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I've visited Florida several times and have been amazed by the abundance of natural beauty and incredible wildlife. Sure I'll miss certain things about Maine, such as hiking in the woods and never seeing another soul, swimming in the many lakes (without worrying about alligators) and such. But there's too much I won't miss - cold, snow, lack of things to do with the kids (in the winter). But I'm ready for a change and I don't want to wait til I'm retired!
As for "real people". I think that's pretty subjective. I've traveled extensively in my younger days and found that you gravitate towards like-minded people wherever you are.
I would like to add a bit... This is my opinion, and some of you will think it is harsh, but it is the cold hard reality of why your opinions MAY not be as fair as mine. Don't be angry
I have lived in NY (born and raised), GA, SC, and TX. FL is by far the best place I have lived. I am happy in Tampa, I am 26 and am fortunate enough to make great money and have a secure job. I worked my ass off building a resume to get this job, but I have a very unique skill set and I am compensated quite well, therefore I get to enjoy a lot of what tampa has to offer. I am also single and have been fortunate enough to not have any accidental children. This also allows me to have an exciting worry free life. I work 42 hours a week and aside from that have NOTHING ON MY SCHEDULE AND NOBODY TO ANSWER TO.
The point I am trying to make is, life is what you make of it. The people who are unhappy in Florida are JUST THAT, "Unhappy IN Florida" not "unhappy because of Florida". People are generally miserable IMO. Guys, if you go home at night to an overweight wife that you dont get along with, 4 screaming kids, and have 72 dollars in your checking account, THAT IS WHY YOU ARE UNHAPPY. you would be unhappy anywhere. Ladies, if your smelly husband is unemployed and wont get off the couch to find a job and you have 72 dollars in your checking account, THAT IS WHY YOU ARE UNHAPPY.
Fortunately I was blessed with the ability to make sound life decisions. I have great friends, great health, and a stress-free life. I am the person who should get to say if a place is good or not because I AM in a position to experience what it has to offer without boundries and I think Florida and Tampa are great! My views are unskewed because I dont have anything extra bringing me down. If you haven't left your trailer park because you cant afford a babysitter watch your unruley children, your life sucks and it isnt floridas fault and frankly, your opinion doesn't really matter as much as mine when contributing to a conversation of how good a place is.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Spring Hillian
You didnt understand my message. What I was trying to convey is that different people like different lifestyles and Florida is a life style. Actually, a large collection of them depending on where you are in Florida. Miami is different than Ocala and Ocala is different than Brooksville and Brooksville is different than Spring Hill, etc, etc. All offer a great life style, all a little different.
As far as fresh tomatoes and OJ, well, thats just one of the quality of life benefits a Floridan can enjoy if they wish.
I think more people are like me than there are people who are "stuck".
However, I don't believe that anyone is "stuck" anywhere. You take your lumps and move on.
Traffic on I-75. In Tampa, at rush hour, well of course! That's one of the many reasons we left Orlando. Traffic on I-4 during rush hour is standstill, though I never used I-4 much. Commuting to any big city stinks. I drive 12 miles or so. Takes me 20 minutes. I don't work in Tampa. For that matter, I won't work in Tampa though the salaries are higher.
If you haven't lived in NYC, you can't judge. The city is Brooklyn, Bronx, Staten Island, Manhattan and Queens. That is a lot of area for 8 million or so people. It's not a peninsula, Manhattan is an island. So is Staten Island, of course. Actually, Brooklyn and Queens are part of "long island" and are separated from the rest of the city by water. There is no direction connection. The Bronx is the only part of NYC connected to the rest of the US by land.
Let's see, what's next... ?
Arts. I went to the Ringling Museum in Sarasota. Impressive.
I've been to Guggenheim, MoMA, National, many small gallies through out the U.S. and I won't be back for a 2nd look at any of them. Seen em, great. Nice.
Go back? No.
Salaries? Since there is no state income tax thats a nice percentage of pay right back in your pocket. Oh, no city income tax either. Another few percent. Seems that most people do pretty well in FL. Nice homes, decent cars, we pack the roads every day going to work. Tens of thousands of us.
Most Floridians have been living a fairly good for decades.
Nobody is happy 24/7. It was a survey of the OVERALL happiness of where people live and how they feel about where they live.
Obviously Florida has more people that are satisfied with thier lives than a great deal of other states. They come here for a reason. Its a nice place to live and you can enjoy various lifestyles depending on the area you go.
