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The couple of beaches that are right on Key West are small...I was there a couple of weeks ago and i prefer some of the beaches on the other Keys--especially Islamorada--but that's a long way up from Key West. I thought Key West--it's an island--there will be a beach around the whole thing--wrong, wrong and wrong. I was really disappointed the first time I drove down to Key West--but it wasn't the best day for me...so I gave it another shot. Still didn't like the island all that much. The houses and shopping in Old Key West is nice, but the rest...well?????
My fiance and I moving to the Keys in September 2010 (before you ask, I am being relocated by my company with a great salary) but currently we live up in the Boston area. My fiancee works as a carpenter exclusively in the high-end, historic renovation sector but originally trained as plasterer. It is our understanding the the majority of any building/ renovations in the Keys are done with drywall, but is there a market for plastering? I'm not familiar with the drywall vs. plaster debate in Florida but up in the northeast plastering is considered to be far superior to drywall as it is more solid, more soundproof, more fireproof, and it resists mold/mildew which is important because of our wet winters and humid summers. He also finds that plastered walls are used as a huge marketing point in selling a house.
We have visited the Keys many times and we found that the architecture in Key West is very similar to that of New England so the custom work he has been doing up here can definitely be utilized when we relocate. Although he loves doing the custom carpentry he makes more money from his "side" plastering because of his training/ expertise so if there was even a small market for it then it is something he wants to look into. Any advice and input is greatly appreciated!
Yeah, we kind of got the impression that anyone who has a few tools will call themselves a “carpenter” and it’s the exact same situation in Boston. The other job titles are also on the increase in this area-between MA taxes, unions, and healthcare costs it’s impossible for small businesses to survive and big businesses to operate. With more colleges/ universities per square mile than any other place in the country (and those colleges/ universities pay no taxes) this area is flooded with graduates who are 100k in debt with no jobs in site because most of the “white collar” careers have been shipped overseas.
Apartments are small and very expensive. If you live on the island, you will pay $1200 for a crappy, run down, small place but what will really kill you is the electric bill. Think, no central a/c. Parking is insane. It's better you get a scooter or a bicycle.
You can live a few keys up and maybe have cheaper housing, but you will have to drive about 20 miles back and forth to work in Key West. There are grocery stores in Key West, and the next further up north is on Big Pine, about 30 miles away. Fresh produce is harder to come by. Gas will add up- and sometimes its just cheaper and easier to live on Key West.
Most jobs are in the tourism, restaurant industry or sales. Locals see so many people come and go that they really don't want to invest getting to know you unless you've been there for at least 5 years. Ditto for trying to start a new business.
Everything is more expensive there. At first, I didn't realize it, but a dollar more here, a dollar more there. It adds up. There is no Macys, or Barnes & Noble or Starbucks and the nearest Walmart is 4 hours away in Homestead. All the restaurants are either horrifically expensive $25/plate unless you want a burger or fish sandwich at a bar which you can find for $10. Or fast food.
Also, every time a hurricane threatens, you will have to decide, in advance if you are going to evacuate or not. Keep in mind that if the hurricane hits, you will most likely be flooded and lose your car. Nearest evacuation site is Homestead, 4 hours away.
Also, the laws for contractors in FL are very strict. You have to be licensed by the state, carry workman's comp and liability insurance. Its not like some other states where you can get a business license and work as a handyman. Doing contract work without that license is a felony. Remember its a small town. Everybody knows everybody.
But it is beautiful. The water is great. Smather's beach is nice. Every nights a party and most people are interesting eclectic types who work just enough to pay rent and buy pot. But its very live and let live.
Apartments are small and very expensive. If you live on the island, you will pay $1200 for a crappy, run down, small place but what will really kill you is the electric bill. Think, no central a/c. Parking is insane. It's better you get a scooter or a bicycle.
You can live a few keys up and maybe have cheaper housing, but you will have to drive about 20 miles back and forth to work in Key West. There are grocery stores in Key West, and the next further up north is on Big Pine, about 30 miles away. Fresh produce is harder to come by. Gas will add up- and sometimes its just cheaper and easier to live on Key West.
