For those who have left south Florida (Miami, Palm Beach: foreclosure, house)

[Swimmom32]

Originally Posted by TriMT7

Schools in places like Boca, Wellington and Jupiter, etc. are excellent, and crime is below national average. Palm Beach County has several nationally ranked schools.



Oh yes. "Where you live" and what you drive is NEVER important in the NE at all. Especially not the city or New England. And it NEVER matters who your family is or bloodlines are in the NE.

Or in the SE, where it doesn't matter at all if you're not white, straight and Christian.



Don't associate with fake people and you'll be fine. Fake people are everywhere, or have we not learned that yet from Real Housewives of Atlanta, New York, OC and New Jersey?

Are there MORE "fake people" here than, say, Maine? Most likely. But I'd rather be around a run around noveau riche bimbo in Boca with implants than an stiff upper lip, uptight waspy hag named Buffy Vontrapp in Connecticut whose biggest accomplishment in life is that her family came over on the Mayflower.

OMG I love it but your right..Joanie I can relate trust me where we came from was like that too but people just dont believe it..We are new here yes 18 months however its home for my family and for once in our lives, we got it right...

[UrbanSFL]

I left South FL for the DC metro area and couldn't be happier.

I love the seasons; I hated the constant heat and humidity of South Florida. During most of the Florida spring and summer I would feel lethargic, tired, and depressed from the oppressive heat.

And no, I don't mind the winter at all. It's actually quite nice. Halloween FEELS like Halloween. Pumpkins and decorations, kids trick-or-treating. In my old Florida neighborhood, virtually no one left pumpkins outside (they would rot, I suppose), or bothered to decorate. Plus the abusive home-owners-association created a 2 hour window for supervised trick-or-treating. hah. Thanksgiving now FEELS like Thanksgiving. Christmas now feels like Christmas. The Holidays in Florida always feel half-assed, perhaps overshadowed by the tropical climate that's incongruous with how most people envision fall and winter holidays.

I love that the DC area is walkable and serviced by excellent public transit. I love being able to walk around my neighborhood. Seeing people and energy on the street makes me happy and energized; I hated walking around my gated neighborhood in South Florida. You would barely see any life. It was isolating and depressing. Sure, I could go to downtown West Palm or downtown Delray to see "life", but it was a long drive.

I love the amenities and culture here. I can walk to innumerable restaurants, cafes, bars, and shops. Everything from world class restaurants, to small coffee shops, to bars, to fast food is within a short walk. I can be at the National Zoo within 20 minutes of leaving my apartment. Same goes for numerous museums, including the renowned Smithsonian museums.

They're not always my thing, but world class plays, operas, ballets and symphonies are within a short metro ride. Within 15 minutes I can be at a huge concert venue, an NHL game, an NBA game, or an MLB game. NFL games are not much further. There are several different nightlife strips, like Clematis or Las Olas, within a 15 minute metro ride; that also means that you don't have to choose a designated driver or worry about drinking and driving. Plus, of course, there's good shopping.

Compare that to South Florida. Just the ease of getting to everything up here makes it amazing. South Florida had its attractions -- but if you're not in to the beach or fishing, then there's not much left besides shopping or drinking at a club.


Plus, of course, the job opportunities for college educated professionals are MUCH MUCH MUCH greater up here. Many of my college educated friends in Florida are working at jobs that they wouldn't even need a degree for. People in my new city are also generally better educated and cultured. To me, that's a benefit.

In short, I don't regret moving in the least. In fact, not a day goes by that I don't smile at the thought of making a great decision.

[TriMT7]

Edit: Nevermind!

[ra1007]

a bit crowded in south florida...................

[MissShona]

Interesting thread. Well I left South Florida in 2008, unwillingly. Basically I had sustained injuries in a car accident (thanks South Florida drivers!) and was unable to live on my own...so I had to move in with family here in PA. I am on a perpetual pendulum that swings back and forth when it comes to missing FL. However, it does seem biased to the FL side...let me explain why...

At first I just missed South FL because I didn't feel like I was home. My things, my bank account, my job, etc were all stuck down there until my health improved enough for me to travel back (that took about 8 months). So it was basically an inconvienance issue.

However as 2008 wore on, and the economy continued to tank, I kept hearing all these horror stories from my middle-class friends. Stories of losing sleep over foreclosure, reductions in pay/commissions, layoffs, other people either relocating or just 'falling off the grid' for various reasons. I began to feel thankful that I was not in the thick of it myself. Plus I was living unencumbered life in that I was not working, and was leaving the house for only physical therapy and to go out with friends. Also I was getting more quality time with my family then I had in years! Oh, and I completed my degree too!

But in 2009 when I got back to the workforce, I began to dislike Pittsburgh again. For one, the winter of 2009-2010 was for the birds! 20+ inches of snow is NOT my thing! I can't stand cold weather to begin with! Yet with working, I'm forced to deal with it every day. Also in spite of Pittsburgh having more things to do that are more in tune with the type of things I'm into (music, arts, recreation, etc.), I still tend to hibernate in the winter....so I only have 3-4 months of "going out". After that, it's just not fun anymore.