Or, you can have them all, the state isn't that wide and we have excellent highways going in all directions. Most of them toll free and it's rare that you have no choice but to pony up the money to get from A to B.
Nobody is forced to do anything in this country. Transferred? Get another job. Family? Bring them to you, what, you left your job, sold your home, got a new life for the famlly member? They are still doing OK? Go home. They died? Go home. Your job is done.
Yeah, the heat is the heat. This is the south. S O U T H. Closer to the equator than the N O R T H. The further S O U T H you go the hotter it gets. Didn't you know that? The historical figures are available back to the 1880's. I don't think you'd find cool temperatures in any summer in those records.
If you are saying "it's more unbearable than I thought it would be" then that's another story. Dress appropriately. Hat, loose clothing. Don't go out between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Before or after is usually fine. That is in the hottest of the summer time.
oh, as far as current salary, I should have been more exact. I earn about the same I made in NYC 21 years ago, but I live a better life style on that same money. More understandable?
I don't see where you understood that I insulted anyway from Buffalo, or any where else for that matter. I was simply stating that I understand that lifestyle is what is good for some, highly unlikely in today's employment environment.
You didn't understand another point earlier posted. I walked away from a great career because I didn't want to live where I lived any more. In NYC, if you can MAKE IT THERE, YOU CAN MAKE IT ANYWHERE. We had endless choices but chose Florida because it met the needs we where looking for. If it does not suit someones needs they should seek other options instead of staying here, being angry about it and resenting it. Life's too short. Do what you want, not what you think you have to do.
However, take the survey results anyway you want. I assume you believe the survey is a conspiricy. OK. That's cool.
Finally, your commentary about why we "don't have NY style jobs" here is insane. There are plenty of "excutive, white collar" positions in Tampa, Miami, Ocala, Sarasota, Ft. Myers. Insurance, banking, utilities, telecommunications, shipping, international import, export. What type of "NY Style Jobs" are you looking for? Federal? There here! State? Lots of state jobs. If you have the skills they need. City? Yep they hire people too.
Even the Counties hire.
Service oriented people come here because "TA DA its a tourist state.
The hospitality trade is huge. But you have to have the skills, demeanor and desire to do that kind of work.
Retail sales is profession, not a easy job. You become a merchandiser, unless you want to stay a cashier all your career.
Give employers some skilled employees to pick from and maybe there would be more opportunities. Otherwise these yucks are going to be in minimum wage all their lives and they are going to complain about how bad they have it.
I've worn a shirt and tie (minimum) to work every working day of my life since 1979. Sure, lots of casually dressed jobs. Working in a law firm isn't one of them. Selling surf boards in Clearwater Beach is.
If Florida isn't for you, that is fine. But it's just fine for a lot of people.
Compared to from where I came, yes, Florida over all is a paradise for me.
yes, come check it out. Do you buy a car without test driving it? Do you buy a house without seeing it? No. Why would you pick a new location with out seeing it, feeling it, perhaps living it for a few weeks on vacation, renting a suite and soaking in the area. Think of what the draw is in the first place. Most people dont sit in a/c 24/7. If you need that, you need to be in a nursing home. There are jobs based on the local economy.
Medical field. Health care field. Transportation provision. Building maintenance, hotel/motel, no, they dont pay 50k a year.
Tell me what they did in your hometown that was so exciting.
Tell me what kids do in say, ok, wantagh Long Island, or any other LI town for that matter. Pick another state, pick another similar town and tell me what exciting things the kids are doing there. Tell me what mom's arent driving there kids from event to event in any of those places. What are these kids doing, catching cab? Jumping on a bus? I would like to knowwhat Spring Hill kids are missing.
Dinner theatre in Hudson. How far would travel in your home town or any other place? 10 miles? Thats about how far it is to Hudson, max from most of Spring Hill. Too far? Did you want a beach at the place you decided to move? Did you know Pine Island IS the beach:? Did you know that there were no art museums in an area based on cattle, farming, mining, agriculture and a retirement community that was built on the land that was empty forever until the Mackels came? If you wanted the beach, the museums, the art, the theatre, the whatever, you should have realized that is located in places like Sarasota. Not in the rural nature coast. There you get manatee, dolphins, fishing, boating, hiking, hunting, 4 wheeling, canoeing, swimming, golf. Different lifestyle area than the type of place you mention.
You are saying its the whole state when the state is so diverse that it would be hard for someone not to find exactly what they want, somewhere in FL.
