Why Did You Choose Florida?

[INTJ10]

You can be outside doing things pretty much all year long. The summers are hot but that is the best time to escape and travel to the North.

 

[Dtail]

My wife and I moved to St. Pete in April 2019 and never regretted it for one moment. Yes, very long, humid summers, but if you can't take the heat stay out of the kitchen. Obviously if you are one of those people who sweats a lot or just hates the feel of being sweaty, best not to come. Just as i would be nuts to move to Alaska. Florida is not for everyone, no place of extremes is. Property is cheap, no state tax, low property tax if you get homesteader status, which is not hard to get. Traffic has gotten much heavier and that is pretty much my main gripe about living here. But, I may never see snow again, and that is how I planned it, and how I like it.

Exactly.
We still go outside at anytime during the summer months irrespective of the heat and carry on.

 

[Badger]

There are some things I don't especially like about FL.........traffic and too many people, for one thing. But I am willing to put up with that to enjoy the other positive aspects of being here. I have no plans to live here year-round, though..........I think the summer heat and humidity would be very hard to take.

This gave me a chuckle. Just think how happy the permanent residents feel once the snowbirds are gone.


Cheers!

 

[Dtail]

This gave me a chuckle. Just think how happy the permanent residents feel once the snowbirds are gone.


Cheers!

One reason we chose to live in a non snowbird area.
The thinking was if we can't wait until the snowbirds leave, then how would we really enjoy the fall and winter seasons in the first place?

 

[Koolau]

We looked at FL because one of our top priorities was to avoid cold weather and snow. We found winter NOT to be all that (consistently) warm and summer to be unbelievably hot. I could have most of that back in the midwest, though you trade extreme summer heat for extreme winter cold. Take your pick. I guess the other thing was that unless you live on the coast, FL is just about as uninteresting as the prairies of the midwest (FL doesn't even have corn!) It's flat, featureless and generally unappealing to us.

We were blessed with not requiring a LCOL area (which, generally FL is in comparison to, say CA or HI.) So, we looked at those two states and found CA a lot closer to our liking - but it is still CA and I'll say no more. So HI was just about as close to perfect weather as one could ask for. ALL the bad stuff about living in HI is true (high costs, traffic, politics, tourists, hurricanes, etc.). Still, it's been worth it and has the bonus of (arguably) the most beautiful and diverse natural scenery in the USA. Could we not afford HI, I suppose we would go to FL, primarily to escape the cold. YMMV

 

[anothercog]

We looked at FL because one of our top priorities was to avoid cold weather and snow. We found winter NOT to be all that (consistently) warm and summer to be unbelievably hot. I could have most of that back in the midwest, though you trade extreme summer heat for extreme winter cold. Take your pick. I guess the other thing was that unless you live on the coast, FL is just about as uninteresting as the prairies of the midwest (FL doesn't even have corn!) It's flat, featureless and generally unappealing to us.

We were blessed with not requiring a LCOL area (which, generally FL is in comparison to, say CA or HI.) So, we looked at those two states and found CA a lot closer to our liking - but it is still CA and I'll say no more. So HI was just about as close to perfect weather as one could ask for. ALL the bad stuff about living in HI is true (high costs, traffic, politics, tourists, hurricanes, etc.). Still, it's been worth it and has the bonus of (arguably) the most beautiful and diverse natural scenery in the USA. Could we not afford HI, I suppose we would go to FL, primarily to escape the cold. YMMV

Thanks for this perspective. I have been frustrated with CA taxes but have realized that once I reach retirement, CA taxes won’t be so bad. I don’t have bad weather to escape from, it was 70 degrees and sunny the past couple days. In the possible chance my company moves to Florida and they pay me to move I’ll like go but rent for a few years and keep my CA home to return during retirement.

