Florida - Good Place to Live?

BDBionic got me thinking with his thread on "Where to Live" .
We currently live in Dallas... and HATE it! I'll be quitting my day job soon and we will be looking to sell our house in Dallas and relocate.

We had been thinking of central or southern California (too expensive), Phoenix (not close enough to water) and possibly Hawaii (too far from the rest of the world). Lately we have been considering Florida. Tampa/St. Petersburg and Punta Gorda come very high on mine and Toby's list of Best Places . Unfortunately, we know zero about Florida.

It appears that home prices are very reasonable, there are no state income taxes and crime rates seem to be low. We both love tropical enviroments and the ocean, so Florida seems like a logical place to live.


Questions for current/former Florida residents

Is Tamps/St. Pete gay friendly?

Is it clean?

How's traffic?

How are the demographics? i.e. lot's of old people(?), conservative politically(?), etc.

How are the suburbs? redneck or open-minded?

Is realestate as reasonable as it appears to be? If so, why? It looks like a great place to live... why is it so cheap?

Weather? I can handle the heat... but is the humidity just awful? How about hurricanes? People not from Florida seem to think hurricanes happen all of time.


If you can answer any of these questions or have anything else to offer... thanks in advance!

Oh... and why are all of the pools covered with those ugly plexiglass/metal structures???? I want to float in the pool and catch some rays, I don't want to swim laps in the winter!

lol....

tampa/st pete is great. im in the process of trying to move to clearwater beach, and be right on the water. perfect beaches, u will never leave if u come down.

cant really answer ur other questions cuz ive only been here a few months, but i like it.

as for pools... they are all covered because of mosquitos... sad fact of living in the swamp :)

Thanks Dawgy! Mosquitos, huh? Just how bad are they? I used to live in Minnesota and they were bad in the summer. Are they around all day or just at night?

honestly i havent noticed them... but i havent been outside a lot, except at the beach, where there arent many. but everyone builds a screen, so i assume they are bad enuf to matter.

real estate up north Tampa/Orlando is much cheaper than here in South Florida.

The pools are covered with nets to keep the bugs out, mainly muskitoes. Windows and balconies have the same nets too. YOu still get plenty of sun so no worries there. of course you dont have to have the nets, unless you want to get a big muskitto in your ears.

hurricanes don't happen all of the time. but when and if they do you have 5 days to get ready. plus if your house/condo is newer construction they're going to be built from bricks mainly, if you have hurricane shutters you'll be fine, as long as your roof doesn't bail on you

where in FL are ya

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Originally posted by jIgG
real estate up north Tampa/Orlando is much cheaper than here in South Florida.

The pools are covered with nets to keep the bugs out, mainly muskitoes. Windows and balconies have the same nets too. YOu still get plenty of sun so no worries there. of course you dont have to have the nets, unless you want to get a big muskitto in your ears.

hurricanes don't happen all of the time. but when and if they do you have 5 days to get ready. plus if your house/condo is newer construction they're going to be built from bricks mainly, if you have hurricane shutters you'll be fine, as long as your roof doesn't bail on you

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im in deerfield beach, for now

So are these areas gay friendly? I worry about the "redneck" reputation of Florida.

neighbors are too new to tell if they're gay tolerant or not but we haven't had any problems with anyone where we lived previously which is about a 2 minute drive from here. everyone pretty much minds their own business

my bf's brother's wife has told all her friends about us and most of them go to church, one chick even hit on me and wanted a date, go figure.

most of my bf's co-workers know he's gay, his company pays my health/dental insurance, the dentist knows, my doctor(s), bank people and we have a joint account, and i've gotten away with fees many times just because the lady knows us.

Ft. Lauderdale is 10-15 minutes from here and I think they've got around 30 gay bars.

"So are these areas gay friendly? I worry about the "redneck" reputation of Florida."

Since I live in Texas, I understand what you are saying, although I'm certain that people around the world are seeing this comment from someone living in Texas and scratching their head.

You know, a friend of mine just returned back here after living in Miami for two years, and he just hated it. Now I don't know specifically why, but he just kept saying that I really take a lot of cultural niceties for granted. Plus he's probably used to living around internet startups, tech companies, college atmospheres etc.

But then I'm in Austin, and we are the town that unleashed Whole Foods Market and Dell Computers onto the world. Are you from Dallas? or just happen to live there right now? I grew up in the suburbia known as Arlington, and moved to Austin for college, and lived here ever since.

I keep wondering about moving -- even (gasp) to Dallas. I've definately become a fixture here, like the barstools. But then after running through options, I just figure perhaps it is not necessarily the place, but the people you know and friends you have.