Nobody is forcing an opinion on anyone. Just showing that there is another side to the Florida or not question. A few people here paint it in an extreme negative way and do it with statisics that are false. Its about 25pct of drivers without insurance, not 75. The drop out rate is not 50 percent or more. Its less than 25 percent. There are lots of places where it is 50 percent or more though. I think NY and CA are two of those places.
Ask any kid in Spring Hill, whats there to do in Spring Hill and you will hear the same cry over and over again, NOTHING. At one time, the YMCA had a building on Deltona Blvd, they put in pool tables, computers, games, table tennis and told the kids they could use it when it was open. A few kids went, they had soda and candy, they were told no loud music, no foul language, no this no that. Guess what the kids stopped going and the place folded. They didn't want to be told what to do or when to do it. Years before a father was tired of hearing his kids saying nothing to do, he rented a store front, put in all kinds of things for the teens, he had the kids paint the walls the way they wanted, his only rule was keep the place clean, no hanging out in the parking lot, things went along well for about three months then the older kids 20/21 started coming around, the storefront was owned by a local doctor and was just across the street from Pizza Hut, Friday nites the seniors from Timber Pines would go to the movies, saw the kids and started to complain to the doctor they were afraid of the kids, doctor cancelled the lease and the place was closed. No matter where teens in SH want to go, they either have the sheriffs office hassle them or the store owners, they want to hang out together, sit, talk, play cards. This is nothing new my daugther left here after going to PHCC, then went to William Paterson College in NJ, she will never ever come back here, she thinks this place is a wasteland, that drains the heart and soul out of everyone.
I can't tell you anything about LI, NY because I've never been there. I spent most of my time in NorthWest New Jersey. Where kids learn how to read and write, they can run a correct sentence and not use a pencil for the rest of their lives. I come from a rural area, where kids learned to can fruits, veg. where you could pick apples and bake. A area where boys learned to fish, hunt and skin a deer. Where you could go to the local farm and the farmer would help you learn about milking a cow, bale hay. There were no movies so we had most kids in our homes, for brownie parties, girl scouts, boy scouts and learn to ride a horse. In the summer there are swim clubs from all the lake communites. All were involved with church groups. There were no drugs, where they could go to a local corner and within 5 mins. someone pull up with maryjane.
Pine Island a beach, now thats a laugh, how many times a month is it closed due to bacteria. They have Doggie Day there once a month, and within 3 days the signs go up, high bacteria levels, wonder why, you think the dogs running in the water, pooping and peeing might have something to do with that.
Who cares what the drop out rate is, doesn't affect me one way or the other, if parents want there kids to be behind other states and not be ready for college when they graduate here, thats the choice they make. I do know that most of the kids here are not prepared for college and that they have to took remedial classes in English and Math, because they are behind.
I know that to be fact, as my youngest who went to college, several lost scholarships because they just couldn't handle the classwork, because they were not taught the correct way.
You want everyone to think that Florida is this glorious place. Sorry but there are others out there who will NOT agree with you, and sorry but you can't stop everyone who makes a negative remark, you see its a thing called Freedom of Speech, a right that I can exercise.
Ask any kid in Spring Hill, whats there to do in Spring Hill and you will hear the same cry over and over again, NOTHING. At one time, the YMCA had a building on Deltona Blvd, they put in pool tables, computers, games, table tennis and told the kids they could use it when it was open. A few kids went, they had soda and candy, they were told no loud music, no foul language, no this no that. Guess what the kids stopped going and the place folded. They didn't want to be told what to do or when to do it. Years before a father was tired of hearing his kids saying nothing to do, he rented a store front, put in all kinds of things for the teens, he had the kids paint the walls the way they wanted, his only rule was keep the place clean, no hanging out in the parking lot, things went along well for about three months then the older kids 20/21 started coming around, the storefront was owned by a local doctor and was just across the street from Pizza Hut, Friday nites the seniors from Timber Pines would go to the movies, saw the kids and started to complain to the doctor they were afraid of the kids, doctor cancelled the lease and the place was closed. No matter where teens in SH want to go, they either have the sheriffs office hassle them or the store owners, they want to hang out together, sit, talk, play cards. This is nothing new my daugther left here after going to PHCC, then went to William Paterson College in NJ, she will never ever come back here, she thinks this place is a wasteland, that drains the heart and soul out of everyone.
