Thanks everyone. I talked to my mom tonight to feel out the idea of living there. She had some insight as well as to some of the specifics of schools and where to live/where to avoid. Still not sure this would be a good idea considering everything we have here, but it sure would make some things much easier.
I appreciate all of the input from you guys. It is good to hear about it from people who have grown up in the area, or who are raising kids there now as opposed to people like my mom, who vacationed there and snowbird there.
I have a friend who moved from Chicago to Clearwater for reasons similar to yours. She went from being practically a single mother (her DH worked 18 hrs. a day) to have support of family, which made a big difference to her emotional and mental well being. Although her marriage didn't survive the move (their problems went way beyond the move) she has no regrets. She does send her son to private school.
I see all these moms who can do everything and I think... I should have them do something for me..
I lived in Tampa for two years. I cannot speak to the school systems as I did not have children at that time. During those two years there was one tropical storm and it was nothing. I've been through worse rain/storms living in TN and MD.
The summer weather is hot, very, very hot and humid. It is definitely a steamer. However the other months of the year more than make up for that in my opinion. I love Florida weather but I also love the proximity to the beach, wearing shorts, capris, flip flops, tanks and sundresses year round.
I had more problems with palmetto bugs in SC than FL to be honest. I remember finding one in our FL apartment and that was after I moved and my stuff had been in storage for over a month. I think FL had fire ants but I don't remember them being a huge problem where we were, again more issues with those in SC versus Florida.
I own a home in north Florida Florida but maintain my residence in GA. While ultimately I hope to retire to my home in Florida, I would be wary about moving there with school-age children.
Here's why. There is the whole FCAT testing thing. Not good at all, but honestly, I don't see that much difference from the test-driven environment my four nephews face in GA schools (but no improvement). But what I do see is that the state is decidedly driven by a politically active aging population who do not necessarily support public school initiaves. Not that they are against them, but they don't vote to fund them the same way they do in other states,. Because they have raised their children long ago and and are not invested in education. And overwhelmingly, the wealthy elite opt out and privately educate their children; again, there is less political support. The education of your children will always be a lower political priority than senior health care initiaves and public safety. Always.
Not that I don't think those things are important. Because they are. But there are only so many ways a govt can cut the pie, and education will never be as well supported by most of the voting population as it might in other states.
Don't get me wrong. I will love retiring there. If I can live at the beach. Away from the tourists. And paint. The Cuban food is awesome. The cost of living is low (outside of tourist areas - as compared to the East Coast and West Coast US or major cities.)
The heat and humidity ARE extreme May-September. You have to have an irrigation system and love working in the sweat (or a lot of money for a service) or just do xeriscaping - or all three - to have any kind of decent yard. There are alligators and terrible snakes (all cats must be kept inside.) I don't find the driving bad (a little slow, but easy) in my small town but I drive in Atlanta which has notoriously bad traffic. The highways here will always have working call boxes and most highways will be kept very clean. The politics are extremely conservative - even more so than GA.
Last edited by jajacobsen; 04-09-2012 at 09:56 AM.
This is interesting - I disagree with almost all the comments. I have lived in Florida for 19 years, having been born and raised in Montreal. Most of that time has been in South Florida (Ft Lauderdale), with 2 years in Gainesville and a year in Tampa. One expression I've heard is, "You've got to go north to go south", meaning much of Florida is "the South", but not the lower portion. I'd say the switch happens somewhere around Orlando, maybe even a bit further south. So, politically, this distinction makes a HUGE difference. When I lived in Gainesville and Tampa, I agree that people were very conservative and there were quite a lot of redneck-ish bigots. Not the college students/faculty at UF, but the locals for sure. But down here in the Ft Lauderdale/Miami area: totally different. There is a strong latin influence here, a lot more Jews (including my family), and far more liberals. I'll agree that it is not "highly" liberal all over south florida, but most of the people I know and meet in my area are very liberal. The fact that Florida is a red state is misleading, because it is such a large state and much of the red population is clustered in the northern 2/3 of the state.
As for the weather, I guess that's all a matter of what you like. Me, I love it. Yes, it would be nice to have a fall season and wear the fall fashions, and it is true we don't have that here. But, I can tell you there were plenty of days in the 20 years I lived in Montreal when I literally didn't want to leave the house because it was too cold or too much of a hassle. Seriously, in college, I sometimes spent entire weekends in my apartment or holed up at a friend's place because it just didn't seem worthwhile to go anywhere. I can assure you that I have NEVER said, "Oh, it's too hot to leave the house". Yes, there are days when it is too hot to go for a run outdoors, or where I might not choose to spend the day in the hot sun, but never where the weather is prohibitive to getting in my car and going somewhere. And certainly a plus to just walk outside and go, never having to clear the windshield, warm up the car, etc. With kids, it is also so easy and convenient to not have to bundle up with winter stuff every day. When we travel in the winter, I am always reminded how lucky we are to just walk out the door in our clothes and go where we want to go. And not having to deal with shlepping around a coat (and kids coats) all over the mall or whatnot. Or wearing boots because of the snow, but then having hot feet all day shopping or whatever. I guess my point is, the hassles of hot are a lot easier to deal with than the hassles of cold, at least to me.
