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I appreciate the long response and your time responding. However your response is so highly exagerated and biased its funny. This statemet alone throws all your credibility out the window. As if there are just gators running around eating up the general population. Florida is the premier place to fly rc jets, with numerous paved runways over endless bare land. That is a fact. People come from all over the country to attend Rc events there as it is year round flying.
Your response overall does help though. I posted in the Florida forum. Floridans hate florida. Nebraskans are proud of their state! The intereting thing is the reason Floridans hate Florida are almost all the same reasons I want to move from Nebraska. The weather, jobs, taxes, people, boring etc.. Highly interesting. I suppose your whole post could be put in the FLorida forum about Florida. Its just what you make it.
Most of my post is NOT exaggerated - you don't believe me go to Florida and try to get a job there, my experience with the Nebraska job market is based on my own personal experience, what I hear from others day in and day out, and what I observe. If you can't take some tongue and cheek about the heat and critters then I'm sorry. There are a lot more bugs and critters though - "palmetto bugs" (aka giant roaches) and gators are something you have to watch out for and worry about esp if you have a pool in the interior of the state. As far as numerous paved runways I didn't know you could fly a remote controlled jet on one when there are numerous people taking off and landing! Endless bare land maybe pine forest and swampy land - you're not going to get the wide open spaces of Nebraska. Sorry but obviously your posts are biased if you come out immediately saying you hate Nebraska. Its your viewpoint and you are entitled to it but its a bias nonetheless.
You know, you asked, I answered. I moved to Nebraska 3 years ago to get away from what I described, and much more. If you weren't so much more interested in being snide and snarky, you would have known that, or looked it up. NEGuy and I became friends after he moved here; we have shared similar experiences and stories. But hey, don't believe it f you don't want to. I lived N of Jax, went there frequently on weekends, taught classes in Orlando and Pinellas County, and have friends who moved to Jax after I moved here - and couldn't wait to move again to Seattle, where they live now. Of course, he is a professional with an airline, and his wife is a hospital offical with a PhD. But you are obviously so much smarter and have so many more opportunities than they.
With your attitude, please feel free to move to Florida. You obviously know everything already, and are only asking others to prove to yourself that you are right and everyone else is wrong. Have a nice trip, find a high-paying job, and a nice cheap house, and enjoy your life, as you so obviously know that you can. <shrug>
Most people that move from this state try to come back. My sister moved to Tampa in 2004 and is literally dying to come back. She loves the outdoors, animals and is a fun loving person. She went away convinced from the mainstream media (and the regular pessimistic joes) that she is going to have a better job and will have much more fun down in florida with much better weather and unlimited opportunities.
She tells me that she cannot believe she had bought into the hype (as that is supposedly she normally doesn't do). She said the Florida heat/humidity is worse than anything she experiences up here for any length of time, the people there tend to be a bit shady, and she overpays for most daily items and also overpaid for her house and is getting paid $5k less a year for practically the same job she had up in Omaha.
Like many other people she said that Omaha is very underrated and wishes she can come back now. She will be here for a full month this fall to try and find a job.
I moved to Vegas and had a fun experience for a few months, but came crawling back myself. I had a friend move to Jacksonville and came back and another friend move to Phoenix and came back.
All of these people were like you and I. We could not wait to get away because we are told we live in a crappy state. We then realize how stupid we are for listening to those people when our lives are even worse elsewhere.
I have learned that happiness cannot be demanded, but is a result of your ability to be resourceful with your surroundings with a good attitude.
Last edited by Omahahonors; 08-03-2011 at 09:48 PM..
I'm not from Nebraska but I'm actually considering a move to Lincoln from Florida, so I have done some comparison research.
Strictly going by unemployment rates, Florida has about double--in some places triple--the amount of unemployment as Nebraska. My county, Marion County (Ocala, between Gainesville and Orlando) has one of the worst rates at 12.2% currently. But, if you have specialized training or a college or technical degree, you might have luck finding a job. I definitely would suggest finding a job before you move, though, because it may take awhile to find one here.
