What's with the moving to Florida thing??

[drb391]

as an east-coaster (NY), most folks here move or snowbird to FL. me, don't care for FL, but do snowbird to AZ. and not the Phx valley AZ (might as well do FL), but W AZ, near the river/CA. it's the "FL" of W US .. OR, ID, WA, MT, and W Can

 

[jfn111]

We've been leaving cold MN and spending 2 weeks every Feb. in Florida. The kids and Grand kids fly down and we have a great time. My wife hates hot weather so we'll never spend more than a couple of weeks there...but I could be persuaded.

 

[cbo111]

It is hot and sticky here in the summer, but we still play tennis or pickleball most mornings, then spend the rest of the day rehydrating. You have to learn to pace yourself and not overdo it in the extreme heat/humidity. Of course, it the winter months, it is muy bueno!

 

[Dtail]

Lived in Maine, Florida, Arizona, California, Minnesota, Michigan, Utah, etc., etc.

So, I guess I know the extremes of hot and cold climates.

Florida is great from about October-April ( IMHO ) - The rest of the year it is like walking out into a wet diaper that smells of rotting foliage and...OLD PEOPLE.

Not to mention that Florida (and it's weather) also attracts all sorts of critters...Meth Heads, Homeless, and general Skeezoids.

Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course....

Bolded by me - this is true in parts of Florida. The nicer MCOL places like where we live, where @SWR lives, rarely see these types of folks.

Plus agree with @Marko's post that compared to parts of the Northeast, people can display acts of kindness and just are more pleasant overall with no ulterior motives.

 

[Megg1141]

For me I have lived and worked in florida for over 30 yrs. The heat does not bother me in fact I love it. The biggest thing for me is the sunshine. Constant gray sky's in the winter put me in a funk. Seeing and feeling the sunshine on my body and face makes me happy. Nothing better then sitting on my deck under my huge oak tree with my Alexa playing, holding an adult beverage, watching my dog chase after squirrels.

 

[MRG]

We thought about Florida, cause that's where retired people live. Both of our parents retired there.After 10 years of looking we gave up and went with plan B.

Here's the thing about snow, it only piles up a little each time it snows. I mean this is what 10'- 12' of snow stacks up like. No problem! It's not near that deep. Add in some tires, chains, shovels, tow straps, snowshoes, yaktrax, and you are off.

 

[Go-NoGo]

This is the perfect segue to bring in the "Florida Man meme" - a staple of the people for the news business. Sometimes I wonder how the newscasters say this with a straight face - As in "Florida Man Steals $300 Worth of Sex Toys While Dressed as Ninja"
https://www.ocala.com/article/LK/20140922/News/604146281/OS/

And a complete list of Florida man's exploits for your amusement.
https://wtfflorida.com/tag/florida-man/

 

[ponyboy]

Florida man twitter feed...nuff said

The strangest things happen in florida. Yes, there are a lot of pill heads, no doubt. Check out "the oxycontin express" and "cocain cowboys."

 

[ER Eddie]

And a complete list of Florida man's exploits for your amusement.

https://wtfflorida.com/tag/florida-man/

"A Florida man used a pair of scissors to cut off the penis of a man he suspected of sleeping with his wife, deputies say."

Ouch. I hope they were sharp scissors.

As for FL, I have a sister and brother who moved there. My sister loves it -- she lives in a secluded area on the water. My brother is not so happy, because he's struggling with the heat. He's coming from Oregon. I moved to the south (MS) myself 20 years ago, and at first the summer heat was withering, but after a few years, I got used to it, more or less. Now I just hide inside during July and August. The rest of the year is fine.

I'm prone to seasonal affective disorder, so moving down south has really helped with that. Sunshine is good for you. The friendly people down south can't be beat, either, although from what I understand, Floridians aren't quite as friendly as other southerners. I'm sure it depends on what city we're talking about.

I think FL becomes the default destination because people who want to move to warmer climates don't want to move to the other southern states (MS, GA, AL, LA), because their reputation isn't that great.

I could probably have a happy retirement in FL if I set my mind to it. FL has plenty to offer, and so much of happiness/satisfaction is about the inside game, not the external environment. But if I'm going to relocate, it'll probably be somewhere a bit north.

 

[jerryo]

I don’t think my wife and I would want to live full-time either in FL or in the North.

