Question regarding the Tallahassee area (Jacksonville, Miami: crime, buying a home, buying)

[cooljoebay]

My wife and I are having a bit of a dilemma on which area to move. We currently live in KY where its fairly cheap to live. But the climate has taken a toll on my health in recent years. So I am in need of a warmer climate. But not too warm. So I figure the North FL region would be a good fit. We were looking at the Savannah area. But I am not so sure. Mainly because I used to travel with a band years ago and had to go to Lyons regularly. And I pretty much hated the people there. Uneducated rednecks who didn't have a lick of sense was my impression. I won't pretend to speak for all though.


I praise education and I think change is good when something is wrong and needs it. Its called open mindedness. Tallahassee was ranked high on education. So its an assumption on my part that people in that area might have more sense. Chalk it up as naive if you like. But i've never been there.



I have an IT background. So I would like to know what the potential is for such line of work in that area. And as far as buying a home is concerned. We have a few kids. And I wonder if it would be better to live just over the state line in GA, or to park ourselves closer to the FL coast. Mainly due to first time home buying programs. Either way, commuting to Tallahassee. I am big on safety and avoiding slummy and crime infested areas. And we are big on green living like rainwater catch, growing gardens, using solar, and cutting cost of living right at home.


Does anyone from this area have any recommendations? Thanks!

[TD*]

Tallahassee is an excellent choice, and is the highest educated city in the entire state of Florida. Do not live in Georgia unless you want to pay state income tax.

Tallahassee has a pretty good economy, and has a lot of startup businesses, and state government jobs in IT.

Check out North East Tallahassee, Killearn, Killearn Lakes, or Southwood. Buck Lake is a nice area as well.

I think Tallahassee is the nicest city in the entire state.

It has beautiful parks, and trails, it is well planned, and the economy is growing quickly.


There are tons of progressive and liberal folks here, as well as some conservatives all mixed in.

Come take a visit!

[ltnflvr]

Sometimes it's difficult to tell if people are trolling or just dreck.

[grad_student200]

Originally Posted by cooljoebay

My wife and I are having a bit of a dilemma on which area to move. We currently live in KY where its fairly cheap to live. But the climate has taken a toll on my health in recent years. So I am in need of a warmer climate. But not too warm. So I figure the North FL region would be a good fit. We were looking at the Savannah area. But I am not so sure. Mainly because I used to travel with a band years ago and had to go to Lyons regularly. And I pretty much hated the people there. Uneducated rednecks who didn't have a lick of sense was my impression. I won't pretend to speak for all though.


I praise education and I think change is good when something is wrong and needs it. Its called open mindedness. Tallahassee was ranked high on education. So its an assumption on my part that people in that area might have more sense. Chalk it up as naive if you like. But i've never been there.



I have an IT background. So I would like to know what the potential is for such line of work in that area. And as far as buying a home is concerned. We have a few kids. And I wonder if it would be better to live just over the state line in GA, or to park ourselves closer to the FL coast. Mainly due to first time home buying programs. Either way, commuting to Tallahassee. I am big on safety and avoiding slummy and crime infested areas. And we are big on green living like rainwater catch, growing gardens, using solar, and cutting cost of living right at home.


Does anyone from this area have any recommendations? Thanks!

In terms of cultural fit, regional roots, and lifestyle, Tallahassee would be a good fit for someone from Kentucky. The only "hidden variables" may be in the IT jobs. Most IT workers I knew were at one of the state agencies. The state hires a lot of IT workers. The IT jobs there are rather "behind the times" in the rapid growth of technology. For example, a Java programmer in Austin, TX, Miami, FL or Silicon Valley may be programming in Spring microservices on AWS cloud computers while a state Java programmer may still be using Java 7.0 and Swing applications. The state is also very political - extremely so. An IT guy who does not have a strong programming background but is best friends with the "higher-ups" will go much further in career progression than someone who is a much stronger programmer but is not as sociable with the managers. The "old boy network" is alive at the state - it's obvious to many who have worked there. The pay is also kind of low but cost of living is low compared to Coral Gables, FL. The state is the largest employer in Tallahassee. I knew many recent FSU graduates who worked at the state. The politics usually overwhelmed them after awhile - they either learned to live with it or just left.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVd1LuadnDk

But politics are a part of any job whether it be a startup in Silicon valley, a corporation in Atlanta, or the state. In your case, it would seem a good fit if you are willing to accept the somewhat limited scope of IT opportunities. For an IT guy, Jacksonville or Tampa may be a better fit (I-4 corridor).