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Total spin. Especially when they are marketed and sold for "keeping bugs out". Fences also do a pretty good job at keeping "strangers out". Also for the record, screens actually retain heat so we can toss the first rebuttal out.
If it's an HOA liability thing, it doesn't matter what you think will keep someone out. Oh, and, strangers can hop right over a fence. Snakes can crawl under. Debris can fly through.
Last edited by JayCT; 10-05-2012 at 11:35 AM..
Reason: Removed flame
The HOA liability concept is tough for me to swallow, since most have a door to the outside. A stranger could just enter and go for a dip.
Executive summary... Throughout Florida, humidity and bugs are par for the course. Full disclosure- in certain parts of FL, humidity does drop out of tropical range for 2-3 winter months per year.
Last edited by JayCT; 10-05-2012 at 11:37 AM..
Reason: Removed response to deleted post
We have a year left in this Hell!! We purchased our home when the market was at rock bottom. Trends show the market going up, albeit very slowly, from when we purchased. If we had no other choice and sold tomorrow, I'm pretty sure we could get what we paid. We spent a ton of money on the move, fixing the house, getting set up, etc. We hope to get some of that money back when we sell. My wife wants to anyway. If it were up to me, I would sell now and chalk up the money spent as a very bad lesson learned. The 10k or so we blew isn't worth another year here in my opinion. All my friends in CT tell me just hold on and at least enjoy the winter in Florida. I would rather shovel snow. I can't wait to leave this place in my rear view mirror. I told my wife when our boys get older we will take them to Disney........in California!!!!
If it'll help cheer you up a bit, at least you have an end in sight! 13 months can seem like forever, however the fall/winter holidays will speed up the next 3-4 months a bit. We'll lose a fortune on our house, but are slowly making plans anyways. Quality of life, as determined by personal choice, is more important to me too.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mikeandaija2009
Believe it or not, the seafood down here is horrible. Not sure why when it's surrounded by ocean on both sides
It sure is difficult to find *good* seafood, and yes it's always stuck us as odd.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stylo
Some people believe that the colder the water, the better tasting the fish. Fat content and whatnot.
My husband swears by this theory.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JayCT
I know that but I am not a beach person and I dislike the heat and humidity. I also hate bugs, traffic and sprawl which both coasts of Florida have a lot of. This is of course my own personal opinion and others may not agree. Outside of Disney, Florida is just not for me. Jay
Two thumbs up! We agree. What we realized is that the 3-4 months a year when Florida boasts "Chamber of Commerce" weather isn't worth: 1. Living here the rest of the year 2. Still missing home 8-9 months a year.
Moving primarily for the weather, in our opinion, was a huge mistake and one that many people make in their euphoric run from snow and ice. I think that's why I've read so many articles the past few years about people retiring and staying in their communities. Leaving family, friends, tradition, and a way of life that's familiar and comforting leave people with an unsettled feeling. It's what we've experienced for 15 years.
I could go on and on, but I'm preaching to the choir here. What I do find tiring are the cheerleaders who attack anyone daring to speak negatively about Florida. It's a PERSONAL choice. Raising valid criticisms about Florida is not the same as denigrating YOUR personal choice, so drop it, please.
Onward ho for those of us who dream of a cool breeze!
Heat and humidity: CT has plenty of that. And in the winter months, Florida is not all that bad.
Traffic: CT is one of the most congested states in the country. Unless you're in the immediate vicinity of a large city in FL, traffic will not be that bad.
Bugs: The only bug problem in FL is the love bugs. Other than that, there are FAAAAAAAAAAR more bugs in CT.
To each his own, but given what you said you don't like, it doesn't sound like you know Florida very well. Many of the problems you cite are just as bad, if not worse than in FL.
Don't get me wrong, I can see the negatives to Florida (chains everywhere once you go inland, poor schools, a lot of uneducated people). But I can also see the good things about it too.
