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I actually thought posters would favor CA by a landslide, but so far that is not the case. If you don't mind me asking, how long have you lived in CA and why are you moving to FL? I am attracted to CA for its weather, diversity/openness and opportunities, but the COL is what slows me down.
Why don't you post this in the California forum and see how you do ?
I actually thought posters would favor CA by a landslide, but so far that is not the case. If you don't mind me asking, how long have you lived in CA and why are you moving to FL? I am attracted to CA for its weather, diversity/openness and opportunities, but the COL is what slows me down.
You only live once, go for it! I've moved 10 times in my life. I've lived in two countries. When I want to experience life somewhere, just do it. I plan to move to Florida in 2016, but I will also spend a year living in South Korea around 2017 or so. Life is short, you don't want to have any regrets later in life. Just have an exit plan.
California is more fun. It has unmatched topographical diversity. Many parts of it are stunningly beautiful. The weather is better. The people are more laid back, more educated, friendlier. I was never a fan of the big cities when I used to live there. I loved the suburbian areas and the smaller desert and mountain towns. The strange priorities of the state and municipal governments, the extremely large number of illegals, high taxes, water shortages, and the very high cost of everything... all make it a very challenging place to live. As much as I love it I don't think I'd move back there. Florida has its own beauty and charm, though it doesn't really compare. The two states are as different fom each other as night is from day. I am still in Florida because there are still a few things about it that I like.
This comments sums up how I feel.
I'm native Floridian and lived in CA some of the 1980s/90s about 7 years. CA is a great state but Florida is a close 2nd and since I am from Florida I settled here. Money is not the issue for me, but the stress of moving back to CA at my age (I am 54) would not be good for me. However, I have always considered moving back but not sure where.
Why don't you post this in the California forum and see how you do ?
LOL. That's a big problem with many (but not all) people from CA, most specifically the "look at me" LA/Hollywood population. It's just UNFATHOMABLE to them that most people in FL would not prefer CA, but are just stuck someplace they would rather not be. The hubris is laughable. Every state has it's own set of problems and Florida is not without hers, but to move here and think it is going to be like CA or NY, with a WHOLE DIFFERENT SET OF THEIR OWN PROBLEMS is just unrealistic. And like I think an earlier poster said, I'm sure lifelong residents of FL are sick of transplants moving here and bashing it compared to where they were before. People should live in the state/neighborhood that best matches their needs and lifestyle. It's that concept of "diversity" on a national level
LOL. That's a big problem with many (but not all) people from CA, most specifically the "look at me" LA/Hollywood population. It's just UNFATHOMABLE to them that most people in FL would not prefer CA, but are just stuck someplace they would rather not be. The hubris is laughable. Every state has it's own set of problems and Florida is not without hers, but to move here and think it is going to be like CA or NY, with a WHOLE DIFFERENT SET OF THEIR OWN PROBLEMS is just unrealistic. And like I think an earlier poster said, I'm sure lifelong residents of FL are sick of transplants moving here and bashing it compared to where they were before. People should live in the state/neighborhood that best matches their needs and lifestyle. It's that concept of "diversity" on a national level
The "look at me" LA/Hollywood crowd are about as relevant in the big scheme of things as the "South Beach" crowd in Miami.
But it seems you have opinions about California despite never having been there for about 30 years?
30 years? Huh?...I was there last month, I closed on my Estate Property in Sonoma, I have been all over California, SF Bay Area, LA and San Diego probably about 4 times a year for the past 20+ years. Also my father lived in LA when he was young and his family moved back east to Philly, I have relatives in the Greater LA area who were born and raised there...
Life in Florida is very different from life in California.
The major cities in California are much older and more established than those in Florida, so they tend to be more urban, walkable, densely-populated, and cosmopolitan by comparison. Public transportation utilization rates are higher in California, and some cities such as San Francisco have, far and away, better and more comprehensive public transportation infrastructure than any city in Florida or the entire South, for that matter. California cities also have far more pre-WWII architecture compared to Florida, the latter of which wasn't really developed until the advent of air conditioning in the mid-to-late 20th century.
