Moving from MA to Southern FL

[THX 1138]

Originally Posted by 2ForTheSea

I think you've summed it up pretty succinctly.

Especially in the summertime, it's hard to find anything to do. Unless you like to go to malls or movies. My husband and I were desperate to find something to do this past Sunday so we just got in the car and drove. Everything pretty much looks the same for miles and miles and miles. We ended up driving Dixie Hwy from Ft Lauderdale to Lake Worth and stopping downtown and having a couple of drinks and driving 95 home. The beach gets a little tedious after awhile when it's pretty much the only game in town all summer.

Why did you move here? Did you research the Florida lifestyle prior to moving here? I'm from the Northeast originally and of course I miss things about it that I'll never get here, but I discovered new things eventually and explored Florida not just the local area. There is plenty to do here, you just have to get out and look for it. There are plenty of attractions, sites and etc locally and statewide.

Typically I frequent the beach more often in the summer here, not everyday though. When you work the 8 to 5 grind Monday - Friday and come home, the weekends go very quick leaving little time to enjoy the surroundings.

It amazes me how people move here and don't know what's out there, of course if you have no interest in these things then there isn't much anyone can do to help.

[2ForTheSea]

Why did I move here? I work on yachts. This is where they are. Also, I've done pretty much everything there is to do. After so many years there just isn't much left to discover. I've found in Florida you can drive for hours and where you end up is pretty much the same place that you started in. I don't dislike it here. I just think people should be prepared that it isn't like it is when you come down for vacation. I actually prefer summer because there are fewer people and when I do want to go somewhere I don't have to battle the crowds. But there really aren't very many fairs, festivals, etc in the summer as there is in the winter. It's kind of a double edged sword. I don't like the crowds, but there will be crowds at the things I do like to do because those things occur during the winter.

[THX 1138]

Originally Posted by 2ForTheSea

Why did I move here? I work on yachts. This is where they are. Also, I've done pretty much everything there is to do. After so many years there just isn't much left to discover. I've found in Florida you can drive for hours and where you end up is pretty much the same place that you started in. I don't dislike it here. I just think people should be prepared that it isn't like it is when you come down for vacation. I actually prefer summer because there are fewer people and when I do want to go somewhere I don't have to battle the crowds. But there really aren't very many fairs, festivals, etc in the summer as there is in the winter. It's kind of a double edged sword. I don't like the crowds, but there will be crowds at the things I do like to do because those things occur during the winter.

I left here and moved back after a a few year exit and was here several years prior in the 90's.... I actually missed it. I have not seen everything yet, but I work a lot of hours and rarely have as much free time to travel around the state as I wish.

The landscape is what it is, I prefer to stay near the coastal areas but I have ventured into other parts of the state, I prefer South Florida. I can imagine it get's boring for some people. Thing is you won't get what Florida has to offer anywhere else on the East Coast, with exception during the summer months you can enjoy some of the coastal regions but come winter, forget about it. It's rather short lived and very seasonal and expensive. I use to to go to Ocean City, MD often during the summer, talk about crowded and not enjoyable. Outerbanks is no different as are most coastal areas of north, here though I can stroll over to the beach and find a parking spot and a nice spot on the beach with no issues.

Many people move here with that vision that it's a vacation, but it's the wrong perception. I work so for starters it's never a full-time vacation.

We have the beach at our fingertips, even though I don't go everyday as some people who don't live here tell me they would do. One thing you can't take for granted is the natural things here like the beach, animals and fauna at least for me seeing the nature here is priceless. I say the same for other parts of the US where they have their natural wonders and beauty. More of those stop and smell the roses type of moments, because even I feel I take it for granted often.

When winter rolls around up north, I can rest assured I won't have to deal with sleet, freezing rain and snow on my commute, also when those depressing gray clouds roll in for months on end. That is when I appreciate I live here and my friends up there envy me in return. Also why we have a season here, which I agree can be a pain to deal with.

[LiveLoveLaugh]

Here's my opinion...for $3000. you should be able to rent a nice WATERFRONT house in a family neighborhood east! I think you said you have a baby so you don't have to worry about schools yet. Imo, east is where to be! You come home to your waterfront pool and you will feel like you are in heaven! Good luck!

[Carol Kruger]

I recommend Palm Beach Gardens, PGA National specifically. It is quiet has great walking and bike trails and is close to Juno and Jupiter Beach off PGA Blvd. The area has many New Englanders is close to downtown West Palm and alot more sophisticated than many of those areas further south. I have owned here since 2000. Great restaurants and it is not a party scene much more dining for the more sophisticated northerners yet laid back for the Florida lifestyle.

[SEFL10]

You need to come down and visit the area again. If you want to be close to Miami for day trips and take advantage of the little culture that is there, and you want to live in an upscale area with minimal gang-bangers (they are all over SE Florida), you pretty much have only one choice: Boca Raton. You can find a townhouse in a gated community such as Boca West for $2-3K / month, and this will give you access to the schools that feed into Spanish River High, the only good public high school in SE Florida north of Miami. You can make day trips to Deerfield Beach (cool beach scene with a bar on the beach; lots of white trash and Brazilians, but they're not aggressive) or Delray Beach (more upscale, funkier beach, with a somewhat mixed crowd at times). If you want the Yo MTV Raps crowd, go to South Beach. I doubt you'll like it very much, though... The beach in Boca Raton is the tamest and quietest; if you didn't have kids (school constraints), then you'd want to be on or just off the A1A in Boca.

It would be worth checking out the Palm Beach Gardens / PGA area, as well as Jupiter. I am not very familiar with them, but I know a lot of upscale people there. You won't have the benefits of a big city like Miami, though, or its international airport. I would stay away from places like Hollywood, Ft Lauderdale, West Palm Beach (the only decent area is the waterfront, and even there it's full of gang-bangers). Get out here and drive around at various times of the day / week and you'll get a good feel. Go to Cityside in West Palm Beach at peak time and check out the people there.

Lastly, you may want to check out Naples as well, even though it's smaller and kind of far from everything. Nothing beats Boca, though.

[TriMT7]

Originally Posted by SEFL10

It would be worth checking out the Palm Beach Gardens / PGA area, as well as Jupiter. I am not very familiar with them, but I know a lot of upscale people there. You won't have the benefits of a big city like Miami, though, or its international airport. I would stay away from places like Hollywood, Ft Lauderdale, West Palm Beach (the only decent area is the waterfront, and even there it's full of gang-bangers). Get out here and drive around at various times of the day / week and you'll get a good feel. Go to Cityside in West Palm Beach at peak time and check out the people there.