Ever regretted moving south?

[Nords]

No regrets at all. Moved from the frigid winter days in Northern California... highs around 60. Here in San Diego more like in the 70s
OK I'll cut it out.

My turn.

I grew up in Pittsburgh and spent 4+ years determining that the only place with nastier weather was Annapolis. By "nasty" I mean intermittent snow that requires shoveling the driveway 3x/week, with freezing rain in January. Luckily I was young, dumb, & didn't know that anything better existed.

Then I moved to Orlando in winter and left at the height of summer. Not bad.

Then I wintered over in upstate New York, went to Connecticut for a few months, and ended up in Holy Loch Scotland. I found out that the Scots do cold better than just about anyone else, but by then I wasn't so dumb and I gave up my research at the end of that tour.

Everything since then has been a move south... Monterey, San Diego, & Oahu. Last night it got all the way down to 72 degrees (brrr) and I actually turned in my tank top for a short-sleeve t-shirt. But I haven't had to put on socks yet...

 

[califdreamer]

Everything since then has been a move south... Monterey, San Diego, & Oahu. Last night it got all the way down to 72 degrees (brrr) and I actually turned in my tank top for a short-sleeve t-shirt. But I haven't had to put on socks yet...

Arghh.... you got me.

 

[bpp]

After growing up in snow country, I never regretted any move south afterwards. Bay Area California was ok (never terrible weather, though never really great weather either), and Oahu was just perfect. Then I up and moved somewhat north again, but winters never get much below freezing so it is not so bad. It is even nice and cozy when the family snuggles around the kotatsu, reminding me of the nice part of snow country (hanging around the wood stove when it is freezing outside) without the bad parts (splitting and stacking 8 cords of wood each year, getting up first in the morning to get the stove revved up, etc...) I hope the kid will have similarly cozy memories.

 

[lets-retire]

I mostly grew up in Montana and Michigan. When I did finally grow up I went south, GA, then Turkey, back to MI, then SC, FL and finally MS. When I was first in MI I worked on a garbage truck, talk about cold. After moving south again there is no way to get me up north during the winter. When it's hot out I can go to the beach and cool off.

 

[Dawg52]

I mostly grew up in Montana and Michigan. When I did finally grow up I went south, GA, then Turkey, back to MI, then SC, FL and finally MS. When I was first in MI I worked on a garbage truck, talk about cold. After moving south again there is no way to get me up north during the winter. When it's hot out I can go to the beach and cool off.

What brought you to MS? I think I read where you said you moved to the gulf coast. Before or after Katrina?

 

[tednvon]

Hi...to JDW-fire,

We love central Florida just south of Disney World. No where near the traffic of the coasts and Disney traffic is very managable if you know a few shortcuts...

We rent from folks who bought and furnished a home for weekly rentals at Disney but are willing to rent for a very good price during the "slow season" (between Christmas and Easter) to have the house occupied and enough income to cover expenses. We have a four bedroom, two bath, heated inground pool, all for under $1700/month. Of course, they pay all utilities...home is completely furnished for weekly rentals right down to the silverware and linens...We love it.

I work 15 hours/week at a fancy golf course, Mystic Dunes, as a starter and play golf for nada. I also officiate high school basketball, like I have in Iowa for 25 years. Keeps me active and brings in some spending cash...

We get our Florida resident annual Disney pass and go over 2-3 nights/week to catch the great shows and dinner....

So far, so good...All the best...Ted

 

[Andre1969]

My Mom and stepdad bought a house in Florida back in 2001 or 2002. I forget exactly where in Florida, but it's called Biscayne Heights or something like that, and isn't far from Disney. They're still living up here in Maryland though. They were renting the Florida house out, but now it's vacant.

Mom is retiring in two years, and they're planning on spending part of the winter down there, taking mini vacations, and ultimately moving down there. No intention of selling the place up here, though. Mom says that she wants to keep the house up here, just in case she ends up hating it down there. I asked her, well what if you hate it but stepdad likes it? "Oh, we'll discuss that when the time comes", she said. I can see trouble brewing. :

And I wonder what she's going to do about maintaining the place up here. It's a single family home on roughly 5 acres, with a separate garage and barn, so it's not like you can easily mothball it for a couple months!

 

[lets-retire]

The only thing keeping us in Florida were our jobs. The DW's family had just moved down here so we came up for a visit. The housing prices were very reasonable, pre-Katrina. We hated the city and this place has much more open areas, so we figured what the heck. We sold our house for an obscene profit and moved up here August this year. It's still looking like a bombed out third world country in most areas near the coast, but it is being rebuilt. I noticed a lot of new demolition/construction was started within the last couple weeks.

 

[bow-tie]

...We would not stay year round...family, friends, etc still in Iowa...

We vote for best of both worlds right now....Ted

Hello, Ted, from a fellow Eastern Iowan.

 

[Nords]

And I wonder what she's going to do about maintaining the place up here. It's a single family home on roughly 5 acres, with a separate garage and barn, so it's not like you can easily mothball it for a couple months!

I know a few guys in your area who'd love to be live-in handymen... all your folks would need to do is furnish & heat the barn build a one-bedroom guest cottage.

OK, OK, and maybe season tickets to the Navy or UM games.

 

[tednvon]

And Hello to you bow-tie....Hawkeyes appear to be few and far between on these boards!

Ted

 

[Andre1969]

Hey Nords, didn't you used to live in the DC area at one time? I thought I remembered you mentioning it before.

