Stuart Florida?? (Miami, Orlando, Port St. Lucie: real estate market, rent, crime)
Port St. Lucie - Sebastian - Vero BeachSt. Lucie, Martin, and Indian River counties (Treasure Coast)
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Alligators, pythons, iguanas, mosquitoes, heat, jellyfish, water moccasins, NYers, humidity, crime, traffic on 1-95 from PEOPLE COMMUTING, corrupt politicians, lightning, low wages, real estate developers, bad schools, poison ivy, year-round lawn maintenance. Other than that, it's pretty much paradise.
Really? And none of the highlighted items occur elsewhere? By the way...alligators, pythons, water moccasins and jellyfish aren't an everyday issue unless one is swimming in canals (not wise) or in the ocean despite warnings not to. Lastly the bad-schools schtick is kind of a worn out stereotype. Education Week ranked Florida public schools #5 based on a variety of results-based criteria.
The schools are better the further north you go in Palm Beach Cty. Martin county received some of the best FCAT scores in the state this year. You just have to come visit and get a feel for the area. I have lived in FL most of my life and have only seen an alligator or iguana where expected-- like a zoo or swampy areas. The worst pests are the "no see-ums" which typically bothersome if you are near the mangroves or ocean mainly at sunrise & sunset.
I also find the NYer attitude a bit annoying and find this more prevalent in West Palm and Palm Beach Gardens area. Those are great areas to hang out, but I just wouldn't want to live there. So if you want a friendlier area, I would concentrate on Jupiter (Abacoa is great), Tequesta and maybe even look at Hobe Sound where you can bike to the beach. Palm City schools also have a great reputation too.
One more annoyance, the retirees that move here with high expectations of living in peace and quiet and don't want to hear kids outside playing! Aside of these issues, it is a beautiful place to live. You won't believe how aqua blue the water is compared to the Pacific and you can actually swim in it & boat year round.
Stuart (Martin County in general) is a pretty nice area that is close enough to the action down south in Palm Beach County but still maintains a small town feel.
Palm Beach County is more expensive overall, but it's all about location because you're closer to city amenities, cultural venues and for many, work. Schools can vary from area to area, grade to grade. Generalizations (the typical, north is better, west is better, south is better) does not work when it comes to the quality of the schools... there are actually several nationally ranked schools and well regarded public schools. Marting County is known for very good schools as well.
The nearest airport is Palm Beach International, which is smaller but hassle free and gets you most everywhere you need to go, at least with a connection!
Alligators, pythons, iguanas, mosquitoes, heat, jellyfish, water moccasins, NYers, humidity, crime, traffic on 1-95 from PEOPLE COMMUTING, corrupt politicians, lightning, low wages, real estate developers, bad schools, poison ivy, year-round lawn maintenance. Other than that, it's pretty much paradise.
You didn't mention sharks and being far from my family in Los Angeles! LOL.
I appreciate the advice.
Out of cities like Jupiter, Stuart or Tequesta.. which would you recommend? It sounds like they all have a lot to offer and they all could be very nice... So its hard to know where to consider in a serious way.
It sounds to me like Florida has a lot more to offer than Waco. I think that I will seriously be considering taking the position in Stuart. It is a HUGE move and sort of nerve racking... but it sounds like I will get adjusted and find ife there good.
Which is important and something I cant exactly say about Waco.
As for Los Angeles, it will always be home but it may be time to head to somewhere more affordable.
Hey Kyle, the OP is moving his family across the entire country to an area he knows nothing about. He asked a direct question and I gave a direct and accurate answer to his question. He didn’t ask what YOU thought he should consider important. How many times in the Florida forums have we seen transplants say, ‘I’m sorry I came to Florida because it’s too hot and there are bugs and snakes and alligators’? How many people have moved to Alaska and then complained because it was cold and remote and expensive? This forum exists so that relocators get more accurate info than the standard Chamber of Commerce baloney. So yes, he does need to be told that its blistering hot and humid here, and not just that its ‘warm year ‘round’.
If you live in a high-rise condo on the beach or in an apartment in the middle of town, you might not know the real Florida. If you are an outdoor person who goes hiking or you live in an unincorporated area or ever get out of the city, the things I mentioned are absolutely everyday considerations. That doesn’t mean I go around sticking my arm in dirt holes to see if anything down there might bite. Poisonous snakes hide in palm trees and under dropped palmetto fronds. You should know that before you step on it or let your dog go sniff it. How’s a newbie supposed to know that unless you tell them? And guess what? Jellyfish don’t check in w/lifeguards as to where they’re going to be that day. It is absolutely normal for South Floridians to go to unguarded beaches (there are more unguarded beaches than guarded ones) where there is no billboard warning of sharks, jellyfish, sea lice, etc.. You don’t have to be an idiot swimming in canals to encounter these NORMAL Florida things. Last month, an alligator crawled into my driveway and refused to leave. Did it make the news? No, because it’s not that unusual unless the gator is walking down the middle of US 1 or maybe making a purchase at Sears.
Oh, and as for the education “schtick”, did you even read your own article beyond the headline?
Education Week ranks states in six broad areas…In K-12 achievement, Florida earned a C+. But that was higher than the national average of D+ and enough to put it at No. 6. So how could Florida schools — long the butt of jokes — rank higher than any of its college football teams? In a word: improvement. In most of the academic categories considered by Education Week, Florida students are in middle of the pack or worse when it comes to overall performance. In eighth-grade reading, they're No. 30. In graduation rates, they're No. 44.
