is florida really that bad??? (Miami, Coral Springs: fit in, rentals, crime)

[nankjay]

Hi everyone!

Some of you might have read my previous post inquiring about cities to live..I currently live in AZ and am am native Nyer but have to move to south florida to be close to family as I am ill. (sunrise area or within 15 minutes since that's where my family lives)

Anyway,...I really don't mean to offend anyone but everyone from AZ and many i speak with think I am nuts for moving to florida (I don't have much of a choice since i must be near family and that is where they are)....I am AZ for the dry weather as my illness gets much worwse with fcold and humidity but staying here myself is not an option anymore

Anyway.....everyone keeps telling me how they hate florida (including thoswe who both live there, have never lived there or have moved away from there)...most people even here in AZ move FROM florida to AZ and not the other way around.

The biggest complaints I hear are the rude people (ex north easterners mostly), old people, humidity, low salaries, high cost of living, lack of culture, bad schools, etc etc.......not that AZ is the best either but we love it and I am devastated I have to move...i also know I will have to go back into a wheelchair due to inability to walk brought on by the humidity and rain. Also..I am not only young (37) but I don't have kids so kids family activities are not applicable to me.

When I visited my sister a few months ago (she lives in sunrise)...i met alot of people who couldn't wait to move out of Florida and absolutely hate it and told me I was nuts for moving from AZ, but again...i have no choice.

Anyway,,,,I deeply apologize for offending anyone with this post..I know with any state there will be people that absolutely love it and esp native floridians...as there are people who absolutely hate arizona and i respect everyone's opinions.

I am just very nervous...my husband already moved cross country with me from NY 4 years ago and now we realize we cannot make it alone and more of my family has moved to florida so we must now move there...he is NOT happy about this as he does not like florida and he also is VERY concerned about the lower salaries and higher cost of living as we are barely making it in AZ...he is also a young vibrant guy who loves to go out and enjoly himself and since we don't have kids, we won't even be able to do family frienldly stuff others our age with kids do...so he is very nervous we will be moving to an area filleed with old people and that we will be living in a shoe box for the rent we can afford to pay or we will have to sacrifice because we need the space (we need 2 bedrooms at least..non negoitable) so..he is afraid we might have to compromise and move into a very bad neighborhood so we can afford what we need space wise..also nervous we won't be able to find a complex that is not 55 and over and allows our cats, which are our kids.

So...if someone can please allay some of my fears...i would sooooooooooooooooooo appreciate it....as soon as we made the decision to move to florida a few days ago (we've been thinking about it for a few years but just couldn't part with AZ, etc)...i've been crying alot on and off and very very anxious about what lies ahead. Yes, we will be gaining additional help with my illness but we are just so afraid we will be living either in a shoe box, in a seedy neighborhood with no ability to meet young people and make friends, no public transportation for me, no nightlife, especially music which is our life, no escape from theheat (in AZ we take day trips where you go 2 or 3 hrs north and thee is a 20 degree difference in tempoerature, and we will just be miserable..so in other words...what we would be gaining in the way of help will no way make up for what we will be losing in all other aspects of our life. Not that things are perfect by any means in AZ but alot of this issues are non issues there...we just have no family to help my husband take care of me and cannot afford a caregiver whatsoever and I miss my sister and my family desperately...we live too far for them to visit more than once a year. If we don't move, I can die because I need too much day to day help with my medical treatment.

Thanks for understanding my concerns and thanks ahead of time for not cursing me out for berating florida (or questioning it rather)...i am just going by what others have told me about how miserable they are there or were there if they moved and how miserable I am going to be moving...but again....the move is not by choice..it's by necessity.

I do look forward to the beach though...i LOVE water and water sports!!!!!!

[crisan]

Wow! You make me want to be sad for living in So. Fla.

I will admit that I hated this place when we first moved to Plantation. It was mainly because of the bad drivers. I would cry at least once a week when I got home from work. The best thing I ever did was just to stay away from the crazy drivers. Just don't play their game and don't take things personally because they do it to everybody on the road.

