Florida transplants

[Floridanative2]

Originally Posted by darkstar

Hi!
We moved to Pagosa Springs about a month ago and LOVE it. We don't even want to go back to FL to get the rest of our stuff!

I'm a wussy about cold but haven't had a problem adjusting from day one. The air is deliciously dry and the sun makes the temp feel warmer than you think. Until this past week, it seemed to snow every other day but by mid day it usually has melted off.

The people are so much friendlier and open than I've ever experienced and seeing the mountains starts my morning.

The only downside...real estate is very expensive.

Paula

Thank all of you for the replies! I know that I have been told the winters are not that bad because it is dry. I just wanted to get it from a Floridian that would understand what I am talking about. The winters in Florida are not long enough for me, so I think I would be ok. We have a few cold days here and there, but then we have humid, hot days and have to turn on the ac! It is so crazy, the Florida winter weather. I can never wear my winter clothes!
Do people still wear furs out there? Is it considered a faux paus?
I was also told people are friendlier there, that makes it better!

[coloradomeddie]

It seems that there are A LOT of Florida transplants out here. You can hook up with then through the Florida Gator and FSU alumni clubs that meet downtown to watch games. It is nice, because you can make friends and lament about the cold in the winter (it is not that bad..honestly), and about how much you miss Publix (we have King Soopers.... honestly that is the name of the supermarket). But you can also discover the outdoors and all Denver has to offer.

[psonio7]

I grew up in Philly, but moved to Florida in 1999 for college. I was there until the end of 2006.

I consider myself mostly a Floridian since I spent my coming of age years there. I've lived in Daytona Beach, Orlando, and Miami.

My girlfriend and I just moved to Denver in Dec 2006. According to locals the snow thing this year has been a "freak" thing and its usually warmer. The weather has been fine, like someone said, when its 30F here, it does feel like an east-coast 50F. Its going to the 50-70s this week, so it'll be a welcome change. But I do love snow and seasons/snowboarding, etc.

To the best of our knowledge, the locals/natives are very welcoming when you approach them with positive attitude. I too was worried about being a transplant here, but after a few weeks, my worries were relieved by many natives. They all tell me that the only thing they hate is when transplant say "But in Cali/Texas/Florida we have this, or did it this way, thsi place sucks, I want to go back to cali/tx/fla.." They hate hearing that. They don't like their way of living changed. But if they hear how much you like it here, they'll be pleased. I think the native problem is worse in Florida actually.

Welcome to Colorado, do it their way and you'll be fine. Its a lot easier to drive around here. The suburbs of Denver looks almost like Orlando/Tampa areas, except remove the palm trees and add elevation/evergreens.

You'll get used to the seasons/elevation and won't miss the humidity. But there are a few things I do miss. Publix: Some of the King Soopers come close, but we know Publix is Publix. And for some reason I miss Steak N Shake. Colorado has everything we had in Florida, and then some. there are local/regional chains of places and the local buisnesses are a lot better here than anywhere in FLA.

I'm glad we made the move!

ps. You will miss the Ocean/Beach/Water though, but mountains instead!

[McGowdog]

My brothers live in or near Bradenton. One of them lived on Long Boat Key and it was beatiful, but he had to pay 800/month extra to keep his dogs. He misses the mountains of Colorado and SOCAL.

It's just weird for me to see Santa wearing shorts. We do have four seasons out here. You'll miss the ocean perhaps.