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My huband (retired, moderate Republican) and myself (still got 20 yrs to work, liberal Dem) are looking to move from Northern Calfornia (we have lived in SF Bay and Sacramento areas for the last 3 years) back East. We are from Western New York and want to be in the same time zone with easy flights back home...but would like to avoid the Great Lakes Winters.
I can internally transfer for jobs, which I frequently see in Gainsville/Jacksonville, Orlando, and also available but not as plentifully in the Tampa/Clearwater area. I would take a pay cut..but the cost of living and taxes have to be less there.
I am family familiar with Florida..at least the tourist areas having visited Orlando, Tampa, and Daytona multiple times and Miami and the Keys once. (Most of the visits were in October or February...one in August)
As a tourist, I loved loved loved Florida. My hubby has only been to the pan-handle once but did live and work in South Carolina so he understands some heat and humidity. (Sacramento was in triple digits a dozen times this summer...sure...its "dry"..but 105 is still 105). He is Florida skeptical
I am just looking for some area comparisons from locals please. I will also read some past threads.
As mentioned, my husband is retired. He likes to get outside for walks, play guitar, hear local music, and simply explore. Neither of us is extremely active in sports (although we like to watch) but really enjoy Zoos, theatre, parks museums, "foodie" places. We are pretty open minded and appreciate a variety of cultures. We'd love a sense of community...maybe a place to volunteer. We are also use to suffocating traffic...and would like to decrease it some. We don't need a specific church nor do we need to worry about schools as the kids are grown and out. (I would like a college or university though, just to keep learning)
We have dogs so we'd like a pet friendly place.
Ok..heres the silly questions you are probably sick of...Will the gators eat my dogs? (I know...Yankee paranoia)...I'd ask more about the bugs and snakes but having lived in Cali and New Mexico with the spiders and snakes..I think we can adjust. Are the A/C bills a killer? (I know the heating bills could be up north from Nov -April). And which of the areas we mentioned has the most sunny days? (can't move back into 8 months of gray)
How did I forget this....how far the casinos?? really...we do love our slot machines now and then.
I know I can look most of this up...but I can only get the real skinny from the locals..thats where any community gets its energy from!
Oh, and we would rent 1st vs buy. Anything from a larger studio to a 1-2 bedroom works.
As mentioned, my husband is retired. He likes to get outside for walks, play guitar, hear local music, and simply explore. Neither of us is extremely active in sports (although we like to watch) but really enjoy Zoos, theatre, parks museums, "foodie" places. We are pretty open minded and appreciate a variety of cultures. We'd love a sense of community...maybe a place to volunteer. We are also use to suffocating traffic...and would like to decrease it some. We don't need a specific church nor do we need to worry about schools as the kids are grown and out. (I would like a college or university though, just to keep learning)
Ok..heres the silly questions you are probably sick of...Will the gators eat my dogs? (I know...Yankee paranoia)...I'd ask more about the bugs and snakes but having lived in Cali and New Mexico with the spiders and snakes..I think we can adjust. Are the A/C bills a killer? (I know the heating bills could be up north from Nov -April). And which of the areas we mentioned has the most sunny days? (can't move back into 8 months of gray) How did I forget this....how far the casinos?? really...we do love our slot machines now and then.
I would recommend the Tampa Bay area of your four choices as it offers more of what you're looking for than the other cities. The area stands out as having a better "foodie scene" and the benefit of offering three major league sports franchises (NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, MLB's Tampa Bay Rays and NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning) plus major college sports at the University of South Florida. In terms of walking, spontaneous access to the beach versus a planned outing is a nice benefit too. The closest casino/slots to Orlando is the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel/Casino in Tampa. Gators (and large birds of prey) can/will attack small dogs. The key is to have fencing and don't leave them unattended outside near lakes or ponds. A/C bills are typically big if you're using older equipment or have inadequate insulation. Most of the state is uniformly sunny, so you won't see much if any variance there.
I don't think you could go wrong with anywhere in Florida, but of those choices I'd have to say I'm partial to Gainesville/Jacksonville. Even as a South Floridian, I'm partial to North Florida--I love being able to get out into the Florida countryside while still having the all the conveniences of civilization.
My parents moved to Gainesville a few years back and my sister lives there too, and for what could best be catagorized as a large town, Gainesville has plenty of culture. Several museums, on-campus cultural events at UF, the Hippodrome Theater. And many great natural spots to explore, a variety of restaraunts....Gainesville would be on the top of my list if I had my choice.
Also in the North Florida area worth a look is St. Augustine.....some good culture there as well, and tons of places to explore.
Jax is my favorite big Florida city. Nice riverside location. It's physically huge, so there are some good places to live in town and some not too good places to live, but on the whole I don't think you could go wrong checking it out. Great zoo, great beaches, great river, decent enough museums and cultural events. In sports you have the NFL Jaguars, as well as a great minor league baseball team and a few other sporting options.
In terms of politics, Gainesville itself is a blue island surrounded by red, so you'll probably encounter a good mix of people in the area in terms of beliefs to satisfy both you and your husband. Jacksonville has traditionally been conservative but has been trending more and more purple in recent years.
