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Much less expensive to live in florida, that's not what people from florida have been telling me. And the unemployment rate is florida is well over 9% the last I heard. Way too many people there and not enough jobs. Like i said before, I have never seen so many people flock to one state only to return within a year or two, it's amazing. I was in hawaii back in november 2008 and I'm planning another trip there in jan. or feb 2010, I'd rather spend a few extra hours on a plane and head west. Head west young man, head west!
I just wanted to post a brief update and thank everyone for their input. I have chosen to relocate to Sarasota Florida and I\'m moving on April 30th. Not that Hawaii doesn\'t sound amazing and wonderful in many ways -- however I chose SW Florida (Sarasota) for several reasons. 1) cost of living is lower vs. Hawaii 2) I actually like hot humid weather. 3) will be easier for me to find a used car in Florida 4) seeing as how until now I have only previously lived in St. Louis -- I felt that Florida would be a bit easier of a move with less culture shock 5) There are several more rural areas near Sarasota such as the small town \"Englewood\" that has that relaxed casual laid back \"Old Florida\" feel. I hear it\'s a tiny beach town with artists where you can just throw on an old pair of cut-off jeans, t-shirt and sandals and go to the restaurant on the bay from some great seafood. (near Manasota Key) And in North Port (not far from Sarasota) a nice 2 bedroom house can be had for less than $100,000. 6) As far as beaches on the mainland I think SW Florida is tops. But who knows I\'ll be renting at first -- and if I like it after a year or so I\'ll buy a house in Florida -- OR -- I\'ll be checking out Hawaii soon! By the way can someone comment on the area say 50 to 75 miles South of Kona -- the southernmost city in the USA is in that area called Naalehu. I believe there is a subdivision there called Mark Twain Estates? How is the climate there? The vegetation? I passed up a 1-bedroom Ohana cottage in this area south of Kona (with an ocean view) for $800/month for my apt. in Sarasota Florida which also costs $800/month. Well just 9 days to go until my move! -
For you SW FL is paradise, for others, it is hell. Recent trip to Ft. Myers and Key West proved I still dislike FL. We have the cold and snow, but some of us prefer that to the heat, humidity, bugs and critters. The view over the water is very lovely, but the land is flat and boring. We pay heating bills, you pay air conditioning bills. Its all relative and thankfully people enjoy different climates. I would rather spend 12 hours flying to HI than go to FL again. We found the areas crowded, traffic was horrendous, and people were rude. Amazing the area has a large population of Canadians and Europeans. Accprding to reports, Ft. Myers has highest foreclosure rate in the nation. We could have bought a lovely house for $75K.
fort myers is ok but not the most upscale place, and yes the foreclosure problem there was terrible for housing in that area. compared to sarasota, fort myers is not really the nicest spot...if you went just a bit further to naples you would have found a much nicer area (and houses a LOT more expensive.) key west is just horrible now. i can't stand going there anymore. gaggles of homeless drug addicts roaming the streets begging and fighting. it's a total tourist trap and just gross. if you stay put of key west and just go to key largo or islemorada it's fine. the water activities there are great.
I just wanted to post a brief update and thank everyone for their input. I have chosen to relocate to Sarasota Florida and I\'m moving on April 30th. Not that Hawaii doesn\'t sound amazing and wonderful in many ways -- however I chose SW Florida (Sarasota) for several reasons. 1) cost of living is lower vs. Hawaii 2) I actually like hot humid weather. 3) will be easier for me to find a used car in Florida 4) seeing as how until now I have only previously lived in St. Louis -- I felt that Florida would be a bit easier of a move with less culture shock 5) There are several more rural areas near Sarasota such as the small town \"Englewood\" that has that relaxed casual laid back \"Old Florida\" feel. I hear it\'s a tiny beach town with artists where you can just throw on an old pair of cut-off jeans, t-shirt and sandals and go to the restaurant on the bay from some great seafood. (near Manasota Key) And in North Port (not far from Sarasota) a nice 2 bedroom house can be had for less than $100,000. 6) As far as beaches on the mainland I think SW Florida is tops. But who knows I\'ll be renting at first -- and if I like it after a year or so I\'ll buy a house in Florida -- OR -- I\'ll be checking out Hawaii soon! By the way can someone comment on the area say 50 to 75 miles South of Kona -- the southernmost city in the USA is in that area called Naalehu. I believe there is a subdivision there called Mark Twain Estates? How is the climate there? The vegetation? I passed up a 1-bedroom Ohana cottage in this area south of Kona (with an ocean view) for $800/month for my apt. in Sarasota Florida which also costs $800/month. Well just 9 days to go until my move! -
congrats on the move...you will love sarasota. I've lived in sarasota for 15 years and grew up nearby in arcadia. there are certain areas you will want to avoid though. i read where you mentioned North Port...i advise against that place. no where near the water and they have a problem with crime/youths gone wild there. you were right on the money with englewood...cool little place...kinda beachey and small town feel. west bradenton can be not the nicest area in spots. anywhere near siesta key, lido beach, turtle beach...great quality of life but pricey although you can probably rent a smaller place for under $1200-$1500.
