researching my future relocation to Florida (Jacksonville, Miami: best city, for rent, insurance)

[MovingAgain...]

Hi all! I am researching my relocation to Florida which is a definite next year. My oldest son will be attending college in either Tampa or Jacksonville (not sure which yet). And I have been interested in moving to Florida for awhile. I currently live in San Diego and I love the weather and diversity but not too fond of the cost of living. (Cost to purchase a home) I am interested in living in a coastal city or town, we love the beach. I am 37 years old and will be relocating as a single parent my children residing with me will be 13 and 2 years old. We are interested in coastal city with a lot of diversity (not to offend anyone please) but we are two or more races and embrace diversity and different cultures. I currently work in the insurance industry on the financial side (premium auditor). Prior to living in San Diego I resided in Atlanta for 5 years where I worked as an office manager and financial analyst. Before there I spent 5 years in Minneapolis… Any help with suggestions in arrears where I will have a good chance of finding employment and a safe affordable residence in a family community. Of course I am concerned about the school system also. So far I have been researching online, Broward county and Palm Beach county. Any advice would be appreciated.

Here in San Diego I am renting a 3 bedroom 950 square feet for $1750 and I live approximately 15 miles inland. No dishwasher or amenities its nothing fancy at all.


Oh and we have a trip planned to come down in November and take a look around.

Thanks in advance for any info provided.

[compelled to reply]

The combination of good public schools, employment and coastal town is tough. There are a couple of superficial similarities but this isn't SD at all. On the bright side, 1750/month will get you a decent sized 2/3 bedroom townhouse about 10-15 miles inland in a good school district. Areas to look into: Jupiter, Weston, Cooper City, Wellington, Boca Raton, Pembroke Pines (west), Davie (west), Coral Springs (north, west), Miramar (west), Boynton Beach (west). Good luck on the job part though.

[OptimusPrime69]

Diversity won't be hard to find, especially in south florida (Palm beach, broward and miami-dade counties)

Tampa is also very diverse, but it's not a coastal city, per se, rather it lies on the Tampa bay and if u wanna go to the beach, u need to drive to st.pete, clearwater area which can be about 40 minutes away.

South florida is great. You're never too far from the beach. Literally because of the everglades they were only able to build like 20-30 miles inland and that's it. However from pretty much anywhere in south florida u can hit a beach within 15 - 30 minutes. South florida offers much diversity, culturally. Caribbean cultures are represented in a big way there. anything from cuban, jamaican, haitian, dominican, and puerto rican. Also, american culture as well, so you'll have the best of both worlds.

Tampa is somewhat similar tho not quite as diverse, its still pretty diverse.

I dunno. JAX is more "southern" feeling to me. It's kind of the least nice part of florida in my opinion.

good luck with ur move,.

[perfectblue]

My husband and I are in San Diego, late 30s also. We are moving to South Florida mid November and I've been on the forum trying to get a better idea of the area. We really don't know much about the area, but the cost of living and being near a beach are factors in our decision. I did grow up in Florida, but it was in Lakeland, which is completely different. The ability to buy a house in FL for maybe half the price in SD is definitely one of the main reasons. I really love Tampa/St. Pete area, but I feel more optimistic going farther south for our line of work. I guess I'll give you an update in a few months. Good luck to you!

[MovingAgain...]

Thanks so much for the information but I have a few more questions. What is a good area to find employment? How much on average does one pay for rent for a three bedroom two bath? Or do most purchase instead of renting? Is there a lot of traffic in Fort Lauderdale?

[MovingAgain...]

Originally Posted by perfectblue

My husband and I are in San Diego, late 30s also. We are moving to South Florida mid November and I've been on the forum trying to get a better idea of the area. We really don't know much about the area, but the cost of living and being near a beach are factors in our decision. I did grow up in Florida, but it was in Lakeland, which is completely different. The ability to buy a house in FL for maybe half the price in SD is definitely one of the main reasons. I really love Tampa/St. Pete area, but I feel more optimistic going farther south for our line of work. I guess I'll give you an update in a few months. Good luck to you!

So are you definitely moving to the Fort Lauderdale area? And if you don’t mind me asking what is your line of work?

[Nolefan34]

MovingAgain-

Traffic volume in Fort Lauderale isn't bad for a larger city or metro area. It is the crazy drivers here that make it miserable. People from smaller towns in FL or other states think traffic here is terrible. But people from NYC, DC, LA, etc. think traffic here is a cakewalk. Compared to San Diego I'm sure traffic volume here is not as bad. Our roads are very wide and well laid out. Most of the highways were built in the last 30 years so our roadways are modern.

The drivers here are the worst in the U.S. though. Fort Lauderdale was rated the #1 deadliest city to drive in recently. Lots of super aggressive drivers sometimes suicidal. Some from other countries who don't obey the rules. Others are just hotshots. Driving in South FL has become very aggressive much like NYC. You have to be very careful here. The worst traffic tends to be on the freeways such as I-95, 595, the Turnpike, I-75, etc. Traffic gets much much worse the further south you go towards Miami.

The local roads are generally wide 6-lane highways and all in a grid pattern. There are typically 20 different ways to get from point A to point B because all of the roads go in a grid. Broward County is very spread out and it can take a long time to get across the metro area mainly due to the distance and number of traffic lights, not so much because of traffic.

[ruski]

Yes, I am no slouch, but some stunts that some drivers pull off on the highway are insane.

[garyhitchcock]

Originally Posted by MovingAgain...

Hi all! I am researching my relocation to Florida which is a definite next year. My oldest son will be attending college in either Tampa or Jacksonville (not sure which yet). And I have been interested in moving to Florida for awhile. I currently live in San Diego and I love the weather and diversity but not too fond of the cost of living. (Cost to purchase a home) I am interested in living in a coastal city or town, we love the beach. I am 37 years old and will be relocating as a single parent my children residing with me will be 13 and 2 years old. We are interested in coastal city with a lot of diversity (not to offend anyone please) but we are two or more races and embrace diversity and different cultures. I currently work in the insurance industry on the financial side (premium auditor). Prior to living in San Diego I resided in Atlanta for 5 years where I worked as an office manager and financial analyst. Before there I spent 5 years in Minneapolis… Any help with suggestions in arrears where I will have a good chance of finding employment and a safe affordable residence in a family community. Of course I am concerned about the school system also. So far I have been researching online, Broward county and Palm Beach county. Any advice would be appreciated.

Here in San Diego I am renting a 3 bedroom 950 square feet for $1750 and I live approximately 15 miles inland. No dishwasher or amenities its nothing fancy at all.


Oh and we have a trip planned to come down in November and take a look around.

Thanks in advance for any info provided.

You said coastal but you currently live 15 miles inland so the best city in Broward county for you with elementary school children is Coral Springs. We have a lot of people here from Atlanta. Right now you could get a townhome or a 3-4 bedroom single family home with a pool under $250,000 which would mean around $1800-$2000/month. So yes, it is cheaper to buy than to rent right now. Coral Springs is a Tree City USA, beautiful neighborhoods with lush landscaping and oak trees planted in the 80s. The parks seem to be on every block and the elementary schools are all A-rated.

[Nolefan34]

Coral Springs may be only 15 miles inland, but it takes about 45 minutes to get to the ocean. With all of the traffic lights, railroads, bridges, and then finding parking once you get to the beach it can be a hassle. People who live in Coral Springs usually go to the beach maybe 4 times a year.