One thing I have noticed about some people who do not like it here is that they have not been able to make lasting friendships and that there is lack of community. You will run into a lot of flaky people if you are trying to meet new people. Since I have been here (about 9 years), I have made many "friends" but have kept in constant contact with only one person. If you have family here you are already much better off than most people.

My husband and I just try to meet people who have the same interests as we do. I meet with certain people to do outdoor activities, different people to improve my job skills, different people who have the same parenting philosophy, etc. We just came to accept that we did not grow up here or with the people around here so we have very different backgrounds. We have some things in common but not all things.

As far as activities, I think there is something for everyone. It is boring if you are waiting for somebody to show you around. You are doing great by coming on here and asking questions. I am sure other posters will be here to help.

BTW-I live close to your area.

[crisan]

Also, I wanted to add that I took buses and the Tri-rail for about 2 years to get to college and throughout all three counties.

[Rock Newman]

Originally Posted by nankjay

Hi everyone!

Some of you might have read my previous post inquiring about cities to live..I currently live in AZ and am am native Nyer but have to move to south florida to be close to family as I am ill. (sunrise area or within 15 minutes since that's where my family lives)

Anyway,...I really don't mean to offend anyone but everyone from AZ and many i speak with think I am nuts for moving to florida (I don't have much of a choice since i must be near family and that is where they are)....I am AZ for the dry weather as my illness gets much worwse with fcold and humidity but staying here myself is not an option anymore

Anyway.....everyone keeps telling me how they hate florida (including thoswe who both live there, have never lived there or have moved away from there)...most people even here in AZ move FROM florida to AZ and not the other way around.

The biggest complaints I hear are the rude people (ex north easterners mostly), old people, humidity, low salaries, high cost of living, lack of culture, bad schools, etc etc.......not that AZ is the best either but we love it and I am devastated I have to move...i also know I will have to go back into a wheelchair due to inability to walk brought on by the humidity and rain. Also..I am not only young (37) but I don't have kids so kids family activities are not applicable to me.

When I visited my sister a few months ago (she lives in sunrise)...i met alot of people who couldn't wait to move out of Florida and absolutely hate it and told me I was nuts for moving from AZ, but again...i have no choice.

Anyway,,,,I deeply apologize for offending anyone with this post..I know with any state there will be people that absolutely love it and esp native floridians...as there are people who absolutely hate arizona and i respect everyone's opinions.

I am just very nervous...my husband already moved cross country with me from NY 4 years ago and now we realize we cannot make it alone and more of my family has moved to florida so we must now move there...he is NOT happy about this as he does not like florida and he also is VERY concerned about the lower salaries and higher cost of living as we are barely making it in AZ...he is also a young vibrant guy who loves to go out and enjoly himself and since we don't have kids, we won't even be able to do family frienldly stuff others our age with kids do...so he is very nervous we will be moving to an area filleed with old people and that we will be living in a shoe box for the rent we can afford to pay or we will have to sacrifice because we need the space (we need 2 bedrooms at least..non negoitable) so..he is afraid we might have to compromise and move into a very bad neighborhood so we can afford what we need space wise..also nervous we won't be able to find a complex that is not 55 and over and allows our cats, which are our kids.

So...if someone can please allay some of my fears...i would sooooooooooooooooooo appreciate it....as soon as we made the decision to move to florida a few days ago (we've been thinking about it for a few years but just couldn't part with AZ, etc)...i've been crying alot on and off and very very anxious about what lies ahead. Yes, we will be gaining additional help with my illness but we are just so afraid we will be living either in a shoe box, in a seedy neighborhood with no ability to meet young people and make friends, no public transportation for me, no nightlife, especially music which is our life, no escape from theheat (in AZ we take day trips where you go 2 or 3 hrs north and thee is a 20 degree difference in tempoerature, and we will just be miserable..so in other words...what we would be gaining in the way of help will no way make up for what we will be losing in all other aspects of our life. Not that things are perfect by any means in AZ but alot of this issues are non issues there...we just have no family to help my husband take care of me and cannot afford a caregiver whatsoever and I miss my sister and my family desperately...we live too far for them to visit more than once a year. If we don't move, I can die because I need too much day to day help with my medical treatment.