The milder weather and more varied terrain of California encourage outdoor activity and recreation, helping California attain its status as one of the healthiest states in the country. Although better than most Southern states in health metrics, Florida has higher incidences of smoking, obesity, and chronic illness such as diabetes and hypertension than California, partly due to more lower-income individuals and families and less emphasis on active, healthy lifestyles overall.
California has a stronger, more diversified economy than Florida. There's more well-paying industry in California such as tech, biotech, pharma, and investment banking to name a few, so your average Californian tends to be higher earning and more gainfully employed than your average Floridian. Even low-wage, low-skill workers in the manufacturing, trade, and healthcare sectors in particular enjoy higher comparative wages, more comprehensive non-wage benefits, and better state-level protections than their counterparts in Florida, which is a RTW state with very limited union participation rates. Compared to California, Florida has a service-oriented economy with a strong hospitality and tourism orientation, a sector that is notorious for low wages, limited non-wage benefits, and non-existent upward economic mobility. Consistent with Arizona, the service-oriented economy of Florida doesn't tend to attract highly ambitious youth, so a lot of younger people in Florida tend to be apathetic and unmotivated.
California is home to a much better educated, more talented workforce--and general populace, for that matter--than Florida, which is one of the reasons why so much modern innovation comes from California. In addition to a strong history of innovation, California has a more competitive ethos, entrepreneurial spirit, and intellectual vibe than Florida. This, of course, is due to a multitude of factors, but primarily the greater abundance of well-paying industry and prestigious institutions of higher learning in California.
Because Florida is less educated and cosmopolitan than California, you'll encounter much more intolerance and small-mindedness in Florida than in California, not to mention much less support for progressive ideals and movements such as hybrid and electric cars, the "green" movement (i.e., recycling, curbing emissions, etc.), same-sex marriage, organic eating and living, smoking bans, caps on land development, and so forth. Overall, people are lot more open, tolerant, and accepting in California--no cares what religion you are, where you're from, or who you sleep with.
In reality, living in Florida is like living in the South, but without the politeness, friendliness, and hospitality. The general lack of civility and common courtesy in the major cities is frightening and is due in large part to "six degrees of separation." People are friendlier and more pleasant in California than in Florida, hands down, which is a far less transient, anonymous society. Unlike California, Florida is loaded with miserable transplants from the Northeast, although mostly New York and New Jersey, who have that lousy "tough-guy" attitude that remains in place even after 20 years in Florida--constantly striving to be rude, ghetto, shrewd, or some other variant of "tough" while trying to deceive or "put on over" you in any way possible. Then, you have to contend with the shady transient element--everyone in Florida has a story, and most of the time, it's not pretty. Lots of people in Florida are running from something in their past--a violent ex, a criminal record, an abusive childhood, a history of drug abuse, etc. People have a lot of "baggage" down there, for sure, which is why there's much more crime and many more drug and social issues in Florida than in California.
In Florida, you'll notice a lot of people moving down from the Tri-State area and into shiny new tract homes in a gated communities, thinking they have "arrived" like the second coming of baby Jesus. Before long, these people think they're rich and, in their minds, "rich" people are rude, even though most people with family and long-term wealth are quite down-to-earth, so now they begin looking down their noses at people in service industry jobs. While living in Florida, I witnessed absolute horrid behavior among transplants, especially older ones, when talking to store clerks or restaurant servers--never witnessed anything even remotely comparable in California.
