Should we move from No-Cal to So-Fla? (Miami, Coral Gables: homes, find a job)

[plantlover]

I have lived in the Miami area for 35 years. I just returned from a 10 day visit to southern California. I found the drivers in the Cali area so much better than our "3rd World" drivers in south Florida. The people in California I had any dealings with were soooooooo polite, and all of them spoke English! Amazing! Miami is 3rd world in so many ways: our politicians are as crooked as can be, our taxpayers money is used in illegal ways, people are such poor drivers.....they pull out right in front of you and DARE you to hit them! I could go on and on.....not to mention the 7 month long hot, steamy summers. Please, don't move here, you will regret it!

[copacetic]

you probably won't like miami. there are liberals here but you have to find them. in northern cal they are a dime a dozen. i would call florida politically moderate, not conservative. coming from northern cal it will seem very conservative though. there aren't any hippies here. there are lots of health food stores but people here eat that stuff out of vanity more than anything else. miami is very clean though. you might like that. very little pollution for a city of its size.

[planetsurf]

Just moved back to Miami from San Diego. I think the conservative thing specifically in Miami is overstated; YES many Cubans are Republican, but not really conservative with a capital C. They understand other cultures and are open to other POV EXCEPT when it comes to Cuba/Castro. I would agree most people are basically moderate.
The white-bread, head in the sand conservatives in SD were far worse imho.

Miami def has it's charms, but you'll have to work harder at doing some of the things that come easily in NorCal.
I remember we went to a Whole Foods in Monterey not too long ago. The produce was expensive but AMAZING! That kind of simple thing is harder to get in Miami (try Normans if you want).
BUT you can kayak in the Keys or bay and see and do things you'll NEVER see in NorCal.

My friends and I are VERY liberal and enjoy living here. My kids go to a private school where easily 80% of the parent's are liberal. It's just SO different from NorCal you'll need to get a feel for the place yourself before you decide.

Good Luck.

[cityrat]

You're right about Miami. There is no way anyone here could ever be as righteously pretentious as aging "hippies" from San Fransisco. Get a grip, people. California is the pits in every way.

[planetsurf]

Thinking about it some more, maybe the OP should check out Gainesville. VERY affordable, nice amenities b/c of the University of Florida, lots of aging hippies and Volvo liberals to hook-up with...

Just a thought, good luck.

[songgirl]

Originally Posted by planetsurf

Thinking about it some more, maybe the OP should check out Gainesville. VERY affordable, nice amenities b/c of the University of Florida, lots of aging hippies and Volvo liberals to hook-up with...

Just a thought, good luck.

I used to live in Monterey and I pretty much fit into the aging hippie category too. Personally, I don't think I could survive in Miami for long. No, I don't think it would be a good place for you either.

You might want to consider St. Augustine in Northern FL.,which is where I live now. It's a small artsy city with great restaurants and beaches, although the water is not really blue like in South Fl. Laid back, friendly people. No pretensions. Just flip flops and T shirts.

You won't find the intellectual or progressive element you find in No Cal. I miss that. But it's great how open and down to Earth people generally are here.

Do yourself a favor and broaden your search to other parts of Florida! Micanopy is another cool place you should check out.

[burgler09]

If it means anything, you pretty much described the exact opposite of me and I loved Miami.

[copacetic]

songgirl, Northern California liberals aren't interested in the flip-flops and T-shirt lifestyle. They have too much money for that. You are thinking of the real hippies, from the 1960s.

[songgirl]

Originally Posted by copacetic

songgirl, Northern California liberals aren't interested in the flip-flops and T-shirt lifestyle. They have too much money for that. You are thinking of the real hippies, from the 1960s.

True. You won't find many well-heeled hippies here
But if the OP is looking for the hippie culture Florida style, I still say St. Aug. is a good choice.

[wanttomoveeast]

That's funny. I see this written all the time. But yet all the people on here who live in Miami are typing English, I sort of assume they speak it too. So how is it that all of Miami speaks Spanish? Just a thought.

Originally Posted by runswithscissors

Minor detail....are you expecting to speak and hear English?