Southern Florida vs Southern California (Covid) (Miami, Tampa: transplants, real estate, credit)

[vacollins]

Hello

I know this this topic has been looked at so many times before, but I am considering how both areas compare now with the impact of Covid. So much has changed, yet both areas are still two of the most desirable locations in the U.S. Thoughts???

Schools
Economy/Job Market
Cost of Living (seems like southern FL is right up there with LA now)
Quality of life
Healthcare
Safety
Social safety net (very important now with Covid)
Culture/Fun

[elchevere]

Having lived in both SoFla by a mile.

[vacollins]

Very interesting. Why do you say SoFla?

[elchevere]

Cleaner, less homeless, warmer and cleaner ocean, better nightlife, restaurant scene on fire (attracting top outposts from NYC, Chicago, Philly, DC and abroad), more bang for buck real estate/sq footage, not just people but firms relocating here (finance, crypto, some tech), closer to where I vacation (NYC, Europe, South America). While the cost of real estate has shot up, FL still offers no state income tax and lower car ownership costs. Public schools are a tie. SoFla has the energy level now that LA had in the 80’s.

Both have bad traffic (SoFla worse drivers), FL remained open during Covid with similar results as CA, no national guard called in to FL whereas LA did and was declared a state of emergency during last years protests/riots. I’ve met a number of people who have moved from SoCal to SoFla in past year who cited homeless and last years riots (along with higher taxes) for moving here.

I liken SoCal to that trendy, overpriced restaurant that serves small portions (sq footage) of mediocre food with pretty artwork on the walls (mountains in the distance) with indifferent service and patrons with overinflated opinions of themselves thinking the rest of the world wants to eat there with them, with you leaving and asking yourself why you came in the first place.

Originally Posted by vacollins

Very interesting. Why do you say SoFla?

[pierrekid]

Originally Posted by elchevere

Cleaner, less homeless, warmer and cleaner ocean, better nightlife, restaurant scene on fire (attracting top outposts from NYC, Chicago, Philly, DC and abroad), more bang for buck real estate/sq footage, not just people but firms relocating here (finance, crypto, some tech), closer to where I vacation (NYC, Europe, South America). While the cost of real estate has shot up, FL still offers no state income tax and lower car ownership costs. Public schools are a tie. SoFla has the energy level now that LA had in the 80’s.

Both have bad traffic (SoFla worse drivers), FL remained open during Covid with similar results as CA, no national guard called in to FL whereas LA did and was declared a state of emergency during last years protests/riots. I’ve met a number of people who have moved from SoCal to SoFla in past year who cited homeless and last years riots (along with higher taxes) for moving here.

I liken SoCal to that trendy, overpriced restaurant that serves small portions (sq footage) of mediocre food with pretty artwork on the walls (mountains in the distance) with indifferent service and patrons with overinflated opinions of themselves thinking the rest of the world wants to eat there with them, with you leaving and asking yourself why you came in the first place.

Never lived in SoCal, but I overall agree on everything said above. When looking at all the factors, it's not really a competition anymore, unless you value tech company presence ( which is slowly changing)

[OptimusPrime69]

Lived in south FL for 14 years and am now living in Orange county, CA (SoCal) for three years. I like SoCal better. Just my opinion though. The weather is far better. It's mild to warm all year long, not too many extremes. Consistent, dry, sunny, comfortable weather. Beautiful, Mediterranean climate whos architecture is prettier IMO. Beautiful views, mountains, hiking trails, vistas, coves, topography in general is much more interesting and varied. You can literally be hiking up a beautiful mountain in the morning and beachside, laying in the sand in the afternoon. Since I live in Orange county, I'm about 35 miles south of LA and about 60 miles north of San Diego, so I have access to great places with tons of things to do. Irvine, where I live is very clean, organized, beautifully landscaped and the people..... the people here are more pleasant. More natural, they're not so "tough" and rude tbh. Just more laid back. Also, SoCal is more diverse. Granted southern FL is diverse as well, but southern CA you meet people from all over the middle east, Asia, Oceania, Mexico. South FL had almost zero Asian or middle eastern influence really. Mostly a Latin influence, which is great, but in CA, there's just more of everything. Not just Latin---HUGE Asian populations and middle eastern populations as well, even Indian. Just far more dynamic here in SoCal IMO. Far better job market too.

South FL is great if you love the beach and the Caribbean island vibe... It's definitely pretty in it's own right, but I choose SoCal any day. Not to mention, SoCal is just more of an influential place in general. There's an energy here that doesn't exist in south FL.

[elchevere]

For suburban lifestyle (where you live) I would likely choose SoCal in most cases.

