Wanting to move to Florida- question/ disappointed - Page 3

Mom2Dogs · ‎03-09-2010

@elainemasey ...Can you give me some feedback on Venice? Shopping, dining, entertainment.

DH and I wanted to travel there...we were in Venice many years ago and wonder how it has changed. Thanks

Marp · ‎03-09-2010

@Drythe wrote:
@homedecor1

AS it is here in NC, the result of the > 110,000 move-ins we gain yearly.

We have become the new tornado ally, which used to be Kansas, additionally Hurricanes rarely miss us.

@Drythe, time to move to the western mountains lol. No hurricanes, extremely rare tornadoes, and not so many move-ins.

The eyes through which you see others may be the same as how they see you.

Toot1920 · ‎07-22-2018

FYI, all coasts in Florida are vulnerable to hurricanes. I lived in Punta Gorda in 2004 and we had Hurricane Charlie, a cat 4, go through. They hadn't had a major direct hit since Hurricane Donna in 1960. It only takes one hurricane to disrupt your life. But, it is a very nice area, close to beaches in Venice, Sarasota, and Fort Myers. Of course, the closer to the water increases insurance costs and property taxes.

CJC · ‎03-11-2010

@River Song wrote:
You might like Mt. Dora for a small town feel but it's in central Florida, north of Orlando, in the center of the state, not near the beach. But there are lakes if being near water is important.

There really isn't anything comparable to Mass here in Florida, sorry. Most of the coast is becoming one big urban sprawl. Personally, I would avoid the panhandle, always getting hammered with hurricanes.

I live in Naples, in the poor part, meaning not on the beach and not in the City of Naples proper. The beaches are beautiful, it's green in the winter, hotter then the hinges on the gates of Hell in the summer, the humidity will suffocate you. Housing is expensive, wages are low. Hurricane Irma in 2017 was a direct hit and I was without power for two weeks. Hurricane season, June 1 - Nov. 30, makes me anxious. The only decent weather is between New Year's and Easter. Gee, what's not to love. My goal is to move out of Florida in a few years, I just have to figure out where to move that doesn't have hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires, mudslides, earthquakes or volcanos.

FL is becoming way overcrowded. Tampa Bay Times recently reported 330,000 people/year are moving down here. Huge environmental problems. We're originally from OH and believe me FL is nothing like our northeast towns and suburbs. This is an ugly billboard state except for the coastal areas where you best have $1 million in your pocket before even looking for a home. Summer humidity is awful. Traffic is a nightmare. Below average medical care (compared to our Cleveland Clinic up north). Then we have those cute hurricanes. (Irma hit Tampa Bay one month after we moved in). We came here from a beautiful town in SC, and we wish we'd stayed there a little longer then returned to OH. We knew all this beforehand but moved down here for family reasons. FL is a great state for family vacations or short winter stays. Just my thoughts.

Bhvbum · ‎07-18-2010

Nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there. We only go in off-season usually in August because in the winter months it's mobbed on the coasts.

Too many other beautiful places in the country that are being "loved to death."

FrostyBabe1 · ‎05-09-2016

@Bhvbum wrote:
Nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there. We only go in off-season usually in August because in the winter months it's mobbed on the coasts.
Too many other beautiful places in the country that are being "loved to death."

I agree. I have a beach place on one of the barrier islands near Bradenton. Although there would be positive tax implications from becoming a Florida resident, it's highly unlikely that I would ever do so. I don't go near the state between April 1st and October 1st because of the heat and humidity, and I've cut my late winter time by a couple of weeks because once spring breaks start, the place is wall-to-wall people.

~The more someone needs to brag about how wonderful, special, successful, wealthy or important they are, the greater the likelihood that it isn't true. ~

software · ‎06-08-2016

Try south Georgia

@elainemasey wrote:
Hi, My husband and I want to relocate from Massachusetts to maybe SW Florida but very open. Hoping to be along the coast rather than inland. The problem I'm finding is there doesn't seem to be any towns. Coming from Mass, we have towns with a center, library, post office, maybe a common. This is where town activities would be held, band concerts, parades etc. You would see friends and have a sense of community. Does that exist in Florida? Any place in Florida? Getting discouraged. Would we be better off in North or South Carolina?