Steve

I grew up in the Tampa area, I live in Key West now. Real estate prices arent cheap everywhere in Florida, expecially down here, but they are in a lot of area simply because theres so much of it and its still growing rapidly. Its a good investment for sure. The St. Petersburg area contains a lot of retired people and middle income families. The Tampa area is more business and young people. There are outlining areas that are "redneck", but not in the city really. I would suggest one of the newer areas, such as New Tampa. There are some really nice places, and definitely gay friendly, you just have to do your research on which part of town you want to settle down in. Take your time in buying a house.

Traffic is the same as in any city, I suppose. Depends where you live and where youre driving to.

Humidity can be bad if youre not used to it, but people adapt pretty quickly. Its been a very long time since a hurricane hit Tampa, I was 5 years old last time a hurricane reached up there. In Key West, its been a lot longer than that since one hit. Even if a hurricane does come, you have plenty of warning to get out of town.

For Florida living, I think the best cities are within Tampa, Ft. Lauderdale, Naples, and Orlando. Depends what kind of life you live and what youre looking for. Tampa and Orlando are more fast paced. Ft. Lauderdale is more fancy-pants. Naples is quieter.

Good luck!

Please... Pleaaaaaaaaaaaase if you move to Florida learn what a "Hanging chad" is and how to avoid them!!

We can't afford another 4 years!

I've been to Florida once and here's my thoughts.

I love Sarasota, it was beautiful and the Sarasota Keys were great, too. However, we were there three days before a hurricane hit and we were on the Keys when a thunder storm hit. It dropped about two feet of rain in ten minutes. It was a little scary because we had to drive fast enough to get through the water, but not so fast that it flooded the engine. And then, in 15 minutes it was all over.

It's one of the fondest memories we have of the trip because we went there to fish for shark's teeth in the surf and these big huge waves were coming in.

I don't know about the rest of Florida, but when we were in Orlando, it seemed that guaranteed every afternoon we'd have a thunderstorm. Again, ten minutes and it's all over. Maybe it was just the time of year.

We thoroughly enjoyed Florida and Canadians flock there like crazy for the winter so it can't be all that bad.

And yes, please move there. We'd like to head there next year and we'll need a place to stay. :)

Dzinerbear

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And yes, please move there. We'd like to head there next year and we'll need a place to stay

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:yeah:

Tampa it is, then!

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Originally posted by desslock
Since I live in Texas, I understand what you are saying, although I'm certain that people around the world are seeing this comment from someone living in Texas and scratching their head.
But then I'm in Austin, and we are the town that unleashed Whole Foods Market and Dell Computers onto the world. Are you from Dallas? or just happen to live there right now? I grew up in the suburbia known as Arlington, and moved to Austin for college, and lived here ever since.
Steve

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Not from Dallas... been here 4+ years... moved from Minneapolis. I don't consider Dallas a redneck place until you get way out in the 'burbs.

But it has to be one of the most hideous cities in the country! There is virtually no outdoor recreation within the city... a couple of nice parks for walking the dogs... and that's it. The pollution is out of control, people are sooo unfriendly (even the gay folks), crime is the worst in the country and it is just plain ugly! People are so obsessed with money and status here... everyone has a $40,000+ SUV, even though they can't pay their mortgage/rent. The running joke is, Dallas is the home of the $30,000 a year millionaire! People live way beyond their means, just so their neighbors and friends will think they are successful.


I could go on forever!

Hey Xstr8guy!

My time to chime in lol

I love living in FL. We live just outside of Daytona Beach which is on the opposite side of the pennisula on the east coast.

I've been doing a lot of research into FL real Estate lately and I found that this area and Tampa/St Pete are the fastest growing areas right now. Even though there is major growth in South Florida, the affordable factor is bringing in new people to these two areas. It is affordable now, it won't be in a couple of years. A nice place to live and a good investment are avaialble.

From everything I've seen and the times I had been to Tampa everything seems gay friendly.

Actually for the humidity... it can be tough, but since we live on the ocean the breezes/winds seem to push it inland from us.

The one thing that has stuck in my head though is east of Tampa. When we drove in last time, all I could think of was poverty. The section and towns just to the east weren't very nice. North and south, we're fantastic. Just outside of the metro area, is mostly farms. Hell cows walked up to I-4.

Another thing I do love about FL is the conservation. You can have a big city or town but just outside of town you have acres of protected undeveloped land. While there is room to grow, there is a point where it won't get overdeveloped. The most these areas are developed are for parks and nature preserves. I know it's not important ot many people but to me it is.

