What's with the moving to Florida thing??

[joeea]

Don't forget the sportos, the motorheads, geeks, bloods, wastoids, dweebies.

Oh, he's very popular, Ed. They think he's a righteous dude.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

I live in SoCal and wish to move to FL. We'll be vacationing there next week.

Here's one of my biggest reasons of wanting to move to FL (besides the sunshine).

Au contraire, SoCAL has some of the best weather in the country.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Makes me laugh how folks will think of any reason to run down a place they do not live in or like for whatever reason. I am guilty as I do not like the poorer states like AL, MS, KY, SC, NC & AR. I find they lack in services that the richer states do. In reality it ends up being whatever floats your boat.

We would not move to a state because we like their politics or move out because we do not, some here just love to bring it up or discretely insert it into a sentence, while we do have our sometimes biased views, as we all do, to us it is irrelevant as a place to live and enjoy our lives.

What is important to us are the following in this order.

1) Weather
2) Access to Healthcare
3) Proximity to a nice beach
4) Not too expensive housing (but not cheap either)
5) Access to services
6) Proximity to a major airport

From a particular location perspective we like communities with well managed HOAs, where homes and landscapes are not neglected, and as a result maintain property values. In our experience over the last 35 years of owning we found that our neighbors were always reasonable folks and in all cases were very nice and friendly.

 

[neihn]

no sales tax....plus the weed is legal

And you don't have to pump your own gasoline. Just pull the car in, and give the attendance the credit card. Yay.

 

[albireo13]

I'm not saying Fla sucks, it just seems that the state will sink into the ocean soon under the weight of all the elderly moving there!

I have a harder time with the humidity than the heat. That plus I enjoy the seasons, mountains, and outdoors. I don't enjoy living in A/C.

BTW, we just signed a contract for a nice house in coastal NH. This is our age-in-place home with 1st floor living, and HOA to take care of lawn and snow clearing.
15 min to the beach, great biking, great little town to walk in, train stop to Boston 2mi away, and easy access to Maine and the White Mountains. We are pumped!

 

[Bestwifeever]

I'm sure I'll never live in Florida, not because I don't want to, just planted somewhere else. And yet it's still very easy for me to understand other people might decide to, and I hope they enjoy their lives there.

 

[Silver]

Florida is full. Thank you for your interest. Now please move along.....somewhere else.

 

[aja8888]

What is important to us are the following in this order.

1) Weather
2) Access to Healthcare
3) Proximity to a nice beach
4) Not too expensive housing (but not cheap either)
5) Access to services
6) Proximity to a major airport

From a particular location perspective we like communities with well managed HOAs, where homes and landscapes are not neglected, and as a result maintain property values.

I'm sure you know the list you posted fits many, many locations in states other than FL.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

I'm sure you know the list you posted fits many, many locations in states other than FL.

Yes, but nowhere near as nice and laid back, other than Hawaii and SoCAL.

 

[Teacher Terry]

I would consider a move from Southern California to Florida as a huge downgrade.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

I would consider a move from Southern California to Florida as a huge downgrade.

Depends where from in SoCAL. We used to live in Laguna Beach (for 15 years), yes I would say that would be a bit of a downgrade. We moved from there to the Caribbean. But unless you live within 5 miles of the beach in SoCAL, I would not consider it a downgrade to where we are. We currently live walking distance from one of the best beaches in FLA. Can you say that about where you are in SoCAL? If you can then I agree, otherwise no. It is very easy to generalize for conversation purposes, but doing Due diligence works a lot better.

I am sure some of the folks in Santa Ana or Compton would not agree with you.

 

[W2R]

Just thought, for laughs, that I'd compare our location in New Orleans to SWR's list of desirable attributes in a retirement location:

What is important to us are the following in this order.

1) Weather
Yes, we have weather! (next? ) Seriously, I like our warm, humid weather a lot, though some don't.

2) Access to Healthcare
Yes! Straight shot, two miles down the road.

3) Proximity to a nice beach
Uh....not really. There are beaches in Mississippi. Then there is Grand Isle.

4) Not too expensive housing (but not cheap either)
Yes! Median home price here is $176,300 according to Zillow. A nice 2500 sf house in a great neighborhood will cost you twice that. You can buy anything from a shack to a mansion here.

5) Access to services
Yes! Water? City sewer? High speed internet? We've got it all.

6) Proximity to a major airport
Yes! Well, kinda sorta major anyway.

From a particular location perspective we like communities with well managed HOAs,
Nope. HOAs just aren't very common here.

where homes and landscapes are not neglected, and as a result maintain property values. In our experience over the last 35 years of owning we found that our neighbors were always reasonable folks and in all cases were very nice and friendly.
Yes! Very nice, reasonable neighbors who keep up their property.

 

[ER Eddie]

I think I fall into the Schizoid category..... or at least I did as a Teen. "21st Century Schizoid Man" (King Crimson). Check out the penultimate line of the last verse.... That is somewhat like me.

