Hi, folks. I am thinking about moving to Florida and trying to decide where in FL to go. Could anyone give me some feedback on the nice areas, where the jobs are, etc. I am single, no kids, so I would be looking for an apartment rather than buying a house in the 'burbs. I don't want to go to any high-crime areas though. I would appreciate any comments/advice.
Moving to Florida - need some feedback
- Thread starter Redwing91
- Start date
C
czygvtwkr
Guest
Orlando has a lot of jobs for the college educated and is fairly cheap to live in, the university of Central Flordia is there too.
Nickel said:Because if you're a girl you could work as "Belle" at Disney, and they may let you live in the castle-majiggy for free.
Dude, that's kid's stuff. If I'm a girl, they may let me dance at the Gold Key Gentlemen's Club or the Pussycat Lounge.
(OK, I'm a girl.) But seriously folks, thanks for the (constructive) advice.
Triggerfish
New Member
czygvtwkr said:
Along with Valencia Community College, Seminole Community College and Rollins College(4yr)
Last edited:
Triggerfish
New Member
czygvtwkr said:
And not so educated....need lots of people to do crowd control, food service, and cash registers at the parks.
Vince
......
Jacksonville area has alot of employment opportunities, but lots of traffic too. Orlando is the same. Daughter lives and goes to college in Orlando and loves it. Don't think she'll ever come back North. I want to move to Florida sooner or later, but I want to stay out of the city. Northwest of Orlando area she tells me is nice. Out in the country.
Crabby Blue
New Member
I'm a SMIB transplanted to FLorida
10 years ago............I love it here,
I'm north 1/2 hour of Tampa/St. Pete
area...........I lived in Orlando, it sucked
very badly, the people aren't that great,
and the traffic is horrible........and there
is no freakin' breeze, it's hot as hell in
the middle of the state, and no beach.....
why move to FL if you don't take advantage
of the coastline?.........It's very coporate
over in Orland too, if that's your bag.....
I chose the St. Pete area, lots of jobs,
beach, Busch Gardens Amusement park,
Great Tampa club area (Ybor City).......
There is so much to do in this area.....
Not really a college town like Gainsville,
if looking for a decent school.......
The West Coast of Florida is more laid
back than say the East Coast, IMO........
More government type jobs on the East
Coast with NASA being in the middle of
that coast.......the waves are bigger on
the east coast, the water is shallow on
the Gulf Side, you can walk out hundreds
of yards some places and only be knee-deep.....
I don't like Miami either, too crowded and
full of snotty rich folks.......if you like the
Latin flavor, this is your paradise tho.....
.........there are many places that only speak
Spanish, really........everyone there tailgates......
Miami is built for preppy type people.......status,
looks, car you drive, and bank account are very
important there........
The Florida Keys are gorgeous, I would recommend
a vacation there to anyone that enjoys an Island
paradise type setting..........
Jacksonville is decent, I just think it's a little
boring compared to St. Pete/Tampa area.......
There are lots of parks, even dog parks, bike/rollerblade
paved trails that go for miles and miles.......
.........and if you can move to any of the St. Pete
beaches, there are a long string of them.........you
can walk two blocks to the beach every day........
.........the West Coast has all the beautiful sunsets,
crowds will clap......I find that funny.......and DON"T
feed the Seagulls.........
Haven't made it the panhandle yet.........Panama
City area.......it's more rural up there, counting
on Spring Breakers to feed the economy........it's
cheap tho......
IF you are a young guy, single, and want to meet
lots of girls, Hyde Park area of Tampa is a meat
market...........the girls are nice down here, not
too many heffers.........bikini's all over the place.......
Downtown Tampa is great place for singles.......
And believe it or not, it feels cooler here than in
MD in August.........So. MD in August is such a
sauna.......it only gets cold for 2 weeks here most
years.........
Florida, no state tax, no local tax, and the housing
is almost 2/3's the cost of St. Mary's housing.........
I hope that clues you in a bit.......
10 years ago............I love it here,
I'm north 1/2 hour of Tampa/St. Pete
area...........I lived in Orlando, it sucked
very badly, the people aren't that great,
and the traffic is horrible........and there
is no freakin' breeze, it's hot as hell in
the middle of the state, and no beach.....
why move to FL if you don't take advantage
of the coastline?.........It's very coporate
over in Orland too, if that's your bag.....
I chose the St. Pete area, lots of jobs,
beach, Busch Gardens Amusement park,
Great Tampa club area (Ybor City).......
There is so much to do in this area.....
Not really a college town like Gainsville,
if looking for a decent school.......
The West Coast of Florida is more laid
back than say the East Coast, IMO........
More government type jobs on the East
Coast with NASA being in the middle of
that coast.......the waves are bigger on
the east coast, the water is shallow on
the Gulf Side, you can walk out hundreds
of yards some places and only be knee-deep.....
I don't like Miami either, too crowded and
full of snotty rich folks.......if you like the
Latin flavor, this is your paradise tho.....
.........there are many places that only speak
Spanish, really........everyone there tailgates......
Miami is built for preppy type people.......status,
looks, car you drive, and bank account are very
important there........
The Florida Keys are gorgeous, I would recommend
a vacation there to anyone that enjoys an Island
paradise type setting..........
Jacksonville is decent, I just think it's a little
boring compared to St. Pete/Tampa area.......
There are lots of parks, even dog parks, bike/rollerblade
paved trails that go for miles and miles.......
.........and if you can move to any of the St. Pete
beaches, there are a long string of them.........you
can walk two blocks to the beach every day........
.........the West Coast has all the beautiful sunsets,
crowds will clap......I find that funny.......and DON"T
feed the Seagulls.........
Haven't made it the panhandle yet.........Panama
City area.......it's more rural up there, counting
on Spring Breakers to feed the economy........it's
cheap tho......
IF you are a young guy, single, and want to meet
lots of girls, Hyde Park area of Tampa is a meat
market...........the girls are nice down here, not
too many heffers.........bikini's all over the place.......
Downtown Tampa is great place for singles.......
And believe it or not, it feels cooler here than in
MD in August.........So. MD in August is such a
sauna.......it only gets cold for 2 weeks here most
years.........
Florida, no state tax, no local tax, and the housing
is almost 2/3's the cost of St. Mary's housing.........
I hope that clues you in a bit.......
Coca Beach, baby Work at Kennedy or RonJons. This could totally be you!
Work at Kennedy or RonJons. This could totally be you!
Triggerfish
New Member
Vince said:
NW Orlando area...
Home of the local KKK.
I prefer the NE part not far from UCF.
oldredneck
New Member
Hey Redwing,
I moved down here two years ago. Live on the Gulf Coast about an hour or so north of Tampa.
If you own a home in St. Mary's, you're in tall cotton - sell your home up there and your money goes a LONG way down here. Houses are an easy $100 grand cheaper than what they're selling for up there. You can still find a starter home for under $100 grand and find plenty of homes with 3BR 2BA with a 2 car garage and pool for under $200K. (Of course, the closer to Tampa the higher the price...)
BUT - if you're outside a metro area, unless your in the health field, the job market really doesn't pay too much.
I live in a town with a huge retiree population, so you can forget getting a seat in a restaurant from around 5-7...during the "early bird specials". : )
We are close to the Gulf, so that's pretty cool. No waves though, so it's like swimmin' in a big bathtub. The weather's a mixed bag, you can wear shorts and a tee shirt in February, but it's too HOT in the summer.
You can also get crabs all year 'round, but you have to find someone who can steam 'em. The locals sautee them in garlic down here. (!??!) And they don't sell them by the bushel, you have to get 'em by the pound. (what's up with that?)
Overall it's a nice place to live, but it ain't St. Mary's.
Anyway, that's my .02...
I moved down here two years ago. Live on the Gulf Coast about an hour or so north of Tampa.
If you own a home in St. Mary's, you're in tall cotton - sell your home up there and your money goes a LONG way down here. Houses are an easy $100 grand cheaper than what they're selling for up there. You can still find a starter home for under $100 grand and find plenty of homes with 3BR 2BA with a 2 car garage and pool for under $200K. (Of course, the closer to Tampa the higher the price...)
BUT - if you're outside a metro area, unless your in the health field, the job market really doesn't pay too much.
