Why move to Florida?

[albireo13]

Not picking on Florida but, any warm state.

I get that it's warmer but ….

Why leave where you grew up or where you have friends, etc?
Besides snow, I don’t have any issue living in the North.
I have family and friends up here and wouldnt trade
that for an HOA somewhere, even if it had a private beach.

I guess I am in the minority.

 

[LateToFIRE]

I used to own a share in some FL r.e. many years ago. Reasons my friends and family gave me for living there and/or declaring residency: Well, for starters, no state income or capital gains tax. That alone would likely save me at least $20K/year in retirement. Also, generally lower medical and assisted living costs (compared to the NorthEast). Was gonna say lower housing costs, but that has changed recently, not so sure about that one anymore.

Notwithstanding the above, I could never live there year-around.

 

[COcheesehead]

I couldn’t imagine living where I grew up.

 

[djsander]

I’ve moved around a lot as has my wife. She wanted to get out of her home town when she could. I grew up in several different places and so have scattered friends and family. Our adult friends are scattered around the country as well. We’ve made plenty of friends in our retirement location. When getting ready to retire we looked at places and decided we didn’t want snow that we had to shovel and would go away fairly quickly. Usually that day. Neither likes humidity so we settled on New Mexico as we’ve both lived here before. She, however, has a problem with the lack of trees unless we go into the mountains. We do inside activities in the summer months. If we had lived one place all our lives we might feel differently.

 

[Midpack]

Not picking on Florida but, any warm state.

I get that it's warmer but ….

Why leave where you grew up or where you have friends, etc?
Besides snow, I don’t have any issue living in the North.
I have family and friends up here and wouldnt trade
that for an HOA somewhere, even if it had a private beach.

I guess I am in the minority.
��

Nothing wrong with your preference, and I suspect you’re in the majority. But your bio doesn’t fit everyone. I wouldn’t want to live in FL or up north (we’ve done both). You can make new friends, and find a better place to live. Some of us have family spread out all over.

I’m always puzzled by people who think where they live is the best, when they haven’t lived anywhere else…

 

[W2R]

If you like where you are, then stay!!!

That's what we decided to do. As brand new retirees we loved the exhilarating freedom of knowing that at last, we could move somewhere else if we wanted to! Somewhere with no hurricanes and less crime. We put a lot of effort into choosing and then checking out Springfield, Missouri as a retirement location.

But before we moved there, we came to our senses and began to appreciate the "plusses" of living in New Orleans. We decided not to move, after all. We have had a very happy retirement right here.

 

[Timeisprecious]

Not picking on Florida but, any warm state.

I get that it's warmer but ….

Why leave where you grew up or where you have friends, etc?
Besides snow, I don’t have any issue living in the North.
I have family and friends up here and wouldnt trade
that for an HOA somewhere, even if it had a private beach.

I guess I am in the minority.

I'm in that minority too. I'm now living in Grand Rapids, MI.

 

[RunningBum]

Some people may have most of their friends through work. When they retire, those relationships may fade away. And family may have moved away too. Move to Florida, and you might have a better chance to make new friends. The odds and opportunities should be in favor.

I have one uncle, recently deceased, who moved to Florida after retirement. I'm not aware of any other relatives who moved there, or anywhere similar. One sibling has mentioned Arizona in the past, but with the kids all within 250 miles now I'm not sure that will happen.

When I stop skiing I might move further south, but just off the mountain may be enough.

 

[aaronc879]

Don't go to Florida just because it is the "in" thing to do. Live where YOU want to live. I would love to spend half the year in Florida and half the year home in Wisconsin. I hate Winter in Wisconsin but i'm sure I would not like Summer in Florida much better. It would be better than Winter in Wisconsin but still not good. I can still ride my bike if it is 95 and humid but i'm not riding my bike in zero degree whether or on ice or snow. My family is what keeps me in Wisconsin for now. After my parents are gone I may move south, maybe. I have no close friends so that is not a factor in where I live. Bottom line, do what you want not what "everyone else" is doing.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

We are full, I hear Alabama, Louisiana, South Carolina and Texas are nice and warm too.

