Some Advice Regarding Moving to Sarasota (Orlando, Winter Haven: how much, home, schools)

[touretteboy65]

Getting right to the point, we moved from Florida several months ago to North Carolina (near Raleigh). We have two children and I am currently employed. Problem is, I feel like I'm regretting our move simply because I miss parts about living in Florida that are not here, namely, the warmer climate and being near the Gulf Coast (which we love). Sure, the winter here will be over soon and warm temps will return here, but I still have lingering regrets. I'm considering relocating to the Sarasota area (possible job opportunity there as well). This indecision of mine is obviously causing some chaos at home, but my wife and kids are taking it pretty well, all things considered. We'll obviously lose a lot of $$$ as a result of moving up here and spend much of the same moving back, but I feel once that is over and in the past, I'll be happier in the long run, and hopefully my family as well. Anyone with similar experiences from their past they would like to share that will give me some encouragement, or a dose of common sense? I lived in Florida almost my entire life, so I know what to expect. I'll feel quite a bit of embarrassment moving back to the state that I thought was so terrible to begin with, so I'll have to live with that, but it's our life and no one else's. Some advice will certainly be appreciated.

[PixiStix]

Honestly, I'd give it more time.. It took me awhile, probably almost 2 years!, to really feel at home when we moved to Florida from the midwest (been here almost 6 years now). I think it's that way with a lot of people who move away from what is familiar to them. You really haven't given NC a chance in just a few short months, IMO.

I'd give it a year. If you still feel like you made a mistake then..... & think about the reasons you moved in the first place. There are obviously some nice things about NC too.

Florida isn't going anywhere

[bbronston]

I have to agree. In fact, another C-D pal, QuilterChick, moved here last year from NC and ended up moving back! It takes time to acclimate and you probably had a very good reason for moving in the first place.

[touretteboy65]

Originally Posted by PixiStix

Honestly, I'd give it more time.. It took me awhile, probably almost 2 years!, to really feel at home when we moved to Florida from the midwest (been here almost 6 years now). I think it's that way with a lot of people who move away from what is familiar to them. You really haven't given NC a chance in just a few short months, IMO.

I'd give it a year. If you still feel like you made a mistake then..... & think about the reasons you moved in the first place. There are obviously some nice things about NC too.

Florida isn't going anywhere

I hear ya about Florida not going anywhere, but the job opportunity will. I'm thinking long term in regards to giving it a year, and if I feel the same then as I do now, the job won't be available. On top of that, I had mixed feelings about leaving Florida in the first place, and it seems those feelings were for real.

[touretteboy65]

Not to go and on, but we have no friends or relatives up here (the closest live in the Orlando area and some to the south of that). I have two children to consider, too, so I don't want to pick up and move again a year from now and disrupt their lives all over again. Rather do it now before they get too settled in here.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by touretteboy65

Not to go and on, but we have no friends or relatives up here (the closest live in the Orlando area and some to the south of that). I have two children to consider, too, so I don't want to pick up and move again a year from now and disrupt their lives all over again. Rather do it now before they get too settled in here.

We almost moved to NC and we quickly realized it would be the biggest mistake we could ever make. Your feelings are real. If you have a good job opportunity here I would take it, and give thanks that I got a chance to correct my mistake of moving somewhere I wasn't totally happy. The quality of life is much better than NC, IMO. As far as kids, schools are some of the best here, and we have great weather and the best beaches too! Sarasota offer a very high quality of life if you have a good job/income. Obviously you want to have your whole family on board with this, but I assume they would be. Honestly, it is my heartfelt opinion that Sarasota is one of the best places in Florida or anywhere to live.

[touretteboy65]

We've been to Lido Beach, Siesta Key, Longboat Key...scenery is beautiful. I've always thought of driving to work with the bay or ocean in my view; it's a beautiful sight. I don't know; such a hard decision to make.

[blueherons]

If you can do this without it being a difficult situation for your wife and kids, make the move.

[touretteboy65]

Sarasota was one of our final picks on where to relocate, be we chose instead to make the move to North Carolina. I think we were too busy dwelling on how much we hated Central Florida that we equated all of Florida being just like the Orlando area.

[Sunshine Rules]

We have a good friend that lives near Winter Haven in central FL, and we make trips there several times a year. It's ok to visit for an afternoon but, for a wide variety of reasons, I would not want to live there.

One of the things about Sarasota that makes it unique, in my opinion, is that Sarasota lives like a much larger town than it is. You can find a wide diversity of things to do both indoors & outdoors, groups/clubs to join and a melting pot of people from many parts of the country as well as a number of other countries from around the world. As you mentioned, we are also fortunate to have quite a number of beautiful, public beaches in our area running from Anna Maria Island all the way south to Venice.

But Sarasota isn't perfect, no place is. I've watched people move here over the years and, within months or a year, watched them pack up and move back north. I think mainly because they had an idealistic view that moving to Sarasota would fix whatever problems they had, or that life here was all about relaxing on the beach with a cold drink as depicted in a certain beer commercial, no worries. But that beautiful sand can sometimes be covered with dead fish if red tide develops, it is really humid here in the summer months (although if you live here long enough you do get used to it) and traffic on US41 during January and February could make a saint want to swear at times.

Perhaps if you gave North Carolina a little more time it would grow on you. Winters north of FL can be tough even if you are used to them, and I can understand how the cold, cloudy weather could get anyone thinking of sunny FL beaches. (I was originally from the midwest so I know first hand about depressing, gray winter days.) Then again, it may never feel like home to you. That's something you obviously are trying to figure out. Whatever decision you to make, I hope it works out for you and your family.