Will we be out of place? (Miami, Tampa: fit in, sales, public schools)

[aislin]

So I've done some searching on this, but it's kind of a difficult topic. Many of you know my family and I are considering a move to Seminole county, perhaps even Orange, depending on where DH gets a job (Orange public schools are practically begging DH to work there). We are planning on coming down soon to get a feel for the area. However something that I know isn't very palpable in a week visit is the politcal-social aspect.

We vote purple. We have lived in very blue and very red places, but prefer a feeling of general acceptance of different religions, lifestyles, etc. A "live and let live" vibe. We also are looking for somewhere we won't be side eyed and hated for stating science facts, like climate change, environmental impact, and the concept of evolution in the science classroom as a catalyst for change. These are probably the more "blue" ideas that are important to DH and I, but we otherwise are pretty middle of the road people who just want to be accepted and fit in on a basic level, and not feel like we will be persecuted or fired/ostrosized for being ourselves. This has jumped to one of the most important aspects of where to live for us, because we want to raise our kids in a welcoming, inclusive community, not a polarizing one.

So what do you residents think? Will we fit in here?

[chopchop0]

Yes Orange county went blue this year, and recently, the representative, John mica, was replaced after 24 years with an up and coming young democrat of Vietnamese origin.

The population centers of Tampa, Orlando, Ft Lauderdale/Miami and the college towns usually vote blue. Surrounding counties like Seminole, Volusia, Brevard went red. Brevard has the aerospace and defense industries and they usually go republican

Trump was very good though, he managed to turn the Midwestern rustbelt states red and peel away union worker votes from the democrats.

FL as a whole is a very purple state, went Obama the last two elections until this one, before that it was Bush. Just legalized medical marijuana, but it's nice because you still have the fiscal conservatism with no income tax and reasonable prop and sales taxes

[smarino]

I don't know your family. Why should I know them? Voted purple? You mean independent? Just another reason why Trump won this election. There was no purple on my ballot, just Democrat, Republican and Independent.

The political social aspect of every Florida county is available to ck out, and it is what it is. My particular county in Pinellas voted mainly for Donald Trump, my city of St Pete voted mainly for Hilary Clinton. It's not as easy as picking out a county. For someone like me, it would be wiser to pick out another state to live in after this election, one that was run by Democrats.

[sithlord72]

May I suggest the NY Times election 2016 website. There each state is broken down by county as to who they voted for. Seminole Co voted for Hillary.

Orange County schools begging DH to work there is a bad sign. Orange Co schools are horrible. My relative worked there and felt he was wasting his time showing up because none of these kids wanted to learn. Good luck

[bmw335xi]

This area is pretty moderate, so as long as you arent an extremist on either side, you'll be fine

[Miskolci]

I would suggest perhaps not living in a rural area. I find those to be much more conservative. I moved to a rural area, and Trump/Pence signs were everywhere, along with rebel flags. When my daughter went to vote in the primaries, she was told she was the first Democrat they had seen all day. But we wanted land in the hills, so I expected a more conservative area.

It isn't easy sometimes. I understand your reasons for asking. I bite my tongue a lot, but my political leanings are very radical for here - I am a Canadian citizen that grew up in Europe and I lean Socialist. My neighbours are fantastic, friendly, helpful people, and I am so fortunate to have them for my neighbours, but I have learned to walk away when they start talking politics. These are life-long Floridians that I live amongst, and they do not appreciate different views. They are not exposed to other sides of the coin, so to speak, and they do not wish to be exposed to the other side. If you can live with that, then it won't matter if you move to the conservative areas.

If you do move somewhere conservative, be prepared to hear people in line at Publix assume that everyone within earshot believes Tea Party dogma, and be prepared with a good deflecting line when you are expected to agree when standing in a long line on a Saturday during election season. I pretty much just tell them that I am from Europe and I don't agree, and that normally stops them from assuming I am a willing party in the bashing of whatever "liberal" item is on the agenda that day. I also get the stink eye, but I am ok with that!

As to your children, no matter how conservative the area you move to, your dialogue with your children will be what shapes them. Teach them to try to understand the opposing view, and to respect your values, and to learn and explore in the context that you value, and that will go much further than what they learn in school. You are their best teacher. If you raise your children exposed to different ways of thinking, then even if they hear only about Creationism in school, they will still have the tools to find what their truth is in life.

