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Your post echoes my worries - Have been thinking about moving from Maui to Florida but ......
Both my adult children moved to the mainland after graduating and my son lives in Florida - I have two grandchildren that I never can see because they cant afford to come home and as a teacher I really cant afford to go there. Plus my youngest like I loves our life here - she is only in 6th grade and wants to stay - but.... I am getting older and I would like to have my children - all of them - nearby
I have looked at teaching in Florida but looks like they make a lot less and the rent etc are the same (ish)
I have already tried to move from here 2x - hated it both times - once to upstate Ny and once to SC - hated hated hated it - and couldn't wait to come home - but....
Live Maui for 10 years - Love my life here - I am a public school teacher - however both my adult children have moved to the mainland and now I have grandchildren - My youngest is deadset on never leaving - and so was I - I tried it twice and hated it but well thinking - can I ever buy a house here? prob not - can I retire and be old without my children all nearby - prob not - do I wait until my youngest goes off to college but then my grandchildren are near grown - do I rip here from her home and all she loves?
My son talks about missing the ocean that is so different there in Florida and all the food - that is never going to be the same but he is staying - good job - couldn't find one on Maui - rent he can afford - and can drive anywhere
advice?
Last edited by alohamele71; 03-15-2015 at 06:03 PM..
Reason: spelling
As a retired marine biologist I naturally love the ocean and need to be near it. I have lived in Maui almost 2 years now and love it. A perfect climate for the outdoors type with comfortable cool and dry trade wind breezes.
I lived in Florida (Ft Lauderdale area) for seven years and had to leave because of the spirit crushing humidity. Instead of being out on the shore, or in fact anywhere in the interior, I found I was mostly staying indoors from March through October with the AC running flat out 24/7. The crushing heat in combination with the heavy dank wet air made for a very uncomfortable existence. During the drier air weather season (November through February) the roads and beaches are jam packed with snow-birds escaping the northern winters making for mega traffic jams.
Although the roads/highways are wide and in great shape, all they seem to do is just connect you from one mini-mall to the next mini-mall, with an occasional maxi-mall thrown in. Flat terrain with not much to see but scrub pine and swamp grasses.
I worked in the area of warmer coastal water temperatures and nutrient discharges (high levels of phosphates) causing an acceleration of coral bleaching, and with environmental engineers trying to tackle the problem of salt water intrusion into the groundwater aquifers from excessive groundwater pumping, which in turn is increasing the huge sink hole problems occurring within the state.
I'm spending about $400-$500/month more to live in Hawaii, but the quality of life makes every cent worth it.
This is just my 2-cents, or point of view, from someone who has lived in both places. Good luck with whatever decision you make.
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