RI to FL anyone else taking the leap? (Jacksonville, The Villages: transplants, new home)

[Jay13579]

My wife and I just bought a home in St. John’s County. We are leaving “Rhude Island” aka Rhode Island. We will be escaping high taxes, poor infrastructure, high housing costs, unfriendly people, cold weather, old dilapidated school buildings/playgrounds/parks etc.
Anyone else from RI/MA/CT area heading to St. John’s area?

Any suggestions, hints, tips, or tricks for our new home area? We will be close to the St. John’s River with younger kids. I will commute to Jax. We enjoy biking, walking, fishing, shooting, etc. We are also looking for a good barn for horse boarding if anyone knows of one nearby?

Thanks all

[Nightengale212]

When I retire +/- 1 year my husband and I who are lifelong Rhode Islanders will be selling our home in Bristol and purchasing a home in The Villages which is a 55+ retirement community in central Florida. For us it is more about escaping the cold northeast winters allowing us to have a more active outdoor lifestyle for a greater part of the year with others of our own age group.


Best of luck with your relocation.

[Jay13579]

Originally Posted by Nightengale212

When I retire +/- 1 year my husband and I who are lifelong Rhode Islanders will be selling our home in Bristol and purchasing a home in The Villages which is a 55+ retirement community in central Florida. For us it is more about escaping the cold northeast winters allowing us to have a more active outdoor lifestyle for a greater part of the year with others of our own age group.


Best of luck with your relocation.

That’s great! I do agree with the active lifestyle as well. We are leaving Florida today and we noticed so many people outside this weekend doing things (walking, biking, grilling, just hanging out together). It’s so different in RI where everyone is stuck inside so much, there are no sidewalks to safely walk or bike (other than the bike trail but who wants to drive to that all the time). We look forward to heading south soon to so we can take advantage of the outdoors.

Check this article out I found, sounds like we aren’t the only ones!

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/04/r...o-florida.html

[JBtwinz]

Originally Posted by Jay13579

That’s great! I do agree with the active lifestyle as well. We are leaving Florida today and we noticed so many people outside this weekend doing things (walking, biking, grilling, just hanging out together). It’s so different in RI where everyone is stuck inside so much, there are no sidewalks to safely walk or bike (other than the bike trail but who wants to drive to that all the time). We look forward to heading south soon to so we can take advantage of the outdoors.

Check this article out I found, sounds like we aren’t the only ones!

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/04/r...o-florida.html

We made the transition several years ago from RI and while we have adapted to the Jacksonville area we still do miss RI, although RI has changed tremendously economically from when we lived there. It is now a very expensive place to live.


Good luck and welcome to the area

[SCGAFL]

Just make sure you don't come and "Rhode Island" up our Florida!

[rwy36]

Congrats on your move! We're in CT and hopefully punching out next year if everything works out selling our existing house (and it should, housing market has improved in CT with the New Yorker's coming north into the countryside)! Still thinking about where we're going to land but St. John's is on our list.

[Marysa Butzke]

Originally Posted by SCGAFL

Just make sure you don't come and "Rhode Island" up our Florida!

AGREED. Just don't come to our home in FL and bring your lousy voting habits that helped to ruin the place you're escaping....


I know if I wanted to be around the typical residents of RI, i'd MOVE THERE!

[Marysa Butzke]

I want a moratorium on all transplants, esp from the NE ! LOL


Of course this is still the USA, but there is a limit to population and cultural/political shifts, who wants Jax or TPA to become CT, RI or NY? NOBODY here. ALL of my family and friends are already sick of it.

[squarpeg]

I want a moratorium on all transplants, esp from the NE ! LOL
Of course this is still the USA, but there is a limit to population and cultural/political shifts, who wants Jax or TPA to become CT, RI or NY? NOBODY here. ALL of my family and friends are already sick of it.

A very common and ridiculous statement. I hear this same thing from people in the North country about.. them city folk. What nonsense. We are all citizens of the USA, people can live where they want, stop being a dink.

[SCGAFL]

Originally Posted by squarpeg

A very common and ridiculous statement. I hear this same thing from people in the North country about.. them city folk. What nonsense. We are all citizens of the USA, people can live where they want, stop being a dink.

LOL, you didn't like it here when you used to live here. Your white knighting is noted and goes against what you stand for when it comes to this area.