Hey from Cruel Florida: Lived in New Tampa (golf-course, gated community, suburb of Tampa) for 13 years, moved from Philly, PA 32 years ago. Been to Hawaii twice, Make A Wish sent us in July '08 to Maui. Already bought land on Big Island in Hawaiian Shores Rec. Estates in Pahoa w/ paved streets, private water & mail delivered to your mailbox in front of your home for $46,000 formerly purchased for $115,000. Just so you know, Florida is NOT the haven nor a paradise anymore. Too much crime, too many people from all over, ton of homeless types & just to give you an idea, it takes 3 hours to drive 42 miles during rush hour. Step out your front door (if you're in the city of Tampa) & the drivebys will get you, what is this, Philly? The beaches like Clearwater is too commercial, too condo, $1.00 to park per hour for what? Can't swim when you bump into hundreds of bodies, not good. If you're college age, perhaps. It takes four hours to get off the island in Clear wa wa which is like gray wa wa when's its busy. It's a joke. Try Daytona where kids will run you over w/ their car on the beach. West Palm Beach, Ft. Lauderdale & The Keys are great if you have that type of cash, if not, welcome to the ghetto in Tampa, FL. Orlando & Miami are known for their long commutes & 12 lane interstate killing fields. They call it The Slab, 1-4 on the way to Orlando for all the dead bodies. Moving to Florida 50 years ago would have probably been closer to paradise. No snorkeling w/ green sea turtles, no coral reef (except Key West) no turquoise water (except West Palm Bch./Ft. Lauderdale) no Aloha spirit or southern hospitality, doesn't even exist! It's even dangerous to return a book after hours @ the library or go to a convenience store in the evening. Rapes/murders happen daily in the daylight hours & Univ. Sq. Mall
is known for this even w/ security vehicles riding around. My father used to say you may need to leave someone home armed & waiting just in case for the home invasion. Million dollar golf-course, gated community has had
six murder/suicides just in my subdivision! Now I find out my ex committed suicide when he as a prof. single, never married man w/ house/cars & 30 foot boat paid for! Wow. My daughter's two friends fathers (2) committed suicide, one in the neighborhood, one outside. Plan on electric bills if you're frugal, $200 like mine or my sister's @ $480. Property taxes for new homeowners are $6,000 YES that's right, $6000 for a $200,000 home for incoming Florida residents including a $50,000 property exemption. With these taxes you'll need a $100,000 property exemption. Homeowners ins. runs over $2,000 on average. My h/o fees are $2,000 a year. Once you're a h/o you will get a 3% increase every year for the property taxes. W/ 5 hurricanes a year on average, plan to have your h/o ins. canceled every other year until you have to get Citizens Ins. which is doubled or more. Plan to run your a/c 10 months a year on average & where it is so humid it takes your breath away, so much for riding bikes etc. There are no jobs, every city in FL is down-sizing, min. wage is $7.70 & there's 400 people for one opening @ Wal-Mart or the mall. Just so know. May I leave now? Waiting for my kid's 2nd surgery then I'm selling, moving to Paradise forever. Take care, good luck.
Didn't realize you already moved to cruel Florida.
Welcome to FL,
waving from my boat w/ my blue string bikini on, do you see me?
Maybe Not! Didn't get to buy the boat afterall. Do however, have the swimsuit.
Hey, Sarasota is not bad. Siesta Key comes to mind. Actually Coquina Beach near Bradenton Beach is where I plan to spend my day trips this summer so I think you did well.
I'll try to talking to you 29 years from now, who knows? Maybe, you may be in a Hawaiian mood or something. I'm sure w/ this housing market you did fine. Pat yourself on the back. You picked a good city to live in, location, location, location.
