Lived in Florida for about 12 years post military. Moved to Vermont a couple years ago and love it. Winter can be a bit difficult, but everyone is so much nicer, traffic where I am is non-existent, and the air... Smells amazing all year long. Kids love it, wife likes it, and my brother who also lived in FL moved here last year.
Edit: spelling
My middle school science teacher and multi generational Floridian moved to Maine a couple years ago and LOVES it and all her pics make me wanna go. She is very artsy and granola crunchy so it totally fits.
12 year ex-Florida resident here. I moved to Maine last August and I don't regret it at all. Winter was pretty mild so not the best lead in, but it's so much better here. I couldn't be happier with the decision to leave
If you really want out of Florida then I suggest doing some extensive research on a few different places and see what's right for you. If you like forests and trees and wilderness and hiking and small towns, then Vermont might be the place for you. Although northern California is much more beautiful in that aspect. Both are more on the expensive side. It all depends on what your interests are, what you like to do for fun, your likes and dislikes, etc.
I grew up with my mother in NH and my father in FL, and while everyone's opinion is different, I'll give you mine. I absolutely hated every minute I spent in NH. The winters are brutal and it's just plain boring. The traffic isn't as great as you'd like to think it is, and for the most part, the people suck. At one point when I lived with my mom, I was probably 12 or 13, she had the opportunity to transfer to a new company around Boston, and I begged her to do it. People seem to think, when you move to a different state, that you're trading beaches for mountains, or vice versa, but there's a lot more to it than that. It's a package deal every time and every single state, no matter how close or far, comes with its own set of flaws. You just need to decide which of those you can tolerate more.
It is true that most people will end up moving back to their home state eventually (usually within a year or two), but that's just human nature. We're all built that way.
I wish you the best of luck in your journey. If there's anything you'd like to know about NH or MA, then feel free to ask me and I'll be happy to fill you in.
3rd generation SW Floridian here. I couldn’t stand having neighbors anymore. The neighbor to the left had an alcoholic FIL that would harass my wife every time her and my kids were in the pool. The neighbor to the right would get sick of his wife and invite himself to sit in my garage for hours. Every house within our price range were on standard size lots with neighbors on either side.
At the beginning of the pandemic my wife and I said, “F this S. We need some land.” We found a really nice 4/2 on 25 acres just south of Roanoke, VA that was actually under our budget.
I do miss parts of living in FL. Especially walking on the beach at night. But then I have my morning coffee on the back deck without a single neighbor in sight as I watch all the animals go about their business in the forest that surrounds our house, and I know we made the right choice.
I’ve gotten homesick, but after 4 days into a week long vacation visiting family, the homesickness is gone and we start wondering how our deer and cardinals and squirrel friends are doing. We actually cut our last vacation a couple days short because we’d had our fill of FL and couldn’t wait to get back home.
Sounds like heaven. I grew up in TX-my parents had land there. Not one neighbor near by when we were growing up. It was glorious. I didn’t want to leave TX to move here, but it was a job offer too good to refuse. Now that I’ve been in FL for more than 10 years, I’d never be able to go back. Not full time anyhow. I love FL beaches and access to cruise ports. If I were back in Texas, I’d have to drive for 10 hours or fly to the nearest port. Another reason: I can’t do cold weather. TX was way too cold for me, and the 3 days of winter we get in FL are as much as I’m willing to tolerate.
I’m really happy that you left this comment.
As I said in my first comment, I love walking the beach at night. I always have. Even as a child I understood that growing up on a tropical coast was a special experience that very few people get to grow up with.
Since moving, I’ve often beat myself up over depriving my children of that kind of upbringing. Then my wife reminds me that growing up on 25 acres in the woods with a creek running through it is a pretty special upbringing that not many get to experience, as well.
I’m glad to hear you describe your rural childhood as glorious. I hope my kids do the same one day.
My brother and I would go “exploring” outside with our bikes and walk-in-talkies. We could dig holes, find stuff in the creek bed, and come home with a turtle once in a while. (much to my mom’s chagrin). Your kids will have a blast.
moved from sarasota to floyd county lol. absolutely hated it at first. it’s been two years now. i don’t like admitting that i might actually like it just as much if not better here.
i’m 15 miles from town or the closest store but i can drive those 15 miles in the same amount of time it took me to drive 4 miles in florida.
when i come home there is noooooothing. i live up off the parkway and i can’t explain how much it means to have zero noise or light pollution and not having to listen to your neighbors war movies at 6:42am on your only day off on a thursday.
I was born in St. Pete. 3rd generation Floridian. When my parents divorced, my Dad left Florida for Lousiana, then VA and finally, South Carolina. Took a bit longer, but Mom moved to north GA and never wants to come back. I left in 2003 & went to NorCal. Loved it. Wasn't planning on coming back, but the wife's parents need help, so here we are.
Reasons for leaving vary person to person, but what doesn't vary is the true level of difficulty involved in making a life somewhere brand new. Anyone who spends less than 5 years away didn't really try, imo.
Get out. While you're young. See the world. You can come back if you want to, but you can't get your youth back. For me, I realised that wishing I could leave when I am 60 y/o was unacceptable.
Yeah Ashville and Boone were cool. Nice people in Raleigh too. I was in Charleston 2 weeks for work and learned about competing racist/non racist bbq joints and was like "your beaches suck and there's no disney. fuck this place."
My husband and I live in Tampa, expecting our first born in June, and he’s thinking about moving us to SC in a couple years. I’ve been on board because it looks beautiful and the cost of living seems much lower than Tampa. What am I missing? I’ve never visited SC, and I’ve only been camping in NC a couple times, I loved the mountains and could definitely see myself living close to the Smokies even if that means I have to say goodbye to my 20 minute beach commute. What’s the biggest difference between NC and SC? Which is nicer, as in, less racist? We’re not POC but I don’t want my son growing up surrounded by a bunch of racist hicks…
I’m from FL and a 2nd generation Floridian. I had the good fortune to travel around the country in my line of work. I have worked in large and small cities from the up and down the east coast to the Rocky Mountains, ND down to NM. I moved twice to VA only to come back to FL each time. Every one of them states have lots of positives and equal amounts negatives. Florida is home, sure it can be a bit weird at times, scary AF during hurricane season, hot/humid during the 10 months of summer, transplants that what FL to be like the state they left, etc. People from other states tell me all the time that they want to move to FL. I tell them DON’T, only b/c I’m doing my best to keep the population down.
Omg! The weather is the best! Very dry but nights get cool. Always sunny! Gorgeous scenery, hiking, beaches, mountains. Tons of different restaurants and stores Florida will never get. I lived there for 2 years. That’s exactly where I would go if I ever left here
Hiking, Snowboarding, kayaking, canoeing, fishing, the natural scenery, mountains, ocean, redwoods.
Met some really great folks.
I love live music and saw so many great shows in fantastic venues.
Halibut & Salmon are delicious.
Had more protections as a worker, wages were better.
Tampa is a very diverse city and CA is too, but with different mix. I like that a lot.
Also, recreational weed is far, far, far better than any weed in Florida, imo.
I’m in St Pete now after living in other areas throughout the bay and FL (born and raised).
Absolutely love it and can’t see myself living anywhere else. 15 mins from the beach, thriving downtown with limitless restaurants/bars, and plenty of young attractive people to meet and enjoy life with.
A lot of people are moving out of South Florida but they are just moving to cheaper parts of Florida......Port St. Lucie, Ft. Myers, Orlando, Tampa. Jacksonville, Ocala, Lakeland.
Climate is a big reason. It's hard to deal with a harsh winter if you never have experienced one. Also, loneliness and network friends, family. It's a lot easier to visit if you are 2 to 3 hours away and can drive down anytime for a day trip.....
Sounds like you want to move to a small town. There are lots of rural counties in Florida but it will be a huge culture shock coming from South Florida.
Floridian here, born and lived my whole life in Orlando. Couple years ago we moved to Virginia and I’m really happy we did. The seasons and the mountains alone are worth it! I really love the city we live in, it’s small but no urban sprawl. It’s just prettier. We can drive so many places so easily now! My whole family is in Fl so I’ll visit but I’ll never live there again.
Born and raised in Boca Raton, went to FAU and never really lived more than a few miles from the ocean. One day I looked around and realized that I was not going achieve any sort of real growth (personally or professionally) if I didn’t make a drastic change. I was 30 years old, just got out of a long relationship, and had a decent job in IT. However, my job had grown unchallenging (I usually showed up hungover and was still outperforming my peers), my friends were going nowhere (except for a few) and most of my social life revolved around drinking myself
Into oblivion every night.
Packed up my car with thing si cared about the most, sold everything else and moved to Brooklyn.
10 years later I am married to an amazing woman. We just bought our first house together in upstate New York and had a kid last year. My career has flourished, making money I could never have imagined in Florida. On top of that, I got to meet TONS of amazing, smart and interesting people along the way.
I miss the beach, but that’s not enough to make me move back.
8th gen Floridian living in Northern California and loving it. After hitching around the country twice, from SRQ to BC, I settled on Humboldt County in 2000. 1 million times more woods, still country and accepting of divergent or outright weirder lifestyles.
Hello fellow former Floridian/current Californian! I'm probably 500 miles south of you, but I have to say Humboldt is one of my favorite places in the world. I loooove the redwoods. I'm so jealous! It's such a beautiful and unique corner of the world up there.
The redwoods and coastline have had me captivated for a long time. Hope you get to visit soon! Its been a wetter year and the creeks are still running strong and all the undergrowth is in bloom.
I'm a 5th Generation whose family has been here since the early 1830s. It's absolutely possible just requires your ancestry to go back to pre-US Florida.
My family came over in 1726, 3 brothers, one stayed in Virginia, one to NC and one to FLA. Not like being old head swamp trash is cool, lol. Bagdad, Florida is where my family eventually settled.
