Arizona vs Florida...what's YOUR opinion (metropolitan, raise, building, metro)

[autism360]

Originally Posted by john352

Hi autism, I want to offer a rebuttal to your points:
1 - weather is subjective -- I happen to love Florida's weather and I keep my a/c off a lot and just run the fan or leave the condo and my bill is around $50 a month -- that's a lot better than $350 a month and you cannot keep the air off
2 - you are talking about going to a different state all the time or some place that's hours away -- in florida, you already have everything here so you can plan your vacations in-state
3 - bugs are not a major issue -- i have had no bugs in my condo rental and it's tiled everywhere and if you keep the place clean there's no problem with bugs -- and doesn't arizona have scorpions?
4 - friendlier people is again a subjective point, like weather -- many people will say that northern florida is very friendly, some people will even tell you orlando is friendly -- south florida is a pretty much every man for himself
5 - there's great housing available in south florida too in the gated communities of boca raton, pembroke pines, weston; on the west coast allover naples -- i say arizona wins for more bang for your buck and better quality for your money -- but you can get quality stuff in northern and central florida with a good price tag, if you're just comparing it to south florida for Value, I give this one to Arizona, but otherwise, it depends where you look and what your goals are (i.e. you can find $50k condos in south florida, but they are nicer in phoenix area)
6 - we addressed this that publix is not the only place here -- many people will shop only at walmart and save 30%, there's also winn dixie, sam's club, dollar tree, and costco -- a lot of people never go near a scam store like publix
7 - again, home insurance depends on the area -- in northern florida if you are inland you won't pay the big dollars; also depends on size of the house -- Also, if you RENT you do not have to worry about any of this (which is what I do) -- Renting you don't have to worry about the unit being plowed over, paying insurance, etc. -- IF you are looking to BUY and stay anchored in one-spot, then this is a win for AZ, but if you are renting, this is not applicable
8 - Again, if you rent, who really cares what happens to the property as long as you got your main possessions out of there -- and also, as I mentioned, you can buy in places like south of Tampa or in the middle of the state (i.e. Ocala or Gainesville), and your chances are slim to none of being plowed over by a storm. Go look at Sarasota and tell me how many storms have plowed it over and destroyed in the last 40 years. Again, this is a win for AZ depending on what location you compare it to and IF you are a buyer.

As a renter, I'll take no state income tax over potentially saving on property tax. There's units you can buy in Florida that have property taxes of $400 or less, some bigger units $800 or less, but if you're renting, why would you want to pay an extra 3%+ of your salary to the state of Arizona when in Florida it's your money to decide what you want to do with it. This is a win for Florida in that you can decide how you want to spend your money -- if you want to rent, if you want to buy, in AZ the state automatically takes over 3% and you get no choices

The killer pricewise in Arizona is the $350 electric bill -- to me, that ruins everything great about the quality housing -- having to pay an association fee and a $350 electric bill is a housing payment of its own!

My electric bill has never been 350 for a single family dwelling and I can shut off my a/c in October and have no need to turn it on again until May. So in an all electric home my electric bill 7 months out of the year is under 100. When I lived in Boca I ran my a/c almost all year round because of the humidity.

Home insurance in Florida is 3x what it is in AZ and Florida has huge home insurance deductibles.

Most people do not live in N Florida so if you want a change of scenery you cannot do it in a day trip because it takes 8-12 hours to get to another state from the most populous areas of Florida.The beach gets old fast I rarely went to the beach after I lived there a couple years. I liked the lakes in Florida but you could not swim in them because of the gators and the snakes.

Where I live in AZ I have super Walmarts, Sams,Costco, AJ,s,Albertsons,Bashas,,Sprouts, Food City,Super Targets, Frys ,Whole Foods,99 cent store, dollar stores,fresh and easy, Safeway all within 2-8 minutes of my home so there is no comparison in food shopping choices close by, which also means I save a ton on food costs because of all the competition for my grocery dollars. In Florida I had 3 or 4 choices but not close by me, I had 1 main choice Publix which has a mini monopoly in Florida.

Bugs are an issue in Florida because it is a tropical climate mosquitoes and gnats would make it impossible to sit outside even at night without having to fight them off. In Arizona mosquitoes are rare and I have never seen a gnat so you can sit outside and look at the stars in peace. I leave my back french doors open all winter long during the day. No worries about bugs.

If you have kids then you can appreciate the following;
8 This is the main reason I moved (no natural disasters in Arizona where in Florida you never know when life or property will be ruined by a hurricane or a tornado)you cannot put a price tag on peace of mind because of no natural disaster threats if you have lived through a severe hurricane,flood, tornado, or earthquake with a young family.

Sorry to rain on your parade but I lived in Florida for 15 years and have been in AZ for 8 and Az is better. imho You need to come here for a visit.
Did I mention there are no toll roads in the entire state of AZ?

Now if you are comparing Florida to New York, Mass, new hampshire,new jersey, maine then Florida is a winner.

[reikirose]

Easy choice -- Arizona
But then that depends on your interests.