Also the things that have sort of sucked for me in regards to what is making me disgruntled about life are pretty much the same in both places. I am still single; however I found that it was MUCH easier to meet men that were interested in me in South Florida. I am still low-income....and yes, the cost of living is lower here in Pittsburgh. But my lower pay pretty much makes it a wash. My thinking is that with my newly earned college degree, and added experience, I should be able to command more in South Florida now then I was able to 6 years ago.

As far as driving...in spite of South Florida's crappy drivers and road rage, I actually prefer the driving down there to the driving up here! I can't stand driving on snow and ice. I've been in cars that have spun out and doing 360s in a car on the road is an absolutely HORRIBLE feeling. Oh and the roads and potholes here make you feel guilty for driving around too much....in that you are rattling your car to pieces. There are streets in Pittsburgh that I avoid SOLELY because of the potholes. This was NEVER the case in FL...and I think this is a shame. I like driving.

With all things considered, South Florida just seems more suited to me. In spite of all the negatives (including the Republican political climate), it was just a happier place for me to be in. I lived in Broward briefly...and then Miami-Dade for the majority of the time I lived there. I'm thinking that living in Palm Beach county (more liberal, more Jews) might suit me better. Who knows?

[sweatyhotviolentwestpalm]

Urbansfl hits it right on in many aspects,,forget spring it goes from cool to>>oppressive swealtering heat,pumpkin winows time line for display????,,only is south FL,hoa gestapos & yes pumpkins rot if left outside cause of the oppressive heat & humidity & ants,bug's,beetles & whatever else crawls.
no one walks much in neighborhoods,cause you mostly feel half dead in the oppressive heat.
A/C runs constantly so it never feels like christmas,new yrs,all holiday's run into another with the boring & your right ,half assed public celebrations in A/C building's,no real trees on public display,,it would be needleless from the heat.
I am glad you have found a good place to live. The DC area is vibrant,good public transportation & I see you have done well or better since you departed the swampy sweaty cesspool. Given the subject matter at hand again I will say mostly everyone who has left have done better & are happy.It is not about the $$$ if it's cheaper or not to live somewhere else it's about feeling alive,rejuvinated,invigoratiing & lower humidity & just live life outside & breath fresh air than the constant A/C re-circulated air.
Traffic in Dc area is horrible,but there is real public transportation,not like the po dunk,backwoods,palm tran,,LOL

[Swimmom32]

Originally Posted by sweatyhotviolentwestpalm

Urbansfl hits it right on in many aspects,,forget spring it goes from cool to>>oppressive swealtering heat,pumpkin winows time line for display????,,only is south FL,hoa gestapos & yes pumpkins rot if left outside cause of the oppressive heat & humidity & ants,bug's,beetles & whatever else crawls.
no one walks much in neighborhoods,cause you mostly feel half dead in the oppressive heat.
A/C runs constantly so it never feels like christmas,new yrs,all holiday's run into another with the boring & your right ,half assed public celebrations in A/C building's,no real trees on public display,,it would be needleless from the heat.
I am glad you have found a good place to live. The DC area is vibrant,good public transportation & I see you have done well or better since you departed the swampy sweaty cesspool. Given the subject matter at hand again I will say mostly everyone who has left have done better & are happy.It is not about the $$$ if it's cheaper or not to live somewhere else it's about feeling alive,rejuvinated,invigoratiing & lower humidity & just live life outside & breath fresh air than the constant A/C re-circulated air.
Traffic in Dc area is horrible,but there is real public transportation,not like the po dunk,backwoods,palm tran,,LOL

for all the people we met where we came from THEY ALL moved because they were able to buy a big house cheap, and they could drive and lease their brand new luxury vehicles funny how it wasnt very different for them them in NY, NJ or FL but I will stick to the floridans we met which were probably all of weston and palm beach....with that being said 5 of them came back as they realized it had alot of problems and the big house and fancy cars well there a price to pay for those too...Im glad people find where they belong and where they are happy..Being from NYC and living in NJ for 10 years I WOULD never go back, I love the weather here hate the cold and well alot to be said about snow..YUK....we are fortunate as my dh does well here for the south florida market and our lifestyle hasnt changed much our children love it here and life is good....Where ever people find their happiness is what matters in the end..

[FloridaHawkeye]

I have come to the conclusion of that sweatyhotviolentwestpalm does not care for south florida.

[ra1007]

you think?

[ra1007]

Well ------------ personally and to be quite HONEST, I H A T E where I live but I'm not about to

post it here or anywhere as NOT EVERYONE HATES WHERE I LIVE and it's my experience, not the

experience of others who live here and are HAPPY and NOT NOT NOT hating it. Now why would I

go and do that?