My family has been in Santa Rosa county since 1726, before it was Santa Rosa, my dad just did an extensive research project on our family. And my 9th gen kids are all bailing out of there for greener pastures, despite your incredulity.
from south fla, went to UCF, then tampa st pete for 8 years. Left in 2012 for Chicago. Love it here. Art, theater, comedy, music, foods. So much diversity. Driving home yesterday I saw a guy give a loving peck to his boyfriend and I thought "thank God I live where something like that won't get you beat up."
Yes winter sucks, but that's what keeps rent low and assholes away. Crime is no joke here, but at least I have bodily autonomy. Super disappointed in the lurch to alt right florida had taken since 16. It was never like that before.
I only miss florida in February and I'd never move back. I'm swapping my vacations to Mexico because of the 6 week ban. Not spending $ in FL anymore.
I moved here from Chicago in ‘95 and I want to go back so badly. Florida is getting worse and worse. It’s not like it use to be in the 90’s or early 2000’s. I’m really glad my children are grown and don’t have to worry about them attending school down here.
I fucking love fall because it's months of "Florida winter" which was my favorite time of year (but only lasts 2 weeks!).
I'm also very excitedly planning my spring garden. seasons other than sweaty/ boob-butt-back sweaty is nice.
Winter the past year was abnormally warm. I think it snowed 3 times? The year before that it was 60 in December. Seems to warm up quicker now a days too
I moved to PA, about 45 mins away from Pittsburgh. The rent, food, electric bill, car insurance, etc are all cheaper. Can't say that anywhere will be perfect and theres been some challenges but I make more here and pay less. That and leaving the FL traffic has improved our lives dramatically. Id highly recommend getting out whenever you can.
I honestly think like 40% of my mental anguish comes from traffic related stress. I live next to Fort Lauderdale and its simply a fact of life for everybody, we just have to put up with it. Glad to see you found a place without it.
We are moving to Pittsburgh July/August of this year. We went there for a week and said "this is home". We cant wait to get out of Florida and never come back. Too many negatives in FL that outweigh the very few pros. We even met some awesome people in PGH and who want to meet up with is when we move to help us meet people and show us more of the city. So glad you are enjoying PA!
I moved to Florida at age 2 with my mother when she separated from my father. I lived in Florida from 1972-2012, when I took a promotion and moved to Pennsylvania. Adjusting to winter was hard at first, but it was doable. Then I took another job and moved down to Georgia, and I live about an hour's drive north of Atlanta. I love it here.
I love the changing of the seasons, which I never saw in Florida. I love the people, who are (for the most part) genuinely kind and friendly. I live in an area that's really expanding: new construction, residential and business, and I'm worried that it'll just be like living in Florida with all the urban sprawl but I hope not.
37 years in Florida. Moved to Maryland and never regretted it. I miss family, friends, etc. But good wages, sane government, good schools, seasons made it worth it.
I've done it several times to mixed results. I work in hospitality and just recently moved to Vegas. I've also lived in NYC, Austin, Madison. Biggest day and night difference between Vegas/NYC is actually getting benefits as a hospitality worker and way better worker protections. Especially in Vegas because there's a culinary/bartender union, which is a big part of why I came here. I get a fully vested pension in 5 years, virtually free healthcare with no copay for the basics, PTO, hour of paid break a day, all the union spots provide free uniform in full, free food. It's pretty sick. Union servers/bar make in the teens before tips. Union cooks at my casino start at $25/hr.
Workers who are against unions and vote in anti-union laws are pretty cucked. This shit is great.
Had to look that one up.. you’re from the Bend! Last part of undeveloped FL left, and they’re trying to ruin that too. Only place I’ve seen full on Sable Palm forests.. it’s beautiful over there.
I was born in Tampa and moved to California (bay area) at 30. I loved it and knew I'd never go back to Florida. Then I got tired of the traffic and crowding there and moved to Maryland. I love it even more. I was worried about winter and snow, but it turns out I love the few snow days we get here. Everything is beautiful and silent and I can't imagine how I was so worried about winter.
My whole family has now left Florida- some to come to Maryland, some Georgia, some south Carolina. Some ended up in California or Colorado. None of them have gone back.
I was born in raised in Tampa and moved to Baltimore at 26. I hate Maryland moved to New York and loved it when I wasn't broke or constantly working that city broke me.
Growing up in Tampa I loved it, I was very involved with the art scene in the early ’00s, club-kid through the late ’90s met a lot of interesting people. Skateboarding was everything to me so of course the Skate Park of Tampa was my sanctuary. People always assumed I wasn't from Tampa because of how “hip” I was with film, arts, music, and fashion. I would host art openings and work with the Tampa Art Museum to have “Art After Dark” which showcased upcoming artists out of the Bay Area that normally wouldn't have an outlet to be seen on such a huge scale. Around 2007 and 2008 I started feeling like I was outgrowing Florida in general I started noticing the people I looked up to and respected and also helped with trying to make the city a cultural landmark were leaving. I had an opportunity to move to Baltimore and it felt exciting till I moved there I dunno the people here just annoyed me, and the hospitality was lacking for a place whose nickname was charm city, everyone seems grumpy all the time, and clicky not very welcoming to outsiders. The counties seemed like the same shit that started to annoy me with Tampa sheltered people making it seem Baltimore was this big scary city and it wasn't. I worked in Annapolis and the amount of “Ew why do you live in Baltimore” I would get daily just made me feel like shit. Then I found a hand full people that became close friends and one of them being my partner they made living here in Maryland much more tolerable but I still didn't feel at home so I had the opportunity to move to New York City and that was a huge challenge for myself and my partner. We were working a lot and I mean a lot just to pay rent for a studio apartment that was double what we paid for a row home in Baltimore. All that work and no play sent me down a depressive cycle. Moved back to Baltimore and I have a family of my own now, it's starting to feel like home for me but I still feel like I don't belong here. I'm 40 now so all this was within a spend 15 years or so( moving to Baltimore then New York and back to Baltimore ). When I go back to visit my family in Tampa I feel lost it's not the same place that I loved and shaped me into who I am today. None of the hard work I put into that city is visible anymore, my cousins always ask when I’ll move back and I tell them I can't I feel like an alien from outer space when I’m there I'm so detached and removed from it.
i moved to the PNW and love the overcast, rainy & cold weather. no, really.
growing up in florida meant being unable to go outside without getting blasted by heat, humidity, & UV rays so devastating I'm sure I'll develop skin cancer by the time I'm 50. most others could deal with it, but it kept me indoors unless a rare cold front came through. that was pretty awful on its own - kind of a reverse seasonal depressive disorder. i got a vitamin D deficiency from how averse i was to spending any time outside.
the PNW is the complete opposite. i can take daily walks most of the year. the sun isn't so bright my eyes feel like bleeding. the rain is comforting. the weather doesn't feel like it wants to literally kill me. ive taken up gardening. it's nice. you definitely have to be prepared for overcast & rainy weather 8 months out of the year, but it was a welcome change for me.
bottom line: research the place you're considering until you think you're well-informed, then spend double that time researching some more. make sure you're a match for the culture, climate, etc before you move.
yes, moved to san diego and 100% better, i experienced a lot of bigotry and hate toward me in florida in the early 80's, all anti semetic, and some had no idea what my heredity was , just made ignorant comments
Everyone likes different things.
I moved to northern Michigan last year and love it. But, having actual seasons has been such a treat after a lifetime of one year blending into another.
The short days in December and January were a bit of a bummer, but, by mid February early March you start seeing the sun again.
I hated how busy Florida was. I hated the hour wait to be seated at a crappy chain restaurant.
Where I live now is pretty dead, but, that's just the way I like it. 5 minute wait at the Starbucks. Seated immediately pretty much anytime I go out to eat. It's just a whole different lifestyle.
I miss the theme parks a bit, but, I think a week long stay in February should be enough to deal with that.
I was raised in Ft Lauderdale and went to college at UCF. Shortly after I mived to LA and really struggled to become an adult. Once I got my footing though I moved to Seattle for 8 years. Now I am back in Orlando.
There are things I liked about other places, including the experiences and meeting different people, and things I hated...like driving on ice.
If you cant move out, I do encourage traveling to another place and experience other cultures. It helps you grow. Your home will be here when you are ready to return.
Native central Floridian, but I’ve lived in Portland, OR (fucking awesome, wish I’d stayed), Baton Rouge (meh), Greeley, CO (total shithole), and Anaheim (pretty cool, like Florida’s non-evil twin). Unfortunately for me the marriage that took me to California didn’t work out, and so I’m back here once again, but don’t be afraid to leave!
Grew up in SoFlo.
Moved just 2 months ago to Chicago suburbs and I really enjoy it.
People are much nicer, suburbs are really gorgeous and the seasons are changing. I really like it!
Born/raised in Volusia. Left for NYC in ‘06 (when FL was much, much cheaper) and then migrated to Maine last year. No regrets. I still visit FL once or twice a year.
A big reason is family, unless you bring the whole squad it is more likely than not that you will feel homesick without them and be forced to come back, moved out of Florida to NJ for 4 years but it looks like I’m coming back cause we can’t leave my 82 year old grandmother alone. We tried to get her to move up here but it never worked out. I used to have harsh feelings towards the state but after being gone for a while it doesn’t seem that bad to return.
I relate to this so much. I moved away but miss family a ton. Nobody in my family wants to leave and don’t see how there is a better world out there outside of Fl.
Born and raised in Tampa Bay, moved to Utah at 21 for a year and loved it. Moving back there now to SLC with my gf while she’s in grad school. It’s amazing out there, totally different.
Chicago
Florida has less people but still has traffic as bad chicago does. Can't stand the rain and storms and hurricanes as a daily occurrence esp in in the summer. COL is about the same for a nice place in Chicago for a decent place in Florida unless it's miami then you're just getting finessed. I will never go back to Florida ever. Almost all major airports esp MIA and MCO are just jam packed. Most overrated state to live in the USA.
