Our Florida escape- we are definitely moving to Portland (real estate, 2015)

[Explorer Dave]

Originally Posted by EnricoV

Anyone who claims to be "escaping" anywhere ... Oregon included ... needs to just be on their way. No sense living somewhere you feel you need to "escape" from, even if we don't agree with them.

Good point, well taken.

[Explorer Dave]

Originally Posted by Tulippsy

Some folks absolutely love Florida, and I was perfectly happy here for more than 20 years. It's not what it once was, but the beach is still nice, and while everyone was frozen, we were not. I spend time on the Fort Lauderdale board and it's just as full as the Portland board with people who can't wait to move here. Like any place, you have to take the bad with the good and I try to paint a balanced picture of life here.

Thanks for the welcome, the wise words, etc. EnricoV, you are absolutely spot on. And one good thing about getting old is you don't have to build your life around where your job is. ExplorerDave, I feel for you. OuttatheRain, good luck with your move. What part of Florida are you coming to?

1st, thanks.

2nd, don't get me wrong Florida does have it's perks to. I am thankful that FL is lush with vegetation and that (like Oregon) it is green year around. If it was dry and arid like much of the SW I probably would have crawled out of here years ago!

If it had mountain's like the NW and a more progressive/liberal social, economic, and political climate I'd likely be very happy to stay.

[classicanne]

Florida may be right for some people, but it wasn't ever right for me; I made my own escape to Oregon almost 4 years ago now, and have never regretted it. Not my kind of weather, not my kind of prevailing political/social climate in Florida, for sure. I don't have any close family ties to Oregon, though a distant branch of my family did migrate here from Pennsylvania over 150 years ago. So for me, my birthplace of Ohio may be in my blood, but it's not my fault I was born in the wrong place, because Oregon is in my soul.

[mateo384]

i'm the opposite. I moved to Florida from Portland and I have not regretted it even a second. I lived in Portland for 10 years, and yet I don't miss it one bit. In fact, I regret living there the last 5 years when I should've really gotten out. The weather is just too dreary on the soul over time. I couldn't take it anymore. Too many depressed days, regardless of how green and lush and liberal it may be. However, the Florida lifestyle is right up my alley, and I have friends already who feel like I've lived here all my life, cuz it just fits.

oh and I just want to add that my allergies were horrendous in Portland, almost everyday of the year. I blame the Willamette Valley and all the rain and forestry, but that was certainly a huge factor in leaving.

[dent_arthur_dent]

I hear that about allergies from time to time, but then also I hear that Portland is the #1 best city for people with allergies and asthma (as determined by the Asthma and Allergy foundation). I guess it all depends on what exactly you are allergic to.

[Explorer Dave]

I will admit that allergies are an issue for me, I had them major in Oregon, very little in FL. In spite of that I still want to move back. I'll get shots.

[gaga1010]

I have been living in Portland, Oregon since 1976, moved from California bay area. I have had nothing but major depression because of the weather. Though Oregon is indeed beautiful and has much to offer, I don't think it is a place for allergies or depression. My son has severe Asthma since he was little and has never really breathed through his nose. For him, Oregon is his home and he loves the climate and would never move away. I have always wanted to move to a warmer climate but because of finances I couldn't. Now that I am a senior,r I am thinking of Florida. Each state offers what it has and a person just has to decide which one they fit in, hopefully sooner than later. Don't know much about Sarasota but I am going to check it out. Good luck everyone.

[oldtintype]

So out of curiosity, given that it's been mostly sunny all year this year, are you still depressed? I've noticed that even with all the extreme sun (as in no rain) we've had this year people are still complaining about the weather. It's like October hits and a switch goes off even if the sun is shining. Obviously this has been a unique year but...I've still heard complaining. Today was probably the most beautiful January day I've seen here and my neighbor was complaining about wanting to take a trip to Hawaii to escape the horrible weather we've been having. My response was WTF?! It's beautiful out!

[classicanne]

gaga1010, Sarasota is lovely, if you are financially comfortable. Regarding allergies, keep in mind that "red tide" occurs from time to time, and has occurred in the Gulf of Mexico each of the past three years, which causes respiratory (and toxin) issues, so it's something to keep in mind. The big draw in Sarasota is the artistic culture, both the visual and musical arts. I lived in Sarasota for a time in 1980 and as Florida goes I liked it very much.

I agree with you that everyone just has to find out where they fit; when I was 55 and the opportunity presented itself, I wanted to move where the weather would seldom be severe enough to keep me inside, where I could access good public transportation and live in an atmosphere that supports the activities I enjoy, and to move as soon as possible so I could enjoy as many active years as possible before I became very old indeed. Best wishes on finding the best place for you!

[Explorer Dave]

Originally Posted by classicanne

Sarasota is lovely, if you are financially comfortable, as Florida goes.

That's a good way to put it. LOL! I live in Sarasota now, my nickname for it is snobbysota. There are some charming parts of town like Laurel Park, Burns Court, Five Points, Palm Ave, and Island Park. But I miss the diversity here in local businesses, for example grocery, while there is a smattering of other stores such as Trader Joe's and Whole foods (one each) and a few Sweet Bays and Walmarts, most every grocery store here is Publix. Nice stores I guess, I just want more options. It's very politically conservative, and they seem to love ripping out history to build new stuff, plus it's about as flat as it gets.

While there are some great people here (I thank Meetup for finding several like minded friends, likely would not have without that) in 11 years I have never really fit in here.

I am reconsidering Portland, mostly because I was miserable with Hay Fever from early March to early July every year in the Willamette Valley and I have very little allergy problems here in FL. But I love Portland's vibe, no where else seems to be like it.

I think downtown St. Pete is very nice but don't care much for the rest of the city. Tampa I don't care for at all. Bradenton is mostly a rough blue collar town that has a lot of potential (the river front is mostly very nice) and Anna Maria Island is wonderful.

Around here I actually prefer inland, Lakeland is very nice with gently rolling hills and lakes, charming downtown with an old fashioned town square, Southern Florida Collage with the largest single site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings in the world, etc. The promenade around Lake Mirror along with the botanical gardens there are absolutely wonderful, there are also large areas of old charming neighborhoods from Lake Mirror, past Lake Morton and Lake Hollingsworth. Although it's even more politically and religiously conservative, and has some very rough and worn down areas too. I also like Orlando quite a bit. Downtown around lake Eola is very nice, so is Winter Park and other areas, and they are working to develop more good stuff like the creative village. But traffic sucks and as far as I know there is no urban growth boundary to hold it's sprawl in check, and did I say traffic sucks there?