Cat's foot, iron claw
Neuro-surgeons scream for more
At paranoia's poison door
Twenty-first century schizoid man

Blood rack, barbed wire
Politician's funeral pyre
Innocents raped with napalm fire
Twenty-first century schizoid man

Death seed, blind man's greed
Poets starving, children bleed
Nothing he's got he really needs
Twenty-first century schizoid man

Seriously though when we first moved to Florida we could not believe how friendly everyone was. Heck Folk say hello to each other on a regular basis in Downtown St. Auggie. There is something to be said about Southern Charm. No way in SoCal, Denver, London or other places we have lived.

Nice King Crimson reference. I spent a couple hours watching a progressive rock documentary on Genesis (my personal favorite) yesterday and today, so I found your mention of King Crimson an interesting coincidence. I liked some of their music, but it tended to be a little too harsh or cold to me, so I only bought a couple of their albums. They had some great musical talent in that band, though (Fripp, Bruford, et al).

Btw, "schizoid" (at least to a former psychologist like myself) refers to a personality style characterized by lack of interest in close relationships. Schizoids tend to be very isolated, emotionally flat and inexpressive, and don't enjoy much in life. KC is using it differently (seems to me they're just using it as a synonym for crazy or evil).

Also, as someone who's lived in the south for the past 20 years, I fully agree about the value of southern friendliness. I grew up in CA, so it was night and day for me. People make eye contact, smile, and say hi when you pass them on the street? How weird is that...

I think that (friendliness of the people) belongs on the list of factors for choosing a place to live, btw -- at least for me. After living here for 20 years, there's no way I'd move out of the south. The people you live with in community make such a difference.

Btw, you expressed surprise that some people avoid certain parts of the US because of the political-cultural characteristics of that place. I'm someone who feels that way. I wouldn't want to live in a community that held very different values and political/cultural beliefs than I did. I would feel at odds with the community; I wouldn't feel like I "fit;" it wouldn't feel like home.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Btw, you expressed surprise that some people avoid certain parts of the US because of the political-cultural characteristics of that place. I'm someone who feels that way. I wouldn't want to live in a community that held very different values and political/cultural beliefs than I did. I would feel at odds with the community; I wouldn't feel like I "fit;" it wouldn't feel like home.

Thanks for the comments and the education, I guess I am not "Really" Schizoid then based on your analogy. But it sounded good when I wrote it.

To respond to the quote above, I would have to at least somewhat disagree based on my own personal experience. Most of our neighbors are of a different political persuasion to my family, hard to get away from in the south, some are not. We all seem to get on OK. We do have some spirited conversations sometimes, but all in good faith. What I have learned is folk will vote based on one (sometimes 2) factors that affect them personally. They typically disagree with all the other shenanigans that occur after the fact. So we all really only have one or 2 points of disagreement with each other. It takes all sorts to make a world, most folk are cordial and nice about it. Again as I mentioned before, it is based a lot on the demographic of where you choose to actually live and socialize. We live in an area/community where without exception folks are very well educated, a lot more than myself (MEEE) in many cases. Most are post Grad and a lot have doctorates or higher degrees than myself. Move just a few miles inland and that changes drastically.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Shok, I don’t live in Southern California. Couldn’t afford to) We have been there many times and to Florida 3 times.

 

[aja8888]

Shok, I don’t live in Southern California. Couldn’t afford to) We have been there many times and to Florida 3 times.

I lived in SoCal 12 years and a few years in FL. I'm not sure which has the worst traffic these days but I know CA is way more expensive. I'll stick with what we have here.

 

[Dash man]

I grew up in SoCal, and was glad to get out. I now live in PA with a winter condo on the beach in Florida and a New Jersey home two blocks from the beach for summer getaways. Life is good!

 

[jasg]

After a two years of pre-WWI Ag college, my grandfather's best friend moved to Pasco county and became a timber baron. After my grandparents tired of dairy & potato farming, they retired there. My parents and several aunts and uncles followed.

So, from the age of 10, I visited almost every year. I wouldn't live there - ever. The poverty is heartbreaking, both for residents and many retirees. The weather is pretty appalling too.

A few of my (boomer) cousins have tried retiring in that area but ended up in The Villages, which is a bit better but still not appealing to me. Seattle is much more diverse and has a better climate.

Interestingly, the town (5,000 summer and 30,000 winter) was founded in 1910 as 'retirement colony' of the GAR (Civil War vets).

 

[gerntz]

I live in SoCal and wish to move to FL. We'll be vacationing there next week.

Here's one of my biggest reasons of wanting to move to FL (besides the sunshine). In SoCal, we're secluded from the rest of the country. I'll fly to San Fran for lunch, but I'm not really a fan of San Fran, and Phoenix isn't especially a place on my wish list to visit.

Living in FL, in a few hours I could be in New Orleans, DC, NY and even NH. The east coast just oozes history and interesting places to visit. Also look on a map. The US is pretty much desert west of the Mississippi, and the eastern US is green. I like trees much more than desert.