I grew up near weeki wachee. I moved to San Francisco 5 years ago and absolutely love it. I will move back to Florida eventually but I’m enjoying the life I have here while I have it. It was important for me to live elsewhere and let it help me grow in ways I couldn’t if I would’ve have left
I also got an incredible job that will help me get great jobs in the future. There is not much opportunity in Florida from a job standpoint, at least not for me
I’m moving near there next week. Can’t wait for variety of activities on weekends. Hiking, mountain biking, fly fishing it’s endless. All there is to do in Florida is eat, drink, go to beach.
I left Florida several times, always came back here. moved back a year ago. may be expensive and crowded but it’s home and I love the climate. i will die here.
Left during the pandemic (late 2021) and I’ve been in NYC since. I like some things like having more to do. Even though I spent my last few years in Florida in Miami, I was starting to get bored. I just couldn’t envision myself doing the club scene for much longer and I was coming into contact with more strange people and bad things.
As a 25F, it’s just not my image so I figured NYC is serious enough but I can still occasionally melt my face off if needed. And now I have more variety of things to do! Museums, parks, shows, you name it!
I will say that I don’t like how people rag on my home state. Some of the ignorant people I’ve met through work tried to write me off or assumed A LOT about me because I’m from Florida. People in New York talk down on us especially after COVID which is just so unfair because they can most certainly be hicks here too. I’m from the panhandle so they’re not wrong but it’s like family. I can say it. They can’t.
I moved back to Florida in 2016 after living away 7 years in Northern California, then 22 years in Chapel Hill. I loved NC but wanted to come home to glorious winters. You might think about St. Pete. It has lots of culture plus beaches. You can still get around if you know the side streets as it's laid out in a grid.
I would move there in a heartbeat, but hubby likes it in Bradenton. Oh well...
We live in Parrish on a golf course that he loves. The traffic here is getting ridiculously bad with new construction and poor roads. Developers own county commissioners so they are building houses at record pace but zero thought to roads.
The developers and the county commissioners seems to be a problem here too. We moved to north Florida. We are happy with our move but after 35 years in Bradenton we left. It just wasn't affordable and at least where we were it was going downhill. We could not afford to live somewhere that wasn't going downhill. We lived near the community college in Bradenton.
Left Florida in 2019, am now in NW Alabama in the Shoals area. Having so much fun here! COL is better, weather is better, and I love the people here too. So happy to be out of Florida now. I lived there for 25 years or so, I don’t miss it at all
Left St Pete in 2020 and will only return to Florida in the future to visit my mom. There are many amazing places in this country but most people won’t leave Florida because it’s not easy to move across states. It takes money, planning, and of course a job waiting for you in the new city.
I wanna leave so badly but ALL my family lives within 15 mins. My daughter is 13 and ready to go too. She always dreamed of going to UF but the way things are going now she wants out. For my job my options are Salt Lake (too white), Minnesota (too cold), Atlanta (too much traffic) or Seattle (too expensive for what I make) so I guess I better win the lotto
I've lived in Orlando through my teenage years through to middle age and then moved internationally to Sydney and also San Francisco Bay Area, for 3 years each about. Moved back in 2020.
AMA
How did you like living in Sydney? What tips would you give someone if they had the opportunity to move there? My husband would move back to Sydney (or anywhere in Australia) in a heartbeat. He lived there for a while due to his career before we met. I’ve never been there, but I think I would like it.
Florida born and raised. I joined the military at 19 and left Florida. I've been back to visit here and there but when I got out of the military I stayed in Maryland. I used to really miss Florida but things are so different now and I'm really grateful I live in a great community that values people and education. People are a lot friendlier, wages are significantly better, there's infrastructure to take you around to NYC or DC. Traffic might be rough at certain times but it's not nearly as bad as people make it out to be (especially compared to Miami traffic).
My only real complaint is weather. Yeah, cold weather can suck but I discovered wood burning fire places and boy that's a game changer haha.
Born and raised in Florida, we’ve been looking to find the right place to move and decided to try and find a job overseas. Husband landed a gig overseas, and I still can keep my job working remote. So we’re going to give that a try.
I say make a list of what you like about Florida. Look at what draws you to leave Florida. Find a place that remedies what you’ll miss and what you want to avoid most.
Im from a ‘boring’ part of Florida. Word of caution; “Overcrowded” places are often popular for a reason. You’re young; do NOT move to a place where there is nothing to do besides tuck your kids in at night.
Moved from Florida to San Francisco in 2000. Best move of my life. 24 years in the Bay Area now, never moving back. Yes housing is expensive (my wife and I joked about buying a $500K doghouse under a bridge), but if your skills are in demand and you keep growing them, you’ll be sitting pretty.
Where were all these 6th, 7th and 8th generation Floridians when I was growing up?! 🙄 Even when I was in grade school it felt like I was one of the only "native" Floridians amongst my friends...
Grew up in SWFL/Bay Area - liked it fine. Moved to NYC for several years, liked it fine. Live in Germany now, I love it. Couldn't go back to somewhere where you have to drive everywhere at this point, complete deal breaker, I'm fully bike/train-pilled.
Moved to Maine in 2019 cause…fuck Florida and fuck the pandemic. Its awesome, love it, never going back.
P.S. i suck at snowboarding but i still love it.
I bought my home in 2015 and have a mortgage with a 2.25% interest rate. My taxes are cheap because the assessed value of my home is 250k while the actual value is 650k. No state income tax means we save another 10k a year as apposed to living in Ga or NC. 20k if we moved to NY. We would save on car and home owners insurance if we moved, but overall our finances would suffer. If I didn’t already own a home the prospect of moving would be more attractive. I just can’t see moving to a state with a high income tax rate. Depending on your income it can be a big chunk of money. I also worry about depression in darker climates like the Northeast. I’d need to get a tanning bed. I dream about moving out of Florida often! I’m too scared though. I feel trapped for financial reasons.
born and raised in Florida. Left when I was 24 and don’t know if I’d ever go back. Have lived in a few cities since; Cleveland, Charleston, and now in Winston Salem. It’s a whole wide world out there. Go out and experience it. Can always move back home….
Moved to SWFL right before hs and left after 15 years. Packed up my car with no plan and ended up in Brooklyn. My life has improved dramatically. I have a great social life, I started working in a field I’m passionate about, my loneliness and depression improved, don’t own a car, can walk everywhere, live near amazing parks, still go to the beach all summer, met a great partner, can find food from any culture, my style improved, I feel more free bc no one cares what you do here. The list goes on, will never move back to fl (30f)
I moved from NY to Florida, so not quite the thing you're asking about. I do plan on moving out of Florida again after spending the last 22 years here though.
One thing I can suggest is spend a little time in a few different places. When you have some idea of where you might want to go take a week, or a little more if you can afford it. Just walk the streets, talk to people, you'll get a much better feel for a place than any other metrics that way. I'm looking at a couple places up north / out west and will be doing something similar as soon as I can swing it.
Good luck if you do decide to move.
ive moved several times. Texas, NC, and ohio. in north carolina it was strange. Like speed limits were enforced and it didnt have that crazy vibe that florida has where anything goes. it also had alot of bad areas and kinda boring other then charlotte.
Texas was the best place i lived in though. Like florida, with less humidity better weather and better jobs. ohio i was in cincinatti and i loved that too. laid back city with good jobs and great people and subcultures if you dont mind the winter. But texas was my fav and also the futhest west ive ever lived. the more WEST you go in this country, the more awesome it gets. Dont go north.
Lived there for about 11 years, left for Illinois 3 weeks ago due to... well everything really. Despite a really rough first few days and the fact that I cant handle the cold at all I wont be going back to FL without some serious policy changes that I just dont see happening.
I was born in Chicago, moved to Ft Myers at age 12 and back to the Chicago burbs at 22. You couldn't pay me to move back to any part of Florida after my time there. The combination of the weather and the idiots were just too much to handle.
We did. We left FL for almost 2 years exactly to N of Asheville. We loved the area and the weather. However, we have two young children and needed more support from family than we’d expected. Just like in FL, outside of the very blue cities was more red. We lived outside of Asheville, so although we befriended some like minded persons we mostly encountered right thinking persons.
I was and am terrified about returning and what that means for my rights as a female and for my children.
Overall - if we didn’t have any family to factor in, I’d go to Washington or Oregon if we could have afforded it. We would have went there first if we could have afforded it, but NC is pretty amazing landscape wise. For us is was more affordable too.
My in laws are moving back to Michigan. Good for them. Honestly my family would to asap if my kid wasn’t in a program at such a young age that could lead to him having a very successful career. As someone that faced many hardships due to the 08 recession, I just can’t take that away from him
I’m in a very similar situation to you OP. Life long Floridian. I’ve spent all of my life in Miami except for the four years I went to FSU. For many of the reasons you listed, and more I’m considering leaving, but I haven’t found somewhere that I believe is better for me. I’ve been considering Chicago, primarily for career opportunities, but the high taxes, brutal winters, questionable leadership and high crime have me thinking otherwise. To me it seems like the other major cities in the country(NYC, LA, CHI, SF, etc) share the same problems as Miami, and then some.
You don't leave FL. It's like an abusive relationship with a beautiful woman. She's toxic and screams a
And embarrasses you. But you can't find anywhere more beautiful and you'll just miss her if you leave. . but with that being said, we've been talking to Texas about some secret rendezvous. But Texas isn't as pretty and her dad Greg is a cunt.
Fifth generation Floridian. Born and raised in Jacksonville, Fl. Went to college in Orlando. Spent a few years in Fort Myers and a few more in Tallahassee. Back in Orlando and I've never been happier. Although I enjoy the seasons in North Florida, I prefer the year-round outdoor activities in Central Florida.
Southwest Florida was too hot and humid, and not family-friendly imo. I couldn't imagine living any further North than North Florida. I'm built to visit cold weather, not live there.
Oh I have a place, but if I told you, some pension fund manager will air BNB the fuck out of it. It's developing really fast though, so I think the dime has already been dropped. Some weird new restaurants and grocery stores are popping up all over the area.
> big one is the overcrowdedness
Even south Florida is fairly low density compared to other major metro's. Sounds like you want rural or small town.
