Moving out of Miami, where should I go? (Tampa, Orlando: 2013, house prices)

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by himain

I live in Denver after living in Miami for 30+ years. You will not find what you are looking for housing wise unless you're in the boonies. Denver is very expensive real estate wise.


Traffic is bad in Orlando-my sister lives there. Have you considered the Carolinas?

I don't find the traffic in Orlando to be bad at all. Outside of rush hour, it's smooth sailing in most of Orlando. However, I've lived in San Francisco and Seattle, where traffic is horrendous, so maybe I'm just used to heavy traffic, which is why Orlando seems like child's play in comparison.

[Enigma777]

Originally Posted by Marc Middleton

Treasure Island/St Pete Beach area or Sarasota are great options given what you are looking for.

I def wouldn't recommend Brandon...Maybe East Bradenton could be an option and you could hang out in Holmes Beach or something...

Orlando is pretty boring and traffic is horrendous since i-4 is the main artery and the construction never stops. I grew up there and every time i go back, I'm glad I left.

Too bad you don't like South Florida. I would suggest North Palm Beach/Juno Beach area. Much slower, lots of laid back cool bars & restaurants on the water/canal, friendlier people, etc. We lived off US-1 Near Northlake for a while and really enjoyed it.

Biloxi? Imagine a crappier Atlantic City if you can. Few nice casinos, the rest is a stopping point between PCB and New Orleans.

I agree with you on Brandon--strip malls and car dealers/boring/not a place for single people either.

Also agree that NPB/Juno is nice, young, singles and the employment in the area is pretty good.

East Bradenton--no way. Too expensive to live near the beach, too many retirees and snowbirds, not a haven for singles and the salaries in that area suck, when there are jobs at all. West Bradenton is simply one subdivision after another.

I would also vote St. Pete over Sarasota. Much younger crowd, more activities and more jobs.

[Marc Middleton]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

I don't find the traffic in Orlando to be bad at all. Outside of rush hour, it's smooth sailing in most of Orlando. However, I've lived in San Francisco and Seattle, where traffic is horrendous, so maybe I'm just used to heavy traffic, which is why Orlando seems like child's play in comparison.

Yes, you are probably used to much worse.

Especially where you live, its atrocious between 4pm & 6pm on Sand Lake trying to get to i-4. Then the construction on i-4 that never ends brings downtown traffic to a complete standstill from before the 408 all the way to Lee Road. (And yes, I was just there a few months ago visiting family so I'm talking recent). I was in the area at freaking 11am and couldn't get thru downtown without stopping completely.

Then 436 from East Altamonte to Casselberry is a mess, even non-rush hour times.

The Ramp to get off for Mall of Millenia is always a nightmare and I have to drive down the left lane and then cut someone off at the last minute like a typical Miami-ian.

From Sea World to past Lk Buena Vista exit is usually pretty crappy too.

Really just way West like Windermere and way East like Lake Nona are the only areas safe from constant slow downs.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by Marc Middleton

Yes, you are probably used to much worse.

Especially where you live, its atrocious between 4pm & 6pm on Sand Lake trying to get to i-4. Then the construction on i-4 that never ends brings downtown traffic to a complete standstill from before the 408 all the way to Lee Road. (And yes, I was just there a few months ago visiting family so I'm talking recent). I was in the area at freaking 11am and couldn't get thru downtown without stopping completely.

Then 436 from East Altamonte to Casselberry is a mess, even non-rush hour times.

The Ramp to get off for Mall of Millenia is always a nightmare and I have to drive down the left lane and then cut someone off at the last minute like a typical Miami-ian.

From Sea World to past Lk Buena Vista exit is usually pretty crappy too.

Really just way West like Windermere and way East like Lake Nona are the only areas safe from constant slow downs.

I think that's why I often say to people I meet here that they are spoiled lol. I'm loving the traffic in Orlando from where I've previously lived. I'd imagine it's better than Miami though. I heard the worst traffic areas in the US were something like Los Angeles Area, San Francisco Bay Area and Miami Area.

What I find here that is nice is there are so many ways to get to point B. For example, if I want to go to Mall At Millenia, I can...

Dr. Phillips Blvd to Conroy Windermere Road

Dr. Phillips Blvd to Sand Lake Road to I-4 - Millenia Mall Exit

Dr. Phillips Blvd to Wallace Road to Vineland to Millenia Blvd

If I want to go to downtown and I-4 is backed up, I can take 408, which even during rush hour rarely ever has delays.

From Dr. Phillips I can go to (3) Publix, Trader Joes, Walmart Market, Fresh Market in about 5-10 minutes anytime of the day. I can go to Whole Foods in 15 minutes pretty much anytime of the day. I never have to drive around looking for parking. The lines at check-out are a mile long like they are in San Francisco. Overall, it just seems so laid back from where I came from. However, I understand that previous experiences determine whether or not someone will think Orlando has bad traffic.

