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Btw, cost of doing biz in Knoxville was ranked 27th! Yay me! Keep us in your thoughts!
Anyway, this is better news than expected!
Quote:
Originally Posted by tommy-105
While it's wonderful that SW Florida didn't make the Forbes top 20 most miserable cities in America list , There's another Forbes study (just out) that might be a little more useful to people who still need to make a living. Out of the top 200 metro areas, SW Florida isn't even represented. Here's how the rest of Florida ranked:
If this study is to be trusted, it would seem that the folks from out west (who are running away from snow, in search of sunshine) are also running away from job opportunities.
Btw, cost of doing biz in Knoxville was ranked 27th! Yay me! Keep us in your thoughts!
Anyway, this is better news than expected!
I stand corrected. Don't know how I missed them. Nice to see that someone followed the links though.
I think looking at a place in terms of careers, is more important than focusing on the projected job growth. After all, it was the abundance of construction jobs that lured me here ten years ago in the first place. If I had a better understanding of the local economy I might have thought twice about coming here. Who knows?
I find these Forbes study's interesting, but I don't see myself moving to Des Moines any time soon. Nice to see Knoxville close to the top though.
I used to talk to your wife or you a lot (but I think it was your wife - as I recall you used to be BacktoMA), I guess, before you moved up to MA and then back the last time. I hope you get back before the fall, and all the trees change color. When? and What town are you looking to relocate to? I have a lot of friends up there, and will be going up to visit them this summer as well.
Yeah just another person who does not live here... nhkev
It doesn't really matter whether I have lived there or not. My lifestyle is completely different from yours. You didn't like fort myers but you like estero. It may be that your surroundings ( living in a bad area of town at a job you didn't like) was more of the problem than the area. I understand you don't like the heat, ok , some don't like the cold , for each their own.
My parents do live there and I own 3 properties and visit very frequently. If I lived there my life would not be too different than how it is here. ( i live in central mass now) But my parents version of the place and some of the others on this forum are completely different.
I have also noticed some others who do live there post that they have been waiting to see all the bad things that people say in this forum and can't find it. And I do keep very current on what is going on there more so than most that live there.
The area is not perfect , it is not paradise, but it is not ghetto the way that many make it out to be.
the job situation is not good, but here in central mass my neighbors on either side are both unemployed , and I believe the reason you went back to florida was that you couldn't find a job up here. Tommy's post shows how many areas of the country lost jobs instead of gaining. Granted swfl was hit worse due to the type of jobs that it had (construction). similar to the last recession with the .com bubble anybody in tech was hit hard.
I just call B*llsh*t when people say things that are false about the area (not directing this at anybody in particular)
I think most everybody agrees- don't move anywhere unless you have a job lined up. know the pros and cons about school choice. visit several times or rent before buying, research issues like chinese drywall and the utility expansion in cape coral.
I think it is some's current situation not the area that is the problem, and it is easier to change your current situation vs changing the things they don't like about the area.
I stand corrected. Don't know how I missed them. Nice to see that someone followed the links though.
I think looking at a place in terms of careers, is more important than focusing on the projected job growth. After all, it was the abundance of construction jobs that lured me here ten years ago in the first place. If I had a better understanding of the local economy I might have thought twice about coming here. Who knows?
I find these Forbes study's interesting, but I don't see myself moving to Des Moines any time soon. Nice to see Knoxville close to the top though.
I am going to iowa on Sunday I'll let you know if you're missing anything
It doesn't really matter whether I have lived there or not. My lifestyle is completely different from yours. You didn't like fort myers but you like estero. It may be that your surroundings ( living in a bad area of town at a job you didn't like) was more of the problem than the area. I understand you don't like the heat, ok , some don't like the cold , for each their own.
My parents do live there and I own 3 properties and visit very frequently. If I lived there my life would not be too different than how it is here. ( i live in central mass now) But my parents version of the place and some of the others on this forum are completely different.
I have also noticed some others who do live there post that they have been waiting to see all the bad things that people say in this forum and can't find it. And I do keep very current on what is going on there more so than most that live there.
The area is not perfect , it is not paradise, but it is not ghetto the way that many make it out to be.
the job situation is not good, but here in central mass my neighbors on either side are both unemployed , and I believe the reason you went back to florida was that you couldn't find a job up here. Tommy's post shows how many areas of the country lost jobs instead of gaining. Granted swfl was hit worse due to the type of jobs that it had (construction). similar to the last recession with the .com bubble anybody in tech was hit hard.
I just call B*llsh*t when people say things that are false about the area (not directing this at anybody in particular)
I think most everybody agrees- don't move anywhere unless you have a job lined up. know the pros and cons about school choice. visit several times or rent before buying, research issues like chinese drywall and the utility expansion in cape coral.
I think it is some's current situation not the area that is the problem, and it is easier to change your current situation vs changing the things they don't like about the area.
nhkev- as you know from actual experience (though I do differ on some of your opinions) as do I that SWFL is a very specific area; very unique in its demographics and professional economy. As has been hashed out a million times and then some, for the retired who will not need jobs or the education system, really, it is their oyster & good for them. That is what the area is designed for and so on.