 

[W2R]

We are full, I hear Alabama, Louisiana, South Carolina and Texas are nice and warm too.

checking temperature on the internet:
93F at 7:09 PM? Yeah! I guess it's pretty warm here...

I'll never retire to Florida because Frank doesn't like it for some reason, and I plan to be wherever he is.

But, if I was alone, I'd think about it. The theme parks, the beaches, the surf, the snorkeling, the sunshine... so many attractions. On the other hand, having to drive up that long peninsula just to start a hurricane evacuation is a little unnerving.

 

[RunningBum]

Bottom line, do what you want not what "everyone else" is doing.

Exactly.

And the corollary to this:
Others may have very good reasons to do things you have trouble understanding, and that's ok for them.

 

[aja8888]

We are full, I hear Alabama, Louisiana, South Carolina and Texas are nice and warm too.

97 F here now and feels like 108. Over 50% humidity too, and you will have a "bad hair" day if you come here. Plus, we have snakes, bugs, scorpions, bats, BBQ, "good 'ol Boys" and Republicans here. Alabama may be a better choice.

 

[marko]

My state just implemented a millionaire's tax. Many of my friends have moved to Florida or in the process of doing so. I don't want to be left up here all alone!

Disclaimer: family has been wintering in Florida since the 1940s

 

[FlaGator]

97 F here now and feels like 108. Over 50% humidity too, and you will have a "bad hair" day if you come here. Plus, we have snakes, bugs, scorpions, bats, BBQ, "good 'ol Boys" and Republicans here. Alabama may be a better choice.

If “Sweet Home Alabama” is the choice, then I recommend LA - Lower Alabama, so it’s easier to go to Florida to spend money.

We love people who pay the sales and hotel taxes[emoji6]

 

[martyp]

Not picking on Florida but, any warm state.

I get that it's warmer but ….

Why leave where you grew up or where you have friends, etc?
Besides snow, I don’t have any issue living in the North.
I have family and friends up here and wouldnt trade
that for an HOA somewhere, even if it had a private beach.

I guess I am in the minority.

I didn't move to Florida. I moved to Thailand. Definitely warmer. There are plenty of reasons to move in retirement. Cost of living is an obvious one when thinking about SE Asia, Central America, or parts of Europe. Lot's of people don't have friends and family they see everyday and you can make new friends elsewhere. i was really bored of CA where I spent my whole adult life so seeking a change, adventure, and something different in our later years plays a part. I thought I wanted to build a life of safety and security but in the end I saw that as just settling and waiting for things to end. Retirement can also be about new beginnings.

 

[Gumby]

Over the course of my life, I have lived in 2 countries and 14 states, including Florida, Virginia, South Carolina, Texas and Hawaii (which I'm sure we could agree all meet your definition of warm.) And yet, I am here in Connecticut by a deliberate choice made 34 years ago.

I did not grow up here, although I lived here for a couple years in the early 60s, because my dad was in the Navy and stationed at the Groton Submarine Base, and for a couple years in the early 80s, because I was also in the Navy and stationed there. My immediate family are all in Missouri, over 1000 miles away, and the in-laws are in Pennsylvania.

After I left the Navy, the young wife and I moved first to Texas and then to Ohio, following the work. When I was planning to go to law school, I was fortunate to have many choices. So I asked the young wife where she wanted to go. She said "let's move back to Connecticut," so I said yes to Yale. We have been here ever since and we love it. I don't ever expect to leave.

There are a number of people I have known here in Connecticut who moved to Florida or somewhere else warm immediately after they retired. Maybe it was the weather, maybe it was the taxes, maybe it was just "the grass is greener" phenomenon. But I'm pretty sure they didn't all find the paradise they were expecting. Many were just unhappy, negative people, and I'm certain that within a few months they were as unhappy with their new home as they were here. And I'd bet dollars to donuts that their new neighbors in Florida or wherever dislike them as much as their Connecticut neighbors ever did.

I'm sure there are exceptions, but in my experience, miserable people can be miserable wherever they go.

 

[Trailwalker]

There are a lot of choices for where to live. I honestly don't know very many people who have moved to Florida. The ones that I do know have moved back to Wisconsin--to be closer to friends and family.

