Move to Jacksonville or Santa Barbara (Fort Lauderdale, Jupiter: condos, homes, neighborhood)

[Icmoore]

Hi,

I am living in Santa Barbara, CA presently but have heard of quite a few CA people that move to JAX, Jacksonville Florida and do really well - and they enjoy the living enough to stay. I am also looking at Fort Lauderdale - in Jacksonville the homes are beautiful, by the beach and cheap in relation to our prices here. 1 bedroom condo vs 3 bed 3 bath house. Serious difference and there are other things that are less expensive as well. But is California really that great - I'm starting to think, maybe not worth the price of admission.

I would love to hear what anyone has to add to assist me in making a decision. Thank you all.

[seain dublin]

If your familar with the expression "when you go cheap, you get cheap", that helps.

[projectmaximus]

If you want to live at the beach, Jax has a selection of decent areas. On the whole, the jacksonville beaches are grittier, small townish, and not built up with condos and high rollers. Overall a positive in my mind but it really depends on the person.

I hear SB is gorgeous...but expensive. I've never been so I dont know personally.

[HIF]

Entirely different cultures, but your housing dollars would go much further in Jax. I wouldn't consider Ft. Lauderdale as having the same culture as Santa Barbara either, but it would be less of an adjustment, IMO.

If possible, spend some time in each place before making a decison.

[Icmoore]

Thank you for your responses, Will definately take a tour of Florida in a couple months and check out what the areas have to offer.

[OC2Jax]

It depends if you can be happy with horrendous humidity and your leisure time is spent going to the beach and playing golf.

If I had money, I'd much rather be in Santa Barbara. The scenery is far better there and you're close enough to L.A. to enjoy that. Any place in Jax that's cheap is no place you'd want to live. You really would have to visit here before making a decision.

[seain dublin]

Originally Posted by Icmoore

Thank you for your responses, Will definately take a tour of Florida in a couple months and check out what the areas have to offer.

Big mistake. You need to visit in the summer. FL in the winter is nice, similar weather to Southern CA...... brutal in the summer.

And the summer weather last 7 or 8 months.

Having lived in both states CA is much better.

Your not going to see Jerry Springer people(as I call them) in SB, you would have to go to Bakersfield maybe????

Even then they're still better than what you find here.

You have to keep in mind FL comes in at #45 out of the #50 states in students completing HS. The ignorance here is overwhelming.


As I said earlier "when you go cheap, you get cheap".

From education to healthcare FL lags behind most of the country.

[parks71]

I was born and raised in San Diego and have lived here for the past 15 years. Its like comparing heaven to hell for me and just incase you are wondering, Jacksonville is hell.

[jimbo13]

why on earth are you still there then? navy?

[rjb2]

I'm a Florida native. Love it here.

I've also visited Santa Barabara. Love it there.

They are very different. I would agree that Fort Lauderdale (or anywhere from Jupiter south) is much more comparable in climate, culture, and landscape to southern California.

I live in Florida b/c this is where family is. But if my family was out west, I'd be in San Diego. Gorgeous!

We do have a surprising number of families in our neighborhood who relocated from southern Cali b/c of the value they get here. $500k here will buy you a very, very nice home in a very nice golf & tennis neighborhood. I guess that's not so true out west.