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Old 12-14-2011, 11:36 AM
 
Location: Myrtle Beach
3,381 posts, read 9,119,098 times
Reputation: 2948

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Spring Hillian View Post
15 years ago or so I remember it being printed that Lakeland will be center of a coming Orlando-Lakeland-Tampa metropolitation area. The hold up was transportation system between the 3.
That would be interesting.
Tampa - Port and Beaches
Lakeland - Distribution, Manufacturing and Agriculture
Orlando - Tourism and Agriculture.

Seems to be that would be a very strong and diverse metro area. They better start building an alternative to I-4 STAT!
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Old 12-14-2011, 01:06 PM
 
Location: The Conterminous United States
22,584 posts, read 54,259,284 times
Reputation: 13615
Quote:
Originally Posted by gypsychic View Post
hiknapster - I am surprised about Ft. Myers-Cape Coral being so high on that list. I am not at all familiar with that area, what are the big industries there? Somehow I can't think they would be the same type of jobs to be found in Lakeland/Winter Haven.
There really isn't any industry. It's healthcare and services, relying on snowbirds and tourism. My guess is that is why there will be hiring in January. That is traditionally their biggest time of the year. "Season" - January through April - has been steadily coming back up after a huge crash. Right now the area is seeing home prices rise (biggest jump in the country), has the most house-hunting activity; it's showing up at the top of a lot of statistical lists.

At one point Lee County was ground zero for the housing crash, the first to implode, but it is also the first to recover. One reason for such a crash was the lack of industry. The astronomical prices were never sustainable. Lee County is back to being an affordable retirement enclave. My best guess is it tops this list because its unemployment rate was very high, somewhere near 14 percent for awhile, and it is now down to 10.7 with more hiring in sight. It's a great place to live for retirees or people that get transferred. I wouldn't want to move there without a job if I needed one, though. Lakeland, Tampa, Miami, Orlando are more suited for the younger in need of jobs.
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Old 12-15-2011, 10:45 PM
 
17,874 posts, read 15,921,623 times
Reputation: 11659
If Florida is going to boom, what is the reason? Did they discover oil or is gov't just making it easier for companies to do business here coupled with the weather lifestyle?Got me thinking, what brought so many people to Florida in the first place?
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Old 12-16-2011, 07:44 AM
 
27,163 posts, read 43,847,941 times
Reputation: 32198
Quote:
Originally Posted by NJ Brazen_3133 View Post
If Florida is going to boom, what is the reason? Did they discover oil or is gov't just making it easier for companies to do business here coupled with the weather lifestyle?Got me thinking, what brought so many people to Florida in the first place?
I think in part due to the housing crash. Prices have more or less bottomed out and that makes Florida an attractive place to look as residential housing wasn't the only victim of the bust. Construction costs have also come down as the construction trades have become very competitive in the bidding process due to a very long period with little or no work. As pointed out earlier Florida has always been a place with either boom or bust and not much in between, and will continue because of the weather to be a place where people want to move.
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Old 12-16-2011, 01:39 PM
 
35,309 posts, read 52,269,210 times
Reputation: 30999
Guess it depends on which source you look at
2011 Best-Performing Cities - 200 Largest Metros
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Old 12-16-2011, 03:55 PM
 
Location: Tampa, FL
3,237 posts, read 6,316,322 times
Reputation: 1492
This is completely laughable. And Lakeland's airport is ridiculous. Tiny, way out in the middle of nowhere, useless. Love the flights to where? Hagerstown? Springfield, IL?, Myrtle Beach?

What a complete waste of money, I hope no public money was blown on this
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Old 12-16-2011, 08:02 PM
 
Location: Lincoln County Road or Armageddon
5,012 posts, read 7,218,725 times
Reputation: 7298
Quote:
Originally Posted by jambo101 View Post
Guess it depends on which source you look at
2011 Best-Performing Cities - 200 Largest Metros
I'm more inclined to believe this than a survey done by Manpower. Cape Coral #1 in the nation? Seriously?
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Old 12-17-2011, 04:31 AM
 
Location: The Conterminous United States
22,584 posts, read 54,259,284 times
Reputation: 13615
Quote:
Originally Posted by jambo101 View Post
Guess it depends on which source you look at
2011 Best-Performing Cities - 200 Largest Metros
This makes far more sense to me. It puts Cape Coral in the 200 spot, dead last, and Lakeland at 186. Both are down from the year before. Pensacola moved up to 73.

I looked a little further - these charts from the Milken Institute are my new favorites - and Cape Coral-Fort Myers was 2nd in 2005 and 1st in 2004. I left in 2005 seeing what so many couldn't see.
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Old 12-17-2011, 10:38 AM
 
Location: Sandy Springs, GA
729 posts, read 1,299,456 times
Reputation: 586
Quote:
Originally Posted by crazynip View Post
This is completely laughable. And Lakeland's airport is ridiculous. Tiny, way out in the middle of nowhere, useless. Love the flights to where? Hagerstown? Springfield, IL?, Myrtle Beach?

What a complete waste of money, I hope no public money was blown on this
Everyone has to start somewhere. A lot of airports were once out in the "Middle of nowhere" as you say and industry developed around it. I would hardly call an airport 4 miles SW of downtown that's surrounded by corporate and regional offices, distribution centers and neighborhoods "Middle of nowhere".

You also omitted destinations Plattsburgh NY, Niagra Falls NY and San Juan Puerto Rico. I'll let you look up how everything was financed.
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Old 12-17-2011, 11:18 AM
 
35,309 posts, read 52,269,210 times
Reputation: 30999
Quote:
Originally Posted by crazynip View Post
This is completely laughable. And Lakeland's airport is ridiculous. Tiny, way out in the middle of nowhere, useless. Love the flights to where? Hagerstown? Springfield, IL?, Myrtle Beach?

What a complete waste of money, I hope no public money was blown on this
You should check out Lakeland airports annual "Sun and fun Fly In"
Its a major USA event, lots of planes,parties and interesting people. Sun n' Fun » Home
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