If you don't physically go to Hawaii, you won't know what you're missing.
And you'll appreciate Florida more. Don't go, otherwise you may pine away for God's country.
Hey from Cruel Florida: Lived in New Tampa (golf-course, gated community, suburb of Tampa) for 13 years, moved from Philly, PA 32 years ago. Been to Hawaii twice, Make A Wish sent us in July '08 to Maui. Already bought land on Big Island in Hawaiian Shores Rec. Estates in Pahoa w/ paved streets, private water & mail delivered to your mailbox in front of your home for $46,000 formerly purchased for $115,000. Just so you know, Florida is NOT the haven nor a paradise anymore. Too much crime, too many people from all over, ton of homeless types & just to give you an idea, it takes 3 hours to drive 42 miles during rush hour. Step out your front door (if you're in the city of Tampa) & the drivebys will get you, what is this, Philly? The beaches like Clearwater is too commercial, too condo, $1.00 to park per hour for what? Can't swim when you bump into hundreds of bodies, not good. If you're college age, perhaps. It takes four hours to get off the island in Clear wa wa which is like gray wa wa when's its busy. It's a joke. Try Daytona where kids will run you over w/ their car on the beach. West Palm Beach, Ft. Lauderdale & The Keys are great if you have that type of cash, if not, welcome to the ghetto in Tampa, FL. Orlando & Miami are known for their long commutes & 12 lane interstate killing fields. They call it The Slab, 1-4 on the way to Orlando for all the dead bodies. Moving to Florida 50 years ago would have probably been closer to paradise. No snorkeling w/ green sea turtles, no coral reef (except Key West) no turquoise water (except West Palm Bch./Ft. Lauderdale) no Aloha spirit or southern hospitality, doesn't even exist! It's even dangerous to return a book after hours @ the library or go to a convenience store in the evening. Rapes/murders happen daily in the daylight hours & Univ. Sq. Mall
is known for this even w/ security vehicles riding around. My father used to say you may need to leave someone home armed & waiting just in case for the home invasion. Million dollar golf-course, gated community has had
six murder/suicides just in my subdivision! Now I find out my ex committed suicide when he as a prof. single, never married man w/ house/cars & 30 foot boat paid for! Wow. My daughter's two friends fathers (2) committed suicide, one in the neighborhood, one outside. Plan on electric bills if you're frugal, $200 like mine or my sister's @ $480. Property taxes for new homeowners are $6,000 YES that's right, $6000 for a $200,000 home for incoming Florida residents including a $50,000 property exemption. With these taxes you'll need a $100,000 property exemption. Homeowners ins. runs over $2,000 on average. My h/o fees are $2,000 a year. Once you're a h/o you will get a 3% increase every year for the property taxes. W/ 5 hurricanes a year on average, plan to have your h/o ins. canceled every other year until you have to get Citizens Ins. which is doubled or more. Plan to run your a/c 10 months a year on average & where it is so humid it takes your breath away, so much for riding bikes etc. There are no jobs, every city in FL is down-sizing, min. wage is $7.70 & there's 400 people for one opening @ Wal-Mart or the mall. Just so know. May I leave now? Waiting for my kid's 2nd surgery then I'm selling, moving to Paradise forever. Take care, good luck.
Yep, in formerly nice quiet Bloomingdale.
Ugh, I wish I could live in the more natural Florida of decades ago not this overdeveloped strip mall urban sprawlville.
I love Hawai'i but I recognize the drawbacks as much as I would love to live there, I think I would need some serious $$$. And since I am also one of Florida's unemployed (also a student) that won't be happening any time soon.
Hi. Well I\'ve been in Sarasota for almost one month now. So far most everything I\'ve experienced is very positive. Things I like thus far: 1) The neighborhood I live in (near Sarasota Bay) just West of N. Tamiami Trail has amazing lush tropical landscaping. Kind of a bit overgrown and \"wild\" looking in spots -- but that\'s how I like it. Very large trees and many tropical plants that I never got to see in the mundane St. Louis \"landscaping\". 2) Siesta Key Beach. I\'ve read that it has the whitest sand in the world because it\'s made from quartz. Also many varieties of tropical birds there. The water is a beautiful clear turquoise blue. Are there really beaches better than this in Hawaii? 3)Prices for cost of living I\'ve found to be reasonable. I found many familar stores here that were also in St. Louis -- such as \"Sav-A-Lot\" grocery stores (a discount -- mostly private label grocery store). There is much more I could post about my experiences thus far -- but since this a Hawaii board it\'s perhaps getting off topic here. I\'ll post more on the Florida board later. Hope everyone has a wonderful day -
Location: By body is in JaxBeach, FL but my mind is in Hawaii
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Glad to hear you are enjoying Sarasota - It is absolutely beautiful there!
