I dont get it ? (Tampa, Spring Hill: schools, living, shop)

[roadtrip75]

Originally Posted by cjrudy

I dont get it, if its really that bad why do these people live there ?

Based on your post, you seem like exactly the type of person that motivates the barrage of negativity. You are broadcasting your naivete about the world when you ask such a question.

The VAST MAJORITY of people in this country do not live where they want to live. It is not easy to move. One's family, friends, and job serve as anchors preventing one from moving. Also, moving costs money and consumes a lot of time.

Many naive people are susceptible to the superficial allure of Florida. These people need to have the flip side drilled into their heads.

[saltzman143]

This is a most EXCELLENT question, and one that anyone looking to move to Florida should know the answer to. Don't listen to the people who say this is "trolling" or people don't hate it here. This is a VERY big problem in Tampa and in Florida in general. Before you move here you must know that you will constantly run into people who hate living here, complain about it and have a very negative attitude about Tampa and Florida.

First of all I am a Florida native. I have lived here most of my life. I moved away for 15 years (NY, LA) to gather new experiences, and now I am back. I love it here. LOVE IT. It is the perfect combination of fast and slow, the weather is gorgeous 7 months of the year, the people are nice, traffic is tolerable, pollution is low, and it's cheap compared to many large metro areas. It has positives and negatives like any other city.

It is absolutely true that Tampa Bay and Florida are full of people who moan, groan, ***** and whine about Florida. Most of these people have moved here from somewhere else for various reasons. Many of these people were derelict in their duty to conduct the appropriate research about living here before they made the move. And they are constantly comparing Florida to where they came from.

The Midwesterners whine about how they miss how "nice" everyone was back in Iowa (insert any Midwestern state here), they miss the Ohio White Castles, the Detroit pizza, they miss the Chicago L, shopping at Zingermans and Meijer, they miss the cool summers, and on and on. They are really intolerant of the Florida weather. A lot of them move back.

The people from the Mid-Atlantic whine about how they miss the DC job market, the "highly educated" populace, the food in Pennsylvania (grinders, cheesesteaks, pizza, etc.), the VA countryside, the transit options, Delaware beaches, etc.

The people from the Northeast and New England REALLY love to moan about how they miss their autumn leaves, the apple picking, the pizza, the change of seasons, the trains, the seafood, the mountains, Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park, etc. These are some of the worst offenders. They can really whine your ear off.

The people who move here from the West Coast and Southwest, they are absolutely miserable because they are not used to humidity and hate the whole Southern attitude found in Florida. They are used to political correctness and liberal towns and In and Out Burger on every corner. They are here because they can't afford California. And they hate it. They think Florida is very backward. (Actually so do most of the other non-natives.)

One thing they all have in common is they all say Florida drivers are the worst. As if the drivers in every other part of the country are perfect.

To all of these whiners, I say, I don't get you either. Life is way too short to marinate in misery. Move back to Boston STAT so you can have fried clams every day! Move back to Philly so you can shop at Reading Terminal! Move back to Scottsdale so your hair doesn't frizz! Oh, but moving isn't easy? Well, you moved here, didn't you. Stop making excuses and move back to where you will be happier!

To the people thinking about moving here, many of us LOVE IT. But don't say you were not warned.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by cjrudy

We live in Buffalo, NY because that's where we were born, raised and raised our own family. With our son off at college and our daughter heading off next year, its now our time to make the move.

And yes, I want to know about the reality of living somewhere, but the negatives get a little old. There are plenty of negatives to living in Buffalo, NY, but also plenty of positives. We plan a move to Florida to enjoy the things in life we cannot get here.

It's just the nature of internet forums. Some of us have been on this forum for many years (myself included) and try to paint a realistic picture. It's true, that most of us long-termers are very happy here, and therefore get painted as "cheerleaders" which is absolutely not true. We just try to debunk some of the complete lies and hogwash that the truly unhappy negative posters paint. We WILL be honest if we know someones' situations and don't think a move is in their best interest, or we will tell you the truth about traffic, weather, crime, jobs. etc. But as I said, if you are asking advice on an internet forum such as this, you have to pick through and take EVERYTHING with a grain of salt, good or bad. Florida is no different than anywhere else, it has its good and its bad.

[Spring Hillian]

Originally Posted by roadtrip75

Based on your post, you seem like exactly the type of person that motivates the barrage of negativity. You are broadcasting your naivete about the world when you ask such a question.

The VAST MAJORITY of people in this country do not live where they want to live. It is not easy to move. One's family, friends, and job serve as anchors preventing one from moving. Also, moving costs money and consumes a lot of time.

