[crystalballmagic]

Hey guys!

I'm considering moving to Gainesville for a job.

I'm orginally from the Lansing, Mi area. What's Florida like? Humidity or heat does not bother me. I just want to get out of the very economy in Lansing. It's too much - no jobs, and the rent keeps going up. I can't do this for much longer.

I've been wanting to move to Gainesville for the last year, and I'm 100% on board now. I have to move.

No income tax sounds faboulous, and a short drive to the beach sounds great.

Anybody want to chime in about Gainesville? And anyone moved from Michigan to Florida?

[Fl1150]

As you know Gainesville is a college town so expect a lot of students and college oriented activities to dominate the area. Other than that the closer you get to the border with Georgia the more cold its going to be in the winter. For example now its 60 where I am now but in Gainesville its getting to close in the 40s so take that info into consideration. Pretty progressive place to live with a lot of events throughout the year and the public transportation for its size seems good.

[kyle19125]

Being from Lansing you're probably used to a college-town environment so I don't think that will affect you too much. Obviously winters will be much less severe than Michigan, the six weeks or so we call winter here is a good bit chillier than the southern half of the state. I agree with Fl1150 that Gainesville is quite progressive (a blue island in the center of the state) and offers a good bit of things to do because of the university. It's a 90 minute drive to the closest beach (Crescent Beach just south of St Augustine) or about an hour and fifteen minutes to Jacksonville for more big city amenities which isn't too bad either.

[02blackgt]

I moved from Michigan to florida and love it. I live in North Florida (Jacksonville) as well, which is nice because you still get a hint of seasons. Having a job to come too, like you do, is the single most important thing. Many people fail in florida because they move here thinking life will be a huge vacation. They think palm trees and beaches will solve their issues which couldn't be further from the truth.

Summers do get very hot and wearing on you. I love the heat and even I was getting worn out by the end of last summer. Its really something that no matter what you read and think, you will not fully understand it till you live it.

Given your situation I say go for it. The worst that could happen is you decide florida is not for you, and you head back north. One thing I will say though, is don't be fooled by the job market. Florida does have lots of openings compared to Michigan, but the vast majority are low paying service jobs which will not be enough alone to survive. I moved here with a fortune 500 job to walk into and an accounting degree, so for me it was easy.

I wish you the best of luck with your move, and with the right planning you can be successful.

[Icy Tea]

I'm not seriously thinking about moving to Florida but every time the Powerball gets up there and every February I wish I could buy a place down there to get a winter change of scenery. Its just hard trying to pick an area since I have some varied and particular interests. Maybe somebody could suggest a particular area that might work for me based on these criteria.
Spring training, baseball. I'm a Phillies fan so I would like to take in a few games in Clearwater. I wouldn't say I'd build my stay around that, I would like to be at least able to make a day of it and be within a few hours driving distance at least.
My ideal place would be a neat modest modular home or townhouse condo. No highrises or luxury mansions.
Lifestyle: Just quiet and relaxed. Go to a diner for lunch or dinner. See palm trees and orange groves. No beaches unless its a natural area. Marinas are cool to walk around in. I'd also like to go fishing a few times. Miami is ruled out.
Low crime area. No nightlife scene. Old Florida would be preferred.
I'd really like natural and historic areas. The coral/limestone springs and wildlife sanctuaries and botanical gardens would be cool places to spend time in.
No Disney fan, here. Orlando would be out.
The Kennedy Space Center would be of interest.
I've heard Vero Beach might be a good choice, but its on the other side of the state from Clearwater. Places like Tarpon Springs also have some natural areas and a quieter lifestyle. But I think I'd take the Atlantic Ocean over The Gulf of Mexico.
One of my favorite movies is " Key Largo" and that might be a good place to forget about winter, but I like open space to explore. As many have said, there is no perfect place in Florida. But I'd like a list of places to maybe visit in the future.
Can anyone help?

[kyle19125]

Some of the old Florida-like beach towns would appeal to you I think. Check out the stretch of communities in Brevard County on the Atlantic side starting at Cape Canaveral heading south to Cocoa Beach, Satellite Beach, Indialantic and Melbourne Beach on the south end.

[TestEngr]

Gainesville is nice, we have almost moved there several times. It is all about the university for the most part. Understand though several things are unique in Gainesville versus the rest of FL. First it will have some of the highest tax in FL, if you look at things like RE tax the university is tax exempt and they need to collect from people that live there somehow. So that is one thing. Another is going out of Gainesville you can't go nearby to much of anything outside rural places. But as a town it is upbeat, and modern and very likeable.

The huge places in FL are not great places to live in my mind. I guess if offered a job in Jacksonville consider it but it would not be a first choice here, kind of more a southern city. Miami is crime, crime is Miami. Your car will be broken into quickly or run into and people say you hit them or anything goes in Miami. So big cities are problematic.

We used to love Orlando, and I still do mostly, but well it is getting too big in some ways, traffic and all.

Plenty of other places in FL, depends on what you want.

[Compression]

I came to SW Florida from the north Detroit suburbs 24 years ago this month.

It was a cultural shock, to say the least. Two and a half decades have seen much improvement since I arrived, but you can probably still expect to experience some form of "why the hell would they do that, like this" moments. Just remember "They don't care how you did it up north" and you'll be OK....... eventually.

It is a much different type of economy, mostly service based, as mentioned. For me, after two years of a rough acclimation period, I found my niche, and the rest is pretty sweet from there.

As for the weather, I can honestly say I have NEVER missed the freezing cold, and snow shoveling. However after growing a bit older, the summer heat does begin to wear on you. I have an ever growing jealousy of those "snowbirds" that can get back north for five months in the middle of every year.

If you've got a job when you land here, and are still young enough to be a bit flexible if the wind and tides go against you for a bit, you'll do fine in the sunshine state.

CN.......

[mooksmom]

Originally Posted by crystalballmagic

Hey guys!

I'm considering moving to Gainesville for a job.

I'm orginally from the Lansing, Mi area. What's Florida like? Humidity or heat does not bother me. I just want to get out of the very economy in Lansing. It's too much - no jobs, and the rent keeps going up. I can't do this for much longer.

I've been wanting to move to Gainesville for the last year, and I'm 100% on board now. I have to move.

No income tax sounds faboulous, and a short drive to the beach sounds great.

Anybody want to chime in about Gainesville? And anyone moved from Michigan to Florida?

I know Gainesville x 40+ yrs. Like another said, "It's a college town." and there is NOTHING wrong with that, but it is a way of life. It might keep you feeling younger; might be annoying. It depends on what extra-curricular activities you might like to do or be into. I have watched Gainesville GROW and it is quite easy to get around in. My only reason for not living there is EZ access to the beaches, and that is just my preference in retirement. There are enough people there from other parts of the USA to make it fun to live in.