For others of you also considering this move...
I’m a Florida Native, I love it. I currently live in Jacksonville Beach – which from a beach perspective is beautiful – nice and flat good for running and biking, etc. The water however is not near as nice as South Florida or the lower Gulf Coast. I believe ‘most’ of the beaches in south Florida are just fabulous. For perspective, I also lived in Virginia, Maryland (Washington DC metro) in my early twenties. I moved from there to a SMALL town (one red light) in North Central Florida – Beautiful place to be – but no beaches. I spent a lot of time in the springs and rivers though.
So why am I moving to Hawaii? After all, I do live in Florida. We have been mulling over this for several years now, and have finally decided to put some action behind the thoughts. I first have to state I have an Aunt and Cousins who were all born and raised on Oahu – so I do have some family over there. We have done much research, and confirmed with my family the cost of living questions. Depending upon where you are moving, the costs for housing could be the same. (Many are cheaper that where I currently live) Most food is more, but if you shop at Sams, Costco, only minimally and some the same. You can check out gas prices and compare on AAA site. Last I checked it was only 20 to 50 cent more per gallon – depending on which island. But all those are not reason to move, but rather just a reality check – what is it going to cost me? I keep hearing people in Hawaii complain about high electricity costs and then hear monthly amounts of 150-200 on 3000 sft houses. Living in Florida, and running my AC on 78 (with ceiling fans) and Heat on 68, and only a 1200 sf beach cottage (not on the beach ☹) my bill runs 350 a month. I’d would love a 200 bill.
We are rather moving for many reasons. We love the outdoors, the ocean, fishing, etc. We love Hawaii, and thought with the majority of climates on every island -- it is perfect. If we want the beach, we go there., if we want mountains, they are right there, just look up. If we want cooler temperatures, just go up the mountain. If we want rain – or dry weather, go to the other side of the island. One side is usually dry, and one side is usually wet. We can hike, bike, run, fish, lounge at the beach, surf, windsurf, dive, boat, or just do nothing… and if the opportunity exists, go to the Big Island and do some snow skiing (many people don’t know that). There is country and there is tropical. Where else in America can you go that has all of that? and without all the congestion (exclude Honolulu area here)?
We have two teenagers and are constantly on the go. We really want to slow down our lives – so the slower island time is right up our alley. Since we have both lived in SMALL slow paced towns we are well aware of watching the paint dry. This is just what we are looking for. The mainland pace is getting faster day by day, my small beach community is still pretty laid back, but also has become very congested over the years. We currently technically live on and Island… and in all honesty, Never ‘cross the ditch’ aka – the Intracoastal Waterway. My husband actually took a huge cut in pay several years ago just so he could take a job here at the beach and never leave ‘the island’, unless he had to. Fortunately, I work at home – once again – never leaving unless I have to either. Our girls, if they are not at school, they are at the beach – literally! One is an Ocean Rescue Lifeguard… so even her job revolves around the Ocean. She is looking to go to UH for Marine Biology/Sciences also. Me and my husband both like the Big Island, and started to move there several years ago and decided it wasn’t the best for our girls from an education and social perspective at that point in time. We think Oahu is just way too crowded and congested for what we are looking for. We are currently targeting Maui. So it looks to be the best mix of both the Big Island and Oahu.
So why Hawaii vs my home state of Florida? I think Hawaii offers so much more from an outdoor perspective. – someone mentioned it earlier – Florida is FLAT (except for Ocala and Tallahassee areas). But if you are not an outdoor person and don’t know how to take advantage of everything around you, it might not be for you. Yes, we will have to work – but I have to do that now. What is the difference.? Where and how I am spending my time when I’m not at work.
Hope this helps someone. If you are looking to get away – go to Hawaii, because that is where you will be. -- away form everything and everybody. If you need to be on the constant go and don’t want to feel trapped, go to Florida. – You will love it. Just remember, I’ve heard of plenty of people move out of Florida because of its ‘lack of seasons’.
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Hawaii vs. Florida