 

[rathgar]

Thank you everyone for your responses so far. In response to some questions, I would prefer to snowbird, but not sure we have the resources for a place in NJ and FL.
We are looking along the atlantic coast - definitely have to be near the beach. Can't afford ON the beach, but 15 minute drive would work.
We are presently looking along the Palm coast - in the area north of Daytona down to St. Lucie.
Can anyone speak to the differences between the area we're looking at vs the gulf vs. southern florida?

 

[rocketjockey]

- in the area north of Daytona down to St. Lucie.

Noseeums. Ugh.

 

[Kroeran]

Look at a sinkhole map and if you end up in a high risk zone, add it to your home policy and have high quality insurance.

Look at a historical hurricane path map to get a sense of higher risk areas. Pay attention to the hurricane evacuation zone number of the specific neighborhood. Lower ranked areas will be higher risk and will evacuate for smaller storms. Consider elevation of land and the floor that your living space is on. Maybe get a whole house generator. Or rent and it’s someone else’s problem, though this entails risk of market running away from you.

When I drive around and see how the locals setup, I see what I call the perfect Cracker home. The land around the home is markedly elevated. The garage is large for parking, storage including a fishing boat on a trailer. It is on county land with county taxes with no gate, HOA or condo fees. It has a simple metal roof with solar panels.

Security is 10 ten
neighbors in trucks swarming anyone in the neighborhood that makes them uncomfortable, with intimidating hardware. It is an uncomfortable drive from any high crime neighborhoods. Might be lonely though for a retiree moving in with no local contacts and no other way to network.

Fort Myers has many such neighborhoods 10 minutes from the airport and Whole Foods, so you don’t need to be in the sticks.

 

[Koolau]

Security is 10 ten
neighbors in trucks swarming anyone in the neighborhood that makes them uncomfortable, with intimidating hardware. It is an uncomfortable drive from any high crime neighborhoods. Might be lonely though for a retiree moving in with no local contacts and no other way to network.

Fort Myers has many such neighborhoods 10 minutes from the airport and Whole Foods, so you don’t need to be in the sticks.

Heh, heh, bring your own truck and similar "hardware" and I'm guessing you'll fit right in. Throw a barbecue with plenty of Bud, Miller and PBR and it'll happen quicker. YMMV

 

[Amethyst]

Just a few comments. I lived in Palm Beach County with my parents for 7 years during the 1970's, and now live several counties north of PBC (due to PBC's extreme crowding in the intervening 40 years). So I have some Florida experience to draw on.

"Winter" in our coastal county consists of January. It can get down into the low 40s at night, but frost is rare indeed. After two years, we have yet to turn on the heat, because a concrete block house insulates rather well. We use an electric blanket on those few nights. I am told that farther north, Jacksonville and environs, has considerably longer chilly spells. That being said, we are now experiencing a brief Spring, with all the plants and grass greening up and the birds having loud disputes in the trees. Soon it will be summer, for seven months.

Summer, if one is near the ocean, doesn't reach the high 90's/triple digits you and I are familiar with from the midwest (you) and Maryland (me). It is, instead, a steady diet of 88-92 degrees F. and equal humidity. It's not for everyone, that's for sure. And the center of the state does get hotter than the East Coast, which is why, back in the day, the area where The Villages now sits was considered unfit for anybody but cattle.

Where we are, the bad thing about summer is not so much the heat, as the constant hurricane watch. It is definitely something to think about.

Florida "scenery" is, as you noted, about as boring as it comes (except right on the coast, of course). Very flat. Natural vegetation consists mainly of scrub: scrub pine in the northern counties; palmetto scrub farther south. Dull green everywhere you look. Not that I ever did live anyplace that was famous for scenery, unless you count the Yorkshire Moors.

We looked at FL because one of our top priorities was to avoid cold weather and snow. We found winter NOT to be all that (consistently) warm and summer to be unbelievably hot. I could have most of that back in the midwest, though you trade extreme summer heat for extreme winter cold. Take your pick. I guess the other thing was that unless you live on the coast, FL is just about as uninteresting as the prairies of the midwest (FL doesn't even have corn!) It's flat, featureless and generally unappealing to us.

