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With all the new people also means more choices in restaurants, shopping, nightlife, cultural activities, etc. It's both a plus and a minus.
Nowhere in Florida is it as crowded as it's in Miami, and I view it as a net positive. Sure when I'm stuck in traffic I grumble, but when I see all these new businesses open up ... it's worth it.
For retirees I can see why this is not optimal. They came for some peace and quiet from cities like NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, DC and Chicago and now the noise, crowds are following them. But those of us who are not retired, I think we have a vested interest in seeing a more international, cosmopolitan Florida.
I suppose this is my fault for not telling the complete story, so here goes.
My father-in-law's parents moved their family to Florida back in the '50s and the house that they bought in 1959 is still in the family, which is where my in-laws stay when they are there for a month in February. Most of the family actually moved out of Florida years ago, including my father-in-law, to find better paying work, so the net balance of people down there on account of our family is actually much fewer now than it was 50 years ago, if that helps you to feel better. They're not so much snowbirds as natives who only return for a month out of each year, to be accurate.
My husband does not benefit from Florida one way or the other. If you haven't been to Orlando lately, well, let's face it, it's just not all that great. He has no desire to live there, EVER, and only goes to help his parents whose health is starting to fail. He does not go to enjoy the weather, golf, etc. like others, he actually attended a funeral when he was there and visited his uncle in the nursing home. Woo-hoo.
Again, my fault for not telling the "whole story", my apologies to you, I hope you feel better now. I can imagine how aggravating it is for you (obviously) that so many are moving down there, sorry about your luck.
With all the new people also means more choices in restaurants, shopping, nightlife, cultural activities, etc. It's both a plus and a minus.
Nowhere in Florida is it as crowded as it's in Miami, and I view it as a net positive. Sure when I'm stuck in traffic I grumble, but when I see all these new businesses open up ... it's worth it.
For retirees I can see why this is not optimal. They came for some peace and quiet from cities like NYC, Boston, Philadelphia, DC and Chicago and now the noise, crowds are following them. But those of us who are not retired, I think we have a vested interest in seeing a more international, cosmopolitan Florida.
I agree! It's very refreshing to read a positive post about the Miami area. Glad you are happy there!
I agree! It's very refreshing to read a positive post about the Miami area. Glad you are happy there!
The several people who complain about Miami on this board live in Kendall and similar areas. Which is quite a problem in hindsight, Miami's identity gets plastered onto all her suburban communities.
I'm not going to bash living in Kendall, but tbh, it's not for me and I can see why they'd be miserable.
OTOH, everyone who posts here who lives in Miami Beach seems to have nice things to say about Miami.
Yes, that's basically what I'm saying. I'm not saying I don't like Florida itself, I just don't like how things ARE in Florida and would not want to live there because of it. I would have loved Florida 50-60 years ago, just as I would have loved LA 80-90 years ago, but now? For me, and this is just my opinion and shouldn't matter a hill of beans to anyone here, I do feel like places that were once considered the closest thing to paradise on earth are now largely ruined by the masses of people who have moved there trying to have their own little slice of the pie, Florida and LA included.
Take Orlando, for example. When my father-in-law's parents moved there back in the '50s, their property backed up to a beautiful lake and across the street were pastures full of cows and orange groves (I'm told by my in-laws, I wasn't alive then). There was no Disney, a fraction of the number of snowbirds that are there today, and very little sprawl or congestion. IOW, you wouldn't recognize it today. Today their house sits in a massive sprawl of block after block after block of aging neighborhoods and congested streets. Orange Blossom Trail is a massive headache on a good day, and forget getting anywhere in a timely manner on any freeway in the area. And yes, I realize that people moving there in the '50s were the beginning of the problem, I can't speak for them, they are long gone, and it wasn't me who moved there.
So to answer your question, I like what Florida was and I don't like how it is now. I realize all areas are not Orlando, but at the rate people are flocking down there, they will be eventually as more and more people try to find their little uncrowded spot. No, thanks.
But I think it's great that there are people like you who love it there and I wish you every happiness.
Last edited by canudigit; 02-25-2016 at 01:21 PM..
The several people who complain about Miami on this board live in Kendall and similar areas. Which is quite a problem in hindsight, Miami's identity gets plastered onto all her suburban communities.
I'm not going to bash living in Kendall, but tbh, it's not for me and I can see why they'd be miserable.
OTOH, everyone who posts here who lives in Miami Beach seems to have nice things to say about Miami.
This is fairly accurate.
If you're basic and u live in Kendall, West Chester, Hialeah and or the hood in Opa Locka and NMB...you're not gonna be happy. Everywhere else is pretty nice.
I currently live in CT with my husband and 2 boys but am planning a move to Brevard county in about a year and a half. My reasoning for moving down there is as follows: First, I have family down there, a sister, niece and nephew that I haven't seen in years. Secondly, I am done with winter. I would much rather take the sweltering summer heat of FL than have to drive the slippery ice covered roads in winter anymore. FL offers must better gardening and the opportunity to grow fruit trees that I cannot grow up here. My job is something I can find in any state and the salary doesn't really change much from CT to FL. And lastly, the older I get, the more I want to be near the ocean. I do however have a realistic plan to get there and do not plan on coming down without a job, house, etc. I am not fooled into thinking that the move will dramatically change my life. I am just entering a new phase in my life and would like to enjoy that phase in a new setting.
