Has anyone moved from the North East to the Tampa area?

[WVUOT23]

That's good advice I never considered Orlando b/c everything I read trashes it. Maybe I should consider the area. I'm not a party maniac or a bar rat I'm actually a really health conscious person. It would just be nice to go to a bar and have a better ratio of single girls, but that's not a deal breaker from what I read the social life is overall a better experience for people my age regardless if you like going to bars or not there is "always something to do". I'm really more drawn to a happier life, better economy, friendlier people, better weather, and an affordable life for someone my age. I do like the idea of being by a beach but it's not a deal breaker. I just figure because of spring break and the population it would be great to open a business or invest in something after I became more established.

[kab0906]

I lived in CT and KY - FL isn't as bad as everyone seems to think it is - the heat/humidity isn't so dreadful in the Tampa area. Miami... that's another story.

Insurance is way over the top here - I was astonished at how much more home/car/health is here. Groceries are also more. But we paid state/local in KY and so we have a net gain. And hubby makes half again in salary than in KY.


I will not miss the hassle of snow/ice and the cold months.


Come for the summer. I bet you'll want to stay.

[Iching]

Originally Posted by ctwhitechin

We moved to Parrish FL from CT in April. Summer wasn't so bad. We are not going back. mazzaros in St Pete has Italian food as good as Arthur Ave in the Bronx. We had a home built for less than half of what it would have cost in the Northeast.

Thanks for the tip. Our favorite Italian restaurant was La Parmigiana in Southampton, NY.

[Spring Hillian]

You're getting clear and concise info here. That is unusual. Make sure u have the financial backing to subsist for 6-12 months while u acclimate and find work that suits your desire.


ational therapy (OT). So I live right outside Philly and I'm not a fan of living here and I've always wanted to move. I have some relatives and friends in both the Tampa area and FT. Lauderdale area and they love it and have no intentions of coming back to NJ. I'm going to be focusing on geriatrics (elderly) patients so Florida is a no lose situation in terms of my job market.

I read a lot about Florida the biggest difference I've read is the humidity being unbearable. For me this is nothing b/c I have a natural tolerance to heat and I spend a lot of time in the sauna at my gym. I've also read there are a lot of bad drivers/elderly drivers. I'm from NJ I figure it really can't get much worse also I live in the middle of a retirement community so I'm familiar with that. I really despise snow and would love to not experience snow for a very long time. Snow/Ice has cost me so much money on new tires/car repairs and potholes never seem to get fixed here. I also have a very bad shoulder I probably need surgery and I'm afraid of slipping and falling on ice. Every family dinner discussion is focused around how expensive and high the taxes are here to me it seems like a better deal in Tampa. Not everyone but there are a lot of jerks here I hate it I hear that's something no one misses when they move. I absolutely despise all things Philadelphia and unfortunately if you're single it's hard to meet women the local bars are basically loaded with single dudes and couples. A single girl in a south jersey bar is like seeing a unicorn a very big disappointment when I came back from college. Also the Eagles are an abomination BOO! We have stink bugs, camel crickets, and water bugs here also snakes, rodents, hornets, and wasps so I think I can adapt pretty fast to whatever pests Florida has. Behind our house is basically a forest we also get deer, foxes, skunks, and much more. Kind of unusual for where I'm located. I know for a fact my family up here will visit me a lot if I move. My parents are very close to retirement and possibly considering buying a condo. I don't see myself getting too homesick. One last thing I'm also about an hr away from the beach and we have no beach house. I have a relative who has one but it's invite only like I can't just roll down to AC whenever I want w/o shelling out some dough for a hotel room. I won't miss the Jersey Shore I only saw it once this summer.

In my mind I'm already a Tampa resident I'm just not there yet. If I can I want to spend a summer down there doing some type of occupational therapy internship or something just to get a feel for it, but that's the summer not really good for experiencing the fall or winter months. Plus my relatives live in Sarasota and from what I read it's against the law to live there unless you're over 50. I figure they aren't the best people to ask. I really don't see any negative to moving here. Is there anything I should know that I don't know already? I'm taking this very seriously as in I would do this right now if I had my degree. I'm in my mid 20's right now I have no intentions of getting married anytime soon do you think I'm making the right decision? Is there something you wish someone told you before you moved?[/quote]

[Chriscross309]

You should stay in Morgantown man!

[WVUOT23]

I'm planning on buying a house in WV for a summer get away when I'm older. If you're from Florida and you're reading this WV has the lowest rate of insect bites in the country you won't get bit in WV I never saw a fly once when I lived there and it's a beautiful state.

[Chriscross309]

Originally Posted by WVUOT23

I'm planning on buying a house in WV for a summer get away when I'm older. If you're from Florida and you're reading this WV has the lowest rate of insect bites in the country you won't get bit in WV I never saw a fly once when I lived there and it's a beautiful state.

I am from WV and lived for one year in the Tampa area. It was definitely one of the best years of my life. It is certainly different from WV.

[HolidayFL]

I grew up in NJ and moved to FL when I was 30. I lived there 10 years. There are some really great things about FL. But it was suffocatingly hot and humid and we got hit with three hurricanes and had to worry about sinkholes. Finally called the bad decision to move to FL what it was and moved to Tennessee. There are A LOT of people from NJ who move to FL and then move out of FL. If you are from the northeast, you might want to learn from the mistakes of others.

[The Villages Guy]

We moved here from the North East, via a stop in North Carolina. We love the weather here all year long. Summers are fine for us, as we saw far worse in the Carolinas and Texas. The winters are obviously better than everywhere.

Drivers suck.