Family of 5 planning to relocate from Raleigh, NC to Fort Lauderdale (Miami: high crime, mortgage)

[StreetSmarts]

Originally Posted by citylover1

if its so horrible to live here than why is metro miami like the 3rd or 4th most populated metro area? exactly.

Who are all these ppl tho? Quality over quantity, no?

OP, dont do it, dont give up the great quality of life to move to a dump like South FL because you like warm weather. Trust me!

[StreetSmarts]

Originally Posted by TBonzie

Boy will you be sorry. After 32 years in Fort Lauderdale, we moved up to Raleigh. No way in $*#@ would I ever move back there.

It's hot year round with very little break. Every day, every single day from late April through early-to-mid October will be hot and humid.

You'll miss the seasons, the polite drivers and the good manners. FLL will be a helluva shock for someone coming from Raleigh.

YES! Exactly. I am a S FL native, lived there and Central FL as well as Asheville NC. Don't do it.

[NorthStarDelight]

Originally Posted by ComSense

YES! Exactly. I am a S FL native, lived there and Central FL as well as Asheville NC. Don't do it.

I agree 100% - for the sake of your children, please don't move there. I lived there for a dozen years, and trust me, it's NO place to raise a family. Raleigh is a darned fine place to raise a family, so I'd just stay put. You'll be glad you did.

[wizrap]

It's rather easy to compare Raleigh versus Fort Lauderdale as they are both large cities -- google is your friend. My search showed that Fort Lauderdale has a 20% higher cost of living versus Raleigh, and that housing is about 30% higher. Violent crime is also 20% higher in Fort Lauderdale versus Raleigh and property crime is 30% higher.

The advice you have received from people on this forum supports these numbers. Only you can decide if it is worth relocating for the warmer weather, and if you and your family will be able to maintain your standard of living down here. It's good that you both have jobs that are fairly portable, but if you are not going to be earning about 30% more down here than what you'd earn in NC, then our sunshine will cost you dearly.

[AES328]

I sincerely hope you change your mind and remain in Raleigh.... or at the very least research other cities in FL.

[citylover1]

Originally Posted by ComSense

Who are all these ppl tho? Quality over quantity, no?

OP, dont do it, dont give up the great quality of life to move to a dump like South FL because you like warm weather. Trust me!

First of all, if you're so smart stop referring to metro Miami as South Florida. South Florida is not metro Miami, South Florida is metro Miami, the Keys and a few counties north of Palm Beach.

Second of all, just because Ft. Lauderdale is crappie doesn't mean all of metro Miami is. Brickell is amazing. Pretty much all of Downtown and surrounding areas are amazing, Downtown, Brickell, Midtown, etc. Coral Gables is nice. Miami Beach is nice. Sunny Isles is nice. Aventura is nice. Pinecrest, Boca, Parkland, Coconut Creek and so much more.

Also, there's a lot of amazing people who live here, as well as not amazing people, just like any other major metro area and pretty much everywhere else in the country. Try again, that was not even a good try.

[Papillons2]

Originally Posted by wizrap

It's rather easy to compare Raleigh versus Fort Lauderdale as they are both large cities -- google is your friend. My search showed that Fort Lauderdale has a 20% higher cost of living versus Raleigh, and that housing is about 30% higher. Violent crime is also 20% higher in Fort Lauderdale versus Raleigh and property crime is 30% higher.

The advice you have received from people on this forum supports these numbers. Only you can decide if it is worth relocating for the warmer weather, and if you and your family will be able to maintain your standard of living down here. It's good that you both have jobs that are fairly portable, but if you are not going to be earning about 30% more down here than what you'd earn in NC, then our sunshine will cost you dearly.

My advice is to weigh the above post heavily when making your decision.

Warm weather and proximity to the ocean certainly shouldn't the sole reasons you'd move to a place. There are other warm-weather communities near the ocean, in Florida and other states, that might fit your needs better.

And for the record, I am not a Fort Lauderdale/Broward basher/trasher. I think there's a positive side to living here and often say so -- but the area is not for everyone. Families with children should be particularly careful.

Unless you have lucrative job opportunities here, or have a sizable chunk of family money (my wife and I sometimes joke that the Bureau of Labor Statistics should list "Trust Fund Baby" as an occupational category in South Florida), it might be a struggle to find an affordable, relatively crime-free area with good schools.

To provide an example: A former co-worker, his wife and their two kids live in one of the more family-friendly western suburbs of Fort Lauderdale. The house is a nice 3/2, but certainly not upscale by South Florida standards. Similar, neighboring homes are selling for about $300K-325K. My friend and his wife both work and probably earn a combined $125K. I think that's a reasonable gauge of what it will take for you to have a similar lifestyle here.

Also bear in mind that this is a metro area with almost 6 million people, with all the advantages -- and disadvantages -- of similar-size areas.

Finally, if you are not comfortable coexisting around people of different races, ethnicities, languages, creeds, sexual orientations, etc., you'll probably be more comfortable somewhere else. I'll occasionally hear someone, after a few drinks, say there's a need to "take back Broward County." Well, that train left the station a long time ago.

[StreetSmarts]

^^^ ok, we'll see if anyone supports what you say, or goes along with me, like they have in the previous posts in this thread.

of course there are some nice areas and some friendly ppl, but it's not the general rule. raleigh is much nicer and in every way. i would never persuade someone to leave a place like raleigh for ft lauderdale. plus, she is asking about ft lauderdale, not brickell or coral gables.

[citylover1]

^ You were referring to metro Miami (even though you called it South Florida) when you said those things.

[AlexRodriguez]

I moved from the Tundra-boring-town of Richmond, VA to Weston, FL and love it.

Don't pay attention to all those freezing their *****e$ up north. Come to South Florida and see it for yourself and then draw your own conclusions.

Weston, FL is always on top of the list of safest cities in the U.S. - I don't see Raleigh anywhere by the way

Here is a link:

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Compare this:
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To this:
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Even the South Florida metro area is ranked better than Raleigh:

Full List: America's Safest Cities - Forbes


Now, take a look at this link:
20 Safest Cities in Florida: Safest Places to Live in FL | Safe Choice Security News

Come down to Weston and I'll show you what I'm talking about and what those hybernators don't want you to see cuz they don't want to feel alone in their boring towns, plus they need you up there to pay taxes for them.