We were blessed with not requiring a LCOL area (which, generally FL is in comparison to, say CA or HI.) So, we looked at those two states and found CA a lot closer to our liking - but it is still CA and I'll say no more. So HI was just about as close to perfect weather as one could ask for. ALL the bad stuff about living in HI is true (high costs, traffic, politics, tourists, hurricanes, etc.). Still, it's been worth it and has the bonus of (arguably) the most beautiful and diverse natural scenery in the USA. Could we not afford HI, I suppose we would go to FL, primarily to escape the cold. YMMV

 

[Koolau]

Just a few comments. I lived in Palm Beach County with my parents for 7 years during the 1970's, and now live several counties north of PBC (due to PBC's extreme crowding in the intervening 40 years). So I have some Florida experience to draw on.

"Winter" in our coastal county consists of January. It can get down into the low 40s at night, but frost is rare indeed. After two years, we have yet to turn on the heat, because a concrete block house insulates rather well. We use an electric blanket on those few nights. I am told that farther north, Jacksonville and environs, has considerably longer chilly spells. That being said, we are now experiencing a brief Spring, with all the plants and grass greening up and the birds having loud disputes in the trees. Soon it will be summer, for seven months.

Summer, if one is near the ocean, doesn't reach the high 90's/triple digits you and I are familiar with from the midwest (you) and Maryland (me). It is, instead, a steady diet of 88-92 degrees F. and equal humidity. It's not for everyone, that's for sure. And the center of the state does get hotter than the East Coast, which is why, back in the day, the area where The Villages now sits was considered unfit for anybody but cattle.

Where we are, the bad thing about summer is not so much the heat, as the constant hurricane watch. It is definitely something to think about.

Florida "scenery" is, as you noted, about as boring as it comes (except right on the coast, of course). Very flat. Natural vegetation consists mainly of scrub: scrub pine in the northern counties; palmetto scrub farther south. Dull green everywhere you look. Not that I ever did live anyplace that was famous for scenery, unless you count the Yorkshire Moors.

Can't speak for winter in Palm Beach area. I'm guessing it wouldn't be too bad. I did spend a month one week in late January about half way between Apalachicola and Gainesville, not too far from the Suwannee River. Not figuring on needing "winter gear" I had a light jacket - which worked until the last day when I woke up to 22 degrees F. I realize that was unusual so YMMV.

 

[Amethyst]

We are way south of there....Florida is a heck of a long state. There is no one "Florida," except for Florida Man and Woman, who are indeed everywhere.

Can't speak for winter in Palm Beach area. I'm guessing it wouldn't be too bad. I did spend a month one week in late January about half way between Apalachicola and Gainesville, not too far from the Suwannee River. Not figuring on needing "winter gear" I had a light jacket - which worked until the last day when I woke up to 22 degrees F. I realize that was unusual so YMMV.

 

[Out-to-Lunch]

Can't speak for winter in Palm Beach area. I'm guessing it wouldn't be too bad. I did spend a month one week in late January about half way between Apalachicola and Gainesville, not too far from the Suwannee River. Not figuring on needing "winter gear" I had a light jacket - which worked until the last day when I woke up to 22 degrees F. I realize that was unusual so YMMV.

The first winter after I moved to Gainesville, we came out after a night of drinking (we were young!) to find that our cars were completely frosted over. I didn't think much of it, pulled my ice scraper out of the back seat, and cleared my windows. Scads of people came up to me, begging to borrow my scraper, and some asked "Thank you, but WHY do you have that?" I confusedly replied something like "Obviously, you need it. Why DON'T you have it?"

 

[Koolau]

The first winter after I moved to Gainesville, we came out after a night of drinking (we were young!) to find that our cars were completely frosted over. I didn't think much of it, pulled my ice scraper out of the back seat, and cleared my windows. Scads of people came up to me, begging to borrow my scraper, and some asked "Thank you, but WHY do you have that?" I confusedly replied something like "Obviously, you need it. Why DON'T you have it?"