[Marc Middleton]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

From Dr. Phillips I can go to (3) Publix, Trader Joes, Walmart Market, Fresh Market in about 5-10 minutes anytime of the day. I can go to Whole Foods in 15 minutes pretty much anytime of the day. I never have to drive around looking for parking. The lines at check-out are a mile long like they are in San Francisco. Overall, it just seems so laid back from where I came from. However, I understand that previous experiences determine whether or not someone will think Orlando has bad traffic.

Yes, that's true, of all the areas to live in, Dr. Phillips and Old Winter Park are probably the best areas to live in. Maybe College Park as #3 since its close to Downtown nightlife.

When we lived in Millenia, the Trader Joes wasn't there and Whole Foods was just about to open. The Publix in Windermere is one of the nicest anywhere (of course) and yes there are lots of side roads to get places.

When you compare to the big cities, sure, Orlando beats them on the traffic, amount of people, the hustle and bustle, etc. However, its still a very congested city and has few routes to get in and out with the Turnpike being your best option most days. But when someone says they want out of Miami because of the traffic/congestion/etc., Orlando doesn't come to mind as a good alternative with regards to what Sarasota, St. Pete Beach or even North Palm Beach offers.

But I did spend most of my life in O-Town so of course I'm more biased than others...

[Eldemila]

I would say my area of South Carolina, but there are way too many Floridians already here!

[grad_student200]

Originally Posted by msnbcnnbcbs

Hello all, let me preface this by saying I have lived in Miami all my life, but I feel its time to move on. I'm burned out on the traffic, people, and cost-of-living. Not necessarily looking to move out of FL...I have a few ideas in my head, but this is where I'm at:

1. Single, no kids. (So schools are not important)
2. In I.T./Software development
3. Former homeowner in hialeah, sold last year, currently renting in Miami Lakes.


What I'm looking for

1. Lower cost-of-living
2. Safe, Lower population density/Slower pace of life area.
3. Available work in I.T./Software development
4. No more than 30m-45m commute to work.
5. Affordable housing (as in, single family homes < 400k, decent lot sizes (10k+ sqft) and lower housing density)
6. Warm/relatively warm climate. (Not very tolerant of snow, blizzards, continuous low temps, etc)


From the above, I compiled a small list (orderd by distance)

1. East Tampa/Brandon, FL
2. Orlando Area
3. Austin, TX
4. Raleigh, NC
5. Phoenix, AZ



Am I missing any good ones? I know Austin has gotten a bit expensive, but I would like some more ideas. I'm ok with staying in FL, just not in South Florida.

I'm planning this move for end of year/early 2018.

thanks.

I understand because I lived in Miami for a year and Tallahassee for about 13 years. I was not happy with both. I moved out of Florida two weeks ago and drove for 2.5 days to Phoenix, AZ. I got a new job. I am a software tester who specialized in automation and/or integration testing with databases (MVC architecture).

Miami was too dense for me. The traffic jams were horrible. I used to commute from the north side to MIA. It was harsh. It wore me out. The culture is also heavily Latin American. Spanish was prevalent. I do not speak Spanish. So I was never able to blend into the local Miami scene.

Tallahassee is a college town with a focus on 18-22 for social life. Local southerners with long-term ties do tend to settle into the area. But I was an outsider there too. I left.

The only part of Florida I like is Tampa/Orlando or Central FL. I would recommend Clermont, Brooksville, Melbourne, Mt. Dora, Cocoa Beach, etc as proximal options. There are lots of jobs in Central FL for software.

Outside of FL, Austin, TX is excellent. The cost of living is lower than Miami. I lived in North Austin which is reasonable compared to Miami. I did not want to come back to FL but could not sell my house five years ago. I returned and worked for a year in Miami then the rest in Panama City. All the while I had to maintain that home in Tallahassee. I finally sold the house about 10 days ago. So I moved back to Phoenix. I love coming home to AZ.

The cost of living is low in Phoenix compared to Miami. The most expensive side is Scottsdale, but even that pails in comparison to Miami. Areas such as Tempe, Mesa, and Chandler are strong options.

I would recommend visiting Central FL first before taking a big leap. I am originally from AZ, so I blend in culturally much better in TX and AZ. A native Floridian may be in culture shock in the southwest. But many have done it. There are FSU and UF alumni in TX and AZ. The U has alumni all over. There are FAU alumni in TX.

Best wishes. I liked this video when I worked in Miami four years ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVRBfEtpBuU

The only part of Miami I liked was a 13 mile round trip run from Alice Wainwright Park to Key Biscayne across the two bridges. I used to like that on Sunday mornings at 7 am.

[Ste68]

I think that "msn" is again more confused now. You listed a large part of South America and in the next days someone will list others 100 places. I believe that "msn" is trying the earthly paradise but everyone has their own idea of earthly paradise. If you ask people when they would like to live the answers will be endless. Look at us, he want escape from Miami, I want to cme to Miami. We say.." The world is beatiful because we are different".

[TD*]

Tallahassee is nice, lots of people move up from South Florida and like it.

[Ste68]

Maybe you should to do a first choice.....see or not see.