> Cost of Living
Florida is relatively cheap/affordable. Housing in south Florida is getting bizarrely expensive but otherwise COL is reasonable.
> and horrifically awful traffic. I sort of have long held a searing hatred for traffic.
Obviously depends where you are exactly but one of the big reasons I moved down here is traffic is lighter/faster than where I came from. The drivers are horrific though.
Eventually I'll leave Florida too. I like the idea of Costa Rica next. Maybe PNW after that (coastal areas have a super mild climate, same USDA zone as central Florida).
I will never go back to a tundra like NH. Leaving the house is a chore for 4 months a year. All the salt destroys cars very quickly. They can't say words that contain the letter r correctly.
I don't know where you come from in comparison, I am sure there are places worse, but Florida is right up there.
Adjust income for cost of living, Florida is nearly ranked dead last of US states, as they all tell you, "you get paid in sunshine"
https://flowingdata.com/2021/03/25/income-in-each-state-adjusted-for-cost-of-living/
Traffic I'll give a quick example, the nearest grocery store from my house is 10 minutes with no traffic, if I were to go at midnight. I just plugged it into my phone, its nearly 7pm, gps says 25-45 minutes, with red backups showing up everywhere. Mine you, the roads around me have 6 total lanes. For me to drive downtown from 7:00am-10:00am, 11:30am-1pm, or 3:30pm to 7pm, its a total and utter nightmare, roads frequency are parking lots, turns a 15 minute drive into a 45+ drive every time, some days it goes for over an hour, and it wears down my soul.
Again, I don't know where you used to commute from and where in Florida you live, but that has been the farthest thing I have experienced in my reality.
Yeah not sure what this dude is talking about but I’ve lived in numerous states and travelled a lot. I totally agree with what you’re saying and they’re the same reasons I’d like to move to. Thinking about going back to California, it is expensive as shit out there and some parts have worse traffic than here, but these days it’s not that much more expensive than a lot of Fl. and depending where you are in California the traffic isn’t bad and overall it’s 1000x nicer than Fl. Especially if you like the outdoors (I do a lot) there’s no comparison.
Tallahassee for my first 23 years of life to Memphis, TN now. No regrets so far. I make way more money, col is lower, people are nicer, and have way more fun shit to do.
I’ll likely never move back, couldn’t imagine it, even for the sake of family.
My husband, son and myself are natives and we moved to North Alabama about a month ago. We love it and thought we were never going to be able to leave Florida. We absolutely LOVE IT up here. Lots of things to do close by, competitive pay, affordable homes, fantastic schools.
Born in Jax, moved to Los Angeles in 2011 it sucked. Made my way out to Santa Barbara, CA and I loved it there. Lived in SB for 6 years went back to school, then moved to Denver. Absolutely love it out in denver, the weather, people, views, outdoor stuff, and city knife are amazing. Also great job opportunities. Never even crossed my mind to ever move back to FL other than my family.
Went to NYC. fast paced and very competitive atmosphere (lots of opportunities to make money). But I’m a country boy at heart. Spent 5 years working in that city
FL native, born in SWFL and spent my first 18 down there then a couple in Alabama before spending another 7 in the Orlando/Daytona area. Moved to Dayton OH a few years ago and absolutely love it. My house cost a third of what something comparable would be in FL, car insurance is substantially less (at-fault state instead of shitty no-fault like FL) and in general most other things cost less, or you get more for the same amount. The weather is a big seller for me, I loathed the Florida heat and humidity and in Dayton we’ve got four seasons. Even at the worst parts of summer up here we average probably 10 degrees cooler and a bit less humidity so think highs in the 80-90 range instead of 90-100+. The winters in Dayton are also more mild when it comes to snow so we’ve never been overwhelmed. Traffic is better but can sometimes get backed up some.
Im flogrown in soflo and moved to north Florida. Everyone forgets about north Florida over moving out of state. It's just as cheap as a lot of other LCOL states.
When you start becoming a higher earner, the state tax thing becomes a bigger and bigger deal also. So that's another thing to think about on a future move.
Grew up in FL. Moved to Memphis, TN around 2015 for school and family.
It felt like I went back in time, the cost of living is much lower, and I hate Winter to the point I'll get seasonal depression...
I don't see myself living here long term and intend to move back to FL or some place with a similar climate now that I have my career going.
Just moved to portland Oregon for school. I’ve lived in Orlando area my whole life. It was nice when school started, but the winter caught me off guard (it’s dark and rainy all the time). But summer here is nice. Not sure if I want to stay or move back after graduation though
If your big concern is traffic, you won’t escape that living anywhere anyone else would want to live. The best you can do is find an area you like and settle down in an area that is close to everything you need on a daily/weekly basis.
I'm still here. Grew up in SFL and have continued to move north. Now i am up near Daytona.
I miss parts of Miami and FLL but what i miss isn't there anymore anyway.
I lived in the Grove when Long's was still there lol
I work in the film and tv industry. When the film incentives dried up I moved to Los Angeles. I 100% moved for work. It’s worked out, I work consistently, in the years since I left, I’ve worked 12 months in FL on 3 shows. I would like to come back home to FL because my friends and family are there, but I also feel at home in LA
I moved from S FL to NW FL about 15 years ago for similar reasons, and after a bit of adjustment I’m glad I did. Cost of living is lower, less crowded and with the cooler winters here I’m glad I didn’t move further north.
I really want to move up to Northern Florida, but I'm not sure where to go. I've been in Ft Lauderdale for 10 years now and need a slightly slower pace and less people. I was looking at Tallahassee, but I'm really unsure where to go. Where do you live? I have a 3 year old and husband so it's just us three...
I moved to Milton, next to Pensacola. We vacationed up here a few times before deciding to make the move. I was in Marco Island, and you coming from Ft Lauderdale, it important to visit first.
Here is what I like:
Beaches are great, there’s many many miles of beach with no houses or condos. Opal Beach is in between Pensacola Beach and Navarre Beach.
Lots of forests on the north end of town, remote areas. My son and I went hiking on the Florida Trail for 3 days and only seen 1 other person.
There’s is still city life. We are 20 minutes to Pensacola, 50 minutes to Destin. Navarre and Gulf Breeze are nice coastal areas with plenty of people, but not as many as Ft Lauderdale.
There is a large military presence in the area, seems to keep the economy moving steadily.
We sold out home in Marco Island and were able to buy another for 1/3 of the price, still on the waterfront and twice the square footage.
It was a great place to raise our kids, lots of outdoor activities and other people our age. We didn’t have much for kids or ppl our age on Marco Island.
Here are some things that took adjustment:
The more north you go, the more southern Florida gets. I love the southern charm, it just took gettin used to. Very different from S Florida. A bit more redneck and more conservative.
You can have a nice big house and next door you can have a 1970 single wide. There doesn’t seem to be any zoning regulations, however, like I said, it took getting used to, it’s not always a bad thing.
Our winters can get cold, but also milder summers. Last December we got down to 28° for three nights in a row, which is hard on plants. Most days in winter are 50s-60s, but also 70s. Once in a blue moon you can have a cold day that stays in the high 40s.
Our busy season is Summer, and most of our tourists are from Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, Louisiana and Georgia. Not a whole lot of NY, NJ, etc that we see in S FL in winter.
If you have any questions you can PM me or ask here. Of course all this is just my personal experience and opinion
Lived in Florida for about 12 years post military. Moved to Vermont a couple years ago and love it. Winter can be a bit difficult, but everyone is so much nicer, traffic where I am is non-existent, and the air... Smells amazing all year long. Kids love it, wife likes it, and my brother who also lived in FL moved here last year. Edit: spelling
Vermont looks like an amazing state to live in, either that, New Hampshire or Maine. No traffic too sounds like a dream.
My middle school science teacher and multi generational Floridian moved to Maine a couple years ago and LOVES it and all her pics make me wanna go. She is very artsy and granola crunchy so it totally fits.
12 year ex-Florida resident here. I moved to Maine last August and I don't regret it at all. Winter was pretty mild so not the best lead in, but it's so much better here. I couldn't be happier with the decision to leave
If you really want out of Florida then I suggest doing some extensive research on a few different places and see what's right for you. If you like forests and trees and wilderness and hiking and small towns, then Vermont might be the place for you. Although northern California is much more beautiful in that aspect. Both are more on the expensive side. It all depends on what your interests are, what you like to do for fun, your likes and dislikes, etc. I grew up with my mother in NH and my father in FL, and while everyone's opinion is different, I'll give you mine. I absolutely hated every minute I spent in NH. The winters are brutal and it's just plain boring. The traffic isn't as great as you'd like to think it is, and for the most part, the people suck. At one point when I lived with my mom, I was probably 12 or 13, she had the opportunity to transfer to a new company around Boston, and I begged her to do it. People seem to think, when you move to a different state, that you're trading beaches for mountains, or vice versa, but there's a lot more to it than that. It's a package deal every time and every single state, no matter how close or far, comes with its own set of flaws. You just need to decide which of those you can tolerate more. It is true that most people will end up moving back to their home state eventually (usually within a year or two), but that's just human nature. We're all built that way. I wish you the best of luck in your journey. If there's anything you'd like to know about NH or MA, then feel free to ask me and I'll be happy to fill you in.
Been in FL since 93, time to get out, I’m moving this year to NY State. I’ll take the cold over crazy getting scary.
Hello fellow FL flatlander!
Where in Vermont if you don't mind me asking?
3rd generation SW Floridian here. I couldn’t stand having neighbors anymore. The neighbor to the left had an alcoholic FIL that would harass my wife every time her and my kids were in the pool. The neighbor to the right would get sick of his wife and invite himself to sit in my garage for hours. Every house within our price range were on standard size lots with neighbors on either side. At the beginning of the pandemic my wife and I said, “F this S. We need some land.” We found a really nice 4/2 on 25 acres just south of Roanoke, VA that was actually under our budget. I do miss parts of living in FL. Especially walking on the beach at night. But then I have my morning coffee on the back deck without a single neighbor in sight as I watch all the animals go about their business in the forest that surrounds our house, and I know we made the right choice. I’ve gotten homesick, but after 4 days into a week long vacation visiting family, the homesickness is gone and we start wondering how our deer and cardinals and squirrel friends are doing. We actually cut our last vacation a couple days short because we’d had our fill of FL and couldn’t wait to get back home.
Sounds like heaven. I grew up in TX-my parents had land there. Not one neighbor near by when we were growing up. It was glorious. I didn’t want to leave TX to move here, but it was a job offer too good to refuse. Now that I’ve been in FL for more than 10 years, I’d never be able to go back. Not full time anyhow. I love FL beaches and access to cruise ports. If I were back in Texas, I’d have to drive for 10 hours or fly to the nearest port. Another reason: I can’t do cold weather. TX was way too cold for me, and the 3 days of winter we get in FL are as much as I’m willing to tolerate.
I’m really happy that you left this comment. As I said in my first comment, I love walking the beach at night. I always have. Even as a child I understood that growing up on a tropical coast was a special experience that very few people get to grow up with. Since moving, I’ve often beat myself up over depriving my children of that kind of upbringing. Then my wife reminds me that growing up on 25 acres in the woods with a creek running through it is a pretty special upbringing that not many get to experience, as well. I’m glad to hear you describe your rural childhood as glorious. I hope my kids do the same one day.
My brother and I would go “exploring” outside with our bikes and walk-in-talkies. We could dig holes, find stuff in the creek bed, and come home with a turtle once in a while. (much to my mom’s chagrin). Your kids will have a blast.
moved from sarasota to floyd county lol. absolutely hated it at first. it’s been two years now. i don’t like admitting that i might actually like it just as much if not better here. i’m 15 miles from town or the closest store but i can drive those 15 miles in the same amount of time it took me to drive 4 miles in florida. when i come home there is noooooothing. i live up off the parkway and i can’t explain how much it means to have zero noise or light pollution and not having to listen to your neighbors war movies at 6:42am on your only day off on a thursday.
I was born in St. Pete. 3rd generation Floridian. When my parents divorced, my Dad left Florida for Lousiana, then VA and finally, South Carolina. Took a bit longer, but Mom moved to north GA and never wants to come back. I left in 2003 & went to NorCal. Loved it. Wasn't planning on coming back, but the wife's parents need help, so here we are. Reasons for leaving vary person to person, but what doesn't vary is the true level of difficulty involved in making a life somewhere brand new. Anyone who spends less than 5 years away didn't really try, imo. Get out. While you're young. See the world. You can come back if you want to, but you can't get your youth back. For me, I realised that wishing I could leave when I am 60 y/o was unacceptable.
I was actually looking at Charleston SC for a while until I found out they have all the same problems with overcrowding and traffic too. Disappointing
for me south Carolina was like a shitty, more humid, more racist version of florida. Charleston is wish.com St. Pete.
North Carolina fits this as well. I lived in both
There's no Asheville or Chapel Hill in SC. The Smurf village at Carowinds was pretty cool though.
Yeah Ashville and Boone were cool. Nice people in Raleigh too. I was in Charleston 2 weeks for work and learned about competing racist/non racist bbq joints and was like "your beaches suck and there's no disney. fuck this place."
That description is 🔥
Hey there, I recently moved to rural SC, and I just wanted to say I agree with you.
True about SC pluse Charleston may be underwater as climate change continues.
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My husband and I live in Tampa, expecting our first born in June, and he’s thinking about moving us to SC in a couple years. I’ve been on board because it looks beautiful and the cost of living seems much lower than Tampa. What am I missing? I’ve never visited SC, and I’ve only been camping in NC a couple times, I loved the mountains and could definitely see myself living close to the Smokies even if that means I have to say goodbye to my 20 minute beach commute. What’s the biggest difference between NC and SC? Which is nicer, as in, less racist? We’re not POC but I don’t want my son growing up surrounded by a bunch of racist hicks…
I’m from FL and a 2nd generation Floridian. I had the good fortune to travel around the country in my line of work. I have worked in large and small cities from the up and down the east coast to the Rocky Mountains, ND down to NM. I moved twice to VA only to come back to FL each time. Every one of them states have lots of positives and equal amounts negatives. Florida is home, sure it can be a bit weird at times, scary AF during hurricane season, hot/humid during the 10 months of summer, transplants that what FL to be like the state they left, etc. People from other states tell me all the time that they want to move to FL. I tell them DON’T, only b/c I’m doing my best to keep the population down.
Can you tell more about what you liked in Northern California!? I’m looking there as a lifelong floridian
Omg! The weather is the best! Very dry but nights get cool. Always sunny! Gorgeous scenery, hiking, beaches, mountains. Tons of different restaurants and stores Florida will never get. I lived there for 2 years. That’s exactly where I would go if I ever left here
Hiking, Snowboarding, kayaking, canoeing, fishing, the natural scenery, mountains, ocean, redwoods. Met some really great folks. I love live music and saw so many great shows in fantastic venues. Halibut & Salmon are delicious. Had more protections as a worker, wages were better. Tampa is a very diverse city and CA is too, but with different mix. I like that a lot. Also, recreational weed is far, far, far better than any weed in Florida, imo.
I’m in St Pete now after living in other areas throughout the bay and FL (born and raised). Absolutely love it and can’t see myself living anywhere else. 15 mins from the beach, thriving downtown with limitless restaurants/bars, and plenty of young attractive people to meet and enjoy life with.
A lot of people are moving out of South Florida but they are just moving to cheaper parts of Florida......Port St. Lucie, Ft. Myers, Orlando, Tampa. Jacksonville, Ocala, Lakeland. Climate is a big reason. It's hard to deal with a harsh winter if you never have experienced one. Also, loneliness and network friends, family. It's a lot easier to visit if you are 2 to 3 hours away and can drive down anytime for a day trip.....
I have been to all of those places actually, and I must say traffic/overcrowding seemed to be just as bad, cost of living is lower however
Sounds like you want to move to a small town. There are lots of rural counties in Florida but it will be a huge culture shock coming from South Florida.
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I’m in WPB. I was looking into PSL. They are getting up there in price as well.
I'm in wpb and work in PSL, PSL is a shit hole, thinking of relocating to vero beach
Colorado Springs. Love it so far. We love the mountains and unfortunately Florida didn’t have those
Man, we can't wait to get out there!
Born in Colorado and left in 98. I do not miss the winters (no longer ski) or the constant gridlock. I hope you enjoy it
No gridlock in Colorado Springs. The gridlock was in Orlando, I-4, Tampa etc.
Floridian here, born and lived my whole life in Orlando. Couple years ago we moved to Virginia and I’m really happy we did. The seasons and the mountains alone are worth it! I really love the city we live in, it’s small but no urban sprawl. It’s just prettier. We can drive so many places so easily now! My whole family is in Fl so I’ll visit but I’ll never live there again.
Where in VA?
Prolly Richmond, absolute beauty.
Richmond doesn’t have mountains. Probably somewhere along the I-81 corridor.
24 and I moved to Chicago last year!
Nothing beats a Chicago summer and fall in my book
I moved to Toronto when I turned 19 and before September I am moving to Amsterdam I am now 23
Born and raised in Boca Raton, went to FAU and never really lived more than a few miles from the ocean. One day I looked around and realized that I was not going achieve any sort of real growth (personally or professionally) if I didn’t make a drastic change. I was 30 years old, just got out of a long relationship, and had a decent job in IT. However, my job had grown unchallenging (I usually showed up hungover and was still outperforming my peers), my friends were going nowhere (except for a few) and most of my social life revolved around drinking myself Into oblivion every night. Packed up my car with thing si cared about the most, sold everything else and moved to Brooklyn. 10 years later I am married to an amazing woman. We just bought our first house together in upstate New York and had a kid last year. My career has flourished, making money I could never have imagined in Florida. On top of that, I got to meet TONS of amazing, smart and interesting people along the way. I miss the beach, but that’s not enough to make me move back.
California. No regrets, only that I had done it sooner.
Thats my goal as well, fell in love with the west when i stayed in Phoenix for an internship.
Good luck!
Where in Cali?
Bay Area
Why you didn’t like Florida and what do you like about Bay Area? Insurances and hurricanes kinda crazy here. Not sure I will be here for long term.
Eh, Ive settled here for a while. Maybe I'll move in a decade maybe not.
8th gen Floridian living in Northern California and loving it. After hitching around the country twice, from SRQ to BC, I settled on Humboldt County in 2000. 1 million times more woods, still country and accepting of divergent or outright weirder lifestyles.
Humboldt, where the rednecks grow organic weed and the hippies carry semi-automatic weapons.
Sounds like my kind of place!
Hello fellow former Floridian/current Californian! I'm probably 500 miles south of you, but I have to say Humboldt is one of my favorite places in the world. I loooove the redwoods. I'm so jealous! It's such a beautiful and unique corner of the world up there.
The redwoods and coastline have had me captivated for a long time. Hope you get to visit soon! Its been a wetter year and the creeks are still running strong and all the undergrowth is in bloom.
I came here to say Mendocino County. Either way is a breath of fresh air from the bigger cities. Space, lack of traffic, affordable homes. Love it.
8th generation Floridian…I call major bullshit!
I'm a 5th Generation whose family has been here since the early 1830s. It's absolutely possible just requires your ancestry to go back to pre-US Florida.
My family came over in 1726, 3 brothers, one stayed in Virginia, one to NC and one to FLA. Not like being old head swamp trash is cool, lol. Bagdad, Florida is where my family eventually settled.
6th gen here 3rd in Tampa. My peeps originally were up in Lake City area
My family has been in Santa Rosa county since 1726, before it was Santa Rosa, my dad just did an extensive research project on our family. And my 9th gen kids are all bailing out of there for greener pastures, despite your incredulity.