Thanks for understanding my concerns and thanks ahead of time for not cursing me out for berating florida (or questioning it rather)...i am just going by what others have told me about how miserable they are there or were there if they moved and how miserable I am going to be moving...but again....the move is not by choice..it's by necessity.

I do look forward to the beach though...i LOVE water and water sports!!!!!!

It depends where in South Florida you move too .... Arizona has some nasty , nasty areas in and around Phoenix and Tucson as well ... you would not move to those bad parts either .. would you ... Arizona is ok , but nothing is green and NO OCEAN kills it for me ... again if you look in Palm Beach Gardens , Weston , Parkland , Boca Raton , Davie , most of Plantation and Coral Springs ... you will probably like South Florida .. if you go a little father North to Jupiter , Tequesta , Stuart , Palm City , or Port St.Lucie , Vero Beach or Melbourne you may end up loving it !!

There is plenty of culture in South Florida that there is not is simply untrue .... great restaurants , nightlife , festivals ... we even enjoy heading down to Miami / Miami Beach on the weekends to party ... go to Art Basel in Miami Beach , or Vizcaya in Coconut Grove and tell me there is no culture also weekend jaunts to Naples or Sarasota on the West Coast .... yes there are many negatives down here as well ... but you make friends , avoid the negatives , enjoy the beauty , the ocean , the beaches , the weather ( 7 months of the year ) and come down in the right frame of mind and you might enjoy it . I have been to Arizona many times specifically Phoenix and Tucson and although pretty because of the mountains , I would not trade those cities for were I have lived in South Florida ( Weston & Parkland ) ... good luck to you !!

[Trusses]

Originally Posted by crisanmos

Wow! You make me want to be sad for living in So. Fla.

I will admit that I hated this place when we first moved to Plantation. It was mainly because of the bad drivers. I would cry at least once a week when I got home from work. The best thing I ever did was just to stay away from the crazy drivers. Just don't play their game and don't take things personally because they do it to everybody on the road.

One thing I have noticed about some people who do not like it here is that they have not been able to make lasting friendships and that there is lack of community. You will run into a lot of flaky people if you are trying to meet new people. Since I have been here (about 9 years), I have made many "friends" but have kept in constant contact with only one person. If you have family here you are already much better off than most people.

My husband and I just try to meet people who have the same interests as we do. I meet with certain people to do outdoor activities, different people to improve my job skills, different people who have the same parenting philosophy, etc. We just came to accept that we did not grow up here or with the people around here so we have very different backgrounds. We have some things in common but not all things.

As far as activities, I think there is something for everyone. It is boring if you are waiting for somebody to show you around. You are doing great by coming on here and asking questions. I am sure other posters will be here to help.

BTW-I live close to your area.

Crazy drivers in S FL?

[lilred0005]

Ugh, I am so sorry to hear of your situation. I am a Florida native and one of those people moving out of here soon and it can't be soon enough. So. Fla. is expensive unfortunately. There is a lot of crime and you must keep your guard up. It helps greatly to stay in a good area to minimize this but it will cost you. I have a friend living in an upscale gated appt. complex who pays $900. a month for a 1 bed/1 bath appt. Expect to pay $1600 & up for 2 bed appt in a good area. The only way I know to circumvent this is to look into house rentals since so many people are leaving and can't sell due to the diminished house values. As another poster mentioned, the real problem down here and to me the WORST, even worse than the God-awful 8 month long hot-humid Summer, is the RUDE and downright nasty people here. People are flaky and many seem to lack the moral compass that keeps most from doing really foul things like lying, cheating, ect. My family is from the Midwest and we have that honest, hard-working, help thy neighboor attitude. We have NEVER fit in here as people will trample all over you as they mistake your kindness for weakness. Eventhough it's going to be tough to move financially, we are giving up and getting out of here. Sorry to vent! I will say, NOT everyone is rude & foul and yes there are some nice people, no where is all bad and it is very good you will have family down here as that is so important. Good luck and Please send me a message if you want or need more info from someone who has lived in either Broward or Palm Bch for 30 yrs. I can give you more info on house rentals(no I'm not an agent, lol). Take care, lil red