Kids will be miserable anywhere. life is boring for kids in most places.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Songbird42
I can't tell you anything about LI, NY because I've never been there. I spent most of my time in NorthWest New Jersey. Where kids learn how to read and write, they can run a correct sentence and not use a pencil for the rest of their lives. I come from a rural area, where kids learned to can fruits, veg. where you could pick apples and bake. A area where boys learned to fish, hunt and skin a deer. Where you could go to the local farm and the farmer would help you learn about milking a cow, bale hay. There were no movies so we had most kids in our homes, for brownie parties, girl scouts, boy scouts and learn to ride a horse. In the summer there are swim clubs from all the lake communites. All were involved with church groups. There were no drugs, where they could go to a local corner and within 5 mins. someone pull up with maryjane.
The rural places predominantly harbor meth labs. comparitively speaking, marajuana isn't so bad. Matter of fact, I don't think the Pleasantville you speak of is as great as you think it was. You make it sound like leave it to beaver was a reality show filmed there. If you lived there in the 50s, I assure you it has changed. teenagers running meth labs in trailer parks and killing animals with pipe bombs is what happens in boring towns like that from the 80s on.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Songbird42
Pine Island a beach, now thats a laugh, how many times a month is it closed due to bacteria. They have Doggie Day there once a month, and within 3 days the signs go up, high bacteria levels, wonder why, you think the dogs running in the water, pooping and peeing might have something to do with that.
I don't think dogs running in the water is causing bacteria closures. people go to the bathroom off the side of boats all the time. Whales poop and pee in the ocean and it is just fine. whales are bigger then dogs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Songbird42
Who cares what the drop out rate is, doesn't affect me one way or the other, if parents want there kids to be behind other states and not be ready for college when they graduate here, thats the choice they make. I do know that most of the kids here are not prepared for college and that they have to took remedial classes in English and Math, because they are behind.
I know that to be fact, as my youngest who went to college, several lost scholarships because they just couldn't handle the classwork, because they were not taught the correct way.
There are children coming out of impovershed inner city schools and doing just fine in college. sounds like a lot of excuses. College is a challange, some people rise to the occasion, some don't. enough said about that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Songbird42
You want everyone to think that Florida is this glorious place. Sorry but there are others out there who will NOT agree with you, and sorry but you can't stop everyone who makes a negative remark, you see its a thing called Freedom of Speech, a right that I can exercise.
I dont think anyone is trying to prevent you from speaking your mind. they are entitled to their opinion just as much as you are.
To be honest, the town you describe above sounds like hell. skinning deer, canning fruit, and going to church groups sound dreadful. Sorry you had to experience that. Florida is not for everyone, but again, people who are unhappy here will generally be unhappy anywhere, and that is MY opinion, which I am entitled to, but you seem to already know that.
Have you never been there or looked at a map before? if it was an island it would have been called "Manhattan Island", like LONG ISLAND/STATEN ISLAND ETC.........LOLOLOL
the people in Florida that are satisfied with their lives are either "retired" or people who made a LOT of money UP NORTH THEN moved here, NOT people who lived here and got rich here! those are probably numbered on one hand's fingers and are probably football players! not nurses, or secretaries or servers at restaurants or accountants, or bank tellers, or daycare teachers, or teachers in general.........etc etc etc
"As far as fresh tomatoes and OJ, well, thats just one of the quality of life benefits a Floridan can enjoy if they wish.
I think more people are like me than there are people who are "stuck".
However, I don't believe that anyone is "stuck" anywhere. You take your lumps and move on.
"Nobody is forced to do anything in this country. Transferred? Get another job. Family? Bring them to you, what, you left your job, sold your home, got a new life for the famlly member? They are still doing OK? Go home. They died? Go home. Your job is done."
These comments are wrong on so many levels I can't even describe them all.....first off, you say," take everyone and move" what if your wife doesn't want to move! what are you going to do? drag her? tie her up and force her to move? this type of decision to up and up and move MUST BE MUTUAL, just because you had enough of one place and want to move for whatever reason, that doesn't mean your wife or girlfriend or boyfriend or DOG wants to move too!!!!!!!! it is HIGHLY INCONSIDERATE to make such assumptions!
Again, don't get me started on the ARTS........if someone has lived in NY and had an interest in the arts and APPRECIATED GOOD/VERY HIGH QUALITY ARTS and moves here because is getting the impression that Tampa/Sarasota are similar that way, they will be HIGHLY disappointed! I lived in Europe and traveled expensively and have been in the arts and know what I am talking about...
You are really funny! "If you are saying "it's more unbearable than I thought it would be" then that's another story. Dress appropriately. Hat, loose clothing. Don't go out between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Before or after is usually fine. That is in the hottest of the summer time."
Yeah, because people with health problems are wearing winter coats here and that's why they're hot! LOLOLOLOLOLOL Good one!
