I'm finally escaping (Miami, Sunrise, Plantation: roughest, landscaping, construction)

[LAPalms]

When I lived in Central Florida (Borlando) I loved going to S. Florida. It was comparatively more sophisticated and worldly. I didn't go there enough to gauge the people too much, but I liked the scenery, the proximity to the keys, the nightlife, and especially Fairchild Gardens in Coral Gables (since I design landscapes with a tropical accent).
But of course you never really know a place until you live there. My main problem with Florida was the weather, the oppressive humidity UNBELIEVEABLE. S. Florida had somewhat of a breeze occasionally. Central Florida was actually hotter and we would pray for just the slightest wisp of steamy-ass air.

[Musclehead]

Originally Posted by iloveBBQ

i have lived in both states too. i will try to give an unbiased an answer as i can... not that there are any question in this post, but i hear two different arguments going on throughout these posts... i will give my "vote" as to the topics important in this thread...



1. people:


people in nc are nicer, period. there are way too many rude, aggressive, slef-centered ppl in south fla. advantage nc.



2.thugs:


there are way too many thug wanna-bee's/gangs/kids that dont care and parents who dont seem to care either in major fla cities. orlando/south fla especially. i never saw so many "wanna-be ms-13 punks in my life than around in my area of orlando. south fla (although some excpetions) isnt any better). of course cities like charlotte are gonna have this too, but compare cities in nc to cities in fla with similar populations, and there's a difference. advantage nc.



3. raising a family:


needs no explanation. advantage nc






i think you can still find nice places in fla to raise a family and be happy... i just think that it is now harder to find in fla than it used to be... sad but true, and i love fla but i am disappointed with how many places throughout fla have turned out. especially south fla, orlando and tampa areas...

All true especially your last paragraph ... I will tell you what happened in South Florida ... it is called mass influx of people from the North East , and Latin America .... many are good people and many are not .... the same thing is now happening in North Carolina and it will be like South Florida in five to ten years . Ask the locals in NC what their biggest fear is and they will most certainly answer " becoming like South Florida or Atlanta " .... yes there are nicer people in NC than in Florida and that will certainly begin to fade away as people from out of state move in as well as foreigners ... you are already seeing backlash against illegal hispanic immigrants in Raleigh and Charlotte ... increased gang activity , crime and traffic . Remember that 25 years ago South Florida was to people from the North East , what NC is to jaded Floridians today , except it will not take 25 years for NC to head down hill it will be much shorter with the current mass influx of people looking for their new "panacea " ...... this seems simplistic but so true ..... Florida , then Georgia , now NC and Tennesse .... these new "paradises" will eventually go the way of Florida . With the lower cost of living and strong job market do you all think it is only "whites " that are moving to NC .... you are fooling yourself if you do , as many Hispanics from South Florida are looking up there as well ... I have seen the infomercials on Univision hawking the NC lifestyle , clean air , mountains , etc , etc ..... Charlotte along with Atlanta are becoming the new destinations of choice for Puerto Ricans for instance as South Florida and Miami have become congested and jobs are becoming scarce . I was in San Juan in October and that is all I heard was about families who had moved to NC in lieu of Orlando and Miami . My sister had two Venezuelan families in Weston as neighbors who both moved to Charlotte due to the increased cost of living in South Florida I have neighbors in Boca Raton originally fom New York some are cool some are not and NC also seems to be their new destination of choice .... New York equals New York attitude ... good luck in NC and enjoy it while you can .

Signed a realist

[compelled to reply]

Let's make it simple; this country is becoming more crowded due to immigration. The same thing happened in the 1910s and 20s with the "second wave" of immigration from Europe. The immigrants and their first generations were looked down upon. Like most humans, they were good people with key differences, but negative aspects of their culture took the main scene. Now most German, Irish, Italian Americans live in the "better side" of town and have fully assimilated as they reach their third generation. And the process will continue...but one big, major setback I notice is that we seem to be moving over for them and offering services in Spanish. Guys, this isn't just S. Florida and in fact I have found this area to be better than some other heavily Hispanic areas for that (especially Broward) but a nationwide issue because ultimately people want their money and the way corporations want to appeal to them is by speaking their language. I don't believe in that. That being said, at least around here, it's not difficult to take a class to learn English and most Hispanics are doing this in droves. A couple years ago my new neighbors came in from Colombia, knew little to no English, although they came in with some business money (not illegal LOL). They took English classes and within 6 months they turned out to be some of my best neighbors I have had. I find this the rule, not the exception, and the "Assimilation" process of immigrants from the Latin American countries is indeed alive and well, although it's not at doubletime yet around the country.

