Question for the snowbirds... - Page 9

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

On 7/10/2014 songbird said:
Being in Florida during he summer only means you are trapped there. I only spent a few weeks there once in the summer.....and I thought I was going to die! The heat, bugs,(they terrified me) lightning, all of it was too much. Oh and water, water everywhere. And I refused to think of the alligators. The mosquitoes were having an orgy. Some of the beaches were gorgeous, but really the heat made you feel like you were melting. I really don't know why people go there especially for retirement. They are stuck there.

Those of us who already live there would be ecstatic if no one else would come to Fl to retire but they are coming in droves. There is apparently lots there you are missing. As for the things you stated - yes, there is water everywhere - that is why we want to be here, the mosquitos are no worse there than up north. We have our home sprayed and I keep it clean and we do not have roaches, alligators are a minor nuisance , when you have one that is not behaving properly you can call an 800 # and they trap them and remove them. personally, I grew up spending a lot of time in Fl. and I love it there.

esmerelda · ‎03-10-2010

On 7/10/2014 happy housewife said:
On 7/10/2014 songbird said:
Being in Florida during he summer only means you are trapped there. I only spent a few weeks there once in the summer.....and I thought I was going to die! The heat, bugs,(they terrified me) lightning, all of it was too much. Oh and water, water everywhere. And I refused to think of the alligators. The mosquitoes were having an orgy. Some of the beaches were gorgeous, but really the heat made you feel like you were melting. I really don't know why people go there especially for retirement. They are stuck there.

Those of us who already live there would be ecstatic if no one else would come to Fl to retire but they are coming in droves. There is apparently lots there you are missing. As for the things you stated - yes, there is water everywhere - that is why we want to be here, the mosquitos are no worse there than up north. We have our home sprayed and I keep it clean and we do not have roaches, alligators are a minor nuisance , when you have one that is not behaving properly you can call an 800 # and they trap them and remove them. personally, I grew up spending a lot of time in Fl. and I love it there.

But you don't like it enough to stay there all year. You go north for the summer. You're in FL for tax reasons, among others...right?

*********************
Keepin' it real.

maryebrown_1 · ‎09-14-2012

I lived in Orlando with DS for 13 months. I got sick of the weather - summer, summer, summer, spring/summer - as well as many of the people I had to deal with (especially in my job). I have no desire to ever go back to FL! I prefer the Carolinas, that's where DH and I will retire.

Gooday · ‎03-23-2010

There are 5 states that do not tax municipal pensions: Florida, Illinois, Nevada, Texas and Washington state. I might be missing one or two states.

As for now, we split our time between Illinois and Arizona. There are enough states with all year round hot/warm weather. It's just whatever suits you. We vacationed in Florida in September and as beautiful as the Gulf side was, if we wanted humidity we would stay in Illinois. Not our preference. When the time comes, and it will, we will move permanently to Arizona and when it gets ungodly hot, as it does, we will get in our car, drive 3 hours north and rent a place for a few months.

Problem solved!

P.S. My parents were snowbirds and when people would ask my mom how she could be away from her grandkids for an extended period of time, she replied, "I'll send them a plane ticket and they can visit me".

songbird · ‎03-21-2010

On 7/10/2014 kachina624 said:
You know the South is not the only place in the US where the weather is moderate. I chose to retire to New Mexico. I HATE tropical climates having lived in Houston for 30 years. I hate having the AC on at Thanksgiving and Christmas, I hate all the bugs and creepy crawly things, and I hate the constant dampness.

We have four distinct seasons, beautiful autumn leaves, very dry climate (I've actually seen 0% relative humidity), moderate temps, low cost of living. Many winters we get a little snow which evaporates by noon and is not enough to shovel. We have lots of things to see and do. I have no mosquitos at my house and sit outside every evening to watch the sun set on the mountains...they turn mauve for about 10 minutes. I have dogs and haven't seen a flea (or roach) since I left Houston. Right now daily temps run about 90 degrees and I cool with an evaporative cooler which costs $20-$25/mo to operate. Arizona has a similar climate but is much hotter in summer. The Albuquerque area is cooler due to our altitude which is the same as Denver's. The only thing we don't have is the ocean.

My sister lives there. Near Belen. I've been there twice so far. Both times in the fall. I do like it. Very, very pretty. Lovely mountains. Yes it's cooler then Arizona. I did notice much less bugs. I did get used to the coyotes. But they scared me in the beginning. I think New Mexico is a high desert.

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

On 7/10/2014 esmerelda said:
On 7/10/2014 happy housewife said:
On 7/10/2014 songbird said:
Being in Florida during he summer only means you are trapped there. I only spent a few weeks there once in the summer.....and I thought I was going to die! The heat, bugs,(they terrified me) lightning, all of it was too much. Oh and water, water everywhere. And I refused to think of the alligators. The mosquitoes were having an orgy. Some of the beaches were gorgeous, but really the heat made you feel like you were melting. I really don't know why people go there especially for retirement. They are stuck there.

Those of us who already live there would be ecstatic if no one else would come to Fl to retire but they are coming in droves. There is apparently lots there you are missing. As for the things you stated - yes, there is water everywhere - that is why we want to be here, the mosquitos are no worse there than up north. We have our home sprayed and I keep it clean and we do not have roaches, alligators are a minor nuisance , when you have one that is not behaving properly you can call an 800 # and they trap them and remove them. personally, I grew up spending a lot of time in Fl. and I love it there.

But you don't like it enough to stay there all year. You go north for the summer. You're in FL for tax reasons, among others...right?

WE are in Florida because we LOVE it there. We come to Pa in the summer so we can be with our family who still live here.

colliegirls · ‎05-13-2012

Everyone likes different areas. We have lived in several areas of Florida on the Gulf Coast. It took a while to get used to the heat but we ended up loving it. Every day felt like a vacation. The only drawback was the HUGE ROACHES! I don't care what cute name some people give them or how many times our bug company sprayed, the roaches live there and they are there to stay! Not to mention that I am not crazy about all those pesticides in my home, until I discovered the magic of Boric Acid powder (it really works). We would consider going back to Florida when we retire, but also love the beaches of GA, SC, and NC.

Gooday · ‎03-23-2010

On 7/10/2014 colliegirls said:

Everyone likes different areas. We have lived in several areas of Florida on the Gulf Coast. It took a while to get used to the heat but we ended up loving it. Every day felt like a vacation. The only drawback was the HUGE ROACHES! I don't care what cute name some people give them or how many times our bug company sprayed, the roaches live there and they are there to stay! Not to mention that I am not crazy about all those pesticides in my home, until I discovered the magic of Boric Acid powder (it really works). We would consider going back to Florida when we retire, but also love the beaches of GA, SC, and NC.

We have pest control too because we get a lot of spiders and the occasional scorpion. Our garage is always loaded with bugs and we're in Az. Critters roam the earth. It's just the way it is, no matter where you live.

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

Some people love the tropics and others don't - some like season change and others don't - and some love the desert and others find it barren. Thank Goodness we are not all alike.

Kachina624 · ‎03-10-2010

On 7/10/2014 songbird said:
On 7/10/2014 kachina624 said:
You know the South is not the only place in the US where the weather is moderate. I chose to retire to New Mexico. I HATE tropical climates having lived in Houston for 30 years. I hate having the AC on at Thanksgiving and Christmas, I hate all the bugs and creepy crawly things, and I hate the constant dampness.

We have four distinct seasons, beautiful autumn leaves, very dry climate (I've actually seen 0% relative humidity), moderate temps, low cost of living. Many winters we get a little snow which evaporates by noon and is not enough to shovel. We have lots of things to see and do. I have no mosquitos at my house and sit outside every evening to watch the sun set on the mountains...they turn mauve for about 10 minutes. I have dogs and haven't seen a flea (or roach) since I left Houston. Right now daily temps run about 90 degrees and I cool with an evaporative cooler which costs $20-$25/mo to operate. Arizona has a similar climate but is much hotter in summer. The Albuquerque area is cooler due to our altitude which is the same as Denver's. The only thing we don't have is the ocean.

My sister lives there. Near Belen. I've been there twice so far. Both times in the fall. I do like it. Very, very pretty. Lovely mountains. Yes it's cooler then Arizona. I did notice much less bugs. I did get used to the coyotes. But they scared me in the beginning. I think New Mexico is a high desert.

Many people in the Southwest buy RVs and spend the summer in the mountains. RVs are about as common as SUVs here. I know of some lovely campgrounds in Colorado with monthly rates.

New Mexico☀️Land Of Enchantment