[ mod edit ]

Don't know where you think you might live in FL, but from Miami to another state is over 5 hrs driving & 3hrs from the Tampa area. Then it's +3-4 hrs to ATL or NOLA.

 

[wyecrabber1]

Moving to Florida

What is important to us are the following in this order.

We are making the move from outside of Baltimore to St. Augustine -- we purchased a home in World Golf Villages and will move in the next 6 months.

1) Weather -- wasn't the primary driver, although the cold gray days in December through March will not be missed.
2) Access to Healthcare -- this is important, our helathcare facilities will be Mayo Clinic or St. Vincents in Jacksonville. Not sold on the healthcare in St Augustine.
3) Proximity to a nice beach-- Proximity to the beach/water was inportant -- want to be able to put or toes in the sand and fish/boat.
4) Not too expensive housing (but not cheap either) -- we are in a nice development , no CDD fess, low HOA fees -- a lot of amenties. Home is a single level -- which was very important. Home values are lower compared to Baltimore suburbs.
5) Access to services -- needed services are available.
6) Proximity to a major airport -- 40 minutes ride.
7) Tax friendly to retirement/pensions -- important as RMD start in the next couple of years. Maryland is not tax friendly.

While DW wife and I are in our late 60's, we are both active and want to be able to walk/hike, play golf, fish/crab/shrimp, hit the beach. We have more family/friends in Ponte Vedra and St. Augustine than in Baltimore. Looking forward to our next adventure.

 

[dm]

Florida is full. Thank you for your interest. Now please move along.....somewhere else.

This,

 

[ShokWaveRider]

What is important to us are the following in this order.

We are making the move from outside of Baltimore to St. Augustine -- we purchased a home in World Golf Villages and will move in the next 6 months.

1) Weather -- wasn't the primary driver, although the cold gray days in December through March will not be missed.
2) Access to Healthcare -- this is important, our helathcare facilities will be Mayo Clinic or St. Vincents in Jacksonville. Not sold on the healthcare in St Augustine.
3) Proximity to a nice beach-- Proximity to the beach/water was inportant -- want to be able to put or toes in the sand and fish/boat.
4) Not too expensive housing (but not cheap either) -- we are in a nice development , no CDD fess, low HOA fees -- a lot of amenties. Home is a single level -- which was very important. Home values are lower compared to Baltimore suburbs.
5) Access to services -- needed services are available.
6) Proximity to a major airport -- 40 minutes ride.
7) Tax friendly to retirement/pensions -- important as RMD start in the next couple of years. Maryland is not tax friendly.

While DW wife and I are in our late 60's, we are both active and want to be able to walk/hike, play golf, fish/crab/shrimp, hit the beach. We have more family/friends in Ponte Vedra and St. Augustine than in Baltimore. Looking forward to our next adventure.

Welcome! Although I personally would not consider WGV St. Augustine Real. It is St. Auggie. Only by name as is King & Bear and Mirabella. Based on your requirements though it does seem like a good choice, although it is a little way from the nice beaches and St. Augustine itself. It is a beautiful area though, the HOAs are well run, access to JAX and the St. Johns River are excellent. Flagler hospital and the specialists in St. Auggie save my life so I am biased. No Mayo Agreed, but that is not too far.

I am curious did you look in Palencia? Although the CDDs are a little steep, it has a little better accessibility to Jax and St Auggie without going on the Freeway. We have friends in both areas and it is all good. You will love it hear in St. Johns County, it is in the top well managed counties in Florida, healthcare is up there and it is relatively affluent, weather is not as brutal as the southwest, traffic other than Fridays is very manageable. you will love it here, as most transplants do. Safe travels.

Fun Fact, WGV is 19 miles from St. Augustine Beach

 

[MichaelB]

An article in this morning's Sun Sentinel https://www.sun-sentinel.com/featur...0190726-v3zmd4euwnharjyaxnxn7kufjm-story.html

 

[audreyh1]

It seems the knee-jerk plan for retirees is to move to Fla.
Why?
Sure it is warmer, no snow, etc. but, what's so scary about cold weather?
Throw a sweater on. Hire someone else to do your driveway.

I've lived in Fla a bit and a lot of folks hide indoors in AC.
I don't get the attraction. It must be me.

Isn’t that a generational and regional thing - like George’s parents on Seinfeld?

 

[MarieIG]

I remember friends of my grandparents retiring and moving from Long Island to Florida (Port Richey), so I don't think this is anything new.

I believe that they were motivated by cost of living. (Conversations that I recall overhearing at family dinners.)

I visited them along with my parents when I was in college, and I recall going into a restaurant for an early dinner - and all the customers in the restaurant (except me) had white hair and glasses.

More recently I visited my son and family in Pensacola and Jacksonville. (He is now on Whidbey Island in Washington.) I liked Pensacola, but DH would never agree to move there due to the humidity - unless - the Little Princess (a/k/a DGD) moves back there.