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I was like many of you, sick of the weather and rising costs of living up North. I had visited the Fort Myers/Cape Coral area for many years dating back into my childhood and always enjoyed the time spent here. The wife and I came to a plan of moving down here full time. We did our research and used City Data many, many times. I figured the negative people on here were nuts and just miserable no matter what. Was I ever wrong. Just a little under 2 years ago we bought a house in Cape Coral and loaded our truck with all of our belongings and left Chicago for what at the time we hoped for good. This November will be the 2 year mark and we have decided this was by far the biggest mistake we have ever made in our lives and I am going to tell you why.
We got a really good deal on our house, so there really isn't anything to complain about and the taxes are not to terrible. But they are kind of high if you really consider what you have and if you cannot homestead they are worse. $2400 a year is the proposed taxes for next year with the probable increase. That is for a 1700 sq ft home with a pool in the SE part of Cape Coral. Living here without a pool would be insanity. Now like I said the taxes aren't really too bad. When you find out 6 months after buying your house you are in a "special flood zone" and your insurance goes up $1500 a year it kind of stings. Also, home owners insurance isn't cheap, especially if you don't have a hip roof. So now were are at almost $4000 for insurance, plus our $2400 taxes. My insurance in Chicago......$400 a year and taxes were just under $3000. Southwest Florida loses this one.
Utilities aren't too bad either, until you get a $350 electric bill in the summer or a $200 water bill in the winter. Never have I ever gotten anything close to bills that high while living up North. Max heating and cooling bills in the dead of the summer or winter were well under $300 and never had a water bill over $50. Now lets assume your a/c breaks, when you actually find someone that shows up a few days later, they will give you a ballpark figure of what it "may" cost. At the end it is much,much higher. And they can do this, because they are one of the only 5 contractors in the county that actually call back and show up. Southwest Florida loses this one.
So you think, ehhh it gets hot and humid in St. Louis, Chicago, NYC, Detroit, etc how bad could it really be, heck it was 110 last week in Boston. Well I got news for you, you know nothing of hot weather till you endure/survive a summer in South Florida. That's right you survive, you don't simply make it through. The pavement gets so hot it will burn your feet through your shoes. You always enjoyed working on your yard and mowing your own grass while living up North, well you won't anymore, at least from May through October. Don't even buy a lawnmower, unless you are a small engine mechanic it won't last more than one summer. Oh so you got a little job you need to do in your garage, well you will be waiting until 10 pm unless you were born in the Sahara, because your garage will be around 120 degrees between the hours of 8am and 8pm. I have literally burned my hands on my steering wheel. Or you get into that mind set 90 degrees and 80% humidity 8 months a year is better than snow, ice, blizzards, etc......Nope it's not. You get a blizzard for a few days, it is oppressively and depressingly hot here for 8 straight months with dew points in the mid 70's it feels like its 100 every day. And if you do venture out to do yard work, you pick your poison. Either you melt in the sweltering heat and sun mid day or you get attacked by the no-seeums and mosquitoes big enough to saddle up and ride off into the sunset by waiting till it cools off later in the day, if you consider 85 degrees at 8pm cool, you will still sweat immediately upon leaving your air conditioning, but you have a little longer to work before the heat stroke sets in. The weather the other 4 months of the year just doesn't make the 8 months of summer worth it. Southwest Florida Loses this one too.
Alright so you have decided to endure the summer, because you own a boat and can park it in your backyard and go fishing anytime you want. You sure can, hope you like catfish. The fishing here has gotten terrible the last few years compared to what it used to be. The blue water is gone. It's now brown and disgusting. I won't even wade in it to do some cat fishing anymore. I also hope you enjoy complicated breathing, because the Red Tide seems to have turned into an annual thing that never really goes away during the winter. So dead fish on the beaches is a regular sight these days. You can thank the great planners of the Okeechobee Waterway and the constant release of nasty, fresh water it funnels into what used to be the crystal clear waters of the Gulf of Mexico, these days like looks like the nastiest cup of coffee I have ever seen. The disgusting water doesn't bother you? How about the $2 toll over a bridge that has been paid for 100 times over just to get to a beach to find out it may cost you as much as $15 to park? Still alright with that? You will find yourself amongst the best Lee County has to offer. Meth heads asking for spare change, foreigners with the I own everything mentality or the old people that have no idea what is going on or even what day it is. While dealing with these clowns you will be in water warmer than your bathtub, just imagine whats living in there! I will admit the water and beaches are pretty nice in the winter, but good luck getting to the beach or taking your boat out on weekends, there are people everywhere. Took two hours to get to Fort Myers Beach back in Feb. Learned my lesson, it's not even worth going. Southwest Florida loses again.
