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I grew up in West Palm Beach in the 60s, and it was a great place for that at the time. The longer I lived there, the worse it got, and today there's no way I could live there again. Aside from the heat, the traffic and the bugs, it long ago lost that community feeling that's so evident here. Really feels like a dog-eat-dog place where everybody seems to be running some kind of scam. The closest thing we have to Boca here is Cary, and to a lesser degree, some of the housing projects like Heritage and Wakefield. I'd still take them over their SoFla counterpart any day. I love to see the seasons change, to have neighbors I actually know and trust, and to have access to both mountains and seashore (although I admit it takes a bit of driving to either one). The only real drawback to this area is the increasing traffic and lack of public transportation, but we still have south Florida beat in both of those categories.
I moved up here a year ago from Fort Lauderdale, where I lived from 1981 until last year. This place reminds me of S. Florida (minus the Jewish and Cuban populations) of that time frame, before it got crazy. S Florida then was just starting to explode in growth.
There are a lot of differences - like the weather! Hills. vs. flatlands. Beach is further away (a few hours) if you're a beach person - not 20 minutes like down there.
Can't get a good brisket here (low Jewish population) and good delis are scarce. I miss that.
I can't address the activity level as I wasn't the partying type even when younger.
There are many more days when it's great to be outside. Florida - not so much, unless you liked broiling at the beach. Here - it's pleasant for most of the year and one can be outside in parks, taking a walk, etc. I'm outside much more up here.
People are friendlier here, and much more polite.
Good luck with your choice. I don't miss Fort Lauderdale ONE bit. I miss some people and of course, I miss the quick drive to Disney, but I love this place.
The biggest difference to me (grew up in Coral Springs, moved here in my 20's) is the friendliness of the people in Raleigh, the driving (drivers is SoFL are horrible!!!) and the community oriented feel of everything. I just love living here and would never go back to the high crime and snootiness of Florida. I do miss the beaches, though, and drool over all my Facebook friends beach photos in February when I'm still freezing and the sun hasn't come out yet.
I had a hard time adjusting to the seasons. I don't like gray and overcast (November-February), but I have actually adjusted and prefer the trade off of getting seasons in exchange for more gray skies than in SoFL. Also, adjusting to how nice everyone is, the openness and friendliness of people here took time. And I love it. I've become a nicer person for living around such nice people. :-)
I don't like gray and overcast (November-February)
Actually I find most winters here to be cold, yes, but also bright and beautifully sunny. The dark, overcast, gray winter day is a rarity in my memory of the last 17 winters I've spent here. This past winter was particularly horrible, but usually they are at least sunny and beautiful to look at from a warm chair.
Actually I find most winters here to be cold, yes, but also bright and beautifully sunny. The dark, overcast, gray winter day is a rarity in my memory of the last 17 winters I've spent here. This past winter was particularly horrible, but usually they are at least sunny and beautiful to look at from a warm chair.
Yes, it is sunnier than many other states north of Florida. Even in Houston, where we lived for a year, it is much cloudier there than here. But NC winter really can't compare to the year round sunshine and the afternoon thunderstorms that last an hour and then clear to blue skies again that you have in South Florida. I really loved the subtropical climate there. But then, we didn't have the amazing shock of pink, purple, yellow and white blossoms on all the trees and bushes. I had never seen spring until I was 23. Spring is amazing. So is fall. I wouldn't trade them if I had to choose even with the gray.
Yes, it is sunnier than many other states north of Florida. Even in Houston, where we lived for a year, it is much cloudier there than here. But NC winter really can't compare to the year round sunshine and the afternoon thunderstorms that last an hour and then clear to blue skies again that you have in South Florida. I really loved the subtropical climate there. But then, we didn't have the amazing shock of pink, purple, yellow and white blossoms on all the trees and bushes. I had never seen spring until I was 23. Spring is amazing. So is fall. I wouldn't trade them if I had to choose even with the gray.
I agree with you 100%. Plus the nice people and relatively easy going traffic and way of life. Stress levels here are magnitudes lower than S FL. I wouldn't move there for $1M/year for life.
I remember when my husband came down to Fl to meet my family when we were dating and he was signaling to get over on 95 and expecting people to let him in. I yelled at him that he was going to get us killed! Turn off the signal and jump in there when you see a spot! If you signal in SoFL people speed up so you can't get over. lol! Here people smile and wave you in. :-) I am seeing a bit more aggressive driving here in recent years but for the most part it's very friendly.
Thanks so much for all your comments! This makes me so excited about our move later this year. I was hoping for a change of pace from things down here and now I'm even more convinced that this move is perfectly for our family.
My in-laws will still be living in Boca so we can get the beach and Cuban food when we come back for visits!
Thanks so much for all your comments! This makes me so excited about our move later this year. I was hoping for a change of pace from things down here and now I'm even more convinced that this move is perfectly for our family.
My in-laws will still be living in Boca so we can get the beach and Cuban food when we come back for visits!
That's really the best way to go about it. Everyone should have family in Florida. Lol! I still have my parents and sister there and it really is nice to be able to visit. Although, disney tickets are much more expensive if you're not a resident.
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