I've only lived on the West Coast and in the Midwest. Friends and family are scattered throughout the country. I think almost every day about living somewhere else before I get too old to fully experience somewhere else. So far, I've satisfied my itchy feet through travel and not moving. I would probably only give up Wisconsin's forests and lakes if mountains were involved. That takes Florida off the list of candidates. Also, it sounds like it's getting pretty crowded down there.

 

[VanWinkle]

I used to live in Illinois...... enough said.

VW

 

[Andre1969]

I have two relatives who moved to Florida, and both hate it.

The first one, however, moved down there with her husband. He's dead now, and she's in her early 80's, probably feels alone now. The other one moved down about four years ago, and hates the heat and humidity. I think she has a son that lives about 2 hours away, but otherwise, I don't think she has much of a support network down there. I believe she's around 78-79 now. However, this second one is the type who would gripe about any place she lived.

Now, one reason they may both hate it, is in their younger years they both lived high on the hog. They had husbands with high paying jobs, so they could stay at home and play housewife, and only work occasionally. Alas, while the husbands brought in a lot of money, they also blew a lot of money. And now, they're both relatively destitute. Once upon a time they lived in nice houses, were accustomed to a new car every so often and such, and now they're relegated to living something that has to be leveled and skirted, and tied down so the hurricanes don't blow it away.

The lady I bought my house from moved down to Florida, and she loves it. And I have some good friends who moved to just outside of Ft Lauderdale last year, and loving it so far. Everything's more expensive than they imagined, but they still love it.

 

[target2019]

Not picking on Florida but, any warm state.

I get that it's warmer but ….

Why leave where you grew up or where you have friends, etc?
Besides snow, I don’t have any issue living in the North.
I have family and friends up here and wouldnt trade
that for an HOA somewhere, even if it had a private beach.

I guess I am in the minority.

I think you're in the majority. 234,000 divided by 3.3 million is just 7%. So most people stay put. See article references that I post below.

However, most people do not hang here.

About 234,000 Americans retired to a different state in 2022, according to Hire A Helper, which reviewed data from the Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey and its Annual Social and Economic Supplements for 2022. https://www.aarp.org/retirement/pla...info-2023/most-popular-relocation-states.html

This Institute for Economic Equity spotlight on the labor market focuses on the continued exit from the labor force of workers, primarily those age 65 and older. Our estimates from the monthly Current Population Survey indicates that there are 3.3 million or 7% more retirees as of October 2021 than in January 2020. https://www.stlouisfed.org/en/on-the-economy/2022/january/great-retirement-who-are-retirees

 

[Amethyst]

They listen too much to their relatives and friends, who also never went anywhere else - or didn't like where they were originally from.

You can make new friends, and find a better place to live. Some of us have family spread out all over.

I’m always puzzled by people who think where they live is the best, when they haven’t lived anywhere else…

 

[old medic]

Not picking on Florida but, any warm state.
I guess I am in the minority.

There is no way I would move to FL. I got to have mountains to look at... or at least a good sized hill.

 

[Winemaker]

Too many old old people in FL!




Edit.

For the past 10 years, we visit my BIL and SIL in their over 55 FL retirement community every winter for a few days. The daily conversation amongst everyone is "health care issues". Someone would stroll by, as we drive through to enter or exit, the conversation would/does include what recent operation they had, or the fact that they were still alive and haven't been seen for a while. Not a bunch of happy talk. BIL and SIL just moved to another location that we haven't visited yet.

 

[albireo13]

OP here.

A number of folks we've known in our area moved to Florida right after retirement. It seemed to me almost a knee-jerk decision for many, to do this.

I feel fortunate to live where we are, in southern NH. No sales tax, no income tax, 7 miles to the ocean, 1 hour drive North to the lakes region or ~2hrs to the White Mtns for great hiking. Boston is just over an hour drive South as well, with great medical resources.
Living near the seacoast also moderates our local weather. We tend not to get the heavy snowfalls and extreme cold weather.
All our kids live in New England, as well as a lot of friends. I didn't grow up here. I grew up in the Mid-Hudson valley, New York state. That was a wonderful place to live as well.

As we get older our plan is to stay put and travel more, to see other states and other places.
Anyway, sorry to digress.