nolefan34]

How old are you and your BF? If you are in your 20's or low 30's, you will love it here. Just make sure that both of you have good jobs before moving down.

Pro's of living in South Fla:
1. The weather- warm the entire year, you can go outside/to the beach all year around.
2. The beach- easy access.
3. Entertainment- there is a lot of stuff to do here. Lots of nightlife in Fort Lauderdale and Miami.

Con's:
1. The weather- is terrible. Brutally Hot & Humid most of the year. It rains often, and we get afternoon t-storms every day in the summer months. Also, hurricanes, tornadoes, and flooding are common.
2. The wildlife- An abundance of insects, mosquitos, bees, knats, alligators, and snakes.
3. The cost of living- is VERY expensive here. You may find that your salary isn't any better here than in Pittsburgh, but that housing and car insurance are nearly double.
4. The job market/economy- is terrible. Its really hard to find a job here if you don't have one already.
5. The crime- is worse here than most places. The tv show Cops began here.
6. The traffic/drivers- Traffic may be comparable coming from Pittsburgh, but the drivers here are crazy. This is the hit-and-run capital of the U.S.
7. The People- are rude, and will run you over. Its a dog-eat-dog mentality.
8. The Schools- right up there with Texas and Louisiana as the worst, most poorly-funding schools in the country. If you don't have kids then this will not be an issue for you.

[happymccamper]

Wow! I am a Michigan girl, we have fam in PA! It will be a different experience, give it some time and then enjoy. We live in a section of Ft Laud, Plantation. There are a lot of parks and it is pretty diverse. Diverse amoung races, religion, as well as $$. We live in a pretty working class area. I am a stay at home mom and our neighborhood is quiet anyway but during the day, it is super quiet, everyone is working or at school. Anyhoo, we started out in Coral Springs which was nice too, but we feel more at home in Plantation. Our neighbors all wave to one another, talk to one another, and mainly help out one another. So it just depends what you are looking for. But I think you would do well in parts of Plantation, Coral Springs, Parkland, etc. But my vote will always be for Plantation, even their website boasts "the grass is greener" here. And coming from the midwest, there are parts that remind me of the midwest, because Plantation has beautiful vegetation. But like the other poster said, in so many words, be prepared to spend some $$!

[rkumar3]

Don't get disappointed by the negative comments on the site. South Florida is really nice and sunny paradise.. you will enjoy it. Once you get used to it you will not want to move up north.

[acegolfer]

Originally Posted by Dani RL

my boyfriend and I are planning to relocate from Pittsburgh, PA to the Ft Lauderdale area this fall, and stumbling upon this site has not been very helpful. If all of you hate it so much, why do you live there??? Weather aside, does anyone have any encouraging thoughts?? Isn't there anyone out there who wants to stand up and sell me south florida?

1. If you go to other forums, you will soon learn that it's pretty bad almost everywhere. This is not a regional thing. The entire nation is struggling and you can feel the effects here in CD.

2. In this economy, it will be unwise to move without a secured job, unless you are already rich.

3. I found there are more positive posts than negative posts here in FLL board. Perhaps, you only remember the negative ones.

[Shoegal1075]

Nolefan, please be fair. It rains everyday, but for about 10 minutes.

[Shoegal1075]

BAD BAD BAD everywhere!

[Elvi03]

Originally Posted by Chelsa1075

Nolefan, please be fair. It rains everyday, but for about 10 minutes.

LMAO!! We were there a year ago in August and got caught in one of those thunderstorms in our way to our Miami hotel from Ft Lauderdale. By the time we got there (15 mins later) the sun was beaming!

[acegolfer]

Originally Posted by Elvi03

LMAO!! We were there a year ago in August and got caught in one of those thunderstorms in our way to our Miami hotel from Ft Lauderdale. By the time we got there (15 mins later) the sun was beaming!

The weather forecast for the day is thunderstorm.

[Elvi03]

Originally Posted by acegolfer

The weather forecast for the day is thunderstorm.

I can tell you that I was loving your 80+ degree and sunny weather last week!!