As Nikkay said, hurricanes rarely happen. And if they are coming through you have days to prepare. The last tropical storm to hit this areas was two years ago and it came from the Gulf, so Tampa was in there. It was nothing but a bad rain storm with wind. It was one of my concerns before I moved down here. It's not anymore. AND the moment we go into hurricane season, the weather reports are all about watching for them. You know if one is coming with soooo much advanced warning it's not funny. On this side there was an evacuation in 1999, the first in almost 65 years. I can't remember the name of the hurricane but it did more damage to NY and NJ than it did down here. Actually, it passed here the day I was moving out of CA. I had plane tickets to FL and a set for NY because of the storm. I woke up that morning and had to decided where I was going... but that's another story.

The red neck factor in FL is here. But it's not as bad as most may think. Especially in metro areas. I was concerned abot that two, especially since Daytona Beach is the home of Bike Week. I assumed there were bad ass bikers all over and it turned out so different - tons were bad ass biker bears looking for fun! But that's another story too LOL

Good luck on your decision. Keep us posted! We're always looking for more Central Floridians!

My best,
Gary-Alan

I'm so excited! I'd move right now, but we have about 6 months of remodeling to do before we can put the house up for sale. Toby tore the house up after he moved in... we had some great remodeling plans, lol. Plus, I have to build up the business before I quit the day job. :cry:

The palm beaches are growing like mad. Read in the paper recently that they're running out of available houses up there.
West Palm Beach I know has some gay bars with porn stars dancing and stuff


my friend who's a bar hopping queen said "Tampa - boring" and "Orlando - OK" :)

the 1999 evacuation would be Hurricane Floyd. My first brush with Florida weather after the flying cows in Oklahoma :angel:

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Originally posted by jIgG
the 1999 evacuation would be Hurricane Floyd. My first brush with Florida weather after the flying cows in Oklahoma :angel:

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That's the one!!! And right after it, came hurricane Irene which there was no evacution. And was actually a lot closer than Floyd.

AND didn't hit the west coast at all LOL So you're still clear Xstr8guy HAHAHA

i was scared shitless and made my boyfriend leave for the west coast where there was not one hotel room avilable we ended up sleeping at sunnybale island motel or something like this.

and that's when his brother slept with a gay guy for the first time too haha

good times good times

yah come to tampa, things are too bad here. few decent clubs, lots of hot boys, several colleges to 'recruit' from lol...

Well back in England i used to be one of those 'bar hopping queens' and to be honest, there isnt a single club anywhere in the US or Canada that i have been to i actually liked :(

Think as a company we need to start looking closer at some of the real estate deals we have been presented with over the last year.. only so i have somewhere good to go clubbing lol

Regards,

Lee

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Originally posted by Dawgy
yah come to tampa, things are too bad here. few decent clubs, lots of hot boys, several colleges to 'recruit' from lol...

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Lol, Dawgy... you obviously don't know my reputation. I could care less about college boys. Give me a real man anyday! Oh wait... I have one of those already. But it sure is nice to look :honest: (my new favorite smilie)

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Originally posted by Lee
Well back in England i used to be one of those 'bar hopping queens' and to be honest, there isnt a single club anywhere in the US or Canada that i have been to i actually liked :(

Think as a company we need to start looking closer at some of the real estate deals we have been presented with over the last year.. only so i have somewhere good to go clubbing lol

Regards,

Lee

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I'm not a bar-hopping queen, but I do like to go out and be in a place where I can have my arm around my bunny (can't believe I used that term in a public forum) and not feel like I'm going to get beaten. Plus, I love to man-watch! :square: Give me a raunchy Leather bar :5ymca:, a couple beers and a bunch of hairy men in Levis... and I'm in :jasun: heaven!

i haven't even been to a gay clubs in the US :wtf:

but my gay membership card is locked away deep deep underground and im not gonna give it away no way jose

Hiya Xstr8guy,

The Fort Lauderdale area is a great place to live!!!

A Bit pricey, but it's a central location as it's dead center between Miami and Boca Raton(Palm Beach County)

If you need any info., just hit me up! Be glad to answer questions :)

Warm regards,

--=Chipmunk=--
:bomb:

I think you would really enjoy the Fort Lauderdale area also. There is a small city called Wilton Manors which is very gay friendly. It is the only area that I know where people fly Gay Pride Flags on their houses. It is an older area and the city, itself, might seem a bit run down, but it is very old-style homey. I think you would love it there. The older very gay area is North Park just east of Federal Highway and north of Las Oleas Blvd.