As for those who need regular employment and to use the schools, there are some very true realities. Some better than other parts of the country and some worse. Point is, the sun won't and hasn't done a thing for the issues that have been plaguing the area for several years. Again, retired folks & snowbirders have no need to worry for much of it does not apply to them.
It's not the ghetto but it is not for everyone. One needs to be prepared for the speedbumps they will run into just like any other move.
We are all at different points in our lives with different needs. Some are really struggling; others are just getting by; others have never had a day of worry. That's just the way it is & it's called life
Humility, compassion, and respect for others seems to be lacking on this forum be it just b/c some like to beat up on others, take it personally, others have nothing else to do, the list really does go on. Most of the crap comes from those who haven't lived there a day in their life minus vacationing & others, like myself, who come on now & again, after living there to throw in their two cents.
Snowbirders and retirees are not the same as young families raising children. Come 30 years from now when my boys are grown and schooling is done, I'll probably see things completely different. One thing I have learned though is that I won't sit around and tell those going through different times they are wrong, I am right. It's mean & it's bullying. But some just play that way.
There are some pros (I always loved going to Sanibel early, early am to watch the tide come in) & cons (boarded up homes 6 months of the year & it's a ghost town..at least on many streets surrounding us where we lived..it was eerie).
We all have our ways & wishes in life. And we all should respect what the other says, not tell them how wrong they are based on our own fears & insecurities. In the end, it doesn't matter where you live or how right you were, it matters how you were as a person. Far more important than proving a point.
I think some of the snowbirders and retirees on this forum can help folks, too. For what it is worth, I have seen a lot of very truthful and helpful posts from them, lately, and I am very impressed.
After visiting, a couple of months ago, I am really excited about the direction the area is going. I think unemployment is going to be tough but it will get better.
Tommy, you are correct. Job growth numbers are nice, but only a small part of the equation.
When we were moving out, in 2005, the amount of jobs and the projections were stellar for Lee County. It was true. However, I knew that the pay was not good, it was mostly construction and retail, and it was dependent on a boom that was surely going to bust.
And the cost of living, especially housing, was CRAZY. I was not going to pay $1,000 for a hole in the wall. And I certainly wasn't going to buy a house that was worth $65,000 in 2002 and worth $250,000 in 2005. It was the same crappy house. And no, it wasn't going to go much higher before it crashed.
I don't expect that the job projection numbers are indicating that an auto plant is opening in the area. I suspect that Wal Mart is going to start hiring. That's all. But anything is better than what is happening now.
My point is the Titanic is slowly turning around.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 121804
nhkev- as you know from actual experience (though I do differ on some of your opinions) as do I that SWFL is a very specific area; very unique in its demographics and professional economy. As has been hashed out a million times and then some, for the retired who will not need jobs or the education system, really, it is their oyster & good for them. That is what the area is designed for and so on.
As for those who need regular employment and to use the schools, there are some very true realities. Some better than other parts of the country and some worse. Point is, the sun won't and hasn't done a thing for the issues that have been plaguing the area for several years. Again, retired folks & snowbirders have no need to worry for much of it does not apply to them.
It's not the ghetto but it is not for everyone. One needs to be prepared for the speedbumps they will run into just like any other move.
We are all at different points in our lives with different needs. Some are really struggling; others are just getting by; others have never had a day of worry. That's just the way it is & it's called life
Humility, compassion, and respect for others seems to be lacking on this forum be it just b/c some like to beat up on others, take it personally, others have nothing else to do, the list really does go on. Most of the crap comes from those who haven't lived there a day in their life minus vacationing & others, like myself, who come on now & again, after living there to throw in their two cents.
Snowbirders and retirees are not the same as young families raising children. Come 30 years from now when my boys are grown and schooling is done, I'll probably see things completely different. One thing I have learned though is that I won't sit around and tell those going through different times they are wrong, I am right. It's mean & it's bullying. But some just play that way.
There are some pros (I always loved going to Sanibel early, early am to watch the tide come in) & cons (boarded up homes 6 months of the year & it's a ghost town..at least on many streets surrounding us where we lived..it was eerie).
We all have our ways & wishes in life. And we all should respect what the other says, not tell them how wrong they are based on our own fears & insecurities. In the end, it doesn't matter where you live or how right you were, it matters how you were as a person. Far more important than proving a point.
I used to talk to your wife or you a lot (but I think it was your wife - as I recall you used to be BacktoMA), I guess, before you moved up to MA and then back the last time. I hope you get back before the fall, and all the trees change color. When? and What town are you looking to relocate to? I have a lot of friends up there, and will be going up to visit them this summer as well.
Yep, that is me. I sent you a PM. Moving in September, to western MA.
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, There's another Forbes study (just out) that might be a little more useful to people who still need to make a living. Out of the top 200 metro areas, SW Florida isn't even represented. Here's how the rest of Florida ranked:
