Snowbirds..... (home, movies, to eat)

[FLHfan]

Lol. Thats one of my favorites.

[Shabotnik]

There is an interesting phenomenon which apparently goes mostly undetected. Maybe a few realtors know it. It is the snowbird termination. I noticed this when we were looking for a home and ran into it. More that a few 80+ couples that have enjoyed their Florida retirement are selling and going back to Illinois to die with their grandkids.

My 83-year-old father-in-law may be next. He moved here when he was 58 and has a paid-for house in Sarasota and Toledo, Ohio. He goes up every summer to work for his older sisters, but has hinted that it may be time to sell here and go back to Ohio permanently. My wife is kinda pi$$ed. She moves here and he moves away.

Apparently Florida is a fling and the north is the love of your life that always calls you back despite her cold, cold heart.

[imagardener]

the snowbird termination

Yes I have been seeing this happen for a while (am not a realtor). When the last person standing (widow/widower) gets sick they head back north either by choice or necessity, when their kids get tired of flying to FL to make sure they are OK. If the kids live in FL already they move to the kids town.

That is pretty funny that your 83 y.o. FIL goes north every summer to work for his sisters. Great genes he's got.
PS I wouldn't call it "snowbird termination", too much like death panels.

[Travelassie]

Originally Posted by imagardener

"Downtown" ceased having meaning when malls arrived in the 70's and downtowns started dying. People blame Walmart for that too but it was a combination of factors really.

NP is a bedroom community because the number of residences far outnumbers the businesses that normally cater to people. People just come up with things to say when they want to disparage a city they didn't buy in.

Snowbird arrival means we can't go out to dinner because we won't wait 45 minutes to be seated. It means parking is iffy at the beach for sunset and drum circle. It means people drive more aggressively, more slowly (looking for a street) and just many more cars trying to get through a light.

I love summer here, people are nicer and more relaxed, less pushy behavior. The word I've heard used to describe bad behavior (said with a curl of the lip) is "Yankee".

Snowbird season also means that the most sale items in the grocery stores are gone before the end of the first day of the sale.

And LOTS more traffic on the roads.

[DragonflyMom]

I'm new to the area, having moved here from Atlanta last October. The snowbird thing didn't really seem like a problem. There are certainly more older drivers on the road, and more people in the grocery store. But the restaurant thing didn't seem to bother us. I've been told that about 50% of the homes in my neighborhood are vacant in the summer, and it definitely showed up the number of people in th gym and at the pool. But hey...those people bring their money and spend it here, and I'm pretty sure this area would be a sleepy little town with no good restaurants or shopping without the snowbirds.

About the Yankee thing....I don't think all snowbirds are Yankees. Some are quite nice people. I'm a lifelong Southerner, and I will say there is definitely a pushiness, brashness and loudness to what us Southerners think of as Yankees. Around here, there seems to be an absence of "when in Rome...", with the expectation they everyone they encounter will enjoy their loud Italian personality or their Jersey attitude. Not so much. Some people exhibit behavior that a Southerner will think of as rude, not a reflection of the person's culture. It's the attitude..."don't like the way I behave? Fuggedaboutit!"

And WHY come to this lovely tropical environment and expect it to be just like it is back up north? There are more Italian restaurants around here than you can count, but where's all the fresh seafood? And I don't mean lobster rolls, chowder, walleye and clams! A fish that is caught in the North Atlantic or one of the Great Lakes has no place in a gulf coast restaurant.

Ok, I'm done. Snowbirds....I have no complaint. Bring the big bucks, order some Red Snapper or Grouper, and relax!

[03bluecoupe]

I agree with MOST of what you say, except aGAIN the characterization of northerners. Are there idiots from NY, NY, CONN, MASS, etc, etc, etc? Sure - but there are just as many cocky redneck aholes or just plain aholes that are from the south - cut it out and just judge people for themselves, not where they are from. An idiot is an idiot, period. It matters not where they came from.

Originally Posted by dlking58

I'm new to the area, having moved here from Atlanta last October. The snowbird thing didn't really seem like a problem. There are certainly more older drivers on the road, and more people in the grocery store. But the restaurant thing didn't seem to bother us. I've been told that about 50% of the homes in my neighborhood are vacant in the summer, and it definitely showed up the number of people in th gym and at the pool. But hey...those people bring their money and spend it here, and I'm pretty sure this area would be a sleepy little town with no good restaurants or shopping without the snowbirds.

About the Yankee thing....I don't think all snowbirds are Yankees. Some are quite nice people. I'm a lifelong Southerner, and I will say there is definitely a pushiness, brashness and loudness to what us Southerners think of as Yankees. Around here, there seems to be an absence of "when in Rome...", with the expectation they everyone they encounter will enjoy their loud Italian personality or their Jersey attitude. Not so much. Some people exhibit behavior that a Southerner will think of as rude, not a reflection of the person's culture. It's the attitude..."don't like the way I behave? Fuggedaboutit!"

And WHY come to this lovely tropical environment and expect it to be just like it is back up north? There are more Italian restaurants around here than you can count, but where's all the fresh seafood? And I don't mean lobster rolls, chowder, walleye and clams! A fish that is caught in the North Atlantic or one of the Great Lakes has no place in a gulf coast restaurant.

Ok, I'm done. Snowbirds....I have no complaint. Bring the big bucks, order some Red Snapper or Grouper, and relax!

[TwangDjango]

This. Well said. End of thread.

Originally Posted by 03bluecoupe

An idiot is an idiot, period. It matters not where they came from.

[Nancy in Nokomis]

I notice most of the snowbirds in this area are from the Midwest - not Jersey or NY -

Snowbirds can be a pain but they bring their money with them and we should be happy about it - We go to the beach early to get a parking space, stop going out to dinner and don't drive on 41 as much - we get along fine.

And remember I have a Joisey accent but have not lived in Joisey in 10 years so we are not all snowbirds.

But I do ask the snowbirds to respect our paradise - my kids are growing up here so please don't act like drunken fools and curse in family restaurants and things like that -

[03bluecoupe]

Originally Posted by Nancy in Nokomis

I notice most of the snowbirds in this area are from the Midwest - not Jersey or NY -

Snowbirds can be a pain but they bring their money with them and we should be happy about it - We go to the beach early to get a parking space, stop going out to dinner and don't drive on 41 as much - we get along fine.

And remember I have a Joisey accent but have not lived in Joisey in 10 years so we are not all snowbirds.

But I do ask the snowbirds to respect our paradise - my kids are growing up here so please don't act like drunken fools and curse in family restaurants and things like that -

Ah, a voice of reason.

[FLHfan]

Originally Posted by 03bluecoupe

I agree with MOST of what you say, except aGAIN the characterization of northerners. Are there idiots from NY, NY, CONN, MASS, etc, etc, etc? Sure - but there are just as many cocky redneck aholes or just plain aholes that are from the south - cut it out and just judge people for themselves, not where they are from. An idiot is an idiot, period. It matters not where they came from.

You forgot Ohio idiots. We'll be there with a load of furniture next Monday. Though I won't be a snowbird, I like to drive slowly.
Planning on switching to island time to keep the blood pressure lowww.