We’re in our early and late 60s and ‘semi-retired’ about 5 years ago, but both continue consulting on the side. We bought a large condo on the northeast coast of FL (near Daytona) about three years ago and became FL residents. We currently spend about 3-5 months a year in FL, 3-4 months in DC and 3-4 months traveling (for business and pleasure). Last year, for example, we spend May in Charleston (for Spoleto) and mid-October through November in Paris (where my wife studied drawing), renting furnished apartments through VRBO or AirBNB. My mother-in-law moved into our FL apartment and our younger son is moving into our DC house, so we’re avoiding the problem of empty properties.

We’ve been spending 2-3 months each winter in FL, but also a month or more in the spring, summer and fall. Coastal FL actually seems a little cooler in mid-summer than DC -- the major difference seems to be that the hot weather starts earlier in the spring and ends later in the fall. Spring is probably our favorite time in FL, stormy fall our least favorite. Winter can get a bit chilly, but is wonderful for walking on (the nearly empty) beaches and hiking in the wetlands. Since we have lots of relatives in the Carolinas, adore Charleston, find the auto-train convenient, and have good (and well priced) airport connections in Daytona and Orlando, traveling back and forth isn’t much of a problem.

Right now the mix is best for us... Not quite sure what will do when we start slowing down and get less mobile.

Don’t think I’d want to live in Florida full time. While it’s pleasant and relaxing, it can also be more than a bit boring... too many strip malls, beach bars and down-market tourists (though I do like Daytona’s bike weeks!).

DC can be a bit hectic and exhausting. But we love going to movies and theater and museums and we’ve got lots of friends there. It’s not Minneapolis, but winter can still be cold and wet, so it’s nice to get away.

Right now we’re still quite active. We ski for a week or two each winter and hike for a week or two (the TMB and the Amalfi coast last year) each spring/summer. But we’re certainly slowing down and taking longer stays in fewer places. We‘ve actually toyed with the idea of moving to full-service “white glove” building in NYC when we‘re less mobile or a well-run continuous living urban high-rise (like Montgomery Place in Chicago, where my aunt lives).

But, for now, splitting out time between DC and FL and other vacation settings seems best.

 

[mystang52]

For 30+ years we have vacationed in Florida virtually every year, in the summer! We stay at a glorious hotel in Fort Lauderdale, on the beach. Yes, it sure is hot in the daytime but is pleasant enough in the evening. But we are also one of those people who enjoy the different seasons (I live in NJ). I am physically active, so I'm outdoors as much in the winter as I am in the summer. Sure, on the occasional bitter cold day I might hibernate in the house, just as I will hibernate when it's over 90 degrees and humid.
I can see why some people would like Florida for year-round living, but it's not for me. To each his/her own.

 

[CitizenK]

Florida real estate has a lot of appeal to me for retirement living. I really like the typical Florida property - a one-story ranch, two car garage, open plan with indoor/outdoor orientation to the back yard with a pool. This type of house can be found all over Florida at reasonable prices. Where I live in the DC suburbs, the choices are basically a townhouse or tract mansion at $500K and up. Almost no one-story houses here. However the heat and general vibe probably still disqualify me from moving to Florida. I’m guess I’m more of a northeasterner. Plus I do have several Florida relatives I can visit in the dead of winter.

 

[W2R]

I COMPLETELY understand why retirees might want to move to Florida. I love the weather there, all year around. And the beaches! The swimming and snorkeling and boating and more! Oh my. What a beautiful state. Not to mention the seafood, the theme parks, and the many other activities available in Florida, all of which are big "plusses" for me.

The traffic, not so much, the sinkholes are a bit spooky, hurricanes are icky, and I noticed in Miami that I really wished I could speak Spanish sometimes. But overall I think Florida is a terrific state.

Now, F absolutely detests Florida. He says it's the heat, but gee, he wants to live in New Orleans so I don't get it. Well, his family has lived in New Orleans for at least 6 generations for sure, probably more, so I guess maybe he feels this is where he belongs. Anyway, if he is living here then I want to stay here with him.

 

[gerntz]

Zero state income tax. Seems to a general trend to those & away from high taxes but there are other factors.

 

[marko]

Bolded by me - this is true in parts of Florida. The nicer MCOL places like where we live, where @SWR lives, rarely see these types of folks.

Plus agree with @Marko's post that compared to parts of the Northeast, people can display acts of kindness and just are more pleasant overall with no ulterior motives.

IMO there are 'two' Floridas. There's the one about 3-5 miles wide along the entire perimeter of the state. Then (Orlando area excluded) there's inland Florida which can get kind of sketchy; aforementioned meth heads, skeezoids etc.

 

[RAE]

+1

Yes to snowbird.

+2 on snowbirding.

