Posted on 05/10/2007 6:40:31 PM PDT by CertainInalienableRights
Dear FRiends,
I have an employment opportunity I am seriously considering. Although right now, it is local, there is a strong possibility that sometime in the future I would be asked, or could choose, to relocate to Florida, specifically the Fort Lauderdale area.
I'm currently single, in my late 30s, but I still have hopes of having a family. I've been told by people that work for this company that they have a difficult time getting people with families to locate from the midwest to Florida. The general feeling up here is that Florida isn't exactly a "family friendly" place to raise children due to the conspicuous wealth, crime, drugs, population, etc.
I'm sure a lot of this is stereotyping, and some of it is likely true of any area with a population density that is high.
But, I wanted to get a sense from fellow conservatives as to what they have experienced and what opinions they have on this subject.
Also, I live in the city now, and had planned on moving to a more rural area nearby due to the low housing costs - driving an hour or a little more to work wouldn't be a problem for me. Are reasonable parcels of land available an hour outside an area like Fort Lauderdale (away from the coast) - I'd like something around 5 acres. Up in Ohio outside of Cleveland, a 5 acre lot in a rural area with a modest home is in the neighborhood of 200k, give or take.
Lastly, what does a conservative Christian (Catholic) Ohio boy need to know about life in Florida?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Lastly, what does a conservative Christian (Catholic) Ohio boy need to know about life in Florida?
Don’t move south of Orlando. Florida is actually two states: South Florida and North Florida.
PJ, any advice for this guy?
But I'd never give up the midwest. Just my opinion.
5 acres of swamp an hour west of Lauderdale will run you probably $2 mil, if you can find a bargain. =8-0
Ohio boy need to know about life in Florida? ..............There are 2 seasons, one has tourists the other does not. The ‘Not” season has light traffic, the other has slow traffic. In some cases you will look at the car infront of you on the HWY and question whether there is a driver in it or not. If you are heading down to Florida and the RVs are facing you, you picked the right time to come down. The West side of Florida is still affordable in land. The closer to the water you are the higher the prices will be. The cheaper the area the less chance of better schools.
We live on the West Coast of Florida. Unfortunately, 200K will not buy much of a house, much less any acreage. Prices in the Ft Lauderdale area would even be higher, I imagine.
We've lived in the Orlando area since '02 and we love it. Sure, it's kind of frumpy, but there is a sizeable Conservative presence (not too mention a little more protection from the hurricanes by being dead center in the state.) Freep mail me if you have any specific questions.
Plan and make decisions for who you are now, and let the future develop. Don’t second-guess in advance for decisions about people and things that are not in your life yet. Should they come along in the future, make decisions about those things then.
My .02
In July 1998, I threw everything I owned into the backseat (and trunk) of a ‘98 Toyota Camry and moved to Houston, TX. Just do it and never, ever look back. However, after my 20 month consulting assignment was up, I did move back to the state where I was born (Ohio). It’s good to take risks, even insane one’s (but only if you’re single). :O)
It’s expensive to live here ... anywhere in this state.
The pay blows ..... employers know they have a captive workforce who will stay here no matter what a job pays.
If you work in medical billing come on down.
Or if you own your own company and can work from home. Most locals are lilly white working three jobs and never see the sun.
My city has many illegal aliens and they have big families.
I just checked Realtor.com.
My little two story house in Cleveland that’s worth maybe 1$100k looks like a mansion in comparison for what I could get for 4x the price down there.
But hey, if the compensation is commensurate, then that makes all the difference.
I just want to go in with my eyes open.
What you need to know is that all the long time South Forida people who consider themselves fairly conservative and polite have either left or are planning to leave. I've had friends who left the state when the wanted to start a family. I also have friends with children who stayed and did really well, but they were very involved with their children's schools. Broward county schools were bad thirty years ago and still are, but like I said it's possible to make it work.
The traffic is terrible. There is no longer any land to add or expand roads, yet there will be old neighborhoods torn down to put in high density housing. All the politicians are Democrats. Real estate, taxes, and insurance are high. Unless you absolutely love the ocean, humidity, rude people, diversity, several different languages, and make lots of money I'd say stay away.
If you decide to move here anyway try to live as close to your job as possible. That will make it somewhat bearable.
Things I miss about Florida:
No state income tax
Seafood
Beach
Been there, done that. Real Estate agents will tell you, the average turn over is two years. Oh, and the kids hated it.
I’ll take the Colombians in Broward over the Put, er, Puerto Rican in Whore-lando anyday of the week. Besides, the only beach in Orlando is a swamp. ;-)
That is becoming less true everyday. I have family in Ocala and trust me, South Florida is moving north of Central Florida faster than you think.
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