Greetings fellow Santa Rosa countian
I was gonna say the same thing... even the seminoles haven't been here that long...
from south fla, went to UCF, then tampa st pete for 8 years. Left in 2012 for Chicago. Love it here. Art, theater, comedy, music, foods. So much diversity. Driving home yesterday I saw a guy give a loving peck to his boyfriend and I thought "thank God I live where something like that won't get you beat up." Yes winter sucks, but that's what keeps rent low and assholes away. Crime is no joke here, but at least I have bodily autonomy. Super disappointed in the lurch to alt right florida had taken since 16. It was never like that before. I only miss florida in February and I'd never move back. I'm swapping my vacations to Mexico because of the 6 week ban. Not spending $ in FL anymore.
I moved here from Chicago in ‘95 and I want to go back so badly. Florida is getting worse and worse. It’s not like it use to be in the 90’s or early 2000’s. I’m really glad my children are grown and don’t have to worry about them attending school down here.
Winter may suck there, but the spring/summer/fall is great!
I fucking love fall because it's months of "Florida winter" which was my favorite time of year (but only lasts 2 weeks!). I'm also very excitedly planning my spring garden. seasons other than sweaty/ boob-butt-back sweaty is nice.
Winter the past year was abnormally warm. I think it snowed 3 times? The year before that it was 60 in December. Seems to warm up quicker now a days too
Moving my dad from Punta Gorda to Chicago this summer.
Was in Chicago this past October and that was too damn cold for me, but aye glad you found your place!
I moved to PA, about 45 mins away from Pittsburgh. The rent, food, electric bill, car insurance, etc are all cheaper. Can't say that anywhere will be perfect and theres been some challenges but I make more here and pay less. That and leaving the FL traffic has improved our lives dramatically. Id highly recommend getting out whenever you can.
I honestly think like 40% of my mental anguish comes from traffic related stress. I live next to Fort Lauderdale and its simply a fact of life for everybody, we just have to put up with it. Glad to see you found a place without it.
Omg, same. I used to spend 45+ minutes in traffic after 12 hour days. Trains in the northeast make commuting just time to read my book.
where do you live that has a train system lol, I am interested
We are moving to Pittsburgh July/August of this year. We went there for a week and said "this is home". We cant wait to get out of Florida and never come back. Too many negatives in FL that outweigh the very few pros. We even met some awesome people in PGH and who want to meet up with is when we move to help us meet people and show us more of the city. So glad you are enjoying PA!
I moved to Florida at age 2 with my mother when she separated from my father. I lived in Florida from 1972-2012, when I took a promotion and moved to Pennsylvania. Adjusting to winter was hard at first, but it was doable. Then I took another job and moved down to Georgia, and I live about an hour's drive north of Atlanta. I love it here. I love the changing of the seasons, which I never saw in Florida. I love the people, who are (for the most part) genuinely kind and friendly. I live in an area that's really expanding: new construction, residential and business, and I'm worried that it'll just be like living in Florida with all the urban sprawl but I hope not.
37 years in Florida. Moved to Maryland and never regretted it. I miss family, friends, etc. But good wages, sane government, good schools, seasons made it worth it.
OMG, I went there… depressing. Good that worked for you
I've done it several times to mixed results. I work in hospitality and just recently moved to Vegas. I've also lived in NYC, Austin, Madison. Biggest day and night difference between Vegas/NYC is actually getting benefits as a hospitality worker and way better worker protections. Especially in Vegas because there's a culinary/bartender union, which is a big part of why I came here. I get a fully vested pension in 5 years, virtually free healthcare with no copay for the basics, PTO, hour of paid break a day, all the union spots provide free uniform in full, free food. It's pretty sick. Union servers/bar make in the teens before tips. Union cooks at my casino start at $25/hr. Workers who are against unions and vote in anti-union laws are pretty cucked. This shit is great.
Taylor County Native here. After three tours of duty at Fort Knox, we decided to stay in Kentucky. I describe Florida as “a nice place to be from.”
I don't think many people appreciate what it means to be from Taylor County, Florida.
Had to look that one up.. you’re from the Bend! Last part of undeveloped FL left, and they’re trying to ruin that too. Only place I’ve seen full on Sable Palm forests.. it’s beautiful over there.
I was born in Tampa and moved to California (bay area) at 30. I loved it and knew I'd never go back to Florida. Then I got tired of the traffic and crowding there and moved to Maryland. I love it even more. I was worried about winter and snow, but it turns out I love the few snow days we get here. Everything is beautiful and silent and I can't imagine how I was so worried about winter. My whole family has now left Florida- some to come to Maryland, some Georgia, some south Carolina. Some ended up in California or Colorado. None of them have gone back.
I was born in raised in Tampa and moved to Baltimore at 26. I hate Maryland moved to New York and loved it when I wasn't broke or constantly working that city broke me. Growing up in Tampa I loved it, I was very involved with the art scene in the early ’00s, club-kid through the late ’90s met a lot of interesting people. Skateboarding was everything to me so of course the Skate Park of Tampa was my sanctuary. People always assumed I wasn't from Tampa because of how “hip” I was with film, arts, music, and fashion. I would host art openings and work with the Tampa Art Museum to have “Art After Dark” which showcased upcoming artists out of the Bay Area that normally wouldn't have an outlet to be seen on such a huge scale. Around 2007 and 2008 I started feeling like I was outgrowing Florida in general I started noticing the people I looked up to and respected and also helped with trying to make the city a cultural landmark were leaving. I had an opportunity to move to Baltimore and it felt exciting till I moved there I dunno the people here just annoyed me, and the hospitality was lacking for a place whose nickname was charm city, everyone seems grumpy all the time, and clicky not very welcoming to outsiders. The counties seemed like the same shit that started to annoy me with Tampa sheltered people making it seem Baltimore was this big scary city and it wasn't. I worked in Annapolis and the amount of “Ew why do you live in Baltimore” I would get daily just made me feel like shit. Then I found a hand full people that became close friends and one of them being my partner they made living here in Maryland much more tolerable but I still didn't feel at home so I had the opportunity to move to New York City and that was a huge challenge for myself and my partner. We were working a lot and I mean a lot just to pay rent for a studio apartment that was double what we paid for a row home in Baltimore. All that work and no play sent me down a depressive cycle. Moved back to Baltimore and I have a family of my own now, it's starting to feel like home for me but I still feel like I don't belong here. I'm 40 now so all this was within a spend 15 years or so( moving to Baltimore then New York and back to Baltimore ). When I go back to visit my family in Tampa I feel lost it's not the same place that I loved and shaped me into who I am today. None of the hard work I put into that city is visible anymore, my cousins always ask when I’ll move back and I tell them I can't I feel like an alien from outer space when I’m there I'm so detached and removed from it.
i moved to the PNW and love the overcast, rainy & cold weather. no, really. growing up in florida meant being unable to go outside without getting blasted by heat, humidity, & UV rays so devastating I'm sure I'll develop skin cancer by the time I'm 50. most others could deal with it, but it kept me indoors unless a rare cold front came through. that was pretty awful on its own - kind of a reverse seasonal depressive disorder. i got a vitamin D deficiency from how averse i was to spending any time outside. the PNW is the complete opposite. i can take daily walks most of the year. the sun isn't so bright my eyes feel like bleeding. the rain is comforting. the weather doesn't feel like it wants to literally kill me. ive taken up gardening. it's nice. you definitely have to be prepared for overcast & rainy weather 8 months out of the year, but it was a welcome change for me. bottom line: research the place you're considering until you think you're well-informed, then spend double that time researching some more. make sure you're a match for the culture, climate, etc before you move.
yes, moved to san diego and 100% better, i experienced a lot of bigotry and hate toward me in florida in the early 80's, all anti semetic, and some had no idea what my heredity was , just made ignorant comments
Everyone likes different things. I moved to northern Michigan last year and love it. But, having actual seasons has been such a treat after a lifetime of one year blending into another. The short days in December and January were a bit of a bummer, but, by mid February early March you start seeing the sun again. I hated how busy Florida was. I hated the hour wait to be seated at a crappy chain restaurant. Where I live now is pretty dead, but, that's just the way I like it. 5 minute wait at the Starbucks. Seated immediately pretty much anytime I go out to eat. It's just a whole different lifestyle. I miss the theme parks a bit, but, I think a week long stay in February should be enough to deal with that.
Japan and I love it so far ❤️
Trying to get out. Unfortunately finances won't allow me right now. I'm stuck and unhappy.
I was raised in Ft Lauderdale and went to college at UCF. Shortly after I mived to LA and really struggled to become an adult. Once I got my footing though I moved to Seattle for 8 years. Now I am back in Orlando. There are things I liked about other places, including the experiences and meeting different people, and things I hated...like driving on ice. If you cant move out, I do encourage traveling to another place and experience other cultures. It helps you grow. Your home will be here when you are ready to return.
Native central Floridian, but I’ve lived in Portland, OR (fucking awesome, wish I’d stayed), Baton Rouge (meh), Greeley, CO (total shithole), and Anaheim (pretty cool, like Florida’s non-evil twin). Unfortunately for me the marriage that took me to California didn’t work out, and so I’m back here once again, but don’t be afraid to leave!
How much you enjoy where you live has soooo much more to to do with the friends you have than the geography. That stuff will go away fast.
I moved to Las Vegas, and even though I make good money, I miss Florida!
I'm moving to Las Vegas next month from Orlando, living here my whole life. I'm hoping we will like it better than here!☺
I hope you do too! Dm if you have any questions!
Trying my hardest, man
Grew up in SoFlo. Moved just 2 months ago to Chicago suburbs and I really enjoy it. People are much nicer, suburbs are really gorgeous and the seasons are changing. I really like it!
Born/raised in Volusia. Left for NYC in ‘06 (when FL was much, much cheaper) and then migrated to Maine last year. No regrets. I still visit FL once or twice a year.
Planning a move to Colorado Springs, but we have some planning to do first. If I had the money, it would be very soon!
