Who WILL like it in SFla?

[fauve]

By the way, most criminals do speak English.

I believe compelled was just being facetious.

[♥♥PRINC3Ss♥♥]

Originally Posted by fauve

I believe compelled was just being facetious.

Oops my bad, I didn't check the poster's name.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by lolitazz

I didn't check the poster's name.

It makes a difference

[nikkir386]

Originally Posted by mafaldam

In a lot of these forums I see comments like "it's not for everybody..." and "you have to be a certain kind of person to like it here..." so now I'm curious ... who are those people?

I ask seriously! I want to know. My family like it there ... I wonder sometimes if I would too but I go back and forth. So who are South Florida People, what is that "certain kind of person"?

Aaaaaaaaand ... GO!

I grew up in South Florida, and personally, I love it. Anyway, the type of person who would enjoy this area obviously has to be okay with the melting pot of different cultures and people. Almost everybody who lives here is from somewhere else. (State or Country) Personally, I like the Latin culture, their food is awesome and they are generally very friendly(well, to me, anyway!). I really don't have a problem with the large Latin population at all. Other people might disagree, and in that case, I'd say "then move to Ohio".

They would also have to be somewhat liberal. Conservative types probably wouldn't fare well. There is a huge gay community here. There is also a thriving nightlife industry...so I would imagine a person who enjoys going out to nightclubs/bars would enjoy this aspect of South Florida, I know that I do. Then again, I'm fairly young, and describing South Florida to you from a twenty-something's perspective. I also like the fact that there are tons of people living here, and it's fairly hard to get bored. (Unless you are coming from a place like, NYC or Philly, then I'd understand if you did)

I also think that people exaggerate the quality of education down here. It's not "terrible". South Florida high schools aren't churning out incompetent, unintelligent working members of society. Hell, I'm a product of Broward County public schools, K-12, and I happen to consider myself pretty darn smart.

So, anyway, I don't necessarily think it takes any one type of person to live here. There are many different kinds of people in SoFla. It's just something you have to experiment with. And you will either like SoFla, be ambivalent about it, or you'll hate it. Some people don't like the heat, others don't mind it. Some like small towns, others like big cities. You just won't know until you try it.

[jrperiod]

Originally Posted by MisterNY

There are diverse groups of people here. Florida is not a one size fits all place. No place is. How fun would it be for all people to be the same and like the same place?

That being said and let me go off my observations:

1. People who are financially sound, gainfully employed and have a desire to be here in the first place. Those who will make it work regardless of how bad some things may be. Some who want to be here for the long haul.

2. People who don't care about 3-4 seasons. If you love the heat, and can deal with mild winters with no snow, you'll love it here.

3. Beach bums, surfers, people who love tropical life (generally speaking). If that means something to you.

4. Party animals. This is a party animal haven.

5. Retirees with money, and energy to enjoy the activities.

6. Tourists.

7. Professional and successful hispanics who move from other places in the US. It's somewhat of a generalization, of course there are exceptions. (Don't get mad, I'm not insulting anyone. I don't see why this would offend anyways)

I'll think of more.....

Before leaving and not trying to step on any toes...I noticed that many progressive young blacks don't seem to like it here. I'm not blowing smoke out my tail. A group of sociologists and myself are doing a study on this issue. (Lots of work and research going on atm). I'm just giving you an initial take on the matter.

I would actually like to read this study when you're done. My wife and I are young progressive blacks that desperately want to move BACK to S. Florida from Atlanta. We actually agree with your statement, and consider that to be a huge downfall of the area. Im wondering if is is due to the fact that the "Mecca" for us is largely considered to be Atlanta.

Anyway, keep us posted.

[AJ1972]

Originally Posted by Nolefan34

Here are the different types:

1. Beach bums and surfers: like MisterNY said.

2. Boaters/Yachters with lots of money and free time.

3. Materialistic young people who are into clubs.

4. Surgically enhanced unmarried women showing off their tata's in shopping malls.

5. Hotshot lawyers driving around in Mercedes and BMW's.

6. Ppl. from NY, NJ, Boston, and Philly.

7. Ppl. from Cuba or other Latin countries via Miami.

8. Malcontents who want to move to North Carolina but are stuck here.

9. Rednecks/Southerners- their numbers are in decline.

10. retirees- also in decline due to death or getting run out of here.

