Where to move in Florida? (St Pete, Ft. Myers, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale,Daytona,Jacksonville) (Tampa: high crime, unemployment rate)

[At_DuskX]

I am considering moving to Florida from Massachusetts. I am 21 and my boyfriend is 24 we want to move to a warmer state. I am huge on swimming and must be near the water if I move. I am looking into these cities..St Peterburg because I have family there and because it is also near other cities Tampa and Sarasota with beaches surrounding it. Ft Myers ( I used to visit my grandma there every year when I was younger) I love the tropical feel. Miami I dont know much about but it looks like a beautiful city with a lot of music. Daytona my boyfriend might like since he is going to into the automotive field. Jacksonville seems to have a lot to offer. Ft Lauderdale I dont know much about but that is like a smaller Miami. I am dead set on Florida to move to so dont tell me I should move else where because Florida is full of old people. I know theres got to be some younger people there in cities too. MUST haves; be on the ocean, huge music scene,many activities, many oppertunities for young adults and a very tropical feel. Please tell me about these cities I listed. Thank you =]

[HarryWho?]

Miami is the only place that even remotely fits your requirements.

[Dr Spock]

Originally Posted by At_DuskX

I am considering moving to Florida from Massachusetts. I am 21 and my boyfriend is 24 we want to move to a warmer state. I am huge on swimming and must be near the water if I move. I am looking into these cities..St Peterburg because I have family there and because it is also near other cities Tampa and Sarasota with beaches surrounding it. Ft Myers ( I used to visit my grandma there every year when I was younger) I love the tropical feel. Miami I dont know much about but it looks like a beautiful city with a lot of music. Daytona my boyfriend might like since he is going to into the automotive field. Jacksonville seems to have a lot to offer. Ft Lauderdale I dont know much about but that is like a smaller Miami. I am dead set on Florida to move to so dont tell me I should move else where because Florida is full of old people. I know theres got to be some younger people there in cities too. MUST haves; be on the ocean, huge music scene,many activities, many oppertunities for young adults and a very tropical feel. Please tell me about these cities I listed. Thank you =]

Can you afford the Keys ? If you can.. and that's a big CAN.. that's the place to be.. Marathon and south to Key West. Beeeeutiful

[Billythepokerkid]

Originally Posted by At_DuskX

I am considering moving to Florida from Massachusetts. I am 21 and my boyfriend is 24 we want to move to a warmer state. I am huge on swimming and must be near the water if I move. I am looking into these cities..St Peterburg because I have family there and because it is also near other cities Tampa and Sarasota with beaches surrounding it. Ft Myers ( I used to visit my grandma there every year when I was younger) I love the tropical feel. Miami I dont know much about but it looks like a beautiful city with a lot of music. Daytona my boyfriend might like since he is going to into the automotive field. Jacksonville seems to have a lot to offer. Ft Lauderdale I dont know much about but that is like a smaller Miami. I am dead set on Florida to move to so dont tell me I should move else where because Florida is full of old people. I know theres got to be some younger people there in cities too. MUST haves; be on the ocean, huge music scene,many activities, many oppertunities for young adults and a very tropical feel. Please tell me about these cities I listed. Thank you =]

I am not going to tell your to move elsewhere because of the old people, I am going to tell you to move elsewhere because no where in Florida are you going to find a huge music scene. But like the other poster said, Miami is the closest thing you are going to find that meets your requirements. Jacksonville has no tropical feel to it at all and is mainly a dump. Lauderdale and Miami or basically the same place. Daytona has the Daytona 500, that's it. If you are moving because of the automotive field, move to Detroit. St. Pete is a lot of older people, not a huge amount of opportunities for younger people, but Tampa is close and does have some stuff going on, but again, not a huge music scene. Ft. Myers great beaches, no music scene what so ever, lots of outdoor activities (fishing, boating, kayaking, everglades are close, etc), a lot of older people, not many opportunities for young people. Most of the places you listed still have a pretty high unemployment rate and a high population of retirees, so without knowing your circumstances as far as education and experience go, it is impossible to tell you which place has the better opportunities for you. But my general consensus is to stay in Mass, the only thing Florida has that you are looking for is the ocean and a tropical feel (some places are even lacking this too.)

[justNancy]

Suggestion: You will get a lot more responses if you move this into the general Florida forum.

Just a personal note: Don't move to Florida unless you have jobs.