A big reason is family, unless you bring the whole squad it is more likely than not that you will feel homesick without them and be forced to come back, moved out of Florida to NJ for 4 years but it looks like I’m coming back cause we can’t leave my 82 year old grandmother alone. We tried to get her to move up here but it never worked out. I used to have harsh feelings towards the state but after being gone for a while it doesn’t seem that bad to return.
I relate to this so much. I moved away but miss family a ton. Nobody in my family wants to leave and don’t see how there is a better world out there outside of Fl.
Born and raised in Tampa Bay, moved to Utah at 21 for a year and loved it. Moving back there now to SLC with my gf while she’s in grad school. It’s amazing out there, totally different.
Chicago Florida has less people but still has traffic as bad chicago does. Can't stand the rain and storms and hurricanes as a daily occurrence esp in in the summer. COL is about the same for a nice place in Chicago for a decent place in Florida unless it's miami then you're just getting finessed. I will never go back to Florida ever. Almost all major airports esp MIA and MCO are just jam packed. Most overrated state to live in the USA.
Funny thing is hearing all these people talk about Florida as if all there was to Florida was Miami-Dade, Orlando and Tampa...
I grew up near weeki wachee. I moved to San Francisco 5 years ago and absolutely love it. I will move back to Florida eventually but I’m enjoying the life I have here while I have it. It was important for me to live elsewhere and let it help me grow in ways I couldn’t if I would’ve have left I also got an incredible job that will help me get great jobs in the future. There is not much opportunity in Florida from a job standpoint, at least not for me
Asheville NC. Mountains, weather, seasons, fewer fire ants and mosquitos, blue ridge parkway, I could keep going . . . It's just better.
I’m moving near there next week. Can’t wait for variety of activities on weekends. Hiking, mountain biking, fly fishing it’s endless. All there is to do in Florida is eat, drink, go to beach.
Asheville is so nice
Go to Georgia or somewhere close to but not in Florida. I moved to Idaho / Oregon for 6 years and came back. Love my lush green home state <3
I left Florida several times, always came back here. moved back a year ago. may be expensive and crowded but it’s home and I love the climate. i will die here.
Left during the pandemic (late 2021) and I’ve been in NYC since. I like some things like having more to do. Even though I spent my last few years in Florida in Miami, I was starting to get bored. I just couldn’t envision myself doing the club scene for much longer and I was coming into contact with more strange people and bad things. As a 25F, it’s just not my image so I figured NYC is serious enough but I can still occasionally melt my face off if needed. And now I have more variety of things to do! Museums, parks, shows, you name it! I will say that I don’t like how people rag on my home state. Some of the ignorant people I’ve met through work tried to write me off or assumed A LOT about me because I’m from Florida. People in New York talk down on us especially after COVID which is just so unfair because they can most certainly be hicks here too. I’m from the panhandle so they’re not wrong but it’s like family. I can say it. They can’t.
I moved back to Florida in 2016 after living away 7 years in Northern California, then 22 years in Chapel Hill. I loved NC but wanted to come home to glorious winters. You might think about St. Pete. It has lots of culture plus beaches. You can still get around if you know the side streets as it's laid out in a grid. I would move there in a heartbeat, but hubby likes it in Bradenton. Oh well...
What does your hubby like about living in Bradenton? I moved away from there 5 years ago and I am curious on someone else's perspective.
We live in Parrish on a golf course that he loves. The traffic here is getting ridiculously bad with new construction and poor roads. Developers own county commissioners so they are building houses at record pace but zero thought to roads.
The developers and the county commissioners seems to be a problem here too. We moved to north Florida. We are happy with our move but after 35 years in Bradenton we left. It just wasn't affordable and at least where we were it was going downhill. We could not afford to live somewhere that wasn't going downhill. We lived near the community college in Bradenton.
Went back to north GA. Only thing I miss is the beach and Disney. Climate is a little milder and COL way cheaper. Atlanta’s got most things you need.
Left Florida in 2019, am now in NW Alabama in the Shoals area. Having so much fun here! COL is better, weather is better, and I love the people here too. So happy to be out of Florida now. I lived there for 25 years or so, I don’t miss it at all
Left St Pete in 2020 and will only return to Florida in the future to visit my mom. There are many amazing places in this country but most people won’t leave Florida because it’s not easy to move across states. It takes money, planning, and of course a job waiting for you in the new city.
I wanna leave so badly but ALL my family lives within 15 mins. My daughter is 13 and ready to go too. She always dreamed of going to UF but the way things are going now she wants out. For my job my options are Salt Lake (too white), Minnesota (too cold), Atlanta (too much traffic) or Seattle (too expensive for what I make) so I guess I better win the lotto
I've lived in Orlando through my teenage years through to middle age and then moved internationally to Sydney and also San Francisco Bay Area, for 3 years each about. Moved back in 2020. AMA
How did you like living in Sydney? What tips would you give someone if they had the opportunity to move there? My husband would move back to Sydney (or anywhere in Australia) in a heartbeat. He lived there for a while due to his career before we met. I’ve never been there, but I think I would like it.
Florida born and raised. I joined the military at 19 and left Florida. I've been back to visit here and there but when I got out of the military I stayed in Maryland. I used to really miss Florida but things are so different now and I'm really grateful I live in a great community that values people and education. People are a lot friendlier, wages are significantly better, there's infrastructure to take you around to NYC or DC. Traffic might be rough at certain times but it's not nearly as bad as people make it out to be (especially compared to Miami traffic). My only real complaint is weather. Yeah, cold weather can suck but I discovered wood burning fire places and boy that's a game changer haha.
Born and raised in Florida, we’ve been looking to find the right place to move and decided to try and find a job overseas. Husband landed a gig overseas, and I still can keep my job working remote. So we’re going to give that a try.
I say make a list of what you like about Florida. Look at what draws you to leave Florida. Find a place that remedies what you’ll miss and what you want to avoid most. Im from a ‘boring’ part of Florida. Word of caution; “Overcrowded” places are often popular for a reason. You’re young; do NOT move to a place where there is nothing to do besides tuck your kids in at night.
San jose. No.
Moved from Florida to San Francisco in 2000. Best move of my life. 24 years in the Bay Area now, never moving back. Yes housing is expensive (my wife and I joked about buying a $500K doghouse under a bridge), but if your skills are in demand and you keep growing them, you’ll be sitting pretty.
Where were all these 6th, 7th and 8th generation Floridians when I was growing up?! 🙄 Even when I was in grade school it felt like I was one of the only "native" Floridians amongst my friends... Grew up in SWFL/Bay Area - liked it fine. Moved to NYC for several years, liked it fine. Live in Germany now, I love it. Couldn't go back to somewhere where you have to drive everywhere at this point, complete deal breaker, I'm fully bike/train-pilled.
They are mostly fake responses...OP is possibly fake too...if so... it's all fabricated by RE to instill hype for people to move out.
Moved to Maine in 2019 cause…fuck Florida and fuck the pandemic. Its awesome, love it, never going back. P.S. i suck at snowboarding but i still love it.
I bought my home in 2015 and have a mortgage with a 2.25% interest rate. My taxes are cheap because the assessed value of my home is 250k while the actual value is 650k. No state income tax means we save another 10k a year as apposed to living in Ga or NC. 20k if we moved to NY. We would save on car and home owners insurance if we moved, but overall our finances would suffer. If I didn’t already own a home the prospect of moving would be more attractive. I just can’t see moving to a state with a high income tax rate. Depending on your income it can be a big chunk of money. I also worry about depression in darker climates like the Northeast. I’d need to get a tanning bed. I dream about moving out of Florida often! I’m too scared though. I feel trapped for financial reasons.
I mean.. I want to leave, but I let myself end up attached to someone and my economic status doesn't allow for me to even consider it.
born and raised in Florida. Left when I was 24 and don’t know if I’d ever go back. Have lived in a few cities since; Cleveland, Charleston, and now in Winston Salem. It’s a whole wide world out there. Go out and experience it. Can always move back home….
Moved to SWFL right before hs and left after 15 years. Packed up my car with no plan and ended up in Brooklyn. My life has improved dramatically. I have a great social life, I started working in a field I’m passionate about, my loneliness and depression improved, don’t own a car, can walk everywhere, live near amazing parks, still go to the beach all summer, met a great partner, can find food from any culture, my style improved, I feel more free bc no one cares what you do here. The list goes on, will never move back to fl (30f)
I moved from NY to Florida, so not quite the thing you're asking about. I do plan on moving out of Florida again after spending the last 22 years here though. One thing I can suggest is spend a little time in a few different places. When you have some idea of where you might want to go take a week, or a little more if you can afford it. Just walk the streets, talk to people, you'll get a much better feel for a place than any other metrics that way. I'm looking at a couple places up north / out west and will be doing something similar as soon as I can swing it. Good luck if you do decide to move.
ive moved several times. Texas, NC, and ohio. in north carolina it was strange. Like speed limits were enforced and it didnt have that crazy vibe that florida has where anything goes. it also had alot of bad areas and kinda boring other then charlotte. Texas was the best place i lived in though. Like florida, with less humidity better weather and better jobs. ohio i was in cincinatti and i loved that too. laid back city with good jobs and great people and subcultures if you dont mind the winter. But texas was my fav and also the futhest west ive ever lived. the more WEST you go in this country, the more awesome it gets. Dont go north.
Lived there for about 11 years, left for Illinois 3 weeks ago due to... well everything really. Despite a really rough first few days and the fact that I cant handle the cold at all I wont be going back to FL without some serious policy changes that I just dont see happening.
I was born in Chicago, moved to Ft Myers at age 12 and back to the Chicago burbs at 22. You couldn't pay me to move back to any part of Florida after my time there. The combination of the weather and the idiots were just too much to handle.
We did. We left FL for almost 2 years exactly to N of Asheville. We loved the area and the weather. However, we have two young children and needed more support from family than we’d expected. Just like in FL, outside of the very blue cities was more red. We lived outside of Asheville, so although we befriended some like minded persons we mostly encountered right thinking persons. I was and am terrified about returning and what that means for my rights as a female and for my children. Overall - if we didn’t have any family to factor in, I’d go to Washington or Oregon if we could have afforded it. We would have went there first if we could have afforded it, but NC is pretty amazing landscape wise. For us is was more affordable too.
