Tampa or Charlotte or Phoenix

[goolsbyjazz]

[quote=wallyb2013;46969747]I recently moved from Charlotte to St. Pete, and I'm not 100% sold. If we could hop back into our old lives in Charlotte, I probably would, and there's a good chance we'll start looking to move back this summer if we still feel the same way we do now. Both my husband and I tear up when we think of our old house, our neighborhood, our great friends. It's just not the same here.

I would say housing in Charlotte and the Tampa Bay area is pretty comparable, and the schools are comparable as well. There are some great schools in certain parts of Tampa (South Tampa), but the housing is very expensive (like the Dilworth and Myers Park areas of Charlotte). There are supposedly good schools in the suburbs of Tampa and St. Pete, but the commute times are horrendous and would be a huge lifestyle hit if you were accustomed to a short commute. I really miss the four seasons, although I do hate winter. The issue is that winter in Charlotte is typically a two to three month period with many random 60 - 75 degree days, so it's not THAT bad. Summer in St. Pete is pretty hellish, starting in May and ending in late October/early November. The heat index exceeds 100 (typically around 110+) and you don't get any relief at all. As a result, A/C bills are CRAZY high if you live in an older home like we do (our highest was $480 for a 2600 sq ft house). I'm also much more of a mountain person than a beach person, although that's changing a little bit and I enjoy the beach now that it's not as hot outside. We had a lot of family in NC that we miss dearly, and some amazing friends that were like family, so that's probably what we miss the most.

Would it be possible for you to move to Tampa, rent for a year, and transfer to Charlotte if you don't like it? Unfortunately for us, we can't just pick up and move due to my husband's highly specific job, so we're stuck here indefinitely. We're making the most of it - I'm on the neighborhood association board, we get out and about every weekend, we walk all over our neighborhood and downtown, ride bikes, hit the beaches, we're doing Disney next week. It's not all bad, but our hearts are in Charlotte.

As far as Phoneix, you couldn't pay me to move there. I actually had a nightmare that I moved there once and woke up startled and breathing heavy.[/QUOTE]
You made me chuckle out loud in the local Starbucks with that line! I moved to Phoenix from Charlotte and missed it for many years...many years. Got a chance to visit last summer and was amazed by the growth of our once little sleepy city! The people were still friendly as we remembered and the place was still beautiful. Now, about Phoenix...why couldn't we pay you to move here? It's not that bad! Lol! I am also checking out Tampa, but have heard mixed reviews.

[goolsbyjazz]

Originally Posted by engineman

We lived in FL for 28 years, then moved to AZ, 15 miles out of Phoenix. Very rarely went into PHX, seldom had reason to. Two years ago we moved back to FL. Never lived in Tampa, never had reason to. We prefer being closer to the gulf.

Phoenix is hotter in summer and cooler in winter, gets 7" of rain per year compared to 57 in Fl. In summer you expect it will be over 100 every day, once in a while it gets to 115. In a total of 30 years I have seen 100 only once ever in FL.
FL is humid, AZ is very dusty with quite a bit of wind.

engineman, you left without saying goodbye! Lol! Honestly I get it. I have lived out here many years and am now looking to leave not because it is a bad place, but I desire something different. I grew up in the northeast and lived in the southeast before moving to the southwest so I am familiar with the weather over there and, honesty, miss it. I do love the mountains and how accessible they are but I also miss being near an ocean. I was also looking at returning to Charlotte or trying Tampa.