Can you share your story if you relocated to Florida? (Sarasota: transplants, rentals)

[brigirl00]

My husband and I are looking into relocating from Wichita, KS to North Port, FL. While I know the unemployment rate is very high we adore it there. My Grandfather lives there and we have to drag ourselves back onto the plane to come home. My issue lies in this....my family (sister, mom, in-laws) don't want us to move. So they keep telling us that we'll be miserable there. It's too expensive, not fair to take our kids away from the rest of their family, we'll get bored and lonely. Now we're a bit discouraged and we were really looking forward to moving one day. Can anyone share any stories about relocating to Florida that are positive? That it ended up being a good thing for you? I just could use a bit of optimism

Thanks!

[acapelad]

my wife and i have been wanting to move south from NE for a couple of years.

we tried listing our house last year and again this year but there's no way we can sell now without losing money.

so last week we finally decided to take control of the situation. we listed our house for rent and the next day we had a nice family looking for a long term rental that will cover our mortgage and other costs.

this wknd my wife and i are going down to Sarasota to look at rentals for us and the kids.

i told work i was relocating and they are letting me work for 2 months while we relocate. in the meantime i am looking for work in my field (Technical Writing) in tampa and my wife will be getting her photog studio up and running again asap (pregnancy and newborn).

its a little scary but we are putting our faith in the universe. once we committed to it things have been falling into place for us. we weren't happy here with the weather or the general energy, and we really believe that putting ourselves in a place where we feel good about our environment will be best in the long run.

my mother and siblings are sad but supportive. we started throwing out hints last year just to get them prepared if we ended up doing it. bottom line is you have to put yourself first and make yourself happy.

good luck !

[brigirl00]

Thanks Acapelad, for the nice words. Sounds like we are in almost exactly the same boat. We have a toddler and an infant and are wanting to escape the Midwest. And your a Technical Writer? I'm a Systems Administrator. Kind of uncanny...

I wish the best for you and your family. If you get a chance, let me know how things go for you.

[Rushmore]

This board is FULL of such stories, and I would hazard a guess that the raucously successful moves (like mine) outnumber the unsuccessful moves by a ratio of probably 10:1.

Use the search function and you'll find a wealth of information, really.

My .02 is this, though: your relatives make strong points. Each situation is different, of course. You need to evaluate all of this on your own.

One point, though, seems pretty far out of the spectrum of the possible:

I would think that anyone who could be "bored" here has some sort of screw loose.

Last night, my better half was a little down in the dumps because of something that had happened at work, so we grabbed a bottle of champagne and two glasses, drove the 8 minutes to Siesta Key, and watched the sun go down.

We find that this area really cures whatever ails you.

[brigirl00]

Originally Posted by Rushmore

Last night, my better half was a little down in the dumps because of something that had happened at work, so we grabbed a bottle of champagne and two glasses, drove the 8 minutes to Siesta Key, and watched the sun go down.

We find that this area really cures whatever ails you.

*SIGHES DREAMILY*

Thanks for the tips Rushmore. I'll do a search and see what else everyone has to say.

[Big House]

Originally Posted by Rushmore

This board is FULL of such stories, and I would hazard a guess that the raucously successful moves (like mine) outnumber the unsuccessful moves by a ratio of probably 10:1.

Use the search function and you'll find a wealth of information, really.

My .02 is this, though: your relatives make strong points. Each situation is different, of course. You need to evaluate all of this on your own.

One point, though, seems pretty far out of the spectrum of the possible:

I would think that anyone who could be "bored" here has some sort of screw loose.

Last night, my better half was a little down in the dumps because of something that had happened at work, so we grabbed a bottle of champagne and two glasses, drove the 8 minutes to Siesta Key, and watched the sun go down.

We find that this area really cures whatever ails you.

That is an awesome thing to do! What a great Idea! Next time your wife is down in the dumps that's exactly what I'm gonna do - buy some Champagne and take her to the beach! Haa haa. Just kidding again. Really!! That is awesome! She really has to appreciate you doing that!