Most of the people who live in California were born in California, so there's a much stronger, more well-defined state culture, and civic engagement levels tend to be higher. There's less in the way of voter apathy in California, and all of the professional sports teams have larger, more dedicated fan-bases than any team I can think of in Florida, where most sporting events draw larger away-team crowds than home-team crowds. California is a lot less transient, too. In addition to many more natives--and very proud, dyed-in-the-wool natives, I might add--California is the type of place where people move to, assimilate to the local culture, and stay whereas Florida is more of a place where people come, complain, and go. People in California pledge their allegiance to California, even if they're from elsewhere, whereas people in Florida are more likely to pledge their allegiance to New York, Massachusetts, or Illinois. That alone should speak volumes to anyone deciding between the two states.
I've lived in both, and without a doubt, the lifestyle of California is vastly superior to that of Florida. It's not even much of a contest, really.
While I can say I agree with you on some of what you said, the NY/NJ "fuggedaboutit" mentality, Jersey Guido's (I'm 100% Italian Descent, grandparents came over on the boat, so I'm only offending my own kin) and I cannot stand it either.
Another thing we have here over California is the % of Jewish people are a high here as well, not that I have problems with many, some are real bad to do business with and burned me a few times. I manage a few HNW clients that are very difficult to deal with, make poor investments and then come back and blame me for their losses.
I tend to not want to land their accounts or do business with many and pass them off to others or the competition. Very difficult to work with often and all are from New York, some made their wealth in the garment industry or diamond industry in NY.
Transients, weirdos and etc, well California has plenty, let's not forget about Phillip Garrido and his twisted Wife and there are more to add, but Florida also ranks high in the news on a daily basis so often it's a toss up.
I'm sure lifelong residents of FL are sick of transplants moving here and bashing it compared to where they were before.
We are very sick of them ... especially NJ/NY people. These loud mouth Guidos crawl down here to Florida and act like Animals. I hope they go back where they came from! We have enough people in Florida now, and to those thinking of moving here, you better think long and hard because Florida is hard place to make a decent living. Most people come here with big dreams but don't plan and fall on their faces.
If you want to make a comfortable living in Florida ....
- Formally educated ( 4 year degree major U.S. college )
- 10+ years experience in your field
- Minimum $200k CASH saved in the Bank
- Solid long time professional connections
- A lot of good luck / karma
- Minimum 25+ years hard work including weekends
If you have none of the above then STAY WHERE YOU ARE!
Last edited by Ray Deckard; 11-17-2014 at 11:11 PM..
The problem is particularly severe in California, which has one-eighth of the U.S. population but accounts for more than one-fifth of the homeless children with a tally of nearly 527,000.
We are very sick of them ... especially NJ/NY people. These loud mouth Guidos crawl down here to Florida and act like Animals. I hope they go back where they came from! We have enough people in Florida now, and to those thinking of moving here, you better think long and hard because Florida is hard place to make a decent living. Most people come here with big dreams but don't plan and fall on their faces.
If you want to make a comfortable living in Florida ....
- Formally educated ( 4 year degree form a major U.S. college )
- 10+ years experience in your field
- Minimum $200k saved in the Bank
- Solid long time professional connections
- A lot of good luck / karma
- Minimum 25+ years hard work including weekends
If you have none of the above then STAY WHERE YOU ARE!
While I agree with your frustration about people coming here and complaining, your bullet points are very exaggerated.
Income vs expenses is how you determine whether or not you can live a comfortable life. Saying you need 10+ years experience in your field, 25+ years of general work experience, $200k+ in the bank AND luck is completely ridiculous. You might be experiencing the beginning stages of Alzheimer's disease if you truly believe that.
I graduated in 2010 and the majority of my friends earn $45k to $65k in Florida, which allows a single person to live a comfortable life. One of my buddies graduated last year from college and was hired with a $45-50k salary plus benefits. He will be earning $60k at the start of 2015. He isn't even 25 and the majority of my friends are between 24 to 28 years old.
What you should have said is... if you can't make ends meet where you currently live and have no higher education or savings, you shouldn't come to Florida with just the clothes on your back expecting your life to turn around. Seriously, the bullet points you listed are ridiculous.
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