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I live in both Florida and NC and glad that I have both. That said, my experience living in Florida is Miami and I can tell you that it's a much more difficult place to live than NC for a variety of reasons that have a lot to do with the inconsideration and rudeness of the people, the crowds, the general lack of order, etc. As a telecommuter, I can tell you that I'd be out of Miami in a minute if I had to face the daily grind of a commute daily.
As for weather, I am not a Winter fan at all. So, I can't say that I prefer one state over the other when it comes to weather. I just like them each at different times of the year.
Yeah it's different for me as I'm originally from FL, but I absolutely hate hot/humid weather. I love the 4 seasons in NC.
I lived in both. I lived in CA, then for quite some time in MA. I always wanted to live in FL, but wanted to try the mid Atlantic area first. Ya, ya I know some people will say NC is south, not mid Atlantic, but I am talking just looking at the map and weather-wise. That chunk of they country in the mid Atlantic where the winter starts to moderate. We were think VA, but then at the last moment we chose NC. We decided we wanted a career change and that we wanted to work in Biotech. Had no prior experience, but that never stopped us before. So we sold our house in MA, bought a house in SW Durham (suburban there. we do not like cities). Great location to learn the area from. We then looked for and found jobs in, guess what....BIOTECH!!!
Our careers exploded, we bought a townhome in a mixed use community in Cary, a fantastic suburb. Did that for a while and then bought a drop dead gorgeous craftsman style home in Fuquay-Varina (Apex mailing address). Always wanted a craftsman style home. Some we checked off a lot of things off our bucket list while we were there. We really enjoyed it. Great people. HOT summers. Winters still too cold for me, but much better than further north. Well our company got sold to a foreign company, so my wife decided to put her skills on the open market and WOW! That turned out nicely. With that new opportunity, she could work from anywhere in the great 48. We decided it was time to head for our ultimate destination. FLORIDA!
Florida, like any state, will have great areas and bad areas. Just gotta do your homework and see if it lines up for your likes. For us, it is a dream come true. We live in a quaint gulf coast town in a drop dead gorgeous neighborhood on a big fresh water lake. EVERYTHING is all around us, but we are nestled between the water, preservation land and a county park. It's awesom. We really enjoyed it and then my health crapped out. So now as I anxiously wait to expire, I am constantly in need of medical care, which turns out made this a great move. This area has tons of wonderful facilities and specialists to choose from and I feel very fortunate to be here.
So in closing, I say both NC and FL can be great choices, as long as you know what you want and what you NEED and you do your due diligence.
I lived in both. I lived in CA, then for quite some time in MA. I always wanted to live in FL, but wanted to try the mid Atlantic area first. Ya, ya I know some people will say NC is south, not mid Atlantic, but I am talking just looking at the map and weather-wise. That chunk of they country in the mid Atlantic where the winter starts to moderate. We were think VA, but then at the last moment we chose NC. We decided we wanted a career change and that we wanted to work in Biotech. Had no prior experience, but that never stopped us before. So we sold our house in MA, bought a house in SW Durham (suburban there. we do not like cities). Great location to learn the area from. We then looked for and found jobs in, guess what....BIOTECH!!!
Our careers exploded, we bought a townhome in a mixed use community in Cary, a fantastic suburb. Did that for a while and then bought a drop dead gorgeous craftsman style home in Fuquay-Varina (Apex mailing address). Always wanted a craftsman style home. Some we checked off a lot of things off our bucket list while we were there. We really enjoyed it. Great people. HOT summers. Winters still too cold for me, but much better than further north. Well our company got sold to a foreign company, so my wife decided to put her skills on the open market and WOW! That turned out nicely. With that new opportunity, she could work from anywhere in the great 48. We decided it was time to head for our ultimate destination. FLORIDA!
Florida, like any state, will have great areas and bad areas. Just gotta do your homework and see if it lines up for your likes. For us, it is a dream come true. We live in a quaint gulf coast town in a drop dead gorgeous neighborhood on a big fresh water lake. EVERYTHING is all around us, but we are nestled between the water, preservation land and a county park. It's awesom. We really enjoyed it and then my health crapped out. So now as I anxiously wait to expire, I am constantly in need of medical care, which turns out made this a great move. This area has tons of wonderful facilities and specialists to choose from and I feel very fortunate to be here.
So in closing, I say both NC and FL can be great choices, as long as you know what you want and what you NEED and you do your due diligence.
Best of luck.
I certainly hope you aren't in sink-hole alley. I am being sincere. When you said Gulf Coast and lake, that perked up my ears.
I also had to chuckle that you traversed the Triangle in a slow progression toward the Southeast. I guess you were constantly chasing warmer weather with each move?
I certainly hope you aren't in sink-hole alley. I am being sincere. When you said Gulf Coast and lake, that perked up my ears.
I also had to chuckle that you traversed the Triangle in a slow progression toward the Southeast. I guess you were constantly chasing warmer weather with each move?
We are off to the side of sink-hole alley. Actually, all the maps show our area void of any recorded sinkholes.......knock on my dense head. Right on the east banks of Lake Tarpon.
Yep, basically the trail south to the more consistant heat.
Lived in both for many years. My best response is: that depends on where you live in each, and the type of mindset you have. Dynamic areas in both and Pits of Pits in both.
Lived in NC all of my life, had extensive vacations in FL for decades. Like other posters have said, both are great states with a lot to offer. I have 2 sets of family members who live in the Wilmington, NC area. It's a wonderful place. They all love it and we enjoy visiting. Lots of history, good COL, lots of recreational assets for a small metro (especially in the Carolina Beach/Kure Beach island). People are very friendly. The area is hurricane prone, but if you're at least 10 blocks inland, you should be safe from storm surge waters. I would not recommend living in Jacksonville, NC. It's a rough military town with a high crime rate and it's pretty run down in general. If you were to get a job in Jacksonville, I would get a place in Pender County and commute to JAX. You're still in the Wilmington metro and all it has to offer, but still a reasonable commute to Jasoksonville........... We prefer central FL (Tampa/St. Petersburg/Orlando/Melbourne/Palm Bay) to the other regions of FL. An enormous amount of recreational assets. The COL is low, BUT if you're going to rent, rents can be pretty high. The economies are tourist/retiree based service industry jobs, so wages are low. That tends to drive up rent prices, even though home prices are very reasonable. Both states are wonderful in their own ways, just depends on what you're looking for. Good luck!
FL is a great place to vacation but the 24/7 humidity, ubiquitous retirees, and plastic lifestyle remind me of why I'm glad to live in NC instead. Wilmington as others mentioned is a fabulous place to thrive, especially if you enjoy the beach, great seafood, and a charming downtown. I live in Raleigh and enjoy it. Everyone has a degree, you get 4 seasons, and lots of variety in terms of culture and restaurants.
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Toss up