I talked to my Mom today on the phone, and I'm starting to feel a bit bad for her. She mentioned that she doesn't know if she'll be able to adjust to living in Florida and being so close to other people. Now they're going to be in a single-family home on 1/3 acre down there, so it's not like they're pancaked on top of each other. But when you're used to 5 acres of relative isolation, it is an adjustment. The other night I was talking to my roommate I mentioned that I'd probably hate it if I ever had to move back into a place like my old condo, or even a single family home in a development.

I guess you can take the redneck out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the redneck!

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

I never regretted moving south. It did so following my career path. Before doing so, I would have been an "I love the seasons/winter" type, but I was lying. Took some adjustment, but I really believe my lifestyle and leisure time are better in this climate. My regret is not doing it sooner. Plus, when I finall FIRE, I'll be in a warm place that also happens to be my home for some years.

I do miss the kids and grandkids up north. Seeing more of them will be a major driver of our retirement planning, but probably not to include moving back to Wisconsin full-time.

 

[73ss454]

Well today is one week in Florida after moving from NY. So far so good. Our grand kids are here and I'm enjoying seeing them when ever I want.

I spoke to friends in NY and it was 18 degrees this AM. I don't miss that!

I have no idea how this will work out, too soon to tell but I'm hoping for the best.

 

[dwk]

The only thing keeping us in Florida were our jobs... It's still looking like a bombed out third world country in most areas near the coast, but it is being rebuilt. I noticed a lot of new demolition/construction was started within the last couple weeks.

Until calling it quits, DW and I are in Havre de Grace, MD for a few more years. Purchased a condo on the gulf coast (Charlotte Harbor) a few years ago. That was before Charley and Francis turned the place upside down.

Right now, we get down a few times a year and plan to rent seasonally now that the condo is back together. The plan is to spend the summer months in Maryland and head down to Florida for the colder months. The best of both worlds, stripers and Wye River crabs in Maryland -- redfish, snook, grouper... from the gulf. T-minus 33 months and counting.

Having the condo in Florida now is allowing us to make new friends, so when we make the transition -- it should go smoothly.

dwk

 

[astroboy]

And Hello to you bow-tie....Hawkeyes appear to be few and far between on these boards!

Ted

Here's another born and bred Iowegian for the first 18 years. Haven't been back in there in almost ten years. When I was, it was ok for the first twenty minutes but quickly knew it was a "been there, done that, not gonna do it again" type thing. But unlike most Hawkeyes, I'm not retiring to AZ but heading in opposite way to GA.

 

[Dawg52]

I spoke to friends in NY and it was 18 degrees this AM. I don't miss that!

Same here this morning. It will warm up some today but whats going on? This is frigging MS!

 

[Nords]

Hey Nords, didn't you used to live in the DC area at one time? I thought I remembered you mentioning it before.

Yep, I was incarcerated at USNA for four years and finally escaped in 1982. I also lived in Carydale East Apartments in Alexandria for six months while working at the Naval Research Lab. I sometimes wonder if Generous George still has his Positive Pizza Palace near there, but the 60s were very good to him and I don't think he had much of a life expectancy left.

My FIL worked at CBS's Washington bureau for 30+ years. Spouse was raised in Bowie and my BIL the CPA lives with his spouse in Crofton.

 

[donheff]

Yep, I was incarcerated at USNA for four years and finally escaped in 1982. I also lived in Carydale East Apartments in Alexandria for six months while working at the Naval Research Lab. I sometimes wonder if Generous George still has his Positive Pizza Palace near there, but the 60s were very good to him and I don't think he had much of a life expectancy left.

Still there.

 

[education]

I love the South. It has great weather (I like heat, even in summer--and where I live in south Texas it gets so hot it makes you forget your fear of hell!!!!!) I think at age 18 I stopped loving snow and knew there had to be a more tropical climate-but it took me 30 more years of Mid-western and East coast living before I acted on my desire.

The winter of 95 in MA produced over a 100 inches of snow and I knew it was time to make a move. I have never regretted it--and TX has been good to me. 11 years and I'm still happy with the move.

Professor

 

[kowski]

Moved from Michigan to central Florida (horse country) 27 months ago. Stayed for the last summer just to see what it was like. (Original plan was to use travel trailer every summer and go back for the hottest months) We learned to work around the heat. Up early, stay inside during the middle and go out at night. Its wounderful to be able to get out on any given day. I am in a wheel chair, so working for 30 years in Michigan was a hassel. Might not be for everyone but the wife and I love it.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Its wounderful to be able to get out on any given day.

Yes, I think that's a key thing for me. With few exceptions you can enjoy the outdoors, do outdoor tasks, or just cheer yourself up with 15 minutes of warm, bright sunshine virtually 365 days a year. It's essentially a lifestyle thing.

 

[donheff]

I love the South. It has great weather (I like heat, even in summer--and where I live in south Texas it gets so hot it makes you forget your fear of hell!!!!!)

I don't have any fear of hell so I think I will skip the hell-on-earth of the Texas summer.

 

[Eagle43]

Well, I was born and raised in New Orleans. I thrive on heat and humidity. To reverse the theme of this thread, I went from warm to cold and have lived in cold weather in Japan, Europe and New England. So, I've tried it, and just can't hack it. It looks great in the movies when the snow starts falling and it is. . . the first day or so. Just cannot stand 3-6 months of it. And shoveling or blowing that lovely white fluffy stuff into great piles so you can get out of the driveway? Ugh.

 

[Nords]

Still there.

Excellent!

When spouse-to-be and I dropped by he'd always ask "Will you two be French kissing later tonight?"

We went there a lot. He's no fool...