Now illegal immigration, thats a whole different topic...

[iloveBBQ]

(crossing charlotte off of my list then, lol)... as long as ppl are good ppl, i dont care what color they are... i am just so tired of the non-assimilating, loud and obnoxious crowd.

[eaglecall]

Originally Posted by Dave037

My house in South Florida finally sold!!! I had to lower the price substantially, but to quote my father in law, I had to "stop the bleeding". This was the third contract we had on the home in 3 months and the pirce on each contract got lower and lower. We ended up $30,000 less than our first contract. The 1st buyers got cold feet in this market and decided to rent for a while. The second buyers were scum bags and after everything was signed, they told us that we had to pay $14,000 of there closing costs. I told them to take a hike.

My reason for leaving is not financial, as I have a good job and pension here and I purchased my home when it was still affordable. I am leaving because of the people....Plain and simple. There are things I dont like about South Florida, but I could live with them (traffic, zero lot lines, congestion). What I cant live with is the people. Too many thugs and rude, uneducated, and unethical people.

Good ridence South Florida. I will not miss you. I am looking forward to a much better quality of life and a better environment to raise my children in NC. My only regret is not leaving sooner.

Congratulations Sir! I can't wait to leave this hell too! This place is so beautiful but I can't stand the people. I dream living between normal civilized humans someday.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by iloveBBQ

(crossing charlotte off of my list then, lol)... as long as ppl are good ppl, i dont care what color they are... i am just so tired of the non-assimilating, loud and obnoxious crowd.

Don't cross Charlotte off, just locate to an area that is known to be stable or be ready to run in 10 years. That's just the way it is. That, plus every city always has those areas that stay "nice" and attract a better crowd. In some cities they happen to be mostly non-immigrant white populations, others the population can be mixed.

And at the end of the day, you know where has the best quality of life on paper? Lowest crime? Best schools? And (lately) least thuggy elements? That "hell" known as the northeast that for some reason people think they are supposed to hate.

[**NoodLes**]

Congratulations!! I've been trying for the last year or so, but now it seems soon I'll be able to leave as well. Wish me luck, I hope I can get out of here quick!!! Good luck wherever you go.

[Tjam]

For many on here it seems like if they don't like Miami they'll get out of Florida and move to NC or whatever. What about towns north of Miami, going all the way up Florida's east coast. Are there no good options there.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by Tjam

For many on here it seems like if they don't like Miami they'll get out of Florida and move to NC or whatever. What about towns north of Miami, going all the way up Florida's east coast. Are there no good options there.

Boca Raton is nice. Ft. Lauderdale has been on an upswing, declining through the 90s and getting better. Inland Broward County (not far from the coast) has been nice and still is, as is inland Palm Beach County. Not many would agree with that for some reason though. Martin County (Stuart, Jensen Beach etc) is really nice. PSL is a swath of bland, cookie cutter homes, but safe. Fort Pierce is a dump. Vero Beach is really nice. Space coast has some very nice sections. New Syrmna beach is a nice little town. Daytona Beach is a dump. St. Augustine/ Ponte Verda beach is really nice. JAX has a lot of crime issues, more crime per capita than Miami, but has nice parts.

[**NoodLes**]

Originally Posted by Tjam

For many on here it seems like if they don't like Miami they'll get out of Florida and move to NC or whatever. What about towns north of Miami, going all the way up Florida's east coast. Are there no good options there.

Its still January and its almost 80 degrees, I can't wait to go somewhere cooler than here, this is ridiculous!!