Wow, your post brought it all back for me.
I moved to Boca from the midwest in '92. Just like you, I loved the warm winters, palm trees, ocean, cultural diversity and events, etc.
But over the years, things changed. As the area became more crowded, the fact that most of the population was unbelievably cranky, whiny, and rude became more pronounced (I know NYers don't consider themselves rude. But to the rest of the U.S., they are). The traffic became unbearable. Trying to do anything at any time other than first thing in the morning was a crowded, long, miserable wait (think the DMV, the checkout line at Publix, etc.).
Then the hurricanes came; first Frances and Jeanne in '04, then Katrina and Wilma in '05. Like you, we had our power out for several days. No A/C. In the summer. In Florida.
All the while, housing prices were shooting through the roof, along with insurance and property taxes.
Finally, one day we said "enough." Relocated to the midwest two years ago, and, while we definitely miss the warm winters (and Kyojin Buffet...yum!), we can honestly say that is ALL we miss about South Florida.
Warm winters and palm trees are enough for some people. That's fine. But we found that for us, it wasn't worth the numerous trade-offs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by paperguy63
I have to agree with finsfan13. I was a transplant from Illinois. We lived in an area about an hour south of Chicago. I moved with my family in 1978. I was glad to leave the cold of the mid-west to an unincorpotated area of Ft. Lauderdale. I have always lived in the general area of So. Florida. Tamarac, Sunrise and now Boca Raton. I would not move here today. In fact we are looking to leave for all the reasons described above. Yes the area is beautiful. Large trees, lots to do. Plenty of shopping and events to keep you busy year round. It's the PEOPLE. It's as if they are deserving of some sort of higher treatment than the others around them. It is a totally selfish "me" mentality. Not to mention the spoiled kids driving daddies 780 BMW. No work ethic, no manners. It is all me first. Let one of them serve you in any kind of retail setting and you will know exactly how absolutly spoiled they are. Here is a link to the latest South Palm Beach County school scores from bocanews.com [URL="http://www.bocanews.com/index.php?src=news&refno=20316&category=Schools&PH PSESSID=5"]Boca Raton, FL - BocaNews.com - Local news and information for the city of Boca raton[/URL]. The best thing for me is that the property we will sell has just about doubled in the 7 years of living here.
3BR., 2BA, Den, Fam, Liv, Din, 2Car,
2188sf under air,
Private Water Lot with nice open pool.
Built in 1980. Comps are $410K.
Between the property taxes and the high hurricane insurance I can't justify the area anymore.
Oh, did I mention the 8 days of no power after Wilma visited in'05?
And 3 days after Jeanne and the 5 days after Frances in '04
(We escaped Hurricane Andrew  )
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