As far as weather is concerned, yes, it's oppressively hot and humid during the summer. If you've never been to Florida in the summer before and you're from the Midwest (I'm from Minnesota originally), you'll be shocked by it. There are many days you will feel like you're living in a sauna when you go outside. If you have allergies or asthma, the summer pollen counts and humidity will make it especially unpleasant. But, if you don't have reason to spend lots of time outdoors during the summer, it's avoidable, of course. Just stay inside with the AC.
I believe the cost of living is higher in Florida as well. It varies greatly depending on what part of Florida you're considering, though. While housing prices have dropped considerably, rents too, it still seems higher than Nebraska's, in general. Ocala or Gainesville 2-3 bedroom apartment will typically rent for around $600-800 right now, while in Orlando, a similar apartment will rent for over $1,000. South Florida, I'm sure, will be similar to Orlando if not higher.
Four big reasons I've been considering moving to Nebraska are: Lower cost of living, lower rents (in general), 4 seasons (whereas Florida only has 2 and I actually miss the snow), and it's the Midwest. It's only my personal opinion, but Florida seems to have a bit of a different culture than that of the Midwest, what I'm used to.
But, if you have your heart set on Florida, based on what you posted, I would suggest you check out Gainesville. It has moderate cost of living/rents/housing costs and it's a city of some size at just over 100,000. It's home to the University of Florida. There's lots to do there and it's centrally located so it's a quick and easy trip to both the Atlantic and the Gulf coasts. It's fairly quick to get to the attractions in Orlando, too. The economy in Gainesville is one of the best in the state. Another idea is Tallahassee. Good economy for the state, lots to do. Not sure about the other factors, though, and I've never been there.
Hope this wasn't too much info on Florida for a Nebraska thread. I just wanted to share my thoughts and answer what was asked here.
Seeing as how I left Omaha for the Tampa area (not voluntarily, mind you) I think I'm pretty qualified to comment on this issue.
Omaha and Tampa are pretty comparable cities. They are both fairly compact, have solid entertainment options and nightlife and good city government/services.
Pros for Omaha:
- Larger population
- Cost of living is around 30%-40% less than Tampa.
- World-class zoo, College World Series...etc.
- Rapidly improving downtown area.
- Friendly people for the most part.
- Supports local businesses.
- Strong sense of community.
- Better job opportunities
- Great schools
Cons for Omaha:
- Lack of amusement parks.
- Snow
- Tornadoes
- Not much in the way of watersports
Pros for Tampa:
- Very scenic with the water and beaches.
- Downtown area is pretty well established.
- Awesome nightlife with Ybor City, Channelside, downtown. Baywalk in St. Pete is close by.
- Lots of outdoor activities.
- Professional sports.
Cons for Tampa:
- Traffic. Enough said.
- Labor laws. Employers can pretty much do whatever the hell they want to you. Employees have very little protection.
- Job Market. The recession has hit Tampa pretty hard and jobs are harder to come by.
- Cost of living is pretty high.
- Schools. With a few exceptions, to say they suck here would be rather kind.
- Hurricanes.
Tie:
- Lots to keep you busy in both cities.
- Crime is pretty comparable across the board and average for cities their size.
- Both cities are more family focused. Tampa is not a tourist town like Miami/Ft. Lauderdale.
- Both cities are relatively handicapped by the surrounding, more conservative governments. The Nebraska state government and the Hillsborough County Commission keep Omaha and Tampa, respectively, from reaching their full potential.
- Strong military presence. Omaha has Offutt AFB and Tampa has MacDill AFB. Both are very key installations for our military.
Again, overall both cities are pretty much alike and great places to live. The deciding factor for you will be the weather I presume. You won't get the year round beautiful weather and you'll have to deal with snow. Also, you'll lose some nightlife going to Omaha. Omaha does have plenty of nightlife itself, but Tampa's is certainly better. If you can tolerate the weather and nightlife change, I feel you can transition to Omaha with great ease.