I totally understand what you're saying and I do agree. We relocated from NYC in 1988 and went to Orlando. I liked Orlando since I first saw it in 1972, again in 77, then every year until 87. Lot's of research went into where we should go and our research told us Orlando was growing and would continue to grow into the foreseeable future. The growth of the Orlando metro area well exceeded our expectations and that was not a good thing. By 98 we were looking to get away from the metro but it wasnt the right time for us. 2005 came around, the housing market was booming, I was facing a salary cut at work due to certain FL legislative moves and we grabbed the opportunity to bail out. We went 90 miles due west. We had our eye on Spring Hill for several years and we felt that the growth potential was here but limited due to the location. Gulf on the west, farms and ranches to the east until the Withlacoochee forest and then still a nice gap until west Orange county and very rural area to the north. The growth did and still is happening but it's good because it has brought every national chain here. It wasnt too long ago that you hqd to go 15, 20 miles south of here for groceries. There is still lots of open land around here so I am sure growth will continue but it will eventually reach a saturation point.
The large cities in FL have grown like mad. Orlando, Tampa, Miami/Dade, Broward are all very crowded places. My brother, who is in Pembroke Pines, saw cow pastures, farms and undeveloped land turn into
turn into subdivisions and shopping areas. Traffic there is nuts.
As New York City and its metro area got more crowded and expensive a whole lot of people got priced out of the rental market, taxes outside of the city multiplied and an already expensive city got more expensive to live and that basically left a lot of people no choice but to get out of Dodge. Many of them came to FL, North Carolina and other not as crowded/expensive areas. Being urban people they went to the cities.
FL can be very livable once you are far enough from the major cities. That is a problem because the jobs are in the cities and that leaves a lot of people with a long daily commute.
Surely the sheer number of people in FL have changed its character and a lot more and it is not the same place as it was 30, 40 and 50 years ago. However, there are still lots of locations around the state where you can find a less humming Florida but it causes a lot of give and take.
Quote:
Originally Posted by canudigit
Yes, that's basically what I'm saying. I'm not saying I don't like Florida itself, I just don't like how things ARE in Florida and would not want to live there because of it. I would have loved Florida 50-60 years ago, just as I would have loved LA 80-90 years ago, but now? For me, and this is just my opinion and shouldn't matter a hill of beans to anyone here, I do feel like places that were once considered the closest thing to paradise on earth are now largely ruined by the masses of people who have moved there trying to have their own little slice of the pie, Florida and LA included.
Take Orlando, for example. When my father-in-law's parents moved there back in the '50s, their property backed up to a beautiful lake and across the street were pastures full of cows and orange groves (I'm told by my in-laws, I wasn't alive then). There was no Disney, a fraction of the number of snowbirds that are there today, and very little sprawl or congestion. IOW, you wouldn't recognize it today. Today their house sits in a massive sprawl of block after block after block of aging neighborhoods and congested streets. Orange Blossom Trail is a massive headache on a good day, and forget getting anywhere in a timely manner on any freeway in the area. And yes, I realize that people moving there in the '50s were the beginning of the problem, I can't speak for them, they are long gone, and it wasn't me who moved there.
So to answer your question, I like what Florida was and I don't like how it is now. I realize all areas are not Orlando, but at the rate people are flocking down there, they will be eventually as more and more people try to find their little uncrowded spot. No, thanks.
But I think it's great that there are people like you who love it there and I wish you every happiness.
FL can be very livable once you are far enough from the major cities. That is a problem because the jobs are in the cities and that leaves a lot of people with a long daily commute.
I want to add that pretty much anything in interior Florida will be rural and country. I'm not to familar with Central or North Florida, but even here in South Florida, places around Lake Okeechobee feel like they belong in a different era.
And while I know your post was designed to tell her there are quiet places in Florida, I take issue with you implying the Florida cities are not livable.
To me they are much more livable (read desirable, I can live pretty much anywhere) than the rural or suburban parts of the state. Your preferences and mileage can vary.
Here in Miami Beach, I can walk everywhere. To the Beach, to the Bay, to a plethora of restaurant choices, to a plethora of shopping choices from boutiques, chains, electronics, furniture, etc. I can walk to movie theaters, clinics, dentists, grocery stores, you name it. I think that only people in a select few cities in this country can enjoy the same lifestyle.
I do own a car here, it's parked and I rarely use it. Only when I want to go to the mainland, and often just for joy-riding purposes. When it's a nice day, take it for a spin, put the top down, rev the engine.
Last year I was seeing some woman who lived in Jupiter (PBC), maybe for your standards Jupiter might be too busy still. It's in Southern Florida, it's traffic doubles come winter-time, but for me it was one of the most depressing places I spent a considerable amount of time in 2015.
To be fair everything was clean, well-maintained but I hated the lack of walkable options, the sterility of everything. OTOH, my girlfriend loved it and was puzzled (like most people who live in PBC are) how I could insist that I preferred Miami. To her, Miami was busier, more ghetto, and more chaotic.
I was only 18, but I went to Florida in 1983 and saw several parts of it. I loved parts of it and got a slight taste of "old Florida". I am glad I did. We really looked for a place we could get a taste of it, when we visited a few weeks ago (to be a counterbalance to our stay in Miami). We did find some of it in Key Largo (shout out to Robbie's in Islamorada.....a neat older place). But the Keys seem to be getting overrun too. (We really considered spending some time in the Everglades but our boys really love the beach and we needed that to be part of which ever place we chose; we did do a boat ride into the edge of the Everglades which was nice but even there it was development right up to the very edge of the protected areas.). We were hoping for a quieter, out of the way beach area not too far from Miami.
Last edited by maineguy8888; 02-25-2016 at 08:34 PM..
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