Connecticut's heat and humidity are not bad. Usually we have a few days of it and then it breaks. In Florida it is constant. As for bugs, the community your family lives in probably sprays for them, many do. And that is not good either. And those Love Bugs are nothing more than flying cockroaches. Just plain disgusting.
I do know Florida well and you can have it. Maybe Sarasota which is kind of out of the way is not bad but most of the east coast and Tampa/St. Pete are traffic nightmares. Florida has miles of multi-lane arterial roadways that are jammed with traffic from traffic signal to traffic signal and strip mall to strip mall. It just does not appeal to me. But then again we do usually disagree on things like this. To each their own. Jay
Connecticut's heat and humidity are not bad. Usually we have a few days of it and then it breaks. In Florida it is constant. As for bugs, the community your family lives in probably sprays for them, many do. And that is not good either. And those Love Bugs are nothing more than flying cockroaches. Just plain disgusting.
I do know Florida well and you can have it. Maybe Sarasota which is kind of out of the way is not bad but most of the east coast and Tampa/St. Pete are traffic nightmares. Florida has miles of multi-lane arterial roadways that are jammed with traffic from traffic signal to traffic signal and strip mall to strip mall. It just does not appeal to me. But then again we do usually disagree on things like this. To each their own. Jay
The only way for people to understand what the south is like is move there and live it for a while. You will either love it or hate. I hated it. People seem to think a hot New England day gives them to ability to understand living a southern summer. Its not comparable..its not even close.
To the OP hang in there. It looks like you are going to have the ability to come back. Since you know this, try to enjoy the time you have there. You are a better person having been able to do it. It will help you appreciate more what this area has to offer when you move back.
Connecticut's heat and humidity are not bad. Usually we have a few days of it and then it breaks. In Florida it is constant. As for bugs, the community your family lives in probably sprays for them, many do. And that is not good either. And those Love Bugs are nothing more than flying cockroaches. Just plain disgusting.
I do know Florida well and you can have it. Maybe Sarasota which is kind of out of the way is not bad but most of the east coast and Tampa/St. Pete are traffic nightmares. Florida has miles of multi-lane arterial roadways that are jammed with traffic from traffic signal to traffic signal and strip mall to strip mall. It just does not appeal to me. But then again we do usually disagree on things like this. To each their own. Jay
I couldn't agree more with all the sentiments in this thread, but this one in particular struck a chord. In my case, it wasn't Florida that had me wanting to run back to CT, but Phoenix.
I was born and raised in Enfield, but I had been living in Buenos Aires and Mexico City between 2005 and 2011 (both places I loved, but alas, I wanted to start putting a bigger dent in my student loans). So I decided to come back to the US to try my luck, and I ended up in Phoenix in October of last year because my parents moved there for work in 2008. For me, living in that place was like a waking nightmare. 90% of the entire metro area looks exactly the same: housing developments of 3,000 sq.ft. contemporary pseudo-Southwestern McMansions or boxy ranches flanked by giant strip malls with the same stores repeated over and over and over. All of the main roadways would be considered highways by New England standards. At least Florida is green and lush and has gorgeous beaches; I'd take pretty much anywhere in Florida over Arizona in a heartbeat (although Flagstaff and Prescott are gorgeous and I love both of those towns).
I hated it so much that a month ago I quit my job and a few weeks ago moved in with a friend in Richmond who offered to let me stay with her rent-free while I look for jobs in CT, because at least it's only an 8-hour drive to Hartford from here and I can get there easily on short notice for an interview if need be. Honestly, I'd prefer NYC or Boston because I like living in an urban environment without ever needing a car, but the cost is a little prohibitive and CT I think provides a decent happy medium (i.e., it may be car-dependent, but there are places you can walk around and it's close to NYC and Boston). And this is not to say that we don't have suburban sprawl, big box stores and cookie-cutter neighborhoods in CT, but it is not NEARLY on the scale of the places you find in some areas of the South and a whole lot of the Southwest.