[mbirch1]

Originally Posted by At_DuskX

I am considering moving to Florida from Massachusetts. I am 21 and my boyfriend is 24 we want to move to a warmer state. I am huge on swimming and must be near the water if I move. I am looking into these cities..St Peterburg because I have family there and because it is also near other cities Tampa and Sarasota with beaches surrounding it. Ft Myers ( I used to visit my grandma there every year when I was younger) I love the tropical feel. Miami I dont know much about but it looks like a beautiful city with a lot of music. Daytona my boyfriend might like since he is going to into the automotive field. Jacksonville seems to have a lot to offer. Ft Lauderdale I dont know much about but that is like a smaller Miami. I am dead set on Florida to move to so dont tell me I should move else where because Florida is full of old people. I know theres got to be some younger people there in cities too. MUST haves; be on the ocean, huge music scene,many activities, many oppertunities for young adults and a very tropical feel. Please tell me about these cities I listed. Thank you =]

Hi,
I've lived in Florida most of my life and been to all of these places you mention. I grew up in Miami/Miami Beach, lived in Ft. Lauderdale for many years, am currently living on the West Coast in Cape Coral, my sister lived in St. Pete and now Jacksonville. So I'm pretty familiar with these areas.
When i was in my 20's and single, I lived in Ft. Lauderdale. It was a blast. Great clubs and restaurants, nice beaches, always something to do or some event going on. It's close enough to Miami to take advantage of everything there, but much less congested. Check it out. When you say music scene, i assume you mean local music, and concerts etc. Not professional recording? Although there is quite a bit of that in Miami too. South Florida is the best place for that.

These folks are right, the west coast is much 'sleepier' and more retired folks. That's why we moved here - and why you visited your 'grandma' here! Daytona is pretty much just a tourist town. I wouldn't recommend it. Nice place to visit... Jacksonville is very nice on the beaches (Jacksonville Beach, Atlantic Beach, Ponta Vedra). There is also a lot going on there since it is a big city - but not as much as south Florida. But it gets cold there in the winter! Good luck.

[alfbroker]

Originally Posted by At_DuskX

I am considering moving to Florida from Massachusetts. I am 21 and my boyfriend is 24 we want to move to a warmer state. I am huge on swimming and must be near the water if I move. I am looking into these cities..St Peterburg because I have family there and because it is also near other cities Tampa and Sarasota with beaches surrounding it. Ft Myers ( I used to visit my grandma there every year when I was younger) I love the tropical feel. Miami I dont know much about but it looks like a beautiful city with a lot of music. Daytona my boyfriend might like since he is going to into the automotive field. Jacksonville seems to have a lot to offer. Ft Lauderdale I don't know much about but that is like a smaller Miami. I am dead set on Florida to move to so dont tell me I should move else where because Florida is full of old people. I know theres got to be some younger people there in cities too. MUST haves; be on the ocean, huge music scene,many activities, many oppertunities for young adults and a very tropical feel. Please tell me about these cities I listed. Thank you =]

There are young people in all Florida cities of course. There are places with live music and a mostly younger crowd, but like the other posters have said, there may not be any place that meets your qualification of a really huge music scene. Moving near where you have family in St Pete may make the most sense.

Agreeing with the other responses, moving where you will be able to generate enough income to be able the benefits of an area should be considered. High unemployment and low wages are a fact of life for many in FL right now. You can be in the most beautiful place on earth, but if you're broke or become a crime victim from living in a high crime area, it won't be paradise.

Many of the areas you mentioned have made "worst places to live lists" within the past year, except Sarasota which has made best places lists.

[Billythepokerkid]

Originally Posted by alfbroker

There are young people in all Florida cities of course. There are places with live music and a mostly younger crowd, but like the other posters have said, there may not be any place that meets your qualification of a really huge music scene. Moving near where you have family in St Pete may make the most sense.

Agreeing with the other responses, moving where you will be able to generate enough income to be able the benefits of an area should be considered. High unemployment and low wages are a fact of life for many in FL right now. You can be in the most beautiful place on earth, but if you're broke or become a crime victim from living in a high crime area, it won't be paradise.

Many of the areas you mentioned have made "worst places to live lists" within the past year, except Sarasota which has made best places lists.

When has Ft. Myers/Cape Coral ever been on the a "worst place to live list"? Cape Coral for instance has been on the "best places to retire list" for the past 3 years. I can understand Jacksonville and maybe Daytona being on there, but I am not so sure about the other ones.

[alfbroker]

Some links that may be helpful to the OP, and one that is humorous.

Humorous YouTube video

St Pete tops list

Miami

Yes, Fort Myers/Cape Coral has probably been the most positively mentioned Florida town on best place to retire lists in the last year. Given the OP's post, I don't think retirement towns are what she is looking for. Huge bingo and shuffleboard scene maybe, but not a huge music scene.

[Billythepokerkid]

Originally Posted by alfbroker

Some links that may be helpful to the OP, and one that is humorous.

Humorous YouTube video

St Pete tops list

Miami

Yes, Fort Myers/Cape Coral has probably been the most positively mentioned Florida town on best place to retire lists in the last year. Given the OP's post, I don't think retirement towns are what she is looking for. Huge bingo and shuffleboard scene maybe, but not a huge music scene.

Shuffleboard and bingo? Although the music scene isn't huge it is bigger than the bingo and shuffleboard scene. You are going to be hard pressed to find any area in Florida that doesn't have a very large population of retirees, but to say they were listed on any lists that might constitute them as being one of the worst places to live is ludicrous.