If possible, I would look for an area that offers the quality of life, and the schools and jobs, that fit your family well. I would guess that most places will have people of all different views, so you should be able to find your place in the mix. Drive around the neighbourhood, see the flags in the yards, look at the bumper stickers, and see what your sense of the area is. If you can find a place that offers a good quality of life for your family, then you will be able to find your place amongst the neighbours. And maybe, just maybe, you might be the one that convinces the neighbour that global warming is real and burning plastic in his backyard is not helpful for the environment!

[Arcenal813]

Originally Posted by Miskolci

I would suggest perhaps not living in a rural area. I find those to be much more conservative. I moved to a rural area, and Trump/Pence signs were everywhere, along with rebel flags. When my daughter went to vote in the primaries, she was told she was the first Democrat they had seen all day. But we wanted land in the hills, so I expected a more conservative area.

It isn't easy sometimes. I understand your reasons for asking. I bite my tongue a lot, but my political leanings are very radical for here - I am a Canadian citizen that grew up in Europe and I lean Socialist. My neighbours are fantastic, friendly, helpful people, and I am so fortunate to have them for my neighbours, but I have learned to walk away when they start talking politics. These are life-long Floridians that I live amongst, and they do not appreciate different views. They are not exposed to other sides of the coin, so to speak, and they do not wish to be exposed to the other side. If you can live with that, then it won't matter if you move to the conservative areas.

If you do move somewhere conservative, be prepared to hear people in line at Publix assume that everyone within earshot believes Tea Party dogma, and be prepared with a good deflecting line when you are expected to agree when standing in a long line on a Saturday during election season. I pretty much just tell them that I am from Europe and I don't agree, and that normally stops them from assuming I am a willing party in the bashing of whatever "liberal" item is on the agenda that day. I also get the stink eye, but I am ok with that!

As to your children, no matter how conservative the area you move to, your dialogue with your children will be what shapes them. Teach them to try to understand the opposing view, and to respect your values, and to learn and explore in the context that you value, and that will go much further than what they learn in school. You are their best teacher. If you raise your children exposed to different ways of thinking, then even if they hear only about Creationism in school, they will still have the tools to find what their truth is in life.

If possible, I would look for an area that offers the quality of life, and the schools and jobs, that fit your family well. I would guess that most places will have people of all different views, so you should be able to find your place in the mix. Drive around the neighbourhood, see the flags in the yards, look at the bumper stickers, and see what your sense of the area is. If you can find a place that offers a good quality of life for your family, then you will be able to find your place amongst the neighbours. And maybe, just maybe, you might be the one that convinces the neighbour that global warming is real and burning plastic in his backyard is not helpful for the environment!

[bmw335xi]

I would avoid part of the advice above where he/she says maybe you can convince your neighbor to believe in global warming. It is none of your business what your neighbor believes in. That is an easy way to make enemies and cause awkwardness in your daily life. I'm sure the above poster wouldn't want his/her neighbor trying to convince them to believe a certain religion. The best advice is to not discuss politics or religion unless you are friends with them and are at a level where you know you can openly discuss these things without taking it personally. I believe in global warming, but if my neighbor, especially new neighbor were to be so arrogant to assume I don't or make me feel like they are judging me, I would hate them.

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

I would avoid part of the advice above where he/she says maybe you can convince your neighbor to believe in global warming. It is none of your business what your neighbor believes in. That is an easy way to make enemies and cause awkwardness in your daily life. I'm sure the above poster wouldn't want his/her neighbor trying to convince them to believe a certain religion. The best advice is to not discuss politics or religion unless you are friends with them and are at a level where you know you can openly discuss these things without taking it personally. I believe in global warming, but if my neighbor, especially new neighbor were to be so arrogant to assume I don't or make me feel like they are judging me, I would hate them.

Great advice

[aislin]

Originally Posted by sithlord72

Orange County schools begging DH to work there is a bad sign. Orange Co schools are horrible. My relative worked there and felt he was wasting his time showing up because none of these kids wanted to learn. Good luck

Good point. He's not sure he'd like working there, but I figured I'd mention it so as to avoid questions about employment. DH teaches in demand subjects and has a long list of extracurriculars and other qualifIcations that have made him highly desireable to schools. I think he'd prefer Seminole schools.