Most jobs are in the tourism, restaurant industry or sales. Locals see so many people come and go that they really don't want to invest getting to know you unless you've been there for at least 5 years. Ditto for trying to start a new business.
Everything is more expensive there. At first, I didn't realize it, but a dollar more here, a dollar more there. It adds up. There is no Macys, or Barnes & Noble or Starbucks and the nearest Walmart is 4 hours away in Homestead. All the restaurants are either horrifically expensive $25/plate unless you want a burger or fish sandwich at a bar which you can find for $10. Or fast food.
Also, every time a hurricane threatens, you will have to decide, in advance if you are going to evacuate or not. Keep in mind that if the hurricane hits, you will most likely be flooded and lose your car. Nearest evacuation site is Homestead, 4 hours away.
Also, the laws for contractors in FL are very strict. You have to be licensed by the state, carry workman's comp and liability insurance. Its not like some other states where you can get a business license and work as a handyman. Doing contract work without that license is a felony. Remember its a small town. Everybody knows everybody.
But it is beautiful. The water is great. Smather's beach is nice. Every nights a party and most people are interesting eclectic types who work just enough to pay rent and buy pot. But its very live and let live.
Thanks for your input! We have traveled to the area quite a few times- Marathon, Big Pine, and Key West. Some travel was for vacation purposes but mostly for us to be able to make price and tax comparisons on everything. The Keys has it's pro's and con's but it's all relative to where you're from and what you're looking for. Massachusetts is one of the most expensive states to live in. My fiance's wages would definitely go down in the Keys (my salary is being matched) but even with that change it is actually still cheaper in the Keys, even Key West, then up here in the Northeast. We have an income tax (with my salary and being single I am taxed at a high rate because I make more then the medium income) and we did have a low sales tax but that is being increased to almost 7%.
For starters, rentals up in/around Boston start around 1200 for a 1 bedroom that really is the size of closet, utilities are not included, and usually in buildings/ houses that are old, old, old. You can easily spend over $1000 in heating oil just to get thru the winter months. Electric can range from 60-100+ a month, lesser in the summer, and if you have electric heating you're screwed. You can use natural gas as a resource instead of oil but infrastructure up here is so old and dilapidated that gas leaks or a norm and unfortunately houses have blown up from it.
We both have vehicles and I can't wait to get rid of mine when we move down. Alhtough our gas tax is lower then FL our commutes cost us a significant amount of $. My commute to work right now is 40 minutes and that's a short commute! But in a month my commute is going to be over an hour because my company is relocating to the other side of Boston. Car insurance is extremely expensive and because of the cold weather you usually have to put money into repairs caused by salt on the road, plowes kicking up rocks and shattering your windshield, and sub-zero temperatures wreaking havok on your engine. My fiance's commute can range from 20 minutes to over 3 hours. MA is one of the strictest states in the country (from what we're learning it's much more strict then FL) when it comes to building codes and construction so he is also required to be licensed and carry workman's comp and liability as well as health insurance for himself and any other person on the crew. Just for himself the health insurance is over $300 (you can get a stripped down plan but it hardly covers anything and you make up the cost with co-pays). Because everyone in MA is required to have and offer insurance a lot of small businesses have gone under.
Although we don't have hurricane's, the coast of MA is eroding at an alarming rate and just last week 3 houses fell into the water! There wasn't a flood or a tide surge or any wind, the ground just gave out and they floated away! Any nor'easter's or storms just worsen the situation and although evacuations are not mandatory they have happened to us. We also get ice storms which do more damage then blizzards. Last year there were cities north of us that didn't get power for a month.
