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This is a very old thread but possibly someone else may have a similar question about the Southeast or the Southwest.
I have a home at Albuquerque but have only visited Florida several times. I have zero prejudices against the Southeastern U.S. as I have family and friends who live there as well as my ancestral families came through there. However, personally I would choose New Mexico over Florida in a heartbeat simply for the lack of humidity, open and unique landscapes and nearness to the natural world no matter where in the State you are located.
Also I will mention that this next month I am replacing my very inexpensive-to-operate evaporative coolers in my Albuquerque home, as well as the one at our west Texas farm. I say "I am replacing" because this is one of the things that is inexpensive about these very simplistic cooling systems. You do not need a highly trained (and highly paid) specialist to work on these systems if you know how to use simple tools. Try to use a "swamp cooler" anywhere in the Southeast and you'll be growing mushrooms in your carpet and furniture.
If *I* had the choice, I would choose Albq for its lack of HUMIDITY.
This is pretty much how I would choose also. However, I would also give ALBQ a strong edge for the Sangrias mountain range.
However, for those that love the Ocean, I can certainly understand why they would pick clearwater. For those that are not familiar with it, clear water is a subsection of the Tampa Bay area. Either of those two areas, in my opinion, are a major upgrade to living in most parts of the country. I had actually had ALBQ near the top of my list of ideal cities.
I've lived all over Florida, born and raised here. I took off for an adventure to Truth or Consequencss, New Mexico for about 1 year when I was 21. I absolutely loved it there, but it may be because it was so drastically different. Each has its pros and cons of course.
Florida has strange crime...memes don't lie about that lol We are strange here. Possibly the thing that is most aggrivating when you are finally settled into Florida life is Snowbird Season- the season all the northerners come down, usually around Thanksgiving till the beginning of spring (though every year it seems to take them longer to go home, and lately a lot of them are deciding to stay. ), and then it seems once you can breathe, Hurricane season comes.
Hurricane Season, out of all the possible natural disasters, to me seems the easiest. You have fair warning of a few weeks usually and can prepare. Luckily most of the time it's just a lot of wind and rain, but it can get scary and cause a lot of damage if it happens to be a big storm. Nowhere in Florida is really safe, and sometimes storms will cross the entire state multiple times. But a Floridian will usually try to make it better by saying, "well, we really did need the rain.".
Majority of Floridian cities are horribly infected with traffic. Even the smallest coastal city while the snowbirds are here.
We don't really get a winter...so that could be a pro unless you enjoy the changing of the seasons. We have Snowbird Season, Lovebug Season, Rains every day at 3 o'clock season, and The It's never going to end Summer season. We have maybe 1 week of tempatures in the 40s (F). One day it can be 85*F, the next it could be 50*F. May not sound cold to some of you northerners, but the humidity here never goes away. When all that water in the air gets cold, it will find you and burrow deepn into your bones. But, fear not, you'll thaw out tomorrow.
It's illegal not to have heat down here. Yes you read that right. However, cold A/C will be your best friend, until the electric bill shows up. It's a dry heat in NM, I spent most of my time outside with no ac. Jobs can be plentiful here as Florida is a melting pot of just about everything. Schools really depend on who's the principal at the time and where you are. Each section of Florida from what I've noticed is very different. Medical, medical can be a pain here. Difficult to deal with, but seemed easier and more friendly in NM. Florida car insurance is higher, as well as cost of living. Here in Sebastain, Florida I am renting a 1 1/2 bedroom apartment for $700, no a/c or heat, and $700 is a good rare deal. Out in New Mexico (T or c) I rented a double wide 3 bedroom trailer with a fenced yard for $400 a month.
Cultures are very different in either place. Depending on where you go here in Florida depends on the culture you'll see. It's not as rich with culture as New Mexico, because we have so many. Florida has been built on the need to entertain visitors, so if you enjoy places like Disney, waterparks, Universal and Legoland, come on down. We do have a lot of KOAs (camp grounds) and hiking trails (mostly north florida). But in general we are a huge swamp, anywhere you go swimming or hiking something will have an opportunity to eat you.Fishing is awesome here. We know how to party! Lots of live music here if various types. We are slower here, new things that come out for whatever reason we don't seem to have right away.
