I might relocate to Fort Myers: Many questions! (Miami, Coral Gables: apartment complex, rentals)

[hannahkaye]

Hey everybody

I'm a 32yo single female, and I might be offered a job there in Fort Myers. I was living in downtown Chicago for about 6 years in a high rise, and then I spent about a year in Portland, Oregon. I am used to a more metropolitan area, so here are my questions:

1.) I don't drive, and I don't want to buy a car if possible. The company is right near the airport and FGCU. I saw there are a few close condos, but is there any public transport, cabs, or zip cars?

2.) Is there a main shopping area there, like a mall with Forever 21, Saks 5th avenue, Macy's etc?

3.) Is there a good singles scene there? For professionals who are well educated?

4.) If I decided to take additional classes, what universities are there besides FGCU, and are they good ones?

5.) I lived in Miami (Coral Gables) for a little while. Is the heat and vibe the same? Or is it more laid back?

6.) What areas do I need to avoid all together? What areas have a cut off time at night for being safe?

7.) Will I be able to find a decent condo near the office? How strict are landlords on credit? My credit score isn't perfect, but I do have a fantastic rental history.

Anything else, please let me know! It's hard to determine whether or not to make a move!

[Chicken Wing]

Originally Posted by hannahkaye

Hey everybody

I'm a 32yo single female, and I might be offered a job there in Fort Myers. I was living in downtown Chicago for about 6 years in a high rise, and then I spent about a year in Portland, Oregon. I am used to a more metropolitan area, so here are my questions:

1.) I don't drive, and I don't want to buy a car if possible. The company is right near the airport and FGCU. I saw there are a few close condos, but is there any public transport, cabs, or zip cars?

There are buses and cabs, but most people have a car. I don't think there's enough of a public transport system here to be convenient/efficient enough when compared to owning a car.

2.) Is there a main shopping area there, like a mall with Forever 21, Saks 5th avenue, Macy's etc?

There are many shopping centers around here. Besides Edison Mall, there's Bell Tower Shops, Coconut Pointe and plenty of outlets.

3.) Is there a good singles scene there? For professionals who are well educated?

Ummm...yes and no. I'm hitched (soon to be at least) so I'm not looking but there's definitely a younger crowd up here compared to a lot of other Florida cities. You might want to check out downtown Fort Myers for your bar/night scene.

4.) If I decided to take additional classes, what universities are there besides FGCU, and are they good ones?

Not many. There's Edison, Hodges....ummm...can't think of many others.

5.) I lived in Miami (Coral Gables) for a little while. Is the heat and vibe the same? Or is it more laid back?

Definitely more laid back than Miami.

6.) What areas do I need to avoid all together? What areas have a cut off time at night for being safe?

In my experience, it gets worse as you go more inland. Not that it's unsafe at night, but I'd suggest not going many unfamiliar places at night until you get use to your surroundings.

7.) Will I be able to find a decent condo near the office? How strict are landlords on credit? My credit score isn't perfect, but I do have a fantastic rental history.

I think it depends on who the condo is. I'm assuming you're renting? You'll probably need to show them your offer from your new employer along with previous paystubs and maybe some savings.

Anything else, please let me know! It's hard to determine whether or not to make a move!

See bold.



Edit to add: I'm 28 and moved here in April.

[JBMallory]

you'll be right near the gulf coast town centers, TONS of shops and restaurants, you will probably need a car, but you could buy a cheap beater car with a/c and a cd player here for 3k and be very happy with it, there are townhomes and the like nearby

[justNancy]

Sounds as if you'll be miserable in Fort Myers. Seriously, if you read my other posts, I try to say positive things about SWFL, but judging from your post (living in a Chicago highrise, shopping at Saks) you will feel as if you entered another world. However, I would never pass up a good job opportunity, so you might want to spend a week here checking out the city and what it has to offer. I can't imagine living in any area of SWFL without a car. We don't have subways (they're called sinkholes ) or a good bus system. Lee-Tran is [URL="http://www.rideleetran.com/"]LeeTran Home[/URL]

Regarding condo rentals, Gateway is very nice and as close as you can get to the airport. Don't move to an apartment complex in Fort Myers without carefully checking out the incident reports on the Lee County Sheriff's web site. There are some beautiful areas around Fort Myers, but there are also some undesirable ones. Since you lived in Chicago, you must know that there are good & bad areas in any city. However, since I'm a born & bred Bostonian, I can honestly tell you Fort Myers is nothing at all like the other cities you mentioned. It is much smaller and its downtown area is a far cry from the nightlife of Chicago or Miami.

Regarding housing, if you don't have a criminal record and you have 2 months rent and a pulse, you shouldn't have too much trouble renting a condo, although it depends on the association and its rules. Most of the country is experiencing the same economic problems as Florida, but Fort Myers has been one of the hardest hit by this recession so there are a lot of condos for rent.

[JBMallory]

Gateway isn't necessarily the closest to the airport, or FGCU, there is a couple communities on treeline just past GCTC...

[hannahkaye]

Thanks everyone, this is all good info to consider. justNancy, thanks for the perspective. I'm not really into nightlife SO much anymore, but I do want to be able to go out to nice restaurants, shopping in a more laid back environment. This would also mean that I'd have to try to get my driver's license, and I haven't driven for 8 years. :-/

[justNancy]

Originally Posted by JBMallory

Gateway isn't necessarily the closest to the airport, or FGCU, there is a couple communities on treeline just past GCTC...

I meant that's the one I'd recommend. But you're right. There are other communities in that area.

Since I would never live anywhere in SWFL without a car, it's hard for me to focus on just one spot. If I were young and wanted to be near everything without driving, I'd probably rent near 41 and Daniels around Bell Tower Park, but I don't know Hannah's budget.

By the way, there are a lot of condos available here.

Family Lives Alone In 32-Story High Rise - cbs4.com (http://cbs4.com/local/family.lives.alone.2.1111989.html - broken link)

[JBMallory]

hannah, they give out drivers licenses here like candy
80 and legally blind? you drive
illegal cuban with a dump truck? if it has bad brakes and a blown headgasket, you drive!

easy lol

ill find out the name of the community on treeline just past gulf coast town center

[JBMallory]

heres the development im thinking of

[justNancy]

Originally Posted by JBMallory

hannah, they give out drivers licenses here like candy
80 and legally blind? you drive
illegal cuban with a dump truck? if it has bad brakes and a blown headgasket, you drive!

easy lol

ill find out the name of the community on treeline just past gulf coast town center

Who needs a license? Do you know how many unlicensed drivers there are around here?

I was once hired to work for one of those "we'll insure anyone who's breathing" agencies in Fort Myers that sold car insurance and it was a real learning experience. (I quit after 2 weeks) The number of uninsured and under-insured motorists is frightening. Most people who came in didn't speak any English and many were from another planet.