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Old 04-02-2016, 04:32 PM
 
96 posts, read 111,963 times
Reputation: 25

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I currently live in NY and am deciding where I would like to move and Florida is one of my choices but I don't know anything about Florida. Is there a big difference between the western and eastern side of Florida? I was also looking at the areas of St. Augustine or Palm Coast area. If someone could give me the ins and outs and pros and cons of both the East and West side of Florida?

ie.. Crime? Weather? Cost of living? Social life?

I'm single female in late 40's with 2 dogs. I already have a job working from home so that's not a problem.
I don't have any family or friends in the area so I'm doing this by myself.

Could someone that makes $81,000/year be able to afford to live in a nice area of Florida? I am looking for a place that will allow my 2 dogs, possiby a townhome or small home to rent.

Would also like to know what part of Florida is a friendly town where I wouldn't have a problem meeting friends, such as women's group.

Another important thing is crime. I can't believe how much crime is in Florida. I read the Florida is one of the top 5 states that have the highest crime rate. My first priority is living in a safe area.

I also love the beach.



I thank you all for giving me information. Truly appreciated.
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Old 04-02-2016, 05:18 PM
 
18,172 posts, read 16,395,091 times
Reputation: 9328
Quote:
Originally Posted by tmg4me View Post
I currently live in NY and am deciding where I would like to move and Florida is one of my choices but I don't know anything about Florida. Is there a big difference between the western and eastern side of Florida? I was also looking at the areas of St. Augustine or Palm Coast area. If someone could give me the ins and outs and pros and cons of both the East and West side of Florida?

ie.. Crime? Weather? Cost of living? Social life?

I'm single female in late 40's with 2 dogs. I already have a job working from home so that's not a problem.
I don't have any family or friends in the area so I'm doing this by myself.

Could someone that makes $81,000/year be able to afford to live in a nice area of Florida? I am looking for a place that will allow my 2 dogs, possiby a townhome or small home to rent.

Would also like to know what part of Florida is a friendly town where I wouldn't have a problem meeting friends, such as women's group.

Another important thing is crime. I can't believe how much crime is in Florida. I read the Florida is one of the top 5 states that have the highest crime rate. My first priority is living in a safe area.

I also love the beach.



I thank you all for giving me information. Truly appreciated.
East side around the Space Coast is nice but more laid back, West around Tampa is a bit more active, so it depends on what you want. Cost is a bit higher on the West side but not much and traffic is a bit more hectic because of a higher population.
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Old 04-02-2016, 05:36 PM
 
30,430 posts, read 21,248,616 times
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West coast sees much less rain during the summer and feels much worse thanks to insane dewpoints and humidity.
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Old 04-04-2016, 08:32 PM
 
Location: St. Petersburg, FL
2 posts, read 1,594 times
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West side is the best side I'm from St. Petersburg so I may be a bit biased. Our beaches are gorgeous, the water is calmer than on the east coast, and the sunsets are stunning. Downtown is bustling, and there are up and coming artsy neighborhoods surrounding it. We have a strong local community that continues to grow. Gulfport is another popular small town; it is artsy and also pet-friendly. There are many communities in and around St. Pete that are safe. You get the best of both worlds: the laid back beach, and the bustling downtown. There is always something to do.
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Old 04-05-2016, 04:01 PM
 
27,214 posts, read 46,741,218 times
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East side has more sharks...lol but it is true.

West side has Clearwater beach that is in the top 10 as well as Siesta Key and if you have a dog than Paw beach is great as you can have your dog off the leash.
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Old 04-05-2016, 04:15 PM
 
Location: Florida
7,777 posts, read 6,385,415 times
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Melbourne area gets more hurricanes than Tampa Bay area. My sister lives over there, but I prefer the gulf coast.
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Old 04-05-2016, 05:20 PM
 
Location: Jupiter, FL
2,006 posts, read 3,319,465 times
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The Gulf has nice warm water compared to the Atlantic. Also, some parts of the East coast have sharks, such as New Smyrna Beach. Also, the Gulf has some spectacular beaches. One huge benefit of the East coast is that there are a lot of affordable areas once you get north of Palm Beach.
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Old 04-05-2016, 05:47 PM
 
18,172 posts, read 16,395,091 times
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I am in Tampa right now and my wife and I after spending 2 days here checking areas from Wesley Chapel, Tarpon, Duneden, Clearwater and .... we will NOT move here. To hectic, crowded and the streets are a mess in many area. You start on one and it shifts and becomes another one. We really liked Tarpon Springs, but the idea of driving through the rest of the area was way to disturbing to want to do even one more time. Then driving to the beach and through Tampa and surrounding areas was a pain. Usually we disagree on such things, but not this time. the balance of the time we are here will be away from Tampa and no more looking at areas to live on the West Coast.
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Old 04-06-2016, 12:24 PM
 
Location: Sinkholeville
1,509 posts, read 1,795,324 times
Reputation: 2354
Yeah, traffic is rough since a thousand people move to Florida each day. Many seem to be from New York.


Considering crime, there really is no substitute for actually looking around the neighborhoods for signs such as bars on the windows, chain link fences, and etc. Statistics don't give the same picture.


I left Florida for 40 years and the changes are shocking, the boondocks are now suburbs linked by sprawl.


Also, the closer you are to the beach, the closer you are to where the streets all end and the traffic has no escape, and parking is no longer free.
I'm about 20 miles from the beach, but it takes more than 20 minutes to get there and more than another 20 minutes to find a parking place, and much worse on nice weekends.
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Old 04-06-2016, 02:08 PM
 
27,214 posts, read 46,741,218 times
Reputation: 15667
Quote:
Originally Posted by expatCA View Post
I am in Tampa right now and my wife and I after spending 2 days here checking areas from Wesley Chapel, Tarpon, Duneden, Clearwater and .... we will NOT move here. To hectic, crowded and the streets are a mess in many area. You start on one and it shifts and becomes another one. We really liked Tarpon Springs, but the idea of driving through the rest of the area was way to disturbing to want to do even one more time. Then driving to the beach and through Tampa and surrounding areas was a pain. Usually we disagree on such things, but not this time. the balance of the time we are here will be away from Tampa and no more looking at areas to live on the West Coast.
Everyone has their own preferences and reasons why they like an area better than another and the best way to figure it out is what you did...drive through the areas but keep in mind different times of the day can make a difference too.

Have you been at the East coast as driving near Orlando is way worse than Tampa. Adding the amount of to roads is even worse.
But there are many more areas near the East coast of course.

Good luck with your search.
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