I live in a town with a huge retiree population, so you can forget getting a seat in a restaurant from around 5-7...during the "early bird specials". : )
We are close to the Gulf, so that's pretty cool. No waves though, so it's like swimmin' in a big bathtub. The weather's a mixed bag, you can wear shorts and a tee shirt in February, but it's too HOT in the summer.
You can also get crabs all year 'round, but you have to find someone who can steam 'em. The locals sautee them in garlic down here. (!??!) And they don't sell them by the bushel, you have to get 'em by the pound. (what's up with that?)
Overall it's a nice place to live, but it ain't St. Mary's.
Anyway, that's my .02...
SkinkTyree
Member
I've lived in Florida since I started college in 1997 in central Florida. I now live in Boca Raton in south Florida.
Of the big Florida cities (Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa-St. Pete, Miami-Fort Lauderdale), Jacksonville is my personal favorite. The cost of living is pretty low there. The paper mill problem that one of the posters mentioned before has pretty much been resolved, and now it is basically a beautiful place to live....a lot of nice beaches in the area and natural spots nearby. Plus you are close to St. Augustine which is a pretty cool place to visit. Jax isn't quite as hopping as Miami or Orlando may be, but there's enough to do to keep you from getting bored. There's been a lot of recent excitement about the city due to the Super Bowl, and apparently there are some cool projects in the works for the downtown area. They've got a nice zoo and a very accessible and pleasant airport.
South Florida (Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach) has basically everything and anything you want. It's a little to condensed for my taste though; not a whole lot of open space. Still, the weather's great down here all year around.
Tampa's okay, I guess; so is Orlando. Heck, the whole state is just a great place in my opinion. You'll pay less for not having a state income tax, although our public schools have suffered greatly because of that, so it's a bit of a trade off if you've got kids. And there is waaaayyy too much urban sprawl. Developers carry way too much clout around here, and that's a real shame, because the natural beauty of this state is virtually unmatched. Still, all in all, I love Florida nonetheless.
Now, if you want a smaller town, I would suggest you move to one of the college towns such as Gainesville or Tallahassee. It's a little more laid back, but the colleges give you a lot of cool cultural activities and good bit of entertainment if you are of the younger set. The whole north-central part of the state is awesome because of the natural springs it has. I'm actually driving up this weekend to check them out.
I personally love DeLand in central Florida. It's the ideal, authentic, charming small town USA type of place to be, yet it's nestled within an hour of both Daytona and Orlando, so you're not too far from plenty to do. In other words, the best of both worlds.
Let me know where you ultimately choose and I'll give you the skinny on it.
Of the big Florida cities (Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa-St. Pete, Miami-Fort Lauderdale), Jacksonville is my personal favorite. The cost of living is pretty low there. The paper mill problem that one of the posters mentioned before has pretty much been resolved, and now it is basically a beautiful place to live....a lot of nice beaches in the area and natural spots nearby. Plus you are close to St. Augustine which is a pretty cool place to visit. Jax isn't quite as hopping as Miami or Orlando may be, but there's enough to do to keep you from getting bored. There's been a lot of recent excitement about the city due to the Super Bowl, and apparently there are some cool projects in the works for the downtown area. They've got a nice zoo and a very accessible and pleasant airport.
South Florida (Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach) has basically everything and anything you want. It's a little to condensed for my taste though; not a whole lot of open space. Still, the weather's great down here all year around.
Tampa's okay, I guess; so is Orlando. Heck, the whole state is just a great place in my opinion. You'll pay less for not having a state income tax, although our public schools have suffered greatly because of that, so it's a bit of a trade off if you've got kids. And there is waaaayyy too much urban sprawl. Developers carry way too much clout around here, and that's a real shame, because the natural beauty of this state is virtually unmatched. Still, all in all, I love Florida nonetheless.
Now, if you want a smaller town, I would suggest you move to one of the college towns such as Gainesville or Tallahassee. It's a little more laid back, but the colleges give you a lot of cool cultural activities and good bit of entertainment if you are of the younger set. The whole north-central part of the state is awesome because of the natural springs it has. I'm actually driving up this weekend to check them out.
I personally love DeLand in central Florida. It's the ideal, authentic, charming small town USA type of place to be, yet it's nestled within an hour of both Daytona and Orlando, so you're not too far from plenty to do. In other words, the best of both worlds.
Let me know where you ultimately choose and I'll give you the skinny on it.