This one's easy, never move on someone else's perceptions and never ever move somewhere you haven't spent time in. It's just a recipe for disaster. Spend at least a month or so if you possibly can. I read alot about different places and go with an open mind but my take on things is hardly ever the same as what other people think.

i agree with the hunks there. i moved to phoenix after only spending a couple of weeks, and after abotu 6 months i hated it. never lived in florida before i moved here, but so far its been great.

I have a question for all you Floridians...what about health care? I know a lot of people don't consider that a whole lot as varying from state to state when considering a move...but everything I've heard/read puts FL very near the bottom of the pile as far as health care goes in the U.S. I was considering a move to the west coast specifically to have more available access to the most recent health care options...or even NY. I do love Chicago though...but I have a long time to consider as I'm not likely to re-locate any time soon. So what is the health care situation like in Florida?

Jason, I am unsure what you mean by the quality of health care in Florida. Florida has some of the finest hospitals, cancer treatment, heart transplant, etc in the world. Florida is a very high density retirement state. Medicare pays and the doctors are here. Now there are problems with the rising costs of malpractice insurance and some other issues. Florida is a "Right to Work" state which may sound great. However, it really only means that the employer has the right to fire you without notice or explanation at any time. The only exception is if you happen to have an employment contract. Now the employment base here in Florida makes it difficult for most of the population to afford health insurance. Many companies purposely schedule their employees just a hour or two under the minimium to quality for insurance (if they offer it at all). Therefore healthcare is lacking indeed. However it is not due to the lack of highly qualified professionals -- just a monetary consideration for the common man. Florida law requires that hospitals treat patients in emergency rooms and not turn them away if they can not pay. This is especially true for county hospitals. The lower middle class and below use the county emergencies rooms as the doctors office. It is really saddening.

Now as to the spirit of the thread. The advice given not to take any individual's advice on where to move is excellent. Especially when you don't know the individual. However, Xstr8guy was asking about how "gay friendly" Florida and certain areas was. I mentioned a few of the high density populated sections of the metro-Fort Lauderdale area. I hope that anyone would investigate and visit many areas of a city/town/state prior to just picking up and moving.

Let me point out something a lot of non-Floridians don't know or realize. Just as many people move out of Florida each month as new ones move here. The high transient population coupled with the problems with illegal immigrants and legal ones has the base salaries far below many places in the United States. Many people move to Florida with dreams of riches or at least a decent living. But those $15-20 hour jobs in the North are only $6.50-8.00 in Florida. The humidity is always so high and the temperatures soar. The electric bills soars as they keep lower the temperature on the air conditioning.

Believe me Florida is not the promised law. I have lived here for over 20 years and love it (at times hate it). Until I retired life was a constant struggle due to the aforementioned reasons. If you do plan to move here, I would look for an area with the type of job you enjoy so you can have an income. Don't even think about moving here unless you have at least $10,000 ready cash to survive your first months here.

Hunk you are so right! I moved to CA on someone else perception of it and while I liked it for a few months (the newness factor) it become clear to me that it wasn't for me.

When I came to visit my parents for 4th of July weekend in 99 I fell in love with the area I now live in. And I still love it. There are issues for me... The metro areas are a drive away, this town closes at 11pm, etc. But I wouldn't trade it. We have some friends who came for a visit a couple of years ago and they loved it as well. Now, they are looking for a house here. But that was after a few visits for them to know they want to be here, some extensive research about the area and so on.

Jason, as for health care we do have some of the best hospitals and health facilities. When I had gotten sick myself, the doctors and facilities I used we comprabable/on par with facilities in NY. Many of the published stastics I've read do portray a less than favorable scenario. However, a lot of that information is based on salaries. And as studpuppy has pointed out, the base pay is $6-$8 per hour. And that is strongly factored into much of the research.

Gary-Alan

Everyone... I thank you so much for all of the advice. We are definately going to travel to FL and check it out.

Now, I need to get back to work so I can afford to quit the day job in 6 months!

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Originally posted by Xstr8guy
Everyone... I thank you so much for all of the advice. We are definately going to travel to FL and check it out.

Now, I need to get back to work so I can afford to quit the day job in 6 months!

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lemme know when you come to tampa, we'll take good care fo you :)

Thanks for the offer Dawgy! Will do!

for what it's worth, I've been to Key West a few times an have had a blast. I would be living there now if I could make a living there. You have to find a way to get the torists to let go of their money and give it to you.:specs: