People from Florida

DandyDoug

DandyDoug

750cc
We lived in Fl. for over 15 years and liked it ok at first . Then it became a real pain. We lived in Ft. Myers for a while then Tampa , both the south side and north side.
Tampa has become very congested traffic wise so plan on spending more time commuting than you might think.
There are always jobs in the medical field, and as someone else suggested you might look in to teaching. Florida standards for teachers requirements seem to be very loose.
We got out just before the real estate bust and there are lots of great deals on housing now I am told by friends there. By the time you are ready to move it will be different I am sure.
You might do a bit of research on what the new governor is attempting to do with taxes and incentives for companies to move there. Some of my friends are happy about it and others not.
Oh yea, both you and your wife should take up Spanish as a second language.
 
D

dscott3509

Two Stroke
I used to be really bad about being a grammar nazi. As I took foreign languages and attempted to communicate with ESL students in their native tongue, I decided that it was more important to get my point across than get the grammar perfect.
 
Thruxtonian

Thruxtonian

Street Tracker
As a Florida native, I've been here about 40 years total. Like anything else, there's good and bad. I'm in the Orlando area, and as Koi put it, Orlando is a zoo. Pretty much a shooting or murder daily, population over a million, and I want out. But then winter hits and hmmm maybe it's not so bad after all. Google Lake Nona to see the gigantic medical research facility being built, should be good pickings for the wife.

I like SW, like Fort Myers. It's a good enough city where you don't feel like you're living with a bunch of rednecks (wow do we have some rednecks down here) it has some culture, some nice neighborhoods, and plenty of water, from the Gulf, the river, and tons of boating. Also a great dog beach if that matters at all. (most beaches don't allow dogs) And houses are rediculously cheap there. I went looking for fun (I go there 2-3 times a year to visit friends) and have found waterfront canal home with a pool and boat dock for under $100k a few times, but you can be on small water all day for under $200, even with a sailboat. Unfortunately the job market is in the same condition as housing.

Personally I'd love to move to the Carolinas for the moutain riding, but even still I imagine I would miss the warm winters. Good luck!
 
slowgator

slowgator

750cc
Have a Look at Gator Country

koifarm said:
If I were in your position I'd go for something in the middle or central part of the state.
Tampa is good, as said, your wife will have no problem getting work, plenty of that for her.
In your case, teaching would be a good bet.
Some areas to look.
Tampa, Sarasota(although full of grey hairs but don't go further south) and St Pete, if you want an urban center STAY AWAY FROM ORLANDO, a freaking zoo. Other sites are the East coast from the Cape on down, smaller cities but don't go any further than Fort Pierce unless you're fluent in Spanish.
University towns, Gainesville, Tampa and Sarasota.
Gainesville has Shands a teaching hospital, lots of opportunity there for both of you.
Gainesville is a hip, younger community and wonderful for folks your age...a bit north but still temperate, just a bit cooler in winter.
Tampa, mainly the Temple Terrace area is more university oriented with USF, a huge college.
Fortunately you have time to research, easy to call the chambers of commerce to get plenty of info. You could even get scrips to the local papers to get a feel of what's going on...rents, available places to buy or whatever, you might try Kindle, online newspapers.
Hope this helps some, if you need to talk about it, don't hesitate to call I'll fwd the # to you.
Click to expand...

I reckon Koi and I are on the same page here seein as how we live in the same neck of the woods. I moved to the Gainesville area in the mid-70s from Laguna Beach, CA after growing up in Detroit and doin' a stint in the Navy, stationed outta Norfolk. Point bein', have always lived near water somehow and have lived on this lake for over 30 years. I try to avoid traffic whenever possible, so don't get down to Boca Raton to see the in-laws very often, and have seen enough of Mickey to last a lifetime; Orlando, IMHO, is the epitome of everything that's wrong with Florida...crass commercialism, runaway development, grid-locked traffic... uh-uh...not for me, thanks.

Like Koi suggested, Gainesville has a younger population and the good vibe of a college town, AND has several hospitals for your wife which seem to be always looking for help. And I expect the new guvner will run off some more teachers and professors with his proposed cuts to state employee benefits, so chances are you might could find work at UF, the local community college, or K-12.

Oh yeah, we got the GATORS too! :cheer:

Do a Google search for UF and you can check out the job listings, may be worth a look. :)

Lastly, we got 12 month motorcycling. Mountains, no. But believe it or not, still plenty of back-country roads where you can escape traffic and enjoy the ride.
 
oldmanjob

oldmanjob

Scooter
Look into Western NC, great roads, not 318 miles and 11 curves like in Florida:lol3: My son and daughter-in-law, and my other son's future wife are in the nursing field down here and are doing very well. Schools in the county are top notch for nursing credentials.

Bill
 
DandyDoug

DandyDoug

750cc
An addition to my 1st post :

We left FL. and moved to central NC. 5 years ago.
While we miss our friends in FL. we don't miss anything else.
We are both originally from the Detroit area so we know all about crap weather. Since we moved here the weather patterns have been very odd in the region, we have had snow each winter , sometimes big snow. The seasons usually last about 13 or 14 weeks then start to change, so it's never too hot or too cold to long and you get to see great color in the woods and mountains.
We live about 45 minutes from the BRP, 2.5 hours from the dragon and 4.5 hours from the beach. So the riding is mostly year round and the roads great in any direction.

NC. is being heavily invaded by people like us who left FL.
The state is a high growth area in medical, bio-technical and winery's as industries. Major university's abound ,the culture is refind and comfortably slower than the frenitic pace in FL.
Taxes are a bit high , but real estate values really great.
All in , I'd say I like it here better than anyplace we have lived before.
 
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