Jacksonville has a beautiful airport (not often can you describe an airport as "beautiful" but Jacksonville's fits the bill) with decent access nationwide either direct or to a hub. Gainesville also has a small commercial airport...of course, unless you are going to Atlanta or Charlotte, you won't find a direct flight but if you are living in Gainesville it's at least convenient to get to and from, and very easy to get in and out of.
Of course, in terms of casinos, Tampa Bay may be your best bet there. I believe they have a Hard Rock casino there....not sure if Northest Florida has anything comparable. Culturally, I know Sarasota has a good arts and museum scene. And as mentioned by another poster, Tampa Bay offers NFL, MLB and NHL in terms of sporting options.
Orlando is a little dominated by the touristy areas just to the south of town, but there are some hidden gems in Orlando itself for culture and arts. Plus you have the NBA.
All in all, I don't think you could go wrong with any of the three options, although my preference would be Gainesville/Jax. Welcome to the Sunshine State and happy hunting!
The area stands out as having a better "foodie scene" and the benefit of offering three major league sports franchises (NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, MLB's Tampa Bay Rays and NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning) plus major college sports at the University of South Florida.
Do you have any data to back up that Tampa has a better "foodie scene"? All data that I have compared on Yelp says that Orlando has far higher numbers of highly rated restaurants (4 stars or better) than Tampa at every price point.
Do you have any data to back up that Tampa has a better "foodie scene"? All data that I have compared on Yelp says that Orlando has far higher numbers of highly rated restaurants (4 stars or better) than Tampa at every price point.
It's the Tampa Bay area, not just Tampa. Orlando has more hits on Yelp due to the much heavier tourist influence, not through any greater breadth of restaurants. Beyond that, the "foodie scene" applies to more than restaurants. The Tampa Bay area has a better choice of retail establishments, produce stands and ethnic markets in particular.
It's the Tampa Bay area, not just Tampa. Orlando has more hits on Yelp due to the much heavier tourist influence, not through any greater breadth of restaurants. Beyond that, the "foodie scene" applies to more than restaurants. The Tampa Bay area has a better choice of retail establishments, produce stands and ethnic markets in particular.
Listen, the poster could be asking "moving to Orlando or Kabul, which one" and you would find reasons for the poster to move to Afghanistan over Orlando.
Listen, the poster could be asking "moving to Orlando or Kabul, which one" and you would find reasons for the poster to move to Afghanistan over Orlando.
Okay cheerleader, a bit overstated don't you think?
Well you posted in the Orlando forum I will give you the Orlando response. Orlando is moderate to liberal town, Orlando, South Orange County and North Osceola are strongly Democratic. For you husband, North Orlando fits the bill. Strongly Republican, but not bible belt Republicans, more fiscal, small govt types. Living in Orlando is whole nother world from visiting here. I don't mean that in a bad way, just a realistic way. When you live here, you will find that unless you seek it out, you will have almost no interaction with the Tourist element of Orlando. Most people here live fairly regular lives of work, traffic, dinning, etc, and rarely visit the theme parks or tourist traps. The weather here, as far as sunny days is the same as everywhere else. The difference can be dramatic though between the places you listed. Tampa by far has the warmest weather being furthest south and insulated by the bay. Orlando is more moderate, for example today as I type it is in the mid 50's. Gainesville and Jax can be downright cold. It is not tropical FL up there, the summer are sweltering hot but the winters can actually be pretty cold. Contrary to popular belief Orlando has a burgeoning Arts and Culture scene. We're currently building the new Dr. Phillips Arts Center which will be able to host any traveling show in the country. Our new Amway Center is usually a stop for every major concert tour. There are smaller venues for live music. There are theaters sprinkled throughout the area. Orlando has a good food scene due in part to all our visitors. Although I don't go the tourists corridor often there are two things I will venture there for...food and shopping. Outside of the tourists areas I think Orlando has a strong locally owned restaurant scene as well. People always talk about all the commercial chains around here, I rarely ever eat at any of them as there are so many mom and pops option. Obviously, cost of living is higher in the larger cities but no where near as high as the SF Bay area. Yes gators, snakes and predators will eat your pets if given a chance. The key is not to give them a chance. Nearest Casino is the Tampa Seminole Hard Rock and Space Coast Casino boats. If you want to explore Orlando is the best location as it is centrally located. Orlando also has many walkable communities so you could just get out and explore on feet. The Magic are the only professional show in town but people here really love their Magic. Even with the down year and no superstars the games are still well attended and entertaining. UCF offers good collegiate sports, particularly basketball, baseball and football. The Arnold Classic is played at Windermere in south Orange County. There are always some sort of amateur or national competitions being played here. Orlando is growing larger and more diverse everyday, it's an exciting time to be here, I think this is where we get our energy from.
It's the Tampa Bay area, not just Tampa. Orlando has more hits on Yelp due to the much heavier tourist influence, not through any greater breadth of restaurants. Beyond that, the "foodie scene" applies to more than restaurants. The Tampa Bay area has a better choice of retail establishments, produce stands and ethnic markets in particular.
Does Tampa or Jacksonville have anything like the East End Market opening soon in Audubon Park? This concept is about as local foodie as you can get with its shared kitchen and local artisan shops under one roof.
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