[itsajourney]

Originally Posted by Sunny-Days90

Yet another person calling a previous place they lived HOME.

People, if you call your old place HOME then you never should have left it.

My opinion is where I live is MY HOME. Not where I came from.

If you cannot let go of that old place you call HOME then you surely are in a hole from the start when you move to your new HOME.

Think about it, when we leave Ohio it will not longer be home. HOME is where the heart is and many of you cannot let go of the old place to call your new place home.

If you have lived in Florida 32 years then you wont like the old place because it has changed since you last lived there.

If it has been 4 years then for the life of me if I do not like the location I chose to move to, I guarantee you I wont sit there for 4 years under no circumstances.

I am finding out that most people who moved to Florida from somewhere else made the wrong decision in the first place and did not do your research on the state, town, schools, crime, jobs etc etc. So with that said it is showing me that these Florida haters are a total fault for not liking Florida because of the poor decision making.

I have yet to see one single Florida hater post that they made a mistake by moving to Florida and it was ALL their fault.

Come on people fess up to your mistakes, it is ok, you wont be held lower because of your honesty, for once I would like to see someone finally say "Hey it was my fault, I picked the wrong town etc"

I have often wondered about that place we call "home". It's rather odd actually. I am almost 50 yrs. old. Home is where I currently reside, but I still refer to my mother's home where I grew up and my childhood hometown as home.

I proabaly have deeper roots in my hometown than anywhere I have lived as an adult because I have never put down real roots and we moved so often after I married. I sometimes wonder what my children will call home because they never spent the amount of time in one house the way I did.

So yes, home is where the heart is for whatever reason, but it is not necessarily a place we would ever go back to. I for one will never move back to my little itty bitty hometown in central Illinois. I go back to visit relatives, but were it not for that, there would be no reason for me to return--but it will ALWAYS be the place I remember as home.

Another thing that I think is interesting, many people who move to Florida, stay for a few years, go back to where they came from because they "remember" life was better there--but THEN, some decide Florida wasn't all that bad after all. Many wish they could return. I have found myself in that situation more than once--which is why I am not so quick to judge Florida harshly when I think I want to live somewhere else. Been there, done that, at least 3 times--always returning to Florida.

[ngrome]

Originally Posted by LewLew

I have been in FL for 7 years, and my husband has been here 14. We are moving back north within the year hopefully. That is not a bash on FL, just moving.
I would recommend anyone giving FL at least 2 years before they make a judgment call.

I'm giving it three more years, that's all. May 2012 marks our exodus out of FL. There were some merits to living here and there were some good times, but it feels right to be moving on as well. Where up north will you be going if you don't mind me asking?

[Shoegal1075]

Everyone's situation is different. I currently live in NY and lived here for most of my life, with the exception of 5 years, when my parents divorced and my mom and I moved to Maryland with her family. I have to say that I loved Maryland, it is a beautiful state. I didn't love the area I lived so much, but my mom was a waitress and we lived accordingly, so I didn't get the big cushy house, but I still have fond memories of school life and how it was very tv like (from a nyers stand point). Football games on Friday night's, school dances and all that comes along with that. I came back to NY my senior year of highschool, I was devistated to leave everything that I had become accustomed to - when you want to, you can adapt fairly quickly to a place, I even had what you might call a southern draw - However, I got along quickly here, graduated high school on a certificate of merrit, went onto do some college (did not graduate) and have settled into work life in NY very well. I make about 85K a year as a legal secretary. Pays the bills, I send my 2 boys to Catholic school, have a financed car, a car that I own and a tiny little apartment in Queens that I pay 1500$ a month for. Still I want better for my boys! I know all things are relative, but those who hate it so much where they are have to ask themselves, is the situation where they were better or is it just that the situation is one they were used to? I told you my whole story, so that you could know that things aren't much better elsewhere.