So on one hand people move here because they are sick of winter and cold, but can't go out between 11am and 5pm???? .............lololololololol Hysterical!
"oh, as far as current salary, I should have been more exact. I earn about the same I made in NYC 21 years ago, but I live a better life style on that same money. More understandable?" NO, this is not understandable at any level and if I were YOU I would be highly PISSED to be making the same as I was 21 years ago! the world has moved forward! what you're saying is that Florida is catching up to NY levels from 21 years ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! get it? It is NOT OK that you are making the same as you were THEN.........
I am really sorry for you that you cannot understand that making the SAME as you were making 21 years ago ANYWHERE IN THE US is a HUGE PROBLEM........People start at the bottom usually after college (or high school) and then they MOVE UP salary wise! NOT BACKWARDS! Even if you start a NEW job in a new city, still if you spend at least 4 years at it, your salary goes UP not down.....even if it is by $1 a year......but it doesn't go from $1 raise to 25 cents! if an employer does that that means they are SCREWING you! Take ADVANTAGE OF YOU....same difference!
Have you read the criteria that they did that survey on? "A survey called the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index reveals which states are happiest. The index includes questions about six types of well-being, including overall evaluation of their lives, emotional health, physical health, healthy behaviors (such as whether a person smokes or exercises), and job satisfaction. "
Weather a person smokes? I was a very happy smoker before I quit! so now apparently I can no longer be happy because I quit? LOLOLOL Yeah, THAT is indeed a valid criteria for someone's happiness? yoooohooo! each individual's emotional health is DIFFERENT.........what might make ME happy emotionally might make you want to kill yourself!!!!!!!!! how can you come up with an average on THAT? OY! sure if you go to LA Fitness and ask them if they are happy exercising they will tell you they are, otherwise why would they be there? how about running after 3 kids and not have any time to go to the gym, should that make someone unhappy? no...not even close, those people get to exercise without a monthly membership out of control fee!
Nobody is complaining here, we are explaining that while this may be a good fit for you it may not be for someone else, your original post excludes a LARGE group of people who are not as satisfied as you are.....if I lived in Michigan now and was reading your post and moved here based on that I might be highly disappointed because in my 500+ home neighborhood no one is squeezing fresh juice or is allowed to have their own veggie garden, on the contrary people are at work between 9 to 6 or later and don't have time for such activities!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! people are busy feeding their kids here where I live and don't have time to play with tomatoes!
"Well me what kids do in say, ok, wantagh Long Island, or any other LI town for that matter. Pick another state, pick another similar town and tell me what exciting things the kids are doing there. Tell me what mom's arent driving there kids from event to event in any of those places. What are these kids doing, catching cab? Jumping on a bus? I would like to knowwhat Spring Hill kids are missing."
Florida was not designed for kids as they are not retirees interested in playing golf on every corner, or Hooters, Golden Corral, Barnhills and flea markets!! when we lived in Orlando for example the builder forgot that kids LOVE SWINGS and the playground we had there had no swings and when we asked to have one put in we were told that the respective "community was meat for walking!!" ?.......not to mention just HOW HOT these structures get and they are not protected from the sun at all.......MINDLESS/BRAINLESS BUILDING....theater for children, puppet theater for the kids, ballets such as Snow White, Coppelia, Cinderella (I grew up on these back in Europe and many others) are non-existent here.....children museums...the list goes on and on....if you haven't been exposed to any of this you cannot relate........and no one is expecting you too, but if you have you will miss these things in Tampa and surrounding areas! especially if coming here from NY, and even more so if you enjoyed these in NY.
You're kids are missing even more in SH than in Tampa....and this is right on the money for Florida and Tampa, Orlando etc: and it is VERY SAD. "Besides sports, there is little here for children to do, of course, if they are active in school sports, you'll spend your time, picking up kids at school, taking to practice, then back again to go home, I did it for 4 years and I know the time and energy I spent doing it. Older teens have nothing to do here, its either college or jobs. They mull around the shopping centers, till the sheriff tells them to move on, or they sit in Dunkin Donuts and even if they buy ice cream or donuts and coffee they are told to leave, yet, seniors can sit there for hours, these are good kids, polite, respectful of others and yet they are treated like second class citizens."