Traffic, empty buildings, closing businesses, horrible economy. Yes traffic in the Northern cities sucks. But I bet it doesn't take 10 minutes to go a half mile with no traffic at all. That is what happens here in good old Cape Coral. The original city planner must have been wasted, because the lay out of this city is nothing short of a joke and seemingly every road dead ends at some points only restart somewhere else. There is no method to the madness. This area has seen some of the highest increase in real estate prices in the country the last year or so, do you think that has helped the economy? No. There are vacant stores and entire strip malls everywhere, there is the occasional new Family Dollar, McDs or 7-11 going up, but that's it, mom and pop, get lost. And the mom and pops that are here have a hell of time keeping their doors open. I bet you are a skilled worker like a carpenter and really know your stuff. Hope you enjoy working for $10 an hour and competing with 500 people for every new job opening to rake in all that cash. If you aren't in healthcare or have management experience in some service industry plan on making minimum wage or close to it. Go ahead and tell the guy you are worth more than that, he will laugh in your face and show you a pile of applications and resumes thicker than any phone book I have seen. Wanna make good money? Work on Sanibel or Captiva during season. But expect to get a second job to cover gas and tolls. Bad economy, terrible pay rates, horrendous traffic during season, vacant buildings, no business growth. Southwest Florida loses again.
I urge anyone thinking about moving here to reconsider. It isn't what it seems. Many people have made the mistake and can't get out. Once you get here and start making that huge drop in pay, you will never be able to afford to leave!
I feel ya, all of it..But I've dealt with the summer here for 30 years and I gotta say.. This year is pretty mild. We had a heat index of 110 the other day but it lasted a day. Today we only hovered at 99. A few years maybe 5 or 6 we set a record for something like 15 days straight over triple digits.
Wow....$400 a year for insurance in Chicago and only $3,000 a year in taxes...really...you weren't living in any decent area of chicago and you weren't insuring much...let me explain.
Insurance for a house worth 200k is going to run you a minimum $1,000 more than likely $2,000.
Taxes are just rediculous in Chicago....a 200k house will run anywhere depending on location $5,000-$10,000 a year and its going to at least double in the next couple of years and may go as high as 150% increase(to pay for public union pensions that are only funded at 14%)....thats on top of the 66% increase in the state income tax we just suffered through...and they are already talking about increase it another 50%.
People and business's are fleeing Chicago and Illinois..causing a drop in collected taxes and increased unemployment...and significant drop in home values.
The winters in Chicago are brutal....no other way to say that.
And the crime...well everyone knows about Chicago being the murder capital of the country.
Lots I disagree with about your post but let me start with Cape Coral roads and traffic........compared to the northeast it is HEAVEN.We live on 13th Terrace,right off Del Prado and love being on a dead end street.No through traffic,only neighbors and it's so quiet,you'd think you are in the country.Sure traffic is heavy in the winter but we've never been more than 30 minutes to FMB
Love the way the roads are planned.Unlike the north,there are turnarounds every few hundred feet on all major roads so you can pull a U turn whenever you need to.Also major roads such as DelPrado have synchronized lights........somedays on the way to the beach we blow right through from the hospital to CC Parkway and barely catch a light.
Also like the grid pattern which allows you to catch back streets and circumvent busy intersections.
In SW Forida,if you know East from West ,it's impossible to get lost......I invite you to drive around Boston and not get lost.
We don't see many agressive drivers downhere.....sure there are a lot of farts but we manage to get around them.
Lots I disagree with about your post but let me start with Cape Coral roads and traffic........compared to the northeast it is HEAVEN.We live on 13th Terrace,right off Del Prado and love being on a dead end street.No through traffic,only neighbors and it's so quiet,you'd think you are in the country.Sure traffic is heavy in the winter but we've never been more than 30 minutes to FMB
Love the way the roads are planned.Unlike the north,there are turnarounds every few hundred feet on all major roads so you can pull a U turn whenever you need to.Also major roads such as DelPrado have synchronized lights........somedays on the way to the beach we blow right through from the hospital to CC Parkway and barely catch a light.
Also like the grid pattern which allows you to catch back streets and circumvent busy intersections.
In SW Forida,if you know East from West ,it's impossible to get lost......I invite you to drive around Boston and not get lost.
We don't see many agressive drivers downhere.....sure there are a lot of farts but we manage to get around them.
Even my GPS was lost in Boston. When I lived in NH I would go to Boston to pick up guests and got lost going to Logan. My GPS had me trying to make turns where there were no roads just row houses... I thought I was gonna die in some parts.. crying white girl lost in a decent car in Boston=bad news
Wow....$400 a year for insurance in Chicago and only $3,000 a year in taxes...really...you weren't living in any decent area of chicago and you weren't insuring much...let me explain.
Insurance for a house worth 200k is going to run you a minimum $1,000 more than likely $2,000.
Taxes are just rediculous in Chicago....a 200k house will run anywhere depending on location $5,000-$10,000 a year and its going to at least double in the next couple of years and may go as high as 150% increase(to pay for public union pensions that are only funded at 14%)....thats on top of the 66% increase in the state income tax we just suffered through...and they are already talking about increase it another 50%.
People and business's are fleeing Chicago and Illinois..causing a drop in collected taxes and increased unemployment...and significant drop in home values.
The winters in Chicago are brutal....no other way to say that.
And the crime...well everyone knows about Chicago being the murder capital of the country.
