Move to FWB or.. ? (Fort Lauderdale, Pensacola: crime, house, find a job)

[WesM82]

First, let me say that I don't mean to offend anyone. This is just the way I feel having lived in FL for over 10 years.

I moved to north FL from MA in 2003 with my mom and siblings and a change of environment is long overdue. My biggest issue is with the culture of hunting and rednecks that I cannot get comfortable with, no matter how hard I try. I have very few friends here. I do however have strong lifelong social anxiety so this has made my social life particularly more difficult, so I can't entirely blame the culture.

I am not considering Pensacola as it is very "ghetto" in my eyes, and the crime has gotten pretty bad in many areas. I lived there for the first few years and didn't much care for the atmosphere and feeling of being a minority everywhere I went.

Would a move to FWB be much different? Or would I be better off moving to Fort Lauderdale or even outside of FL, which I'm not opposed to as long as I can have relative warmth year round. I just want to move somewhere more progressive, less close minded where less people wear the same hunting shirts, have the same deer antler decals on their loud ass trucks with huge tires, are obsessed with college football to the exclusion of all other sports, shooting guns in their backyard, burning trash piles and not taking care of their yard in the least.

Thank you.

[2ForTheSea]

You don't say what your ethnicity is, but in Ft Lauderdale we have a little bit of everybody. People whose families have been in the U.S. for many generations, immigrants just assimilating to life in the U.S., a huge Latin population as well as a lot of people from the Caribbean. Every ethnicity and culture and religion that you can imagine is represented here. Including hunters and rednecks.
Regardless of where you live you are going to find neighborhoods that are not as well kept as others so that won't change if you do decide to move.
This is also a very transient area so making friends isn't always the easiest for the most outgoing of people, so I can't imagine it will be any easier for someone with social anxiety. The Welcome Wagon will not come knocking on your door. You'll have to get out and join some sort of group, team, house of worship, take a class or get lucky and just happen to find a job with cool coworkers.

[WesM82]

I am white, 30 years old, single.

[beachmouse]

FWB-Destin-Niceville is largely a military town with both the good and the bad that brings. (Crestview is still more traditional panhandle, even though a lot of military folks have moved up there for cheaper housing or to be close to Duke Field/the new Special Forces base.)

Because of the military, it's got a pretty large cluster of high wage/high tech jobs, and I find it's got a different feel than the rest of the Panhandle.

[dagadawgs]

They have a pill for that social anxiety, you should try it. You sound like you should have stayed up north

[WesM82]

oh, did the rebel get offended..

[WesM82]

and don't act like that's rude or something, cause all I hear when I tell people I'm from up north is, "oh you're a yankee", but did I ever say "oh you're a rebel" when I met southerners who moved up there, hmm...nope

[southernnaturelover]

Originally Posted by WesM82

I just want to move somewhere more progressive, less close minded where less people wear the same hunting shirts, have the same deer antler decals on their loud ass trucks with huge tires, are obsessed with college football to the exclusion of all other sports, shooting guns in their backyard, burning trash piles and not taking care of their yard in the least.

I get tired of these types too, but I love this area and this is where my family is, so I deal with it. Try living in Alabama and hating football. LOL

[dagadawgs]

Originally Posted by WesM82

First, let me say that I don't mean to offend anyone. This is just the way I feel having lived in FL for over 10 years.

I moved to north FL from MA in 2003 with my mom and siblings and a change of environment is long overdue. My biggest issue is with the culture of hunting and rednecks that I cannot get comfortable with, no matter how hard I try. I have very few friends here. I do however have strong lifelong social anxiety so this has made my social life particularly more difficult, so I can't entirely blame the culture.

I am not considering Pensacola as it is very "ghetto" in my eyes, and the crime has gotten pretty bad in many areas. I lived there for the first few years and didn't much care for the atmosphere and feeling of being a minority everywhere I went.

Would a move to FWB be much different? Or would I be better off moving to Fort Lauderdale or even outside of FL, which I'm not opposed to as long as I can have relative warmth year round. I just want to move somewhere more progressive, less close minded where less people wear the same hunting shirts, have the same deer antler decals on their loud ass trucks with huge tires, are obsessed with college football to the exclusion of all other sports, shooting guns in their backyard, burning trash piles and not taking care of their yard in the least.

Thank you.

They have moving vans too, I hear.

[yonana5]

I'm considering a move to Fl. upon my retirement soon; however, reading info on the internet makes me feel like African Americans are not really welcome in any parts of Fl. There is so much beauty there and I find it really difficult to believe that certain nationalities are not welcome to share it. Can anyone educate me on this matter? I would truly appreciate it. Thank for your help and kindness.