So Education Week, which makes up its own rules, basically gave Florida schools a national ranking of “5” because Education Week felt they weren’t quite as crappy this year as they were last year. And since you must have missed the news yesterday, the Florida Dept. of Education ranked all the schools in Florida and the “A” rated schools dropped by 24 or 25%. Local schools from PBCounty to the Treasure Coast were all rated and trust me, all it did was reinforce the stereotypical poor Florida education system.
The OP asked if there was anything negative here. I didn’t say he needed to worry about having his face eaten off by homeless derelicts or that our melanoma moles usually appear in the shape of Mickey Mouse. I just told him some normal things he might consider. So really? Yes, really.
It's hard having to move across country because of job availability (rather than because you're headed for the place you've always wanted to live). But honestly, in my opinion you could do much worse than Florida/Stuart.
When I relocated here, Florida was high on my list but not at the very top. When I crossed off the places at the top (because of high cost of living), Florida was left, and even though it's not perfect, I'm grateful for my life here and have never regretted the move.
The only thing I would caution you about is do your homework, as much as possible, to research the company you'll be working for and really think about whether the job opportunity seems solid and is the right fit for you to work out long term. You mentioned doing a phone interview; did you also do an in-person follow-up interview? Or at least get to talk to several different people in depth? Are they paying for your relocation? (That would obviously be a good sign.) Unfortunately (as you can read about in detail on many different threads), Florida isn't an easy place to find a good job right now.
This is not meant to be discouraging; just mentioning it in case it's not something you thought about. (I met someone once who moved here--I think at her own expense--based on a job offer that was canceled before she even started, due to budget problems. Hopefully this is not common, but apparently it can happen, so you want to know a company has their act together to move here for a job with them.) Florida has both highly professional employers (both large and small), comparable to the best you'll find anywhere, as well as some that are not.
Hey Kyle, the OP is moving his family across the entire country to an area he knows nothing about. He asked a direct question and I gave a direct and accurate answer to his question. He didn’t ask what YOU thought he should consider important. How many times in the Florida forums have we seen transplants say, ‘I’m sorry I came to Florida because it’s too hot and there are bugs and snakes and alligators’? How many people have moved to Alaska and then complained because it was cold and remote and expensive? This forum exists so that relocators get more accurate info than the standard Chamber of Commerce baloney. So yes, he does need to be told that its blistering hot and humid here, and not just that its ‘warm year ‘round’.
If you live in a high-rise condo on the beach or in an apartment in the middle of town, you might not know the real Florida. If you are an outdoor person who goes hiking or you live in an unincorporated area or ever get out of the city, the things I mentioned are absolutely everyday considerations. That doesn’t mean I go around sticking my arm in dirt holes to see if anything down there might bite. Poisonous snakes hide in palm trees and under dropped palmetto fronds. You should know that before you step on it or let your dog go sniff it. How’s a newbie supposed to know that unless you tell them? And guess what? Jellyfish don’t check in w/lifeguards as to where they’re going to be that day. It is absolutely normal for South Floridians to go to unguarded beaches (there are more unguarded beaches than guarded ones) where there is no billboard warning of sharks, jellyfish, sea lice, etc.. You don’t have to be an idiot swimming in canals to encounter these NORMAL Florida things. Last month, an alligator crawled into my driveway and refused to leave. Did it make the news? No, because it’s not that unusual unless the gator is walking down the middle of US 1 or maybe making a purchase at Sears.
Oh, and as for the education “schtick”, did you even read your own article beyond the headline?
Education Week ranks states in six broad areas…In K-12 achievement, Florida earned a C+. But that was higher than the national average of D+ and enough to put it at No. 6. So how could Florida schools — long the butt of jokes — rank higher than any of its college football teams? In a word: improvement. In most of the academic categories considered by Education Week, Florida students are in middle of the pack or worse when it comes to overall performance. In eighth-grade reading, they're No. 30. In graduation rates, they're No. 44.
So Education Week, which makes up its own rules, basically gave Florida schools a national ranking of “5” because Education Week felt they weren’t quite as crappy this year as they were last year. And since you must have missed the news yesterday, the Florida Dept. of Education ranked all the schools in Florida and the “A” rated schools dropped by 24 or 25%. Local schools from PBCounty to the Treasure Coast were all rated and trust me, all it did was reinforce the stereotypical poor Florida education system.
The OP asked if there was anything negative here. I didn’t say he needed to worry about having his face eaten off by homeless derelicts or that our melanoma moles usually appear in the shape of Mickey Mouse. I just told him some normal things he might consider. So really? Yes, really.
So you're under the impression the threat of alligators, snakes and jellyfish is an everyday occurrence Floridians need to dodge on an everyday basis? Melodramatic much? Gators can be a threat if one lives on a canal, but snakes in trees? I grew up in South Florida and pretty much never encountered snakes (let alone poisonous ones) hanging out in palm trees. Where do you live, on the edge of a swamp?
In terms of it being hot and humid and not realizing, oh well... if you're that brain dead, advising against coming probably won't do any good anyway. I don't recall the OP asking about climate data or nature run amok anyway. Considering the OP lives in the LA area with the threat of earthquakes, mudslides and wildfires (not to mention similar wildlife concerns) I'm sure they have a pretty good handle on what Mother Nature likes to toss around from time to time.
Lastly if you knew anything about the school grading system you wouldn't have made such a ridiculous remark..."A" rated schools dropped 24%-25% since last year because the test criteria changed. Top performing schools were given proportionately higher criteria than lower performing schools. It's not like the students at those schools suffered brain aneurysms simultaneously or because the teachers threw their hands up and said I don't care anymore. Education Week used a set of criteria to grade, didn't randomly pull state names from a hat and apparently missed checking in with you in order to help support your Debbie-Downer view towards life in Florida.
Yep, really.
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