Now I'm sure you're wondering about my story. I was born in Omaha back in 86 and lived there until 96 when we moved across the river into Council Bluffs. My parents were both scuba divers and wanted to move to Florida for years. They only stayed because I was born and they didn't want to move me from my grandparents. By the time 2002 came around all but one of my grandparents were deceased and my dad's health was getting bad, so we finally moved down to Belleair Bluffs over here in Pinellas County. Since then we bounced around to Largo and now Clearwater.
I'm moving back to Omaha ASAP, which will hopefully be next year. My dad passed away in June of 2006 and after that I decided to become a police officer. After 2 years of having no luck finding a job with a department here, I found myself getting increasingly home sick and my younger brother getting ready to graduate, so I'm not needed as much at home for stability...and that's when I decided to head back to Omaha, provided I get hired with Omaha Police.
Now, I really love Tampa. It's an awesome city. But I absolutely H-A-T-E the rest of this area, especially Pinellas County (minus some of St. Pete). It's all a sprawling, suburban wasteland here and that drives me nuts. Pinellas County Schools are bottom of the barrel. Honestly, had we moved to Tampa I probably would have been fine, but that's not how it happened.
Also, Florida is a horrible state for anyone wanting to be a police officer unless you have military experience. In this area, you have to spend several thousand dollars to put yourself through the police academy and THEN try to find someone to hire you. Most places will turn you away unless you have military, college, or previous experience. Tampa PD is a top notch agency, but their pay is very high and they offer great benefits so everyone in Florida wants to work for them. The competition is fierce and I just don't stand a chance at this point in my life.
Omaha PD is also a top notch agency, but being in the midwest the competition is not nearly as fierce, plus I would be trained by the department, earning a salary throughout the academy.
So that's my take on the two cities and a little backstory so you can understand why I'm choosing Omaha over Tampa now. If you need anything, feel free to get in touch with me.
I'm curious about your employee rights comment. Employers can just about get away with murder in Nebraska. What's worse about Florida employers?
Well, I'll tell you this. I lost a job several years back when I was nearly hospitalized with a contagious staph infection. Despite the fact that I had done everything right (called in several hours before my shift, had doctors notes and blood test results) they still canned me. I guess they felt I should have toughed it out and came to work where the two pregnant women in my office would have been in danger. Anyways I got pissed off and called some employment law lawyers and the consensus was that in most other states I could have sued them back to the stone age, but since it was Florida I had no case.
I've always seen a few legal and labor law forums where the forum regulars often comment about Florida having no real protections for employees.
Nebraska may be as bad. I honestly don't know and haven't really looked into it.
ETA: The real irony, although I didn't know it at the time, was that my supervisor was the one who likely gave me the staph infection. He had been hospitalized just weeks before (we didn't know why at the time, but it was for a very serious staph infection) and just days after I was diagnosed, several other people who worked under him came down with the same thing.
Last edited by McBain II; 08-04-2011 at 01:28 AM..
Well, I'll tell you this. I lost a job several years back when I was nearly hospitalized with a contagious staph infection. Despite the fact that I had done everything right (called in several hours before my shift, had doctors notes and blood test results) they still canned me. I guess they felt I should have toughed it out and came to work where the two pregnant women in my office would have been in danger. Anyways I got pissed off and called some employment law lawyers and the consensus was that in most other states I could have sued them back to the stone age, but since it was Florida I had no case.
I've always seen a few legal and labor law forums where the forum regulars often comment about Florida having no real protections for employees.
Nebraska may be as bad. I honestly don't know and haven't really looked into it.
ETA: The real irony, although I didn't know it at the time, was that my supervisor was the one who likely gave me the staph infection. He had been hospitalized just weeks before (we didn't know why at the time, but it was for a very serious staph infection) and just days after I was diagnosed, several other people who worked under him came down with the same thing.
That makes sense, but in Nebraska as well, you can be fired for just about any reason. There's very little an employer actually has to legally do for you.
It has been my experience that people who complain of being bored have only their self to blame.
GL2
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Endless bare land maybe pine forest and swampy land - you're not going to get the wide open spaces of Nebraska. Sorry but obviously your posts are biased if you come out immediately saying you hate Nebraska. Its your viewpoint and you are entitled to it but its a bias nonetheless.