[crisan]

Originally Posted by Trusses

Crazy drivers in S FL?

yeah, I include the word "drivers" because these people are normal when not driving. Take our computer tech, for example. I'm going to work and here is this person tailgating me and others, swerving in-and-out, honking and flashing everybody, only for us to catch up to her at the next 4 signal lights. I notice that we have the exact same route and she ends up at my workplace. It was somebody I knew! She gets out of her car and smiles at me. Not a care in the world, I guess.

She does this every morning.

[StilltheSame]

Listen, almost everywhere is liveable. South Florida is far better than liveable. It has many shortcomings, but it also is beautiful and has really enjoyable aspects. Certainly the millions who live there find things to enjoy that keep them there. Forget what everyone tells you - only you know your circumstances and what you need. We moved from SFl to MN. Everyone thought we were insane. We love it so far and although it was not the right decision for everyone, its right for our circumstances. You made your decision - just do whatever you need to to make it successful and enjoy being close to your sister and the fact that you have a husband that cares so much for you - he's willing to uproot again. Stop questioning your decision.

[Kalbo]

Originally Posted by StilltheSame

Listen, almost everywhere is liveable. South Florida is far better than liveable. It has many shortcomings, but it also is beautiful and has really enjoyable aspects. Certainly the millions who live there find things to enjoy that keep them there. Forget what everyone tells you - only you know your circumstances and what you need. We moved from SFl to MN. Everyone thought we were insane. We love it so far and although it was not the right decision for everyone, its right for our circumstances. You made your decision - just do whatever you need to to make it successful and enjoy being close to your sister and the fact that you have a husband that cares so much for you - he's willing to uproot again. Stop questioning your decision.

Well said.

Where you live is what you make of it. I grew up in South Florida. There is plenty to do for everyone young and old.

[Trusses]

Originally Posted by lilred0005

Ugh, I am so sorry to hear of your situation. I am a Florida native and one of those people moving out of here soon and it can't be soon enough. So. Fla. is expensive unfortunately. There is a lot of crime and you must keep your guard up. It helps greatly to stay in a good area to minimize this but it will cost you. I have a friend living in an upscale gated appt. complex who pays $900. a month for a 1 bed/1 bath appt. Expect to pay $1600 & up for 2 bed appt in a good area. The only way I know to circumvent this is to look into house rentals since so many people are leaving and can't sell due to the diminished house values. As another poster mentioned, the real problem down here and to me the WORST, even worse than the God-awful 8 month long hot-humid Summer, is the RUDE and downright nasty people here. People are flaky and many seem to lack the moral compass that keeps most from doing really foul things like lying, cheating, ect. My family is from the Midwest and we have that honest, hard-working, help thy neighboor attitude. We have NEVER fit in here as people will trample all over you as they mistake your kindness for weakness. Eventhough it's going to be tough to move financially, we are giving up and getting out of here. Sorry to vent! I will say, NOT everyone is rude & foul and yes there are some nice people, no where is all bad and it is very good you will have family down here as that is so important. Good luck and Please send me a message if you want or need more info from someone who has lived in either Broward or Palm Bch for 30 yrs. I can give you more info on house rentals(no I'm not an agent, lol). Take care, lil red

Really? Rude and nasty? I am a FL native but havent lived in S FL for quite some time... I've been told that my impressions and experiences were nothing uncommon. Arent they nasty like that in NC and TN too? That's what I keep hearing on this forum from a few people, but maybe you could shed some light on the matter...