I've been living in central west Florida for the last 4 years and am not staying. Loved it at first, but not now.
We are headed to AZ. I lived in NM for 7 years so am familiar with the SW, although AZ is quite different than NM.
The gulf beaches are difficult to get to unless you live in the panhandle.
Florida has some of the most gorgeous beaches -- but now we have killer bacteria on both sides.

Florida has a lot to offer nature buffs -- but so does AZ
I think the part I dislike the most is the humidity and heat -- it's awful in the summer. The winters are glorious...perfect weather. There are little itty bitty fire ants and mites everywhere in Florida, so if you have animals like I do.....

What I miss living in Florida -- spirituality and native culture.
What I missed living in the SW -- water and green.
Religious culture in the south is not my cup of tea.
Respect for elders is much higher in the SW...at least in NM

I would decide on the type of culture -- humaness -- not art -- that you need to feed your soul.
Then choose the place that offers the most sustenance.

[reikirose]

Agreed with Autism360.

In Florida, add to the list sink holes and a huge flood insurance bill to home owners with mortgages now.
Sink holes are swallowing whole houses and humans included...enough to make me leave -- there is a map available of risk areas.

My electric bill runs between $80 and $150 per month. There is no way I'm turning off my air in the summer--I would melt.
Lots of iron in the water -- so your clothes turn orange unless you can find a good place to wash your clothes.

Florida benefits -- all the theme parks -- if you can afford to go--even with the residency rate it's expensive.
Nature -- that is the biggest plus -- the nature here is fantastic. It's a birder's paradise.
Sugar sand beaches -- if you live near them
The ocean in general

BTW--- there are scorpions in Florida too, as well huge rattle snakes, cactus, coral snakes, black widows -- I have seen more of these here then at any time in the SW.

Culturally-- AZ wins

[infocyde]

As to scorpions in AZ they are totally neighborhood specific. Some neighborhoods have them, and despite every spay known to man will never completely get rid of them, other neighborhoods don't. I lived in both types. The first year in Ahwatukee my cats dragged in I'd say over 40 scorpions to "show me" their kills. Unfortunately scorpions get run down by swapping paws fast and just lay their, so my cats would lose interest and go outside in search of more...then the scorpions would re-animate. I was blessed in the fact that I never got nailed by any of them, we had the small brown bark scorpions too, the worst. My cousins got stung a few times, you hurt and are numb for a few days in the area you got stung in and then the pain goes away. So you can avoid scorpions by just living in the right areas. Black widows out here are prevalent too...but from what I understand of Florida the bug situation in at least Phoenix is minor compared to the critters you deal with in most of Florida.

[autism360]

I got bit by a recluse spider in Florida and got stung by a scorpion here in AZ but it was the only live one I have seen in 8 years. The recluse spider bite I got in Florida left a scar and took months to go away the scorpion sting could not even be seen and part of my calf was numb for a day or 2 so no big deal.

[cactusland]

Florida is flatter than a pancake, wet, humid, and full of bugs that want to eat you. One only needs to see the entirely enclosed screened backyards in Florida to understand the bug menace. I think the choice for Arizona is an easy one.

[emmapeel]

i'm from central gulf coast florida and will NEVER NEVER go back if i can help it. it's beautiful to be sure. and we have some of the nastiest humidity on the planet next to south carolina, bugs galore and more bad than i can say. it is, nevertheless, picturesque and green. give me the brown forlorn desert any old day. i'm in el paso and have been here ten years now. it's getting mighty cold in the winter these past few years. i'm looking for a buddy to check out various towns in arizona to resettle. any takers?

[cacto]

There's no mountains in Florida. That's horrible. The choice is clear.

[Worcester]

Pros of Florida:

-Lush vegetation
-Ocean
-Orlando
-Warmer winter
-Humidity (many will disagree with this, but I happen to find high humidity quite comfortable)
-Key West
-Lightning
-Fairly cheap given that it's a state with beautiful landscape, warm(er) weather, and 1350 miles of coastline
-Naples
-Where the weirdest things happen

Cons of Florida:

-Rain (even though it's a small price to pay for such beautiful greenery)
-Rare cold snap (although cold snaps in Florida are a joke compared to almost everywhere else in the US)
-Miami
-Hurricanes
-Sinkholes
-Flat





Pros of Arizona

-Sunny
-Mountains
-Lake Havasu City
-Desert
-Dry
-Virtually unbeatable night sky
-Grand Canyon
-Forests (Yes, Arizona has forests)

Cons of Arizona

-A tad too hot from time to time (I never had a problem with such heat, but other people do)
-No ocean

[autism360]

ons of Florida:

-Rain (even though it's a small price to pay for such beautiful greenery)
-Rare cold snap (although cold snaps in Florida are a joke compared to almost everywhere else in the US)
-Miami
-Hurricanes
-Sinkholes

-Flat

Home insurance costs very high
bugs
far from other vacation areas
rains in middle of day (az has 320 rain free days)
higher food costs due to less competition (publix has a mini monopoly)
the humidity and rain are destructive to property, I had to replace my wooden fence and a/c much more often in Florida