Like you can actually "PICK YOUR PARENTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I guess these people at LiveScience are really out of touch with reality, it almost seems like they are talking about life on some other planet! This article is so ignorant at so many levels if I was the one asked to publish this whom ever wrote it would be fired now. NONE of these articles are talking about FAMILY being the source of someone's happiness, they all talk about external ACTIVITIES that "might" make someone happy.......completely meaningless because someone's happiness STARTS in the family not at the gym, or Hooters or the beach! if that's the case then I guess these people who were interviewd for these survey were EXTREMELY SELF-ABSORBED!
"It's the non skilled that earn $10 and less. Not to many people here understand that concept. You get paid what you're worth."
Not to burst your bubble but people who went to college and are applying for entry level administrative jobs get paid $9 an hour!!!!!!!!!!!! why don't you look at jobs posted on Kelly services and the like employment agencies before you make such a stupid comment!
Look, the more I read your replies, the more you look like you found 3 square miles of paradise in Spring Hill and have been OUT OF TOUCH with reality for 21 years! So, how about resuming this thread to TAMPA and immediate surrounding areas and explain to people looking to move here that it is ALL a matter of personal preference and not set someone else's expectations of the area based on our personal experiences and most of all visit before moving...
Good post Craig. You summed it up with "The people who are unhappy in Florida are JUST THAT, "Unhappy IN Florida" not "unhappy because of Florida". People are generally miserable IMO"
I think that says it all.
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Originally Posted by craigm1841
Well said SpringHillian!
I would like to add a bit... This is my opinion, and some of you will think it is harsh, but it is the cold hard reality of why your opinions MAY not be as fair as mine. Don't be angry
I have lived in NY (born and raised), GA, SC, and TX. FL is by far the best place I have lived. I am happy in Tampa, I am 26 and am fortunate enough to make great money and have a secure job. I worked my ass off building a resume to get this job, but I have a very unique skill set and I am compensated quite well, therefore I get to enjoy a lot of what tampa has to offer. I am also single and have been fortunate enough to not have any accidental children. This also allows me to have an exciting worry free life. I work 42 hours a week and aside from that have NOTHING ON MY SCHEDULE AND NOBODY TO ANSWER TO.
The point I am trying to make is, life is what you make of it. The people who are unhappy in Florida are JUST THAT, "Unhappy IN Florida" not "unhappy because of Florida". People are generally miserable IMO. Guys, if you go home at night to an overweight wife that you dont get along with, 4 screaming kids, and have 72 dollars in your checking account, THAT IS WHY YOU ARE UNHAPPY. you would be unhappy anywhere. Ladies, if your smelly husband is unemployed and wont get off the couch to find a job and you have 72 dollars in your checking account, THAT IS WHY YOU ARE UNHAPPY.
Fortunately I was blessed with the ability to make sound life decisions. I have great friends, great health, and a stress-free life. I am the person who should get to say if a place is good or not because I AM in a position to experience what it has to offer without boundries and I think Florida and Tampa are great! My views are unskewed because I dont have anything extra bringing me down. If you haven't left your trailer park because you cant afford a babysitter watch your unruley children, your life sucks and it isnt floridas fault and frankly, your opinion doesn't really matter as much as mine when contributing to a conversation of how good a place is.
So, now you'll see an exodus of people wanting to move there.......
I don't know if you noticed this NEW TREND but for the last year or so Yahoo's front page had MORE surveys of this kind than I have seen since 1998 when I first set it as my home page!!!!!!! makes you wonder why?
...Because they have nothing better to do or better things to write about...........it is a lame attempt to populate some areas nothing more.......and they rely (or think they do) on people with no spine or logic thinking....
Craig, of course you are entitled to your own opinion....however your last posts are very insulting to families.....[B]VERY INSULTING[/b] and to people's lifestyles....maybe you are just that young not to know that in 1998 the majority of people were still on dial-up and only a small percentage of people had personal computers at home compared with today and that there was no BlackBerry then or iPhones! here's an article on that...not to mention that there are still people out there in the US (world) who milk cows for a living! so shocking! how dare they? right?
A Decade of the Internet - Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews_deca/ynews_deca_ts997 - broken link)
Nah, you gotta be pulling my leg. You believe that Manhattan is not and island? OK. So at least I know where you are coming from. Been there? I was Born and raised in NYC .
I have to disagree with your post. I came to Florida with close to nothing. It took my wife and I less than 2 years to be back on track living a life equal to or better than from where I was before the move.
As Craig's post pointed out, and my post shouted out, your posting really doesnt hold water.