Next thing you know, they'll be asking to borrow your snowblower!

 

[Lewis Clark]

I did spend a month one week in late January about half way between Apalachicola and Gainesville, not too far from the Suwannee River. Not figuring on needing "winter gear" I had a light jacket - which worked until the last day when I woke up to 22 degrees F. I realize that was unusual so YMMV.

Northern Florida can get cold in the winter. It is not always the sunny paradise some people envision Florida to be.

I saw light snow one winter when I lived in Pensacola and the snow lasted on the ground for several days in shady areas.

In a different winter, I also saw light snow falling in Jacksonville, but it melted when it hit the ground.

These are not typical conditions but they can happen.

 

[Amethyst]

On the other hand, in 1977, snow actually did fall in southern Florida, even a tiny bit in Miami, due to a freak weather pattern which has not recurred. It was a big news story.

 

[Rocket Man]

On the other hand, in 1977, snow actually did fall in southern Florida, even a tiny bit in Miami, due to a freak weather pattern which has not recurred. It was a big news story.

My folks happened to be in Miami on that day it snowed! They called home to tell us kids about it! As I recall, they drove on down to Key West!

 

[FlaGator]

Northern Florida can get cold in the winter. It is not always the sunny paradise some people envision Florida to be.

I saw light snow one winter when I lived in Pensacola and the snow lasted on the ground for several days in shady areas.

In a different winter, I also saw light snow falling in Jacksonville, but it melted when it hit the ground.

These are not typical conditions but they can happen.

True.

My first 17 years in Florida were in the Ft. Lauderdale area. "Winter" was as Amethyst described. The occasional dip into the high 20's-low 30's happened, but only a couple of times.

Winter in the Panhandle for the last 5+ years? Different deal. Have seen a lot of daily highs no better than the 50's, lows 35-40, often colder at both ends. I grew up in Arizona, and this part of the state is not what I consider snowbird weather. But, plenty of people from the upper Midwest here in Jan and Feb, some of them on the beach .

It's been a great place to get the kids through high school, but seriously looking for someplace warmer once the last one is gone.

 

[Yoheadden]

Just curious, since there are many mentions of the Tampa area and places along the east cost, has anyone here looked at or settled in or around Citrus County. Anywhere around Citrus Springs or Crystal River. It seems much less crowded there and dare I say, cooler temperatures. There are also a few 55+ communities that do a good job advertising as well.

 

[Jerry1]

Winter in the Panhandle for the last 5+ years? Different deal. Have seen a lot of daily highs no better than the 50's, lows 35-40, often colder at both ends. I grew up in Arizona, and this part of the state is not what I consider snowbird weather. But, plenty of people from the upper Midwest here in Jan and Feb, some of them on the beach .

Yes, but it probably also has days in the 70's. Maybe 50's up to 70 is not beach weather, but it beats the hell out of Midwest winters. At least you can golf and be outside even if half the time you need a sweater. As for snowbird, I guess it matters how much less you have to spend to winter in the panhandle versus further south where it's more often over the 70's.

 

[albireo13]

No thanks. Cold weather is no tougher than
ghastly hot/humid summers.

 

[Koolau]

No thanks. Cold weather is no tougher than
ghastly hot/humid summers.

Heh, heh, ask the TX contingent if they agree.

 

[Nick12]

No thanks. Cold weather is no tougher than
ghastly hot/humid summers.

Cold weather memories I don't miss

Power outages and we are freezing in our homes
Pipes frozen no water
Warming up the car and scraping the ice off the windows
Looking for a jump start to start the car
Boiling hot water so I can melt the ice off the car door ignition lock
Black ice
Shovel snow
Driving in snow and ice
Snow and ice is more depressing than sunshine, warm weather and palm trees
Wearing multiple layers outside and even inside

 

[Dtail]

On the other hand, in 1977, snow actually did fall in southern Florida, even a tiny bit in Miami, due to a freak weather pattern which has not recurred. It was a big news story.

Yup, the only time it officially snowed in Tampa.