Food and restaurants are comparable depending on your eating habits but we did shop alot in the keys at your grocery stores and there was not a significant difference. Going out to eat is definitely more expensive up here and personally we feel going out to eat is overated and we cook all of our meals at home, but we just had a cheese pizza the other night that cost us $25 (and this was "bar" pizza). I did find your selection of foods in Keys to be much better and fresher then what we get up here and obviously budgeting food and what you buy is the way to go in order to not overspend. We don't care for Starbucks (we make our coffee at home) and although we have a lot of malls and Nordstrom's and Macy's we have found it cheaper to purchase most of our stuff, online, in bulk. Even with shipping costs to the Keys we found buying online is the way to do. Walmart is overated and not the cheapest option, but it has taken me a year + to learn how to shop on the internet and once you "get it" down it's easy to spend half as much $ online then it is in buying items from a store.
People from Massachusetts are called M*******s, and there's a reason for that. New England has been called the "picket fence" of america because natives are extremely unreceptive to outsiders. Once we get to know you (after a few years) then we'll be your best friend for life, but it takes a while for us to get there! But in Key West we were actually invited to a few cookouts held by locals after meeting them on the street and we had a great time! But, like I said before, there are pro's and con's in any area of the country and it comes down to the type of person you are (socially and financially) to decide what works for you.
While on vacation from Sarasota,FL instantly I was overwhelmingly enchanted with the little island of Key West. It is very very charming, visually beautifull, and gives off the overwhelming essance of a "unique" culture & lifestyle experience. ALL of that IT IS!!....
Instantly I moved here and began working, and working, and WORKING. Figuring over the course of time I would be able to find the "right job" or "right apartment $ituation" that would allow me to settle into the "laid-back" lifestyle that seemed so prevelant the day I arrived.
After 2 & 1/2 years I AM STILL WORKING. & HARD. & have finally decided to call it quits. I am still living here but attempting to save every penny to be able to move. I have been able to network myself a tiny room with a bathroom for @$750.00 a month. I have no kitchen, and no space to do anything in my place except sleep. My neighbors are LOUD, disrespectfull, and change frequently. I DO NOT RECOMMEND ROOMATE SITUATIONS in this town as soo many people are in desperate situations. The air immediately outside my door is polluted with cigarette smoke 24 hours a day. I often find homless people sleeping near my scooter or using my front yard as a toilet.
The weekends are crowded(like a major city/traffic)with tourists looking for reckless activity. The local people are very very nice-but It took them A YEAR before they trusted me enough to talk to me or give me a chance to be friends with them.
The jobs are PLENTIFULL, and PAY WELL!! (Double what you would make in the rest of Florida) but they are HARD, LONG-HOURS, and the average person needs to work 2 or 3 of them to be able to afford the astronomical rent. And everybody is treated as "replaceable". Everybody works 50-70hrs per week so there is VERY LITTLE TIME for a social life, or ability to enjoy the enviorment.
It was a good experience, but as a 36yo single guy I would only recommend it to someone who is merried, partnered, independantly wealthy, or able to move here with someone (they already trust) in order to "split the rent." Or is perhaps someone "college-age" who is willing to work the long hard hours it takes to pay the exorborant rent just for the experience of it, or the "glamour of being able to say" they live here.
what did you go to school for? any chance you can do flash or web graphics well? do not count out finding a temp or contract work job in your field as opposed to the tourism industry. good luck!
I lived in Key West from 2008-2009, and there is a Starbucks. It's still at 430 Duval Street, the busiest street in KW. If you DIDN'T know this, I sort of think you didn't spend much time down there. No Macy's but a Banana Republic and many locally owned clothing stores. Most people mail order everything, anyway. Homestead is not 4 hours away. South Beach to KW is 4 hours. Many people leave the island and go shopping for a weekend. Yes, it's expensive (I left also) and junky apartments for $1800. But it's hardly some wasteland with not stores or restaurants. You should buy local anyway, plenty of small cafes and stores to spend money at (with better coffee...)
Meaning (like in Miami Beach) the average summer you'll probably only see low 90s. Nothing dancing around 100 degrees. However, if you factor in heat index, then I guess.
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Life in Key West
My 2 Year Key West Experience..
they live here.