"Get rich"? You really miss the point. I didn't come to FL to get rich, I came to have a normal life with an acceptable quality of life. All the people you listed, nurses, or secretaries or servers at restaurants or accountants, or bank tellers, or daycare teachers, or teachers in general.........etc etc etc, do they "get rich" in Nashville TN? In Kansas City MO? In Yonkers NY? In San Francisco CA? I don't think so. They live in those places, have normal lives, go to work everyday, just like I do. Just like millions and millions of Floridians.
Do you not think that FL has just as many nurses, or secretaries or servers at restaurants or accountants, or bank tellers, or daycare teachers, or teachers in general.........etc etc etc as anywhere else in the world?
Do you feel slighted that you are not rich or did not get rich or something like that? I would think that is a personal problem, not a Florida problem.
What is behind the thinking that everybody in FL hates it, works in minimum wage jobs, has no education and hates the warm weather. ???
Why can't it be accepted that miillions of people do not think the same way that some of you do and a survey comes about that says what it says? Why is it a conspriacy that the results of the survey do not match your thinking? This is what I want to know, not that it is but why you think it is.
Quote:
Originally Posted by algia
Manhattan is an Island? WOW? When did it broke off?
Have you never been there or looked at a map before? if it was an island it would have been called "Manhattan Island", like LONG ISLAND/STATEN ISLAND ETC.........LOLOLOL
the people in Florida that are satisfied with their lives are either "retired" or people who made a LOT of money UP NORTH THEN moved here, NOT people who lived here and got rich here! those are probably numbered on one hand's fingers and are probably football players! not nurses, or secretaries or servers at restaurants or accountants, or bank tellers, or daycare teachers, or teachers in general.........etc etc etc
"As far as fresh tomatoes and OJ, well, thats just one of the quality of life benefits a Floridan can enjoy if they wish.
I think more people are like me than there are people who are "stuck".
However, I don't believe that anyone is "stuck" anywhere. You take your lumps and move on.
"Nobody is forced to do anything in this country. Transferred? Get another job. Family? Bring them to you, what, you left your job, sold your home, got a new life for the famlly member? They are still doing OK? Go home. They died? Go home. Your job is done."
These comments are wrong on so many levels I can't even describe them all.....first off, you say," take everyone and move" what if your wife doesn't want to move! what are you going to do? drag her? tie her up and force her to move? this type of decision to up and up and move MUST BE MUTUAL, just because you had enough of one place and want to move for whatever reason, that doesn't mean your wife or girlfriend or boyfriend or DOG wants to move too!!!!!!!! it is HIGHLY INCONSIDERATE to make such assumptions!
Again, don't get me started on the ARTS........if someone has lived in NY and had an interest in the arts and APPRECIATED GOOD/VERY HIGH QUALITY ARTS and moves here because is getting the impression that Tampa/Sarasota are similar that way, they will be HIGHLY disappointed! I lived in Europe and traveled expensively and have been in the arts and know what I am talking about...
You are really funny! "If you are saying "it's more unbearable than I thought it would be" then that's another story. Dress appropriately. Hat, loose clothing. Don't go out between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Before or after is usually fine. That is in the hottest of the summer time."
Yeah, because people with health problems are wearing winter coats here and that's why they're hot! LOLOLOLOLOLOL Good one!
So on one hand people move here because they are sick of winter and cold, but can't go out between 11am and 5pm???? .............lololololololol Hysterical!
"oh, as far as current salary, I should have been more exact. I earn about the same I made in NYC 21 years ago, but I live a better life style on that same money. More understandable?" NO, this is not understandable at any level and if I were YOU I would be highly PISSED to be making the same as I was 21 years ago! the world has moved forward! what you're saying is that Florida is catching up to NY levels from 21 years ago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! get it? It is NOT OK that you are making the same as you were THEN.........
I am really sorry for you that you cannot understand that making the SAME as you were making 21 years ago ANYWHERE IN THE US is a HUGE PROBLEM........People start at the bottom usually after college (or high school) and then they MOVE UP salary wise! NOT BACKWARDS! Even if you start a NEW job in a new city, still if you spend at least 4 years at it, your salary goes UP not down.....even if it is by $1 a year......but it doesn't go from $1 raise to 25 cents! if an employer does that that means they are SCREWING you! Take ADVANTAGE OF YOU....same difference!