[angelagardner]

Probably like most transplants in the area we are moving because of the sun and the sand. Where I live it is cold, gray and dark most of the time and rains a lot. It is depressing and the cold makes me grumpy and unhappy, not to mention the dry skin and seasonal ups-downs. We researched North and South Carolina coast as well as Western Florida. We loved N.Carolina but the moment we hit Western Florida we were hooked.
I get constant negativity from everyone: friends, family, co-workers, etc. and it can get you down but I always tell myself this: It is MY life and I know what makes me happy, not them. I want to be able to say on my deathbed that I lived my life the way I chose to, not the way someone else told me to. The family gives me the same thing, how can I take my daughter away from her family and the only friends she has ever known. Well, she will make new friends and can fly home in the summer to visit the family. We are family and we will make it work. They complain about jobs and I just simply tell them that I will deal with it when the time comes and change the subject. My dad won't even let me talk about the move, he changes the subject and gets a sour look on his face. LOL! Stubborn!
Besides they can come visit and see why we all fell in love with the area as well. Where else can you go outside year round without freezing to death or sit in your living room without 2 pairs of socks, a thermal shirt and a hoodie? Where else can you go and watch the sunset almost every night of the week on a sandy beach listening to the ocean waves crash against the beach without freezing? Well, I am sure there are other places but let's face it, we love the area for a reason.
We are looking at North Port as well so maybe if we all get down there we can hook up and hang out--good to have new friends in similar situations to make the transition easier.

[Avalon08]

When I visit my mother in Bradenton, one of the first things I do is drive the few minutes to Anna Maria Island to see the spectacular sunset over the Gulf. I did it on Christmas, and I did it as the sun went down on the last day of this decade. The beaches on the Gulf side of FL are so gorgeous and peaceful.

Anyway, back to you (LOL), I say do what makes you happy. Try it for a few years....if you don't like it, move back. Think of it this way too: How much longer will your grandfather be around? I didn't know ANY of my grandparents, but your kids are getting the opportunity to spend time with their GREAT-grandfather. Go for it. No move has to be permanent. Just give it enough time to get over any "homesickness". I moved to CA (a long-time dream) but moved back after two years -- really wasn't enough time to assimilate completely. Good luck!

[Sunny-Days-in-Florida]

Originally Posted by brigirl00

My husband and I are looking into relocating from Wichita, KS to North Port, FL. While I know the unemployment rate is very high we adore it there. My Grandfather lives there and we have to drag ourselves back onto the plane to come home. My issue lies in this....my family (sister, mom, in-laws) don't want us to move. So they keep telling us that we'll be miserable there. It's too expensive, not fair to take our kids away from the rest of their family, we'll get bored and lonely. Now we're a bit discouraged and we were really looking forward to moving one day. Can anyone share any stories about relocating to Florida that are positive? That it ended up being a good thing for you? I just could use a bit of optimism

Thanks!

Here is a thread just on Success Stories of those who have move to Florida.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/flori...have-been.html

You will find that some of the posters in the thread do not post here much anymore because the negativity by some posters to taint the truth.

We all know Florida and others states all have the good and the bad but if you read some of these stories in the thread you will find a whole different view from some very good posters here.

Many posters get ran off by all the negativity in the past in this forum and that is sad. Because people like you and I who want to move to Floirda already know to do your research, ask many questions, spend time in your town of choice etc.

Good luck!

[tiddles]

Originally Posted by angelagardner

Probably like most transplants in the area we are moving because of the sun and the sand. Where I live it is cold, gray and dark most of the time and rains a lot. It is depressing and the cold makes me grumpy and unhappy, not to mention the dry skin and seasonal ups-downs. We researched North and South Carolina coast as well as Western Florida. We loved N.Carolina but the moment we hit Western Florida we were hooked.
I get constant negativity from everyone: friends, family, co-workers, etc. and it can get you down but I always tell myself this: It is MY life and I know what makes me happy, not them. I want to be able to say on my deathbed that I lived my life the way I chose to, not the way someone else told me to. The family gives me the same thing, how can I take my daughter away from her family and the only friends she has ever known. Well, she will make new friends and can fly home in the summer to visit the family. We are family and we will make it work. They complain about jobs and I just simply tell them that I will deal with it when the time comes and change the subject. My dad won't even let me talk about the move, he changes the subject and gets a sour look on his face. LOL! Stubborn!
Besides they can come visit and see why we all fell in love with the area as well. Where else can you go outside year round without freezing to death or sit in your living room without 2 pairs of socks, a thermal shirt and a hoodie? Where else can you go and watch the sunset almost every night of the week on a sandy beach listening to the ocean waves crash against the beach without freezing? Well, I am sure there are other places but let's face it, we love the area for a reason.
We are looking at North Port as well so maybe if we all get down there we can hook up and hang out--good to have new friends in similar situations to make the transition easier.

You might start a trend and family follow you to Florida!
We have our house on the market..please God let it sell. When it does we'll be hot-footing it to SW Florida too. No more Maine winters (although we had a really mild one last winter).