Move to Alabama or Florida? (Huntsville: layoffs, contractors, place to live)

[Keeper]

I will weigh in since I moved up here from Tampa 7 years ago. Tampa has a population of 350K and that is only Tampa and does not include Pinellas and Pasco county.

There are a lot of good things from beaches to great places to eat. You are close to Disney and to Busch Gardens. Housing is at a premium right now due to investors buying up housing to the point that it is almost impossible to buy a house now a days. They are renting out these houses but it will cost you. There is a new cost to register cars brought into the state at the tune of up to $400.00 each. Property taxes and HOI are very expensive too. Electic is expensive and you will run the AC for 9 months a year. It can take you 45 minutes to go 9 miles during rush hour.

Now.. I don't live in Huntsville but in a little city 25 miles SE. I do go into H'ville for a few things but traffic at 7 AM can be heavy it is nothing compared to Tampa.

I love this area because the weather changes every 3 months. It never stays cold for a long period and even if it snows it melts pretty much the next day.

Tornadoes are the downside of living here however there are tornadoes in FL too.

[elephant08]

Move to Florida the taxes are cheaper! Dear lord they're high here....

[Keeper]

Originally Posted by elephant08

Move to Florida the taxes are cheaper! Dear lord they're high here....

There is no state income tax in FL but you pay taxes and they are also high. Compare a 200K home for property ins. in FL you will pay at least 1800.00 every year.

There is no sales tax on food but there is still a sales tax of 7% on everything else.

Then you have the tax on any car brought into Tampa which avg $400.00 per car. Cost after that is about the same.

I pay less than $200 a month in utilities. In Tampa I paid $200.00 a month in just electric.

It all comes down to what is important to you.

[RatSnake]

If you have kids that are ready for college in a year or two, FL might be a good deal given that your HIGHER property taxes and state lottery actually subsidize (state) college tuition.

I am just not too excited of paying .25 to $1 every few miles just to go to work.

[Samoyed3]

The only part of Florida I could live in is Jacksonville which seems like most of the rest of the southeast. I like how the river runs thru downtown. I could possibly do one of the suburbs of Orlando like Lake Mary or winterpark or garden out on the west side of town. But seems kind of silly to live in Florida in the middle of the state rather than closer to the beach.

I think Florida still going to be cheaper to live for most people than Alabama b/c you can control how much you spend, not your income taxes.

[ReggaeBusRider]

Of the places I have lived, I rank them in this order:

1. Honolulu
2. Owens Cross Roads
3. Pensacola
4. Biloxi
5. Madison
6. Decatur
7. Bham

So, IMO, cost of living is overrated when faced with a relocation decision. Find the home, friends, area of interest, climate, shoes, toothbrush, etc. and you will be happy.

[elephant08]

Originally Posted by Samoyed3

The only part of Florida I could live in is Jacksonville which seems like most of the rest of the southeast. I like how the river runs thru downtown. I could possibly do one of the suburbs of Orlando like Lake Mary or winterpark or garden out on the west side of town. But seems kind of silly to live in Florida in the middle of the state rather than closer to the beach.

I think Florida still going to be cheaper to live for most people than Alabama b/c you can control how much you spend, not your income taxes.

[ReggaeBusRider]

@junita, keep us updated when you check out huntsville areas. I'm sure you will get lots of feedback.

[Samoyed3]

Originally Posted by ReggaeBusRider

Of the places I have lived, I rank them in this order:

1. Honolulu
2. Owens Cross Roads
3. Pensacola
4. Biloxi
5. Madison
6. Decatur
7. Bham

So, IMO, cost of living is overrated when faced with a relocation decision. Find the home, friends, area of interest, climate, shoes, toothbrush, etc. and you will be happy.

What didn't you like about Birmingham? The traffic? Other than the traffic it seemed like place to live, i like the type of pine trees they have there and the topography.

I never made it over to Decatur when I lived in Hville but some guys I worked with said it was a nice small town. Do they have any kind of downtown area there, maybe on the river?

To me. Madison and Owens Cross Roads are pretty much same thing and same area, just opposite sides of Monte Sano.

[ReggaeBusRider]

I grew up in bham so it is my personal biased dislike and there are many nice areas there. Decatur has nice areas but it is an industrial city and not my type of place. Decatur's 'old' downtown area is nice as is Point Mallard, and Indian Hills..

To me. Madison and Owens Cross Roads are vastly different. Madison has everything you need but is too over built for my taste. Owens Cross Roads is the pace I like but you have to drive 10 minutes to a movie or good restaurant. Topology is also different east of Monte Sano.