I live in the Upper Great Lakes, near Lake Superior. I used to be able to tolerate the winters here, when I was younger. I say tolerate, because I can't say I ever looked forward to winter. But, when you are working, and moving is not an option, you deal with it, and you do okay. But once I retired, and went south for part of the winter, I realized that there is no comparison between what I can do outside down there in the winter (kayak, fish, hike, lounge around outside in short/t-shirt, etc), versus here (shovel snow, chip ice off the roof, salt the walkway, complain about the next snowstorm on the way, etc). It's much better for my health (both physical and mental health) to be someplace during the winter where I can stay active, and have fun doing it.

 

[BeachOrCity]

I have two close friends who have moved to Florida in the last 12 months. One year round and one one who will come back north during summers. Will be listening closely to how they like it. Both are close to but not retired and have jobs where they can live anywhere

 

[RAE]

The biggest thing for me is the sunshine. Constant gray sky's in the winter put me in a funk. Seeing and feeling the sunshine on my body and face makes me happy.

Yep, I forgot about this when I mentioned why we snowbird. The near-constant gray skies around here for nearly 5-6 months is just too much for me to take anymore. We spent 3 months in Florida last winter, and the difference was amazing........sunshine and in the 70s most of the time (and not much humidity). That kind of weather just puts me in a good mood. I wake up anxious to get out and do things, as opposed to pacing around inside the house up north, complaining about the constant cold, gloomy weather (and the next snowstorm on the way).

I'm pretty sure we will never live year-round in Florida, though. I would probably dislike the hot, humid weather from about May through Sept/Oct as much as I dislike the winters up north.

 

[harley]

I completely agree with the OP and others...FL sucks! All those people should leave and go somewhere else. Preferably Chicago or Arizona, maybe TX or NC. It would show wisdom and class to live somewhere else. I'm all for it.

 

[MichaelB]

I completely agree with the OP and others...FL sucks! All those people should leave and go somewhere else. Preferably Chicago or Arizona, maybe TX or NC. It would show wisdom and class to live somewhere else. I'm all for it.

Not only classier, it also is healthier. People who visit Florida beaches get that nasty flesh eating bacteria and brain-eating amoeba.

 

[Cobra9777]

I prefer heat over cold. But I've lived in the South my whole life. I have no idea what it means to "hire someone else to do your driveway."

I've lived in North Texas since I was 18. July and August can get quite hot. But humidity is lower than the gulf coast. I also lived in Houston and New Orleans in my younger years. But for me now, those areas seem much more miserable in the summer even though the temps are lower. I assume Florida would be similar.

January and February here are quite cold but we get very little snow/ice and it's uncommon for the daily high to stay below freezing. So not bad at all.

Excluding those 4 months, the rest of the year is quite moderate and enjoyable for outdoor activities. So we really like it here. I would not want to live in either extreme, including Florida.

My in-laws lived in Florida when they retired. They loved it there for almost 30 years. So, it really just depends on the person and certainly weather is not the only criteria. They originally moved there when FIL got a job late in his career working on the Space Coast. They liked it and decided to build their retirement dream house in the area.

 

[Dtail]

I completely agree with the OP and others...FL sucks! All those people should leave and go somewhere else. Preferably Chicago or Arizona, maybe TX or NC. It would show wisdom and class to live somewhere else. I'm all for it.

Says the man from FLA. LOL
Welcome back to posting Harley.

 

[Dtail]

Yep, I forgot about this when I mentioned why we snowbird. The near-constant gray skies around here for nearly 5-6 months is just too much for me to take anymore. We spent 3 months in Florida last winter, and the difference was amazing........sunshine and in the 70s most of the time (and not much humidity). That kind of weather just puts me in a good mood. I wake up anxious to get out and do things, as opposed to pacing around inside the house up north, complaining about the constant cold, gloomy weather (and the next snowstorm on the way).

I'm pretty sure we will never live year-round in Florida, though. I would probably dislike the hot, humid weather from about May through Sept/Oct as much as I dislike the winters up north.

Yes to the sunshine. Don't need Vitamin D supplements. lol
Actually the cloudiest periods are in the summer due to the frequent rain, but so many days otherwise there is not a cloud in the sky.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

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.

 

[ckelly78z]

In NW Ohio, we have pretty good, clear weather up into early November, and still workable weather (30-50*) up until mid December, after that, all bets are off between mid December, and late February. The only time it is sunny is the day after a large storm, when I have to clear 12" snow off of both driveways.

Any time between November, and April that I am outside, my hands get so cold, they are numb, and don't get feeling back for a few minutes while running warm water over them.