11. Homeless- are abundant

12. Con artists- plentiful

13. European tourists

14. Snowbirds

15. Drug dealers

16. Soccer moms driving around in Hummers and Escalades

17. Nascar drivers who treat driving like a video game.

18. Unemployed people collecting welfare checks

19. Real-estate leaches and mortgage sharks

20. People who bought cheap homes with Chinese drywall.

This cracked me up!!!
I'm actually a soccer mom, per say, minus the Hummer & Escalade (I drive a Dodge Caravan). LOL

[Nolefan34]

AJ972>

There are more:

21. Athletes and musicians: tons of them here.

22. People who think they are athletes and musicians, but are wannabe's. Even more of them.

23. Women who use tanning beds 3X per week when they live 2 miles from the beach.

24. Men who hit their mid-life crisis so they move here and buy a Corvette.

25. People who live paycheck to paycheck so they can buy rims for their car.

26. People who lease Ferrari's on an income of $35,000 per year then it gets repo'd.

27. Creepy middle-aged men beyond their prime who frequent tiki bars and lounges.

28. Older people who retired here for good in the 80's, but now want out.

29. Busy-body's who think they're so busy, and put on a show to display their self-importance.

30. Strippers, prostitutes, and retired pornstars.

31. Child-molesters and internet predators.

32. People who don't know their next door neighbors.

33. DEA and other law enforcement agents; they are in high demand.

34. Uneducated and illiterate people who cannot locate Iraq on a map.

35. People who moved to South FL but have never traveled north of the Palm Beach County border.

36. People who are afraid of alligators and snakes.

[LookingforFireflies]

Nolefan, I think you're trying to be funny - which I always appreciate - but you can just about find all the people on your list in any state - with maybe the exception of surfers. I know this because I have lived in and around four of the largest metropolitan areas in this country. Florida is not perfect, but this is one of the most accepting places in the country. You can be mixed with any race, practice any religion, or partake in any activity and somebody here will not only accept you, but find you interesting as well. The kids in the schools here - as much as we complain about the schools here - are more accepting of each other than any other schools I know. I too know this because I taught public school in each of those big metropolitan areas. There is a lot to do here and if you want to find good in a place, you will. I'm not going to bore you with my profile, but other than missing my family and the seasons, I don't fit any of the stereotypes listed above - but I do love it here.

[max's mama]

Originally Posted by SoFlaMom

Nolefan, I think you're trying to be funny - which I always appreciate - but you can just about find all the people on your list in any state - with maybe the exception of surfers. I know this because I have lived in and around four of the largest metropolitan areas in this country. Florida is not perfect, but this is one of the most accepting places in the country. You can be mixed with any race, practice any religion, or partake in any activity and somebody here will not only accept you, but find you interesting as well. The kids in the schools here - as much as we complain about the schools here - are more accepting of each other than any other schools I know. I too know this because I taught public school in each of those big metropolitan areas. There is a lot to do here and if you want to find good in a place, you will. I'm not going to bore you with my profile, but other than missing my family and the seasons, I don't fit any of the stereotypes listed above - but I do love it here.

I loved this post, this is the type of encouragement that I'm looking for since I'm planning to move to South Florida (Weston to be exact).
Thanks!

[Nikki9947]

Originally Posted by jrperiod

I would actually like to read this study when you're done. My wife and I are young progressive blacks that desperately want to move BACK to S. Florida from Atlanta. We actually agree with your statement, and consider that to be a huge downfall of the area. Im wondering if is is due to the fact that the "Mecca" for us is largely considered to be Atlanta.

Anyway, keep us posted.

Just my opinion but most progressive young blacks don't like it down here because of the lack of affordability, there are not very many other professional young upper/middle class blacks like themselves, and not being able to start a solid foundation here because it's just too expensive. Black people tend to flock to cities where there are plenty of opportunities and they can see a return in their hard work (ie being able to afford a good home, send their kids to good schools, and save money) . No one wants to graduate college and move to a place where they can't build a foundation. Aside from that, the clubs here are either mixed (techno music) or too hood (unlike cities like Atlanta where you can find the in between), you have to go out of your way to find other young black professionals, it's challenging to make close friends, and there are no upper/middle neighborhoods (low crime) that have a strong presence of other professional black people. Of course every black person is not the same & could be looking for different things. However, unfortunately you will not see very many here on a day to day basis and sometimes people want to be around people similar to themselves. Therefore we flock to cities where we can connect with others like ourselves. IMO Older blacks or locals might like S. Florida a little better because they are either not looking for the same things or they are already used to living here so this is normal for them. Everyone is different and some people will like S. Florida more than others, however South Florida is still NOT the place I would recommend to a young professional black person who is just starting out.