For urban lifestyle (my tastes) I choose SoFla (specifically Miami/Miami Beach). Similar/same urban amenities in a cleaner (cityscape and populace), more compact setting with lesser degree of the negatives. I disagree about energy level, as do many transplants from both coasts who have moved here recently. Covid and WFH relocation with less restrictions has been rocket fuel to SoFla (with restaurants and business following those who have moved here):

https://www.google.com/amp/s/robbrep...234607434/amp/

Little more diversity outside of Latin America than you give Miami credit for, at least in Brickell. I have friends from Germany, France, Portugal, Poland, Russia, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Morocco, and Lebanon here. Minimal Asian presence, as you stated; however, the quality of Asian cuisine is very good in spite of a lesser presence.

How do you define “natural”?….definitely more laid back but more PC, passive/aggressive and flakey v SoFla direct and rude….while I’m far more likely to have a stranger in SoCal telling me to have a nice day I also prefer people in SoFla who don’t like me telling me so upfront (rather than pretending they do to my face but saying otherwise behind my back) and getting offended if I honk my horn. I find people in SoFl more grounded. Definitely 2 different worlds, that’s for sure—though both regions are materialistic.

SoCal definitely offers more career opportunities in more fields though there is no shortage of wealth in SoFla with many bringing their wealth with them earned elsewhere (SoCal is to “home grown” talent Tampa Bay Rays v SoFla is to a “free agent spending” team though that is not to say professional opportunities in law, finance and medicine nor small business opportunities do not exist here—smaller corporate HQ presence, yes).

The only other difference is if mountains and desert matter to you. They don’t to me—though the high rises in Brickell serve as my mountains with a difference being I can interact with other people in “my mountains”. The most pleasant surprise to me, following 33 years in CA, has been how tolerable the summers are here in coastal SoFla; those from SoCal who tried scaring me from moving here had me envisioning pure Sahara desert hell which definitely has not been the case in my 5 years.

Originally Posted by OptimusPrime69

Lived in south FL for 14 years and am now living in Orange county, CA (SoCal) for three years. I like SoCal better. Just my opinion though. The weather is far better. It's mild to warm all year long, not too many extremes. Consistent, dry, sunny, comfortable weather. Beautiful, Mediterranean climate whos architecture is prettier IMO. Beautiful views, mountains, hiking trails, vistas, coves, topography in general is much more interesting and varied. You can literally be hiking up a beautiful mountain in the morning and beachside, laying in the sand in the afternoon. Since I live in Orange county, I'm about 35 miles south of LA and about 60 miles north of San Diego, so I have access to great places with tons of things to do. Irvine, where I live is very clean, organized, beautifully landscaped and the people..... the people here are more pleasant. More natural, they're not so "tough" and rude tbh. Just more laid back. Also, SoCal is more diverse. Granted southern FL is diverse as well, but southern CA you meet people from all over the middle east, Asia, Oceania, Mexico. South FL had almost zero Asian or middle eastern influence really. Mostly a Latin influence, which is great, but in CA, there's just more of everything. Not just Latin---HUGE Asian populations and middle eastern populations as well, even Indian. Just far more dynamic here in SoCal IMO. Far better job market too.

South FL is great if you love the beach and the Caribbean island vibe... It's definitely pretty in it's own right, but I choose SoCal any day. Not to mention, SoCal is just more of an influential place in general. There's an energy here that doesn't exist in south FL.

[MarcBetrus]

Absolutely south Florida.

[vacollins]

Here’s how I see it from reading past posts. The thing is that Southern California is more iconic and historical in many ways. The Hollywood sign, Hotel del Coronado from “Some Like it Hot”, the cross lit up etc. All of these have historical iconic roots in the US readily identifiable to millenials and up. It brings forth a sort of nostalgia that doesn’t always match the reality on the ground. Southern Florida doesn’t really have that yet (Miami being known as a party city is known globally but that’s about it). However, with so much wealth flocking to the area, I agree with the other poster who said Miami now is like LA in 80s.

[elchevere]

Miami (Beach) has the Art Deco district and Art Deco architecture which is certainly emblematic of the past but, more importantly, it is a city that is consistently reinventing itself which is an asset for the present and future.

Originally Posted by vacollins

Here’s how I see it from reading past posts. The thing is that Southern California is more iconic and historical in many ways. The Hollywood sign, Hotel del Coronado from “Some Like it Hot”, the cross lit up etc. All of these have historical iconic roots in the US readily identifiable to millenials and up. It brings forth a sort of nostalgia that doesn’t always match the reality on the ground. Southern Florida doesn’t really have that yet (Miami being known as a party city is known globally but that’s about it). However, with so much wealth flocking to the area, I agree with the other poster who said Miami now is like LA in 80s.