[Blessings2You]

Some family members might be relocating to Florida. Now, I'm a New Englander forever, and when I think Florida, I think oppressive heat, heavy traffic, rampant crime, alligators eating household pets, devastating hurricanes, bugs the size of raccoons, and pythons in your plumbing.

I know, I know. I'm poorly informed.

So, Florida folks, here is your chance: tell me what's great about where you live! Toward what part of your state, or what city, should I steer this family who is determined to be "somewhere warm"? Where is the best place in Florida to live? Go ahead, convince me!

[braingonebad]

Originally Posted by Blessings2You

Some family members might be relocating to Florida. Now, I'm a New Englander forever, and when I think Florida, I think oppressive heat, heavy traffic, rampant crime, alligators eating household pets, devastating hurricanes, bugs the size of raccoons, and pythons in your plumbing.

I know, I know. I'm poorly informed.

So, Florida folks, here is your chance: tell me what's great about where you live! Toward what part of your state, or what city, should I steer this family who is determined to be "somewhere warm"? Where is the best place in Florida to live? Go ahead, convince me!

Huh... that's about how I think of it. Paradise, no?



I'm not there yet, but i'm moving north of Orlando - dh works in Sanford.



We're probably going to move to De Leon Springs, small town, very wooly. Not your thing if all those wild beasties bother you. Still close to shopping, but not TOO close.


I kinda like wildlife, but we'll see how much I like it when there are bears and boars in my backyard.

You know, you can google pix of areas. It's a good time to buy down there at any rate.

[Blessings2You]

Thanks...I think I insulted everybody that ever lived in Florida with my post!

It's not me that's moving anyway, and I'm not sure what this family's criteria are for "safe"...crime? alligators? hurricanes? (Never thought of bears and boars!)

They've been surfing around online, but let's face it: every town/city's website says it's the BEST place to live! I trust people who live/lived there.

[braingonebad]

Let me just say, it's not like I've spent years there. A few weeks. But I have family that's been there decades, so I've visited. My last trip was almost 3 weeks. I was not just laying up in a hotel that time, cuz I really wanted to get a feel, since I'm gonna be living there. I was out and about, driving it, walking it, you know?

The heat is what it is. Dh gives me the daily scoop - storms every day this time of year, heat's from 90 something to like 110, doesn't cool off too much at night - 85? 80?

It's a whole diff story in Jacksonville area, but Orlando, issa hot one.



But, there is a constant constant breeze. We don't get that up here north. It comes from the ocean, it comes from the gulf, but come it does. And it feels really good.

And you hide from the worst of the sun, just like up here, we don't stand around outside when it's 5 below. We go inside in the heat during winter. You dress for it, you work around it. There ain't a place down there what ain't A/C.

Even the flea markets have fans that blow water mist and are under tents.

As for gators, just stay outta the water and you're good. They do not come looking for people. There are retention ponds, lakes, rivers, etc everywhere. I would swim in a pool or the ocean, but stay out of any other water, because the gators tend to stay IN.

Dh sees a couple almost every day. Most are pretty small - 4-5 ft long. All the times I've been there, never seen a one. My bro had two of them, at diff times, in the pond in front of his house. One was mellow and he let it alone. It just wandered off one day, never saw it again. The other startd getting mean, he called fish and game ( I think - or some wild life people), they came and took it away.

There was a 12ft in dh's river they had to come get too, got too mean.

But it never ate the pets or kids. Bro was bitten by a brown scorpion in his garage yrs ago, but was okay. Guess in the news, a couple horses were bitten by rattle snakes.

Lately, there have been a lot of shark bites over by Daytona.

Mostly, if you see the terrain you can imagine wild animals living out where it's overgrown. Some of those places are just jungle, lol. In the cities, I'd doubt a lot of wildlife is gonna be there.

As far as crime, there is a website that has stats - I don't know if I have the link, it was on my other pc. I doubt I'll feel as safe anywhere there as I have where I am now crimewise.
Just used to here, you know? I know all the towns, they all have their own flavor, know what to expect.

But Florida is no diff than any state that way. Every area has it's own flavor. I had no idea there were so many lifestyles you could live there - boating, fishing, horse riding, ocean front, condo, - you name it, you got it.

But thing is, it is all so beautiful. Flowers all year, everywhere. Exotic trees and plants. It doesn't look like anywhere else in this country. People - the ones I met - were all so friendly, seem so happy, lively. Everyone is out living.

Yeah, they act like they're trying to kill you when they're driving, but once they're out of their cars, they're really nice!



I can't wait. I'm painting as fast as I can....

[Blessings2You]

Wow, I'm going to print out your comments and pass them along. They'll have to make their own choice, of course, but I don't think they really know anybody down there to ask!

[SallyC]

My Brother lived there, in the St Pete's area for years and loved it, but he had to share his world with the bigs bugs and the gators. He was a golfer and many a time had to step aside for a gator..

[Momma's Kids]

Sweetie, its not that bad...I lived there for 15 years in Winter Haven. It does get hot, never seems to cool until after January and then only until about April.

Alligators are usually not a big problem unless you live close to a lake and I lived close to three, no problem with pets, I had three dogs...

There is a lot to do, beaches, shopping, theme parks, movies, mini golf, golf courses...otherwise known as Florida snowballs.

Crime is everywhere...I hated Miami...Orlando is ok...I liked where we lived...close to Tampa, Orlando, Daytona, etc. Centrally located, traffic not so bad...we lived outside the city limits but well within any convience we needed.

Sanford close to Daytona, Orlando is nice. Lakeland is larger than WH, nice, has more malls, closer to Tampa. Hope they enjoy...I'm with you, I love cold...I would move farther North if I could.

Oh...that breeze...doesn't last all summer...it comes and goes, some days it really does get hot enough to pop a windshield...
Drivers...hey, if you can drive through Atlanta or Augusta Georgia...you can sho nuff drive anywhere on this good green earth. lol

[Blessings2You]

Thanks, COK/Momma...actually, I think they are looking around the Tampa/Lakeland area, so that's good news! There are millions of people happy to be living in the south, but I won't be one of them.

My brother lives in North Carolina, and all summer I say to him, "Ugh, how can you STAND it?" And all winter he says to me, "Ugh, how can y'all STAND it?" Just goes to show ya.

[kicker]

I was born and lived in Jersey for 46 years. Now I realize most smelt, the was crime, conjestion but I loved it! Good bread, Italian Hot dogs, good pizza, Deli Sloppy Joe's. In Maryland got a beautiful house and yard, but snakes and toads and voles, lousey pizza and bread no Italian Hot Dogs or Sloppy Joe's from deli, but crab cakes, Johns Hopkins and Baltimore close (do no miss NYC, love Baltimore!!) No matter where you live, mostly we adjust, hate something, love something. There are Armadillos in Fla!! I love them!

[braingonebad]

LOL Kicker! When my family went through NJ on vacation - 15 yrs ago - the smell was the 1st thing they nosticed, the 1st thing i remembered. Like hot black top and bus fumes.

Still that *aroma* brings me right back there. When ever the kids or dh gets a whiff like that, they'll say "Smells like New Jersey!" Recalling our trip fondly.



B2Y - I think you two have hit it on the head. It's about where you're used to. People live all over, and they figure it out.

I am not just going to FL because I want to. Dh does not have a job here in OH anymore, so we have to move. I could freak about all this. There's a million things I could worry about, be sad and mad about.

But that won't change or help anything. So I have decided to consider that this is the way it's supposed to be, and it's all *One Big Adventure*. Even if a lot of it sucks.