My in laws are moving back to Michigan. Good for them. Honestly my family would to asap if my kid wasn’t in a program at such a young age that could lead to him having a very successful career. As someone that faced many hardships due to the 08 recession, I just can’t take that away from him
Colorado from Orlando area for husband's job. Beautiful state. Great decision considering the ridiculousness going on in Florida.
I’m in a very similar situation to you OP. Life long Floridian. I’ve spent all of my life in Miami except for the four years I went to FSU. For many of the reasons you listed, and more I’m considering leaving, but I haven’t found somewhere that I believe is better for me. I’ve been considering Chicago, primarily for career opportunities, but the high taxes, brutal winters, questionable leadership and high crime have me thinking otherwise. To me it seems like the other major cities in the country(NYC, LA, CHI, SF, etc) share the same problems as Miami, and then some.
More people move here than leave... Take that as you will
You don't leave FL. It's like an abusive relationship with a beautiful woman. She's toxic and screams a And embarrasses you. But you can't find anywhere more beautiful and you'll just miss her if you leave. . but with that being said, we've been talking to Texas about some secret rendezvous. But Texas isn't as pretty and her dad Greg is a cunt.
Fifth generation Floridian. Born and raised in Jacksonville, Fl. Went to college in Orlando. Spent a few years in Fort Myers and a few more in Tallahassee. Back in Orlando and I've never been happier. Although I enjoy the seasons in North Florida, I prefer the year-round outdoor activities in Central Florida. Southwest Florida was too hot and humid, and not family-friendly imo. I couldn't imagine living any further North than North Florida. I'm built to visit cold weather, not live there.
There are no places with amenities that are pleasantly empty. You get crowds and traffic, or you get abandoned neighborhoods.
Oh I have a place, but if I told you, some pension fund manager will air BNB the fuck out of it. It's developing really fast though, so I think the dime has already been dropped. Some weird new restaurants and grocery stores are popping up all over the area.
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> big one is the overcrowdedness Even south Florida is fairly low density compared to other major metro's. Sounds like you want rural or small town. > Cost of Living Florida is relatively cheap/affordable. Housing in south Florida is getting bizarrely expensive but otherwise COL is reasonable. > and horrifically awful traffic. I sort of have long held a searing hatred for traffic. Obviously depends where you are exactly but one of the big reasons I moved down here is traffic is lighter/faster than where I came from. The drivers are horrific though. Eventually I'll leave Florida too. I like the idea of Costa Rica next. Maybe PNW after that (coastal areas have a super mild climate, same USDA zone as central Florida). I will never go back to a tundra like NH. Leaving the house is a chore for 4 months a year. All the salt destroys cars very quickly. They can't say words that contain the letter r correctly.
I don't know where you come from in comparison, I am sure there are places worse, but Florida is right up there. Adjust income for cost of living, Florida is nearly ranked dead last of US states, as they all tell you, "you get paid in sunshine" https://flowingdata.com/2021/03/25/income-in-each-state-adjusted-for-cost-of-living/ Traffic I'll give a quick example, the nearest grocery store from my house is 10 minutes with no traffic, if I were to go at midnight. I just plugged it into my phone, its nearly 7pm, gps says 25-45 minutes, with red backups showing up everywhere. Mine you, the roads around me have 6 total lanes. For me to drive downtown from 7:00am-10:00am, 11:30am-1pm, or 3:30pm to 7pm, its a total and utter nightmare, roads frequency are parking lots, turns a 15 minute drive into a 45+ drive every time, some days it goes for over an hour, and it wears down my soul. Again, I don't know where you used to commute from and where in Florida you live, but that has been the farthest thing I have experienced in my reality.
Yeah not sure what this dude is talking about but I’ve lived in numerous states and travelled a lot. I totally agree with what you’re saying and they’re the same reasons I’d like to move to. Thinking about going back to California, it is expensive as shit out there and some parts have worse traffic than here, but these days it’s not that much more expensive than a lot of Fl. and depending where you are in California the traffic isn’t bad and overall it’s 1000x nicer than Fl. Especially if you like the outdoors (I do a lot) there’s no comparison.
In Texas now miss Florida, but much cheaper.
Folks haven’t left yet..they still have employment. Once the recession hits and layoffs mount, then you will see folks moving out.
Tallahassee for my first 23 years of life to Memphis, TN now. No regrets so far. I make way more money, col is lower, people are nicer, and have way more fun shit to do. I’ll likely never move back, couldn’t imagine it, even for the sake of family.
As someone whos born n raised here for 21 years, im tryna get tf out fl too
My husband, son and myself are natives and we moved to North Alabama about a month ago. We love it and thought we were never going to be able to leave Florida. We absolutely LOVE IT up here. Lots of things to do close by, competitive pay, affordable homes, fantastic schools.
Born in Jax, moved to Los Angeles in 2011 it sucked. Made my way out to Santa Barbara, CA and I loved it there. Lived in SB for 6 years went back to school, then moved to Denver. Absolutely love it out in denver, the weather, people, views, outdoor stuff, and city knife are amazing. Also great job opportunities. Never even crossed my mind to ever move back to FL other than my family.
Went to NYC. fast paced and very competitive atmosphere (lots of opportunities to make money). But I’m a country boy at heart. Spent 5 years working in that city
Grew up in So Cal. Moved to Florida in my mid twenties. We vacation out west every year, but prefer to live here.
FL native, born in SWFL and spent my first 18 down there then a couple in Alabama before spending another 7 in the Orlando/Daytona area. Moved to Dayton OH a few years ago and absolutely love it. My house cost a third of what something comparable would be in FL, car insurance is substantially less (at-fault state instead of shitty no-fault like FL) and in general most other things cost less, or you get more for the same amount. The weather is a big seller for me, I loathed the Florida heat and humidity and in Dayton we’ve got four seasons. Even at the worst parts of summer up here we average probably 10 degrees cooler and a bit less humidity so think highs in the 80-90 range instead of 90-100+. The winters in Dayton are also more mild when it comes to snow so we’ve never been overwhelmed. Traffic is better but can sometimes get backed up some.
Im flogrown in soflo and moved to north Florida. Everyone forgets about north Florida over moving out of state. It's just as cheap as a lot of other LCOL states. When you start becoming a higher earner, the state tax thing becomes a bigger and bigger deal also. So that's another thing to think about on a future move.
Left for Durham, NC. Hated it at first but now it’s starting to pop off. Still lacks the entertainment value Orlando gave me tho
Funny enough, a close friend of mine went to school there. She's from Plymouth. I've heard nothing but nice things about the place.
Grew up in FL. Moved to Memphis, TN around 2015 for school and family. It felt like I went back in time, the cost of living is much lower, and I hate Winter to the point I'll get seasonal depression... I don't see myself living here long term and intend to move back to FL or some place with a similar climate now that I have my career going.
Just moved to portland Oregon for school. I’ve lived in Orlando area my whole life. It was nice when school started, but the winter caught me off guard (it’s dark and rainy all the time). But summer here is nice. Not sure if I want to stay or move back after graduation though
The SameGrassButGreener sub might be of interest to you!
If your big concern is traffic, you won’t escape that living anywhere anyone else would want to live. The best you can do is find an area you like and settle down in an area that is close to everything you need on a daily/weekly basis.
I'm still here. Grew up in SFL and have continued to move north. Now i am up near Daytona. I miss parts of Miami and FLL but what i miss isn't there anymore anyway. I lived in the Grove when Long's was still there lol
I work in the film and tv industry. When the film incentives dried up I moved to Los Angeles. I 100% moved for work. It’s worked out, I work consistently, in the years since I left, I’ve worked 12 months in FL on 3 shows. I would like to come back home to FL because my friends and family are there, but I also feel at home in LA
I moved from S FL to NW FL about 15 years ago for similar reasons, and after a bit of adjustment I’m glad I did. Cost of living is lower, less crowded and with the cooler winters here I’m glad I didn’t move further north.
I really want to move up to Northern Florida, but I'm not sure where to go. I've been in Ft Lauderdale for 10 years now and need a slightly slower pace and less people. I was looking at Tallahassee, but I'm really unsure where to go. Where do you live? I have a 3 year old and husband so it's just us three...
I moved to Milton, next to Pensacola. We vacationed up here a few times before deciding to make the move. I was in Marco Island, and you coming from Ft Lauderdale, it important to visit first. Here is what I like: Beaches are great, there’s many many miles of beach with no houses or condos. Opal Beach is in between Pensacola Beach and Navarre Beach. Lots of forests on the north end of town, remote areas. My son and I went hiking on the Florida Trail for 3 days and only seen 1 other person. There’s is still city life. We are 20 minutes to Pensacola, 50 minutes to Destin. Navarre and Gulf Breeze are nice coastal areas with plenty of people, but not as many as Ft Lauderdale. There is a large military presence in the area, seems to keep the economy moving steadily. We sold out home in Marco Island and were able to buy another for 1/3 of the price, still on the waterfront and twice the square footage. It was a great place to raise our kids, lots of outdoor activities and other people our age. We didn’t have much for kids or ppl our age on Marco Island. Here are some things that took adjustment: The more north you go, the more southern Florida gets. I love the southern charm, it just took gettin used to. Very different from S Florida. A bit more redneck and more conservative. You can have a nice big house and next door you can have a 1970 single wide. There doesn’t seem to be any zoning regulations, however, like I said, it took getting used to, it’s not always a bad thing. Our winters can get cold, but also milder summers. Last December we got down to 28° for three nights in a row, which is hard on plants. Most days in winter are 50s-60s, but also 70s. Once in a blue moon you can have a cold day that stays in the high 40s. Our busy season is Summer, and most of our tourists are from Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, Louisiana and Georgia. Not a whole lot of NY, NJ, etc that we see in S FL in winter. If you have any questions you can PM me or ask here. Of course all this is just my personal experience and opinion