Information on Southwest FL

[Billythepokerkid]

Originally Posted by City__Datarer

If you love beautiful beaches, this is the area for you! What's different from many places is that here there are places where you can walk down long stretches of beach for what, at least to me, feels like miles (I'm wanting to say for literally miles, but I'm not sure--check out the city and county websites in the area and also the Florida state parks website for exact details).

Another thing that's different from a lot of beaches on the east coast is that we're on the gulf, so you get to see (amazing!) sunsets. People head to the beach at that time of day just to watch them, and you'll sometimes even hear a round of applause when the sun drops below the horizon.

Something else I love is that sometimes (because it's the gulf, not the ocean) the water will be quite still, almost like a lake, and at other times you'll see surprisingly good-sized waves.

A thing to be aware of re traffic is that it gets heavier during "season" (the cooler months when lots of tourists and snowbirds are here). So if you're trying to get an idea of commute times in the summer, it may be different in season (I think this is where you'll want to ask people about exact routes, as there are probably some drives where it's not very different in season and others where it is). But in general, season or not, traffic moves much better in the area than it did a few years ago. (We had a housing bubble a few years back, and there were many more people and construction vehicles going back and forth to construction sites back then compared to now. There were probably also more people out shopping, dining, etc.--a lot of businesses have closed in the last few years. Also, some major road projects in the last few years have eased traffic congestion quite a bit. At one time I would have said this is the worst place I've ever lived for traffic, but I wouldn't say that at all now.)

I don't go to restaurants often, but Bonefish Grill in Bonita (on 41) made a great impression on me for both food and service. I was only there a couple of times, and it was a few years ago, but I was impressed by the fact that not only was the food incredible, but we were treated both times as if we were ordering the most expensive meals on the menu (when we weren't).

Don't know much about boating, but have been out on a couple of sunset cruises that were a lot of fun; there are a number of companies that offer them. I've seen threads about boating here and on the Punta Gorda/Port Charlotte forum that you might enjoy reading through.

I've also found people here to be friendly (in general and especially, compared to some places, to newcomers).

All in all, having lived a number of places, I find Southwest Florida to be a great place to live (your mileage may vary, of course).


One warning though: As you probably know reading posts on this forum, jobs are unfortunately scarce here. (I will most likely be moving soon because of that.)

And I know from reading stats that Florida is not the best for crime rates. The good news is there are communities in this area that have a reputation of being safer than many other places in Florida. I think you're doing the right thing to ask for advice (and look at crime mapping sites as people here have suggested) re particular areas you're considering.

Good luck with your search!

The job issue is still around, but the unemployment rate now is over 2 percentage points below last year at the same time, and is just a tick above the National average. Collier County is actually below the National average, which is good news!

[brianjb]

Originally Posted by Billythepokerkid

The job issue is still around, but the unemployment rate now is over 2 percentage points below last year at the same time, and is just a tick above the National average. Collier County is actually below the National average, which is good news!

That's good news! I have been wanting to move back, but have been having a hard time finding a job there. I grew up in the area, and moved away in 2005.