But for the Floridian who lives here it may be few and far between you actually get to participate in these fun actives unless you work there. As I said the cost of living here is high. With in the past 4 years I think I've been to the beach and felt the sands between my toes 3 times. Where as while I was in NM, I had the time and energy to explore some of the state, hiking, swimming, boating etc (funny considering I had to go to the desert to have the time to go on a boat).
Fruit isn't as juicy in NM, and can be a bit more expensive, food in general. NM has more laws on water than FL, but considering Florida is surrounded by water that doesn't seem odd. Everything metal rusts in FL, everything gets sand worn in NM. Pick your battles there...Florida has disese spreading annoying mosquitoes, New Mexico has these painful annoying goat head stickers and scorpions . I prefer the stickers myself.
From what I encountered in NM, people seemed to be pretty down to earth and quiet, very much to themselves. And depending on where you are in Florida it can be the same (least some of the year until the snowbirds come down). Both places have a drinking problem. Cept here in FL we seem to have more Watering holes, pedestrians, and accidents (specially...you guessed it, in snowbird season).
Unless you are in northern Florida, the only hills here are garbage mountains covered by beautiful sod and thousands of gorgeous, yet, noisy birds. Driving here isn't as much of an adventure, flat and straight roads to get you to your destination. In my opinion, the sunsets in NM beat FL, but to each their own! Our sky ceiling seems lower, clouds lie low here, unlike NM, where it makes you feel small (and you see the stars there, very little light polution).
Man, maybe I need to move back to NM! Hope I helped!
We spent about 5 years trying diff places out, hoping to land on a place to move to in retirement. Florida was so humid, just couldn't stand it! And we were motivated to like it there due to its proximity to family. Like NM a lot; it was near the top of our list.
I like the mountains and beach also. I would take Clearwater over N.M. Unless you are really into the
southwest culture life or if you ski and in good shape to hike thru the mountains. Or know somebody well there. N.M.has a huge southwest art scene which is special.
I, too, am very confused where to move. I had long decided on the Denver area (mountains) but the rents are too high for a mid-size apt. I need and extremely competitive. I have searched extensively there and on Internet for many months. My second choice is Clearwater/St. Pete or Nashville TN (closer to where I live) that has low hills at least. (Prefer the Rockies.) But the rents are not low in those cities either, usually over $1100 for a one bedroom anywhere). I don't have or need a job so I can move when and where I want. Humidity sucks,but the desert isn't for me either. It is VERY true that visiting is never like living there. But I can't afford to live there and also keep my cheap apartment here in my megacity.
Been in the state about five years now. Even after getting a job offer up in a high cost place like Denver, I don't really feel like leaving at the moment.
Rent is cheap, traffic is relatively non existent, and unlike the state to the north, we're not getting inundated so bad by the hip crowd.
Thanks for the response!!
I have lived in:
Tucson, AZ
Azores, Terceira
Indianapolis, IN
Santa Barbara, CA (lived here the longest and love, loved it!! but became too expensive!)
St. George, UT
Barboursville, WV
Gloucester, VA
Omaha, NE
Kailua, Hawaii
Boulder, CO
Eureka Springs, AR
I love both the oceans and the mountains and was hoping to hear from enough folks who have been to both who could share enough to give me a little insight as I have no experience with either location aside from vacationing in Florida as a young person and driving through NM. My dream has always been to live in the Santa Fe area but Florida just kind of popped up and I have never really had the chance to experience the gulf area. My husband and son love the heat, I love the dry but don't know if it's different by the beach.
I currently live in South FL and have been here my entire life. One thing you would definitely have to adjust to is our weather... it's hot and humid basically year round. We have hurricane season which extends from summer thru November and it brings A LOT of rain. We joke that around 3PM, almost daily, you will experience a short thunderstorm. With rain, comes mosquitoes - so be prepared for that as well! FL is my hometown and it's been great to me...but, I'm in the process of debating a move to AZ to try something new as well as I would LOVE a chance to live in a mountainous region. It seems like you have been all over so it may not be a huge switch to you. I would definitely make sure you had a well-paying job though because it is pretty expensive to live here compared to many other places.
Overall, FL is cool though...but it definitely won't give you the "dry" you love!! Best of luck!
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