There are certain places that are more compatible for certain people. I think SFL is better suited for people coming from NY, because the slow down is not as dramatic as say Savanah, GA. That being said, I think that you have to mentally prepare yourself, especially when you come from a place like NYC. There are always reasons you leave a place, so if you go to a new place and don't like it, it doesn't mean the place is bad, just means it was a bad fit for you personally.

It is really sad when people have their stories of meeting up with mean people. I know it is discouraging, believe me, I'm thinking 4 and 5 times about SFL, because of all the negative I've been hearing. Still, I know that if I don't make the move, I'll never know.

I haven't had horrible nor great experiencea in NYC, but I would never tell someone to never move here it is hell on earth. I will give my opinion that if you are coming say from the mid west, it may not be your cup of tea and unless, you are going to make a lot of money, you are not going to live the "Friends or Seinfield" life style. That is just not a reality. There are lots of things that people take for granted as a given when the state they live in provides these amenities as basics, ie. dishwasher, pool, w/d, wwc, gym. There are plenty of places (namely NYC) that you have to pay a price for all of this. I had a person tell me "Chels, I only pay 50$ less for an apartment 50 square feet bigger than yours" my response that that is that, that can be completely true, but where this person lived was the equivalent of the Time Warner building in NYC - not familiar with that?? Well, Derek Jeter lives there, just to give you an idea of how nice it is. Average rent there is 5k a month for a 1 bedroom with one bath, never mind a 2 bedroom 2 bath 1200sq ft apartment, but it has all the amenities stated above, however the w/d is in the building not in the apartment - oh and you put quarters into the machine - well you put money on a card but you get the idea that it is not inclusive.

Key is to research an area and hope for the best and try to make the best out of a not so great situation. I know that when I make the move in August (depending on my job situation), I will happily make my adjustments, especially when I can come home and do a load of laundry every night and each of my sons has their own bedroom, and lord no fighting over the bathroom each morning. Will I make less? Yes, probably around 30K less, but do I personally think my quality of life will be better, 100% yes.

I'm sorry, I went off the road with this one a bit, but I think most of you will understand curves and hills to this post and how it kind of makes sense here.

[bdpop]

Don't expect to make 85k down here as a Legal Secretary. You won't even make close to that.

[Shoegal1075]

I know - I said that in my post - jobs are around the 50k mark. Maybe, I'll get lucky with something, I can only hope.

[SoFLGal]

I've lived here in SW Florida for 36 years. Was born in Bradenton, FL and currently live in North Port. I love Florida and could never imagine living anywhere else-except maybe downtown Sarasota, FL

[Shoegal1075]

Good for you! Glad to hear someone is happy to be there - it gets a little discouraging sometimes when you hear so much negativity about a place.

[dmccauley]

Originally Posted by Chelsa1075

Good for you! Glad to hear someone is happy to be there - it gets a little discouraging sometimes when you hear so much negativity about a place.

I read your previous post and agree with you you'll never know unless you try. I did try and unfortunetly I don't like it, but to be honest I don't have any regrets. I never would have known unless I tried and I never have to say I wonder what it would have been like. I have no ill feelings toward Florida and will continue to vacation here (that is if I can sell my house and move back north)lol

[Pooring Footers]

Originally Posted by Chelsa1075

Good for you! Glad to hear someone is happy to be there - it gets a little discouraging sometimes when you hear so much negativity about a place.

It's not the place, it is the people that make up the place. And we have a lot of bad apples. (see the Palm coast thread, for example).

[Audreyonthebeach]

GO FOR IT!!!!
YES! YES! We went out on a limb and jumped for Florida at the first job opportunity my husband got that would pay somewhat decent and still allow me to be a stay at home mom. I must say so far, a couple of the places were not for me. Now we have an opprtunity to pick the place we will call home. I am looking for my little piece of paradise, and I know I will find it! As I have said before, I am not going to let a few towns ruin my love for Florida!!!
I've read my eyes out on this thread, and cannot possibly remember everything posted, did you ever say where you were headed? Or is that what you are researching? ~Audrey