Relocating from Chicago to St Pete, need advice (Tampa, Spring Hill: houses, wages)

[Trigger-f]

Originally Posted by Vannort54

Chicago is the third largest city in the country, hell Tampa is smaller than Toledo Ohio. So Tampa is all not that. Facts are Chicago has the highest number of murders and drugs but look at the size of the city. Tampa has allot for its size. Hell Tampa did not even make the top 100 largest cities. St pete is 76 on the list. So lets put this in a larger picture Chicago will always have more crime than Tampa just because of the size of the city. Tampa is a tourist city were as Chicago is a International City of industry and finance and health care and higher learning.

Don't look at Tampa by itself. This area is Tampa Bay, 4.4 million people. Compare that to metro Toledo.

Chicago may be an international city, TB though is a better place to live.

[Spring Hillian]

You should know by now that there are those northerners that believe where they come is the best place in the world. I just saw it stated that we dont have the same food here. What are they eating up there?? Any cost of living calculator will show the differences in costs..

Comparable salary in
Tampa, FL
$32,130
Price difference in Tampa, FL compared to Chicago IL

Groceries7%less
Housing43%less
Utilities2%less
Transportation19%less
Health Care4%less


The problem is a lot of people are blind to what is going on around them until they see someplace else and then become objective. If they were to return to their point of origin after being gone a while they would see things that they did not see before.

Northerners always tell us how great it was there. How the rain waxed their cars and how the sun gently heated the air which was so clean that you could bottle it.

They have been telling us how they do it up north for decades. I just wonder why they dont stay there. ]
Oh, yeah, its the weather. If someone moves someplace based on just the weather, they are not playing with a full deck.

Originally Posted by Trigger-f

What? Homeless people not sleeping in parks in Chicago? That's something new..

http://www.chicagorealestateforum.co...1/homeless.jpg


Also, Chicago has been featured as a hot bed for drugs on National Geographic's 'Drugs Inc'. Tampa hasn't..as far as I know.

"Chicago, one of the biggest open-air crack and heroin markets in America, is at saturation point. It's an addict's dream as dealers compete with high purity drugs sold in very affordable quantities. The result: record levels of overdoses and homicides as gangs fight over drug turf."

Drugs, Inc.: Windy City High | National Geographic Channel

I guess on CD, everyone can say whatever they want, however, let's stick to facts..

[Trigger-f]

Originally Posted by Spring Hillian

You should know by now that there are those northerners that believe where they come is the best place in the world. I just saw it stated that we dont have the same food here. What are they eating up there?? Any cost of living calculator will show the differences in costs..

Comparable salary in
Tampa, FL
$32,130
Price difference in Tampa, FL compared to Chicago IL

Groceries7%less
Housing43%less
Utilities2%less
Transportation19%less
Health Care4%less


The problem is a lot of people are blind to what is going on around them until they see someplace else and then become objective. If they were to return to their point of origin after being gone a while they would see things that they did not see before.

Northerners always tell us how great it was there. How the rain waxed their cars and how the sun gently heated the air which was so clean that you could bottle it.

They have been telling us how they do it up north for decades. I just wonder why they dont stay there. ]
Oh, yeah, its the weather. If someone moves someplace based on just the weather, they are not playing with a full deck.

Well said..

[Vannort54]

Originally Posted by Spring Hillian

You should know by now that there are those northerners that believe where they come is the best place in the world. I just saw it stated that we dont have the same food here. What are they eating up there?? Any cost of living calculator will show the differences in costs..

Comparable salary in
Tampa, FL
$32,130
Price difference in Tampa, FL compared to Chicago IL

Groceries7%less
Housing43%less
Utilities2%less
Transportation19%less
Health Care4%less


The problem is a lot of people are blind to what is going on around them until they see someplace else and then become objective. If they were to return to their point of origin after being gone a while they would see things that they did not see before.

Northerners always tell us how great it was there. How the rain waxed their cars and how the sun gently heated the air which was so clean that you could bottle it.

They have been telling us how they do it up north for decades. I just wonder why they dont stay there. ]
Oh, yeah, its the weather. If someone moves someplace based on just the weather, they are not playing with a full deck.