Based on my own experiences, and as this thread is sort of suggesting, I think a lot of New Englanders (and I might expand that to include people from the greater Northeast) probably don't realize just how different a lot of the rest of the country is culturally. Some people hate NE and want to leave because of the high taxes, weather, etc., but I'll just say this: 1. You get what you pay for; and 2. I hate the winter, but no CT winter will ever make me want to return to Phoenix or even to FL, which I actually like much better.
This thread is cracking me up. I'm originally from the midwest, but moved to South Florida when I was in elementary school. I'm moving to Connecticut in a month and I've been very apprehensive about it. Besides the fact that I have to leave my family, friends, and family business, I'm worried about the weather (among several other things). Reading this thread is actually calming my nerves a little. Seeing how much people love it up there is great. I always loved the weather down here. I'm perfectly ok with no snow and the temperature not going below 50. The traffic does suck. It's funny because we blame the bad driving on the northerners who retire here. I'm hoping I love Connecticut as much as you all do, but there will always be a special place in my heart for Florida. And as weird as it may sound, over the past couple weeks, the ridiculously HOT weather and traffic have been getting on my nerves. Maybe it's because I know I'm moving away... I'm sure I'll miss being able to go to the beach anytime I want, but it'll be nice to not sweat when I'm walking a few feet from my car to the office!
This thread is cracking me up. I'm originally from the midwest, but moved to South Florida when I was in elementary school. I'm moving to Connecticut in a month and I've been very apprehensive about it. Besides the fact that I have to leave my family, friends, and family business, I'm worried about the weather (among several other things). Reading this thread is actually calming my nerves a little. Seeing how much people love it up there is great. I always loved the weather down here. I'm perfectly ok with no snow and the temperature not going below 50. The traffic does suck. It's funny because we blame the bad driving on the northerners who retire here. I'm hoping I love Connecticut as much as you all do, but there will always be a special place in my heart for Florida. And as weird as it may sound, over the past couple weeks, the ridiculously HOT weather and traffic have been getting on my nerves. Maybe it's because I know I'm moving away... I'm sure I'll miss being able to go to the beach anytime I want, but it'll be nice to not sweat when I'm walking a few feet from my car to the office!
Welcome to Connecticut. A lot will depend on where you live. We do have traffic and it is pretty bad in lower Fairfield county (basically Stamford area) but outside of that and a few other areas around Hartford and New Haven, it really is not too bad. The secret will be to live as close to your job as possible or to rely on mass transit which despite what people say here if fairly decent. Anyway, good luck on your move. Jay
I would suggest trying an extended stay in the area you are considering moving to. Spend several months if possible there in a rental and make sure it is not just during the winter months when the warm weather of the south is most desirable. Try to be there in the summer when tempuratures soar and see if you can handle it. Also keep in mind that during those months you do have to maintain a home so you like to garden you may find the heat unbearable, Jay
Amen to that, Jay -- never buy when you're checking out an area, especially in FL where the climate is so much different.
Heat and humidity: CT has plenty of that. And in the winter months, Florida is not all that bad.
Traffic: CT is one of the most congested states in the country. Unless you're in the immediate vicinity of a large city in FL, traffic will not be that bad.
Bugs: The only bug problem in FL is the love bugs. Other than that, there are FAAAAAAAAAAR more bugs in CT.
To each his own, but given what you said you don't like, it doesn't sound like you know Florida very well. Many of the problems you cite are just as bad, if not worse than in FL.
Don't get me wrong, I can see the negatives to Florida (chains everywhere once you go inland, poor schools, a lot of uneducated people). But I can also see the good things about it too.
Agreed. And talking about crime, CT has some of the worst areas for crime in the country. New Haven isn't the Emerald City -- it's a dump in my opinion.
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I'm hoping I love Connecticut as much as you all do, but there will always be a special place in my heart for Florida. And as weird as it may sound, over the past couple weeks, the ridiculously HOT weather and traffic have been getting on my nerves. Maybe it's because I know I'm moving away... I'm sure I'll miss being able to go to the beach anytime I want, but it'll be nice to not sweat when I'm walking a few feet from my car to the office!
