WHo has successfully relocated to tampa and loves it?? POSITIVE THREAD! (Dunedin: 2013, buying a house)

[hokiepoke]

Moved here coming up on 4 yrs now from north Texas to escape the cold winter (yes it's cold there too). Before that I was in NoVA/DC area that's about to get slammed with 2 ft of snow so I'm happy to be here and not deal with that mess in winters. This forum provided lots of invaluable information during the year or so research that we did from afar.

Still love it here even more so than when we first came. Normal life has long settled in and frankly it's just like living anywhere else with the daily job grind, commute, bills, school, sports, activities. The biggest benefit to us tho is the nice weather for outdoor living year round. There's also the nice option of flipping on "vacation mode" and go play tourists at the various vacation attractions nearby on a whim. I'm even getting better at not bragging about how nice and warm it is in Florida to my friends and family that are freezing their butt off at other places. Still working on that thinly veiled sarcasm when I complain that it's "cold" when the temp drops below 60 tho (it really is!).

[Candh07]

Originally Posted by hokiepoke

I'm even getting better at not bragging about how nice and warm it is in Florida to my friends and family that are freezing their butt off at other places. Still working on that thinly veiled sarcasm when I complain that it's "cold" when the temp drops below 60 tho (it really is!).

Ha! Ha! I can see how it is hard to refrain from "gloating" to your friends and family you left up north, when you see how rough the winters are in your former state of residence! Most of the country right now has either been in a snow storm, is in one or is bracing for one...We are expecting a blizzard with 6 inches to 1 foot by sunday!! I know that tons of transplants living in Tampa/St Pete are very relieved right now!

[saintcharlie]

My wife and I are considering making this same move from DC to Tampa for many of the same reasons most posters have posted over the last couple years. Our biggest reserve is family. All of our family live here in DC and it's hard to imagine leaving them, yet we are miserable here. The rat race, the grind, the traffic, the worsening winters, the taxes, the cost of living, etc. Can anyone give us some encouragement on the family side of things? Our plan is to (obviously) always have an open door for whoever wants to visit and come back every summer and at least Thanksgiving or Christmas. All words are appreciated. Thanks!

[mrviking]

Trust me when I say family will not be a problem except you will need to get a bigger house. Once you move down to Florida you will become the default destination for all your family's vacations. I actually see some family members more, now that we moved, then before.

[The Villages Guy]

Originally Posted by mrviking

Trust me when I say family will not be a problem except you will need to get a bigger house. Once you move down to Florida you will become the default destination for all your family's vacations. I actually see some family members more, now that we moved, then before.

Plus, many times family members will start following you down and move here.

[BucFan]

Originally Posted by saintcharlie

My wife and I are considering making this same move from DC to Tampa for many of the same reasons most posters have posted over the last couple years. Our biggest reserve is family. All of our family live here in DC and it's hard to imagine leaving them, yet we are miserable here. The rat race, the grind, the traffic, the worsening winters, the taxes, the cost of living, etc. Can anyone give us some encouragement on the family side of things? Our plan is to (obviously) always have an open door for whoever wants to visit and come back every summer and at least Thanksgiving or Christmas. All words are appreciated. Thanks!

I think direct flights are about 2 hrs. Seems like a quick trip for you or family members every 6 months or so.

[Ken E]

Originally Posted by saintcharlie

My wife and I are considering making this same move from DC to Tampa for many of the same reasons most posters have posted over the last couple years. Our biggest reserve is family. All of our family live here in DC and it's hard to imagine leaving them, yet we are miserable here. The rat race, the grind, the traffic, the worsening winters, the taxes, the cost of living, etc. Can anyone give us some encouragement on the family side of things? Our plan is to (obviously) always have an open door for whoever wants to visit and come back every summer and at least Thanksgiving or Christmas. All words are appreciated. Thanks!

Good Luck

[cjrudy]

Be careful about posting positivity about relocating to Tampa. I did that this past summer, talked about everything we loved about Florida and was chastised for it. So many people were attacking me they ended up closing down the thread.

What I dislike about Florida so far !!!

[FL4ME]

Here's one for the DC folks: I escaped the blizzard, flying out of DCA on a last-minute $100 ticket on Thurs., before they started closing the airports. And today I'm back, having avoided all that mess. The plane left @ 1:25pm, and I was literally back home in Northern VA, unpacking the suitcase a few minutes before 4pm. Flights are cheap/quick, and everyone will be visiting you to escape the winter weather!!!

[KPB]

Originally Posted by cjrudy

Be careful about posting positivity about relocating to Tampa. I did that this past summer, talked about everything we loved about Florida and was chastised for it. So many people were attacking me they ended up closing down the thread.

What I dislike about Florida so far !!!

Ya, that was crazy. I thought some people totally took that the wrong way.