Yes, it is the weather that draws us from the North to here. And most that moved here from the North are retired and are spending our money here now. But the weather is the only reason most moved here. It sure was not for the food that is here, and not for the higher insurance and sinkholes that are here. So yes people from the North will always compare their state to yours. Just as If people from Tampa that moved north compare Florida to lets say Chicago. But you cannot say that the wages here are like that of the North. There is no way that Florida will ever pay union wages and benefits. Who do you think retired here from the North Allot of UAW and Teamsters and Skilled Tradesman from their unions like the Plumbers and Electrical. So stop saying that the wages are the same as up north. I retired from Michigan and there is no way I could have made here what i made there. So weather is the only thing You have going for you here. Im sure if it stayed warm all year long in Michigan Or Chicago people would just stay put instead of becoming snowbirds with two houses.

[sunigal99]

Wow, this sure got nasty. Yes, there is good and bad about everywhere. Lots of people live here from all over. And some try it and go back. Since we're all from other places, I find people to be friendly and open to non-natives. I like the laid back slower vibe.
I've been here over 30 years and had thoughts of living somewhere else for a change, but don't want to give up the weather from October through May. There are lots of different festivals, cultural events, restaurants, etc but you'll have to drive to them because they're not all in one place. Safety Harbor is a nice centrally located small town. St Pete's downtown is a happening place.
I think you should give it a shot. If it's not for you, maybe you can go back later. In my case, my relatives followed me here and we all lived happily ever after!

[Beachgoer44]

Originally Posted by Vannort54

Yes, it is the weather that draws us from the North to here. And most that moved here from the North are retired and are spending our money here now. But the weather is the only reason most moved here. It sure was not for the food that is here, and not for the higher insurance and sinkholes that are here. So yes people from the North will always compare their state to yours. Just as If people from Tampa that moved north compare Florida to lets say Chicago. But you cannot say that the wages here are like that of the North. There is no way that Florida will ever pay union wages and benefits. Who do you think retired here from the North Allot of UAW and Teamsters and Skilled Tradesman from their unions like the Plumbers and Electrical. So stop saying that the wages are the same as up north. I retired from Michigan and there is no way I could have made here what i made there. So weather is the only thing You have going for you here. Im sure if it stayed warm all year long in Michigan Or Chicago people would just stay put instead of becoming snowbirds with two houses.

There are pros and cons to the North and South. I am fortunate to be able to experience both areas yearly, and am not a snowbird or retirement age.

Private sector wages can be lower in Florida, but when you factor in the no state income tax, you may be about even in some occupations. I would actually be money ahead if I moved to Florida permanently, but my salary doesn't change for the negative based on my geographic location. I will agree the salary for skilled trades will not compare to the North. However, it has been my own personal experience that there are several services in Florida that are less expensive than those services anywhere in Illinois, and especially Chicago. Illinois is one of the worst states to live in for ALL taxes, so that adds up and effects a lot of day-to-day living.

Food...well, hmmm...I've had great multicultural food in both areas. I will add in both areas you have to seek it out. The best food in both areas comes from the "mom and pop" establishments, and locals will be glad to recommend and point you in their direction.

You indicate people in Chicago or the North would stay put when they retire and/or not snowbird if the weather were better....well,if you go to the Illinois forum, specifically Chicago, you will find people there, young people, ready to get the heck out of there and not just due to the weather, and not just due to crime....we can all look at the same picture, and interpret it differently.

Spring Hillian has stated before, if people are only basing their relocation decisions on the weather alone, it is a shame. Not the exact words, but similar. Relocating needs to be thoroughly thought through, and is expensive. I'd hate for someone to move anywhere, drain what money they have on the expense and then be miserable in all aspects of their life, with the exception of the current temperature.

[The Villages Guy]

Originally Posted by Trigger-f

Chicago may be an international city, TB though is a better place to live.

Without a doubt at all. Not a chance in hell that I would ever live anywhere, other than Florida. There are just so many options we have here, that other places simply do not have.

[BucFan]

I get a kick out of NYers, Chicagoans, Bostonians that think the center of the universe is in their "international" cities.

[sunigal99]

I think you will have a better chance of a happy move if you embrace the place you've moved to. It irks me to see transplants with their Yankee or Red Sox caps spouting off on how good things were up north. Not the best way to make new friends and join a new community.

[The Villages Guy]

Originally Posted by BucFan

I get a kick out of NYers, Chicagoans, Bostonians that think the center of the universe is in their "international" cities.

I feel the same way.