So I lived in Chicago for over 40 years and you are going to tell me about the taxes, insurance, crime and weather? Yea ok. You so far off on you idea of insurance and taxes it's not even worth a response. The winters can be rough, but it is nothing compared to the summers here. The word hot does not justice to how HOT it really is day in and day out.
Lots I disagree with about your post but let me start with Cape Coral roads and traffic........compared to the northeast it is HEAVEN.We live on 13th Terrace,right off Del Prado and love being on a dead end street.No through traffic,only neighbors and it's so quiet,you'd think you are in the country.Sure traffic is heavy in the winter but we've never been more than 30 minutes to FMB
Love the way the roads are planned.Unlike the north,there are turnarounds every few hundred feet on all major roads so you can pull a U turn whenever you need to.Also major roads such as DelPrado have synchronized lights........somedays on the way to the beach we blow right through from the hospital to CC Parkway and barely catch a light.
Also like the grid pattern which allows you to catch back streets and circumvent busy intersections.
In SW Forida,if you know East from West ,it's impossible to get lost......I invite you to drive around Boston and not get lost.
We don't see many agressive drivers downhere.....sure there are a lot of farts but we manage to get around them.
You don't see many aggressive drivers down here? Wow understatement of the year award!
I urge anyone thinking about moving here to reconsider. It isn't what it seems. Many people have made the mistake and can't get out. Once you get here and start making that huge drop in pay, you will never be able to afford to leave!
Indeed, this was my own predicament after arriving here twenty plus years ago. Sink or swim, is the concept, I believe. It sounds as if you have been able to grasp hold of the life ring, and remove yourself from the particular swimming hole you found yourself flailing about in. I stayed and learned to swim. Had no choice. Assimilation, is the concept I believe, which way is best depends on your point of view, I suppose.
Ok whiners I got you all beat! Kalifornia. I don't really know where to start, but, every possible complaint you have about ANYWHERE else you live in the states is compounded 10x in Kali. You pay $3.60 for gas, I pay $4.25, you want to talk about traffic? Kali has the worst traffic in the nation. Average commute times are 2 hours each way if you live in the San Diego, Lost Angeles or San Francisco areas.! Our beaches? Polluted, disgusting, crowded, Garbage strewn sand with mariachi music playing in the background. Our roads (that the high gasoline taxes pay for) WILL break your vehicle suspension. Car insurance? Better have Uninsured Motorist coverage cause whoever hits you, and you will be hit, doesn't have insurance and probably doesn't have a Drivers License. Oh, our crime rate, for the last 30 years, as a state, has 5 of the top 10 cities for crime in the nation (Los Angeles, Oakland, San Bernardino, Compton, Santa Ana, etc). Our prison system is so screwed up, they have been court ordered to release 50,000, yes, 50,000 felons onto the streets. Meth? Its made here! WE are the meth capital of the world, bar none. We produce more meth than anywhere else in the world. We are a meth exporter for gods sake!! Just as a bonus, our forests are the #1 cultivation area for Gangi! If you hike in our forests there a good chance you will walk into a grow site with armed mexican cartel guards. As a state, our taxes are right behind...oh wait, thats right, our over all tax burden is the highest in the nation. As far as weather? Thats your own fault, next time check it out. Either way, my butt is taking my retirement, my 457 plan, selling my way overpriced house and and moving to Pine Island next summer, where I will be building a house, buying a boat and investing my time, effort and money into my new community. And, you will not find me bitchin about the heat...
Last edited by migolito; 07-28-2013 at 01:06 PM..
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I got you all beat! Kalifornia. I don't really know where to start, but, every possible complaint you have about ANYWHERE else you live in the states is compounded 10x in Kali. You pay $3.60 for gas, I pay $4.25, you want to talk about traffic? Kali has the worst traffic in the nation. Average commute times are 2 hours each way if you live in the San Diego, Lost Angeles or San Francisco areas.! Our beaches? Polluted, disgusting, crowded, Garbage strewn sand with mariachi music playing in the background. Our roads (that the high gasoline taxes pay for) WILL break your vehicle suspension. Car insurance? Better have Uninsured Motorist coverage cause whoever hits you, and you will be hit, doesn't have insurance and probably doesn't have a Drivers License. Oh, our crime rate, for the last 30 years, as a state, has 5 of the top 10 cities for crime in the nation (Los Angeles, Oakland, San Bernardino, Compton, Santa Ana, etc). Our prison system is so screwed up, they have been court ordered to release 50,000, yes, 50,000 felons onto the streets. Meth? Its made here! WE are the meth capital of the world, bar none. We produce more meth than anywhere else in the world. We are a meth exporter for gods sake!! Just as a bonus, our forests are the #1 cultivation area for Gangi! If you hike in our forests there a good chance you will walk into a grow site with armed mexican cartel guards. As a state, our taxes are right behind...oh wait, thats right, our over all tax burden is the highest in the nation. As far as weather? Thats your own fault, next time check it out. Either way, my butt is taking my retirement, my 457 plan, selling my way overpriced house and and moving to Pine Island next summer, where I will be building a house, buying a boat and investing my time, effort and money into my new community. And, you will not find me bitchin about the heat...