Have you read the criteria that they did that survey on? "A survey called the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index reveals which states are happiest. The index includes questions about six types of well-being, including overall evaluation of their lives, emotional health, physical health, healthy behaviors (such as whether a person smokes or exercises), and job satisfaction. "
Weather a person smokes? I was a very happy smoker before I quit! so now apparently I can no longer be happy because I quit? LOLOLOL Yeah, THAT is indeed a valid criteria for someone's happiness? yoooohooo! each individual's emotional health is DIFFERENT.........what might make ME happy emotionally might make you want to kill yourself!!!!!!!!! how can you come up with an average on THAT? OY! sure if you go to LA Fitness and ask them if they are happy exercising they will tell you they are, otherwise why would they be there? how about running after 3 kids and not have any time to go to the gym, should that make someone unhappy? no...not even close, those people get to exercise without a monthly membership out of control fee!
Nobody is complaining here, we are explaining that while this may be a good fit for you it may not be for someone else, your original post excludes a LARGE group of people who are not as satisfied as you are.....if I lived in Michigan now and was reading your post and moved here based on that I might be highly disappointed because in my 500+ home neighborhood no one is squeezing fresh juice or is allowed to have their own veggie garden, on the contrary people are at work between 9 to 6 or later and don't have time for such activities!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! people are busy feeding their kids here where I live and don't have time to play with tomatoes!
"Well me what kids do in say, ok, wantagh Long Island, or any other LI town for that matter. Pick another state, pick another similar town and tell me what exciting things the kids are doing there. Tell me what mom's arent driving there kids from event to event in any of those places. What are these kids doing, catching cab? Jumping on a bus? I would like to knowwhat Spring Hill kids are missing."
Florida was not designed for kids as they are not retirees interested in playing golf on every corner, or Hooters, Golden Corral, Barnhills and flea markets!! when we lived in Orlando for example the builder forgot that kids LOVE SWINGS and the playground we had there had no swings and when we asked to have one put in we were told that the respective "community was meat for walking!!" ?.......not to mention just HOW HOT these structures get and they are not protected from the sun at all.......MINDLESS/BRAINLESS BUILDING....theater for children, puppet theater for the kids, ballets such as Snow White, Coppelia, Cinderella (I grew up on these back in Europe and many others) are non-existent here.....children museums...the list goes on and on....if you haven't been exposed to any of this you cannot relate........and no one is expecting you too, but if you have you will miss these things in Tampa and surrounding areas! especially if coming here from NY, and even more so if you enjoyed these in NY.
You're kids are missing even more in SH than in Tampa....and this is right on the money for Florida and Tampa, Orlando etc: and it is VERY SAD. "Besides sports, there is little here for children to do, of course, if they are active in school sports, you'll spend your time, picking up kids at school, taking to practice, then back again to go home, I did it for 4 years and I know the time and energy I spent doing it. Older teens have nothing to do here, its either college or jobs. They mull around the shopping centers, till the sheriff tells them to move on, or they sit in Dunkin Donuts and even if they buy ice cream or donuts and coffee they are told to leave, yet, seniors can sit there for hours, these are good kids, polite, respectful of others and yet they are treated like second class citizens."
Like you can actually "PICK YOUR PARENTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I guess these people at LiveScience are really out of touch with reality, it almost seems like they are talking about life on some other planet! This article is so ignorant at so many levels if I was the one asked to publish this whom ever wrote it would be fired now. NONE of these articles are talking about FAMILY being the source of someone's happiness, they all talk about external ACTIVITIES that "might" make someone happy.......completely meaningless because someone's happiness STARTS in the family not at the gym, or Hooters or the beach! if that's the case then I guess these people who were interviewd for these survey were EXTREMELY SELF-ABSORBED!
"It's the non skilled that earn $10 and less. Not to many people here understand that concept. You get paid what you're worth."
Not to burst your bubble but people who went to college and are applying for entry level administrative jobs get paid $9 an hour!!!!!!!!!!!! why don't you look at jobs posted on Kelly services and the like employment agencies before you make such a stupid comment!
Look, the more I read your replies, the more you look like you found 3 square miles of paradise in Spring Hill and have been OUT OF TOUCH with reality for 21 years! So, how about resuming this thread to TAMPA and immediate surrounding areas and explain to people looking to move here that it is ALL a matter of personal preference and not set someone else's expectations of the area based on our personal experiences and most of all visit before moving...
Have you never been there or looked at a map before? if it was an island it would have been called "Manhattan Island", like LONG ISLAND/STATEN ISLAND ETC.........LOLOLOL
Er...Al...Time for a fourth grade social studies lesson. Manhattan IS an island. Verrazano, Henry Hudson, bought by the Dutch from the Indians for $24 and some beads, all that happy stuff?
Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitors sites is not allowed nycgo / manhattan
Last edited by Yac; 12-21-2009 at 07:12 AM..
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