Many naive people are susceptible to the superficial allure of Florida. These people need to have the flip side drilled into their heads.

Yes, there is a flip side. Being told that for 10 months a year it is unbearably hot and humid, that all (or most) jobs pay $8 an hour IF you can find a job, the police are corrupt, the government is corrupt, people are unfriendly, crime is rampant, etc. is not at all accurate.

For those of us who were able to make a change in their lives - most of us are very happy with our decision thanks to research, opinions of others, up close investigation and time tested situations.

[Spring Hillian]

well said. +1

Originally Posted by gypsychic

It's just the nature of internet forums. Some of us have been on this forum for many years (myself included) and try to paint a realistic picture. It's true, that most of us long-termers are very happy here, and therefore get painted as "cheerleaders" which is absolutely not true. We just try to debunk some of the complete lies and hogwash that the truly unhappy negative posters paint. We WILL be honest if we know someones' situations and don't think a move is in their best interest, or we will tell you the truth about traffic, weather, crime, jobs. etc. But as I said, if you are asking advice on an internet forum such as this, you have to pick through and take EVERYTHING with a grain of salt, good or bad. Florida is no different than anywhere else, it has its good and its bad.

[don1945]

Ok, here is my assessment of Florida ( I live in SW Florida). We moved here in 82 and first lived in the Orlando area. In my job I traveled the whole State and for me the nicest area was the Ft Myers area, it was just a little slower pace than Miami, Tampa, and Orlando. So in 85 we moved down here. Will never leave.

Florida certainly isn't perfect, but nowhere is. However, I am so glad we live here. We get 12 months of nice weather, cost of living isn't horrible, and the people are basically nice . The other areas I mentioned are ok and lots of people live there and like it, but to me they are just too congested.

Don

[Beacher23]

Originally Posted by cjrudy

I'm not looking for any "grass is greener" scenario but its seems most posters only point out the negatives.

Your going to get that for any state forum on CD. People love to point out the negatives especially in a state where people are rapidly moving to, just check out the California and Texas forums and you'll see.
I think the positives outweigh the negatives here though as you will see alot more people loving it here and expressing that. I personally am in my climatic paradise here as compared to where i came from in Ohio, plus there are so many things to do here that i'm always keeping busy, however thats not to say there are things here not to dislike, but like Gulfer mentioned, the negative people tend to be louder.
If you are actually serious about moving here, then you have to listen to both sides, because if you only listen to the positives then you could be setting yourself up for a disaster.
I've been down here for almost 5 months now and i've noticed those negatives that people have mentioned here, but its certainly not enough to make me pack my bags and head back to Ohio. Just as long as you know what to expect and come down here with an open mind, then you should be fine, but don't let all the negative people dissuade you from where you want to be because if that was the case for me then i wouldn't be here.
Good Luck!

[cjrudy]

saltzman143, gypsychic, Spring Hillian and don1945

Thank you for some positive and realistic information. My wife and I are very grounded well informed individuals who know the realities of relocating, finding new employment, finding a place to live and working through the difficulties of life in a new city.

We also know we could care less about fall or winter or spring and that to us, hot and humid is heaven. And yes we have been to Florida for weeks in the middle of the summer.

[Spring Hillian]

Originally Posted by mr e

You generally don't hear from people when everything is hunky dory. That's true just about anywhere. People who moved here and regret it feel an insatiable need to spread their personal misery around, as if serving a penance for their terrible life decisions.

However, I would also say you forgot to mention another sub-group; cheerleaders. People who incessantly fluff up everything because of some hidden agenda... whether it's a vested interest in getting people down here (real estate) or those who know they made a mistake moving here and don't want to admit it, so they justify their choice by posting nonsense like it's never hot here in the summer, there are tons of white-collar jobs that pay 6 figures, etc.

My take is it is what you make it. If you're educated, determined, and have marketable skills, you can go as far as your determination takes you. If you move here solely to escape winter and what you consider to be a high cost of living somewhere else but have no skills other than waiting tables or answering phones, don't be shocked when you find a job market that isn't willing to compensate you like you were previously. Also, if you move here with the intent on comparing everything to how it is "back home," you're only going to hate yourself and annoy the crap out of others.

Can you find one single post where someone says it is never hot here in the summer or that there is an abunce of six figure white collar jobs????

[cjrudy]

Also, I know everyone here talks about the terrible job market and expect to make 30% less, etc, etc. But the reality is, we live in Buffalo, NY, not exactly a hot bed for high paying jobs. Not to mention the fact that New York state is one of the most taxed in the country.