Would appreciate your thoughts.

Elaine

gardenman · ‎03-09-2010

@haddon9 wrote:
@River Song wrote:
You might like Mt. Dora for a small town feel but it's in central Florida, north of Orlando, in the center of the state, not near the beach. But there are lakes if being near water is important.

There really isn't anything comparable to Mass here in Florida, sorry. Most of the coast is becoming one big urban sprawl. Personally, I would avoid the panhandle, always getting hammered with hurricanes.

I live in Naples, in the poor part, meaning not on the beach and not in the City of Naples proper. The beaches are beautiful, it's green in the winter, hotter then the hinges on the gates of Hell in the summer, the humidity will suffocate you. Housing is expensive, wages are low. Hurricane Irma in 2017 was a direct hit and I was without power for two weeks. Hurricane season, June 1 - Nov. 30, makes me anxious. The only decent weather is between New Year's and Easter. Gee, what's not to love. My goal is to move out of Florida in a few years, I just have to figure out where to move that doesn't have hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires, mudslides, earthquakes or volcanos.
@River Song Here in the mid-atlantic (SE PA) and the northeast you won't find any of those weather related issues mentioned (hurricanes can happen but they are rare). However it does get cold and some winters are snowy but the summers are much more bearable. We have periods of heat & humidity but then it will suddenly cool off and be very pleasant for a while before it goes back to hot & humid.

The best of both worlds is to have a place up north for the summers & become a snow bird and go south for the winter.

I've been intrigued by some of the luxury RVs out there these days. It would be kind of neat to have a home you'd take wherever you wanted to go. Hit the northern states in the summer, the southern states in the winter. Enes Yilmazer recently toured a $400,000 RV on his YouTube channel that would be quite interesting to live in. A hurricane's coming? Drive away to somewhere safe. There's flooding, wildfires, a zombie apocalypse, drive away to somewhere safe. If you don't need a lot of room even some of the smaller Class B motorhomes like the Atlas by Airstream could be a neat option. They're small enough that you can even use them as your "normal" vehicle when you settle someplace. (The big guys like the one Enes featured you pretty much need a car to go with it.) You'd become something of a nomad living in RV parks or on the road, but it could be kind of a nice way to live.

Fly!!! Eagles!!! Fly!!!

ValuSkr · ‎03-15-2014

@elainemasey wrote:

Dunedin has been recommended a couple of times so we will visit this week.

@elainemasey If you like baseball: The Toronto Blue Jays are playing in Dunedin through next Monday: today vs Philadelphia, Tues - Thurs vs Boston, and Friday - Monday vs. Tampa Bay.

River Song · ‎03-15-2010

@Texasmouse wrote:
@River Song wrote:
You might like Mt. Dora for a small town feel but it's in central Florida, north of Orlando, in the center of the state, not near the beach. But there are lakes if being near water is important.

There really isn't anything comparable to Mass here in Florida, sorry. Most of the coast is becoming one big urban sprawl. Personally, I would avoid the panhandle, always getting hammered with hurricanes.

I live in Naples, in the poor part, meaning not on the beach and not in the City of Naples proper. The beaches are beautiful, it's green in the winter, hotter then the hinges on the gates of Hell in the summer, the humidity will suffocate you. Housing is expensive, wages are low. Hurricane Irma in 2017 was a direct hit and I was without power for two weeks. Hurricane season, June 1 - Nov. 30, makes me anxious. The only decent weather is between New Year's and Easter. Gee, what's not to love. My goal is to move out of Florida in a few years, I just have to figure out where to move that doesn't have hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires, mudslides, earthquakes or volcanos.
@River Song this was our quest as well so, when we chose South Central Texas, we were spared all of the natural disasters you mention. What we didn't consider was grapefruit-sized HAIL. We experienced a severe hailstorm five years ago that broke out windows, damaged our roof and destroyed both of our vehicles. They happen here, every so often, but no one had ever told us about those. I guess there's no such thing as being completely safe anywhere!

@Texasmouse ,

You are right, I need to add hail storms to my natural disaster list, lol.