Public schools: yes it is test driven, at least for now. But the funding and resources will vary tremendously from school to school. From what I understand, a lot of the funding comes from the property taxes in the school district, and from the level of parental (PTA) involvement, so some schools are way better than others. DD is starting kindergarten this fall, and we were lucky to get into a lottery-based magnet school whose funding is separate (because it's magnet). This school has had nothing cut (they have class size capped at 18, art, recess, music, phys ed), and all students learn violin starting at 2nd grade. I will agree that some other schools...not so hot. So you need to check your options and pick your home location accordingly.
Pests...not too bad, imo. But that is HUGELY dependent on where you live. OK, I think there are a lot of lizards wherever you go, but that doesn't bother me. They keep out of our way for the most part, and maybe a couple of times a year one gets into the house and we chase it out. Bugs, they can be bad, but we have a contract with Orkin and rarely, rarely find a bug in the house. I know away from the beach, where there are lots of canals and man-made lakes, you find a lot more snakes, crocodiles, and other bugs. And if you live right on the water, you'll probably get iguanas and crabs in your yard. We live near the beach but not right on the water, which seems to be a sweet spot for fewer critters. Mosquitos can get bad outside in the evening, though. I can't speak to lawn care because we have a gardener and I don't even pay attention to how much time he spends. He does seem to be here a lot; at least one full day a week in the summer, a bit less in the winter. But in our last home, we were in a town home with a very large patio but almost no landscaped yard, and that worked for us well at the time. If I didn't want to pay for lawn care, I'd probably choose to live somewhere with little yard space. There are so many parks and outdoor spaces, as well as the beach, to go to if you want it.
Cost of living...ummm, depends on a lot of factors. Yeah, our house cost a lot more than it would cost in some other areas of the country, but it would also cost a lot less just 20 minutes further from the beach. I'm sure florida is not the cheapest place to live, but it does not need to be cost-prohibitive on a moderate income. I mean, lots of people retire here on fixed incomes, so it has to be possible, doesn't it?
I do love the fact that (at least in the SE portion of FL), we have access to tons of culture (concerts, art basel, shows, great restaurants, etc), but also the opportunity for a super-chill laid back existence. You can leave the house in flipflops and no makeup and seriously not feel like a total frump if you run into someone.
Kimber, I don't understand; the things you state seem to agree with what we are saying.
I - and others - have stated the cost of living, compared to major cities, could be the same or low. Obviously not in touristy areas, though. But I think you need to look at the state - which I have stated I love - not though the eyes of someone who has lived there most of their life, but compared to the rest of the country. Florida is very different from most of the country.
For example, go back and read your paragraph about pests - all the thing you listed pretty much don't exist north of the Mason Dixon Line. And while we here is the south are quite used to them, they are a REAL adjustment. I have friends who cannot fathom living in an area where alligators and snakes are a real hazard to children and pets. I have friends who cannot fathom having year round monthly pest treatments on their home (from the introduction of pesticides into their house aspect to the $400-500/year cost of it.).
The culture is diverse; a good thing. This is seen in food, art and music. The weather is warm and the amosphere is laid back. I think everyone agrees on these things.
One cannot argue the politics are conservative, and presently, Republican. The population is aging, and they are politically active. Pretty indisputable.
As for lawn care - from the pictures of your yard which you have posted on CC- which is absolutely gorgeous - it is a little overwhelming to state that it takes a grown man a full day once a week to maintain it. That must be quite an expensive service. As in more than $500-$1000/mo, for what, a quarter acre lot? Maybe a half acre? Which is why many homes in Florida are not so beautifully maintained. Honestly, few of us could afford that. And many people with children don't want to live with no yard, so I think it is better to give a realistic picture of what lawn/yard care takes in Florida, which is as I stated, that one has to have some sort of an irrigation system and love working in a sweat (or hire a service). I will share that in Georgia, most people who have lawn care service, it only takes 1-2 hours of work, even for a large yard.
Which raises obvious questions of economics and spending power. Please know, I say this with all the admiration in the world, but if I am not mistaken, your husband is a doctor, which means that your household economics can buy a quality of life that is very likely, above the national norm. If schools are sub par, you may or may not privately educate your daughter, but you certainly would have the option. Hiring service providers to increase your household's quality of life is possible. I'm not saying that you are rich or entitled, but please realize that the lifestyle you lead is likely not enjoyed by 95% of the US.
So when someone asks what it is like to live in Florida and would that be a good move, I try to answer very honestly. Obviously I like Florida; I just spent $500k on a second home there and plan to retire there. But I think the best aswer would be for the OP to take several vacations there - at all times of the year - check out schools, check out real estate that she could afford. Maybe she'll love it and maybe she won't.
Wow, I did come off not making sense. Yes I see how it seemed like I did agree, but here's what I meant:
1. Politically: MY experience, where i live, is a very liberal one. There are large pockets of Florida that have a high percentage of Democrats, and I live in one of those. And there was at least one comment about open bigotry, which is something I found further north in florida but not much here at all.
2. Climate: I don't find it unbearable or prohibitively uncomfortable, which is what i felt the consensus to be.
3. Schools: while i agree the population is aging, this doesn't affect the budget equally in all school districts, and good public school can be found if you pay attention.
4. Pests: There seemed to be some blanket statements about alligators and snakes, and one comment about cats not being able to live outdoors. That simply doesn't apply where I am. A couple of my neighbors have outside cats, and there are essentially no alligator or large snake sightings around here. Again, i guess my point was, it depends on your specific location.
5. And yes, while I acknowledged that my lawn takes a lot of (expensive) work, I also stated that we had previously lived in a townhome with a large paved patio, to provide an alternative to people without that option. Instead of saying "Don't live here if you can't deal with a yard", my point was "If you don't want to deal with a yard, there are housing options that will eliminate that need". I am not being Marie Antoinette here, assuming everyone can pay to maintain a yard like mine, my point was that not everyone has to. In our townhome, we didn't have a gardener...or a lawn mower. We didn't need either.
I do realize that my husband's income allows for a nicer lifestyle than normal. We are the 1%, I'll admit that. However, I lived in South Florida self-sufficiently in my 20's, earning under 30k a year. Yes, I had no kids to educate or clothe or care for, but I did still live on the east side of town in a smaller, older (but still cute) rental. Bottom line, I guess my disagreement was less on the actual points and more on perception. Yeah, some of those things are true, but I don't think they're negatives.
I don't feel like the cost of living is that high here. The only thing that is more expensive and harder to get by here in Fl versus many other locations is homeowners insurance. Other than that there a places where housing costs are much higher while IMO the quality of living is much lower.
ETA: Regarding bugs, we have a pest control service where they spray the perimeter of our house once a month and spray inside as needed, usually about every 6-10 month, and we have no problems with bugs or any other pests although our property borders on a cypress preserve.
Here are a couple of pictures of our backyard for reference.
Last edited by dragonfly_71; 04-09-2012 at 01:13 PM.
I'll admit it, there are tons of bigots and rednecks where I live in central florida, but it's also a wonderful place to live. I don't have a clue about schools since when we moved here the school was refusing to help us, so we just let my son sit home until he was of age and took the GED. Of course, he was 17 when we moved here, so it was pretty easy to do it, I admit, I haven't heard much good about schools in central florida.
I love it here. I love being able to wear shorts and sandals and no coat all year long. Even when it's cold I wear a sweater! The bugs don't bother me, if you treat the lawn you won't have issues. The cost of maintaining a lawn is NOT prohibitive! I had about 1/2 acre lot with lots of bushes, etc in Orlando and I paid $125 a month to a service. The only time we've done our own lawn since we moved her was when we lived on several acres and DH bought a rider for $500 on craigslist that needed a belt, and it worked fine. The new house I just moved into is going to cost me $50 a month and he'll cut the lawn and maintain all the bushes, etc. For the money, he can do it.
The heat is hot in the summer, yes, but there is AC everywhere! Cost of electricity is going to depend on the size of house, and how it's built. I found when we lived in Orlando and had huge high ceilings that we paid much more for electric than we have in houses with lower ceilings. Produce is cheap, some groceries are cheaper than others.
I always wanted to live here. When DH got a job offer, I started packing. I love living near Disney and other parks, and I don't have little kids. I love living near the beaches. I don't love the heat, but you get used to it.
Ok, here goes.....FL has some of the worst drivers in the world! I've lived where there are supposed crazy drivers, HI, PA, WA, and driven in other crazy driver places, CA, NY, NJ and FL by far has the worst ones, but I believe you're a NY'er, so if you've driven, you've also driven with crazy, and know how to defensively drive.
If you need the help of your mom, I say go for it. You'll have a totally different lifestyle, but your kids will love growing up in the sunshine.
Everything that everyone has said here is completely true. But I love Florida... I'd find it hard to live anywhere else (and I recently had the chance to move... but we stayed!!!)
There are bad things to living everywhere - they're just DIFFERENT bad things. Honestly, I really love Florida and about the only thing I think we could have to make things any better is mountains.
And KristyK - that's not fair with the driving thing. In Central Florida, they're all tourists, LOL!
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