fmd36

After a 4 mos. search SIL has found a job in Miramar,FL. GSons and DD are not at all happy about it. Dyed in the wool New Englanders. Realistically , what can they expect as far as culture shock? Off group reply is fine. Sad because I expect to ,at best, see them once a year. No one is too happy about this, but it is an exec. position in a major corp. God must have something great planned for them.

dogpursemaker

I wish them the best. I've never been to FL, but my cousin who was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest ended up there and he HATES it! The only thing he likes about it is the critters that end up in his yard. Hopefully your family will adjust easier and come to love it as home.

Oh, I think I sound awful. I guess what I was trying to say was the my cousin, who grew up in basically a moderate, four season climate hasn't acclimated well to a hot, humid one and a half season climate. My cousin from Texas that moved there has been there a LONG time, and she seems to like it fine, but she came from hot!

athomenow

Hot Hot Hot! The weather that is! Also depending on the area the winters get crazy with all the snowbirds decending on the south. I live in central FL for 5 yrs and the traffic would just get crazy. Also the stores are crowded and people just get mean. Other than that it's a great area and they'll be fine. Lots to do.
I obviously didn't like it all that well because I'm back in Ohio.

katier825

Coming from Mass. myself I found that the pace of everyone is SLOW! Don't expect anything in a hurry. It took a while to get used to it. Contrary to popular belief, the cost of living is not cheaper here. To give a point of reference, my $250k home in MA cost me $420 to insure. My $80k home here cost me $2000...plus another $400 for flood insurance. Groceries are the same or more. Gas is usually more I think. We pay dearly for the sunshine! :)

Wages are about 1/3 of what they were up there.

pinecone

I hear you there. DD and my granddaughter, 3 months old, are in Denver. At least they will be out at Christmas and then again in July for her sister's wedding. Hang in there. ((( ))) At first I thought you were going to move!

piney

fmd36

She looked at the Christian schools in FL and they can cost between $12-14 K per year/per child.. Co. has told him it is not necessarily perm. because they have offices all over the USA. No one in the office is from FL. One guy goes home to MD 2x/month. They also just moved into a bigger home(here in NH) last Christmas and if they try to sell they will get caught in a "short sale".Other than the job for him and the "perks" no one can see anything positive in it for the family. He also has the option of flying home 2x/month but , lets face it, 3 boys will do beter with their father around. I guess it is no different than servicemen being deployed. Time will tell....I hope she stops crying pretty soon. He leaves on Monday and will be back home for Thanksgiving. We will take up the slack, but at 79 and 76 our energy level is not what it used to be...but "we will get er done." Lord willing.

QuiltnNan

i lived in NY until age 30, then relocated to s. FL [just north of Miramar] in 1979. Broward county was great. then hurricane Andrew started things downhill. there were still ok sections and i stayed until early retirement in 2003 and moved to MN. then hurricane Wilma struck. really tore up the county. again, there are still some good sections, but fewer of them. before deciding on a residence, do some very careful research. some of the public schools are good. Plantation is a nice city. the good news is... if they are football fans, the Dolphins stadium is a stone's throw down the road. best wishes.

Zhillslady

WOW being born and raised in central FLorida (Tampa) and still living here I was shocked how many negative things people pointed out and no positive. So here you go - I can take out my trash year round and never wear snow shoes, gloves, hats, etc. I spent Christmas 2010 at the beach. We MAY have a hurricane threat this year but you will definitely have snow storms every year. We offer year round outside activities such as fishing, kayaking, surfing, bike riding and even sitting in the park reading. As far as the comment about northern residents and people here being mean I must add - I bought my first home in Zephyrhills, FL (30-40 miles north of Tampa) and 70% winter residents. The stores my be a little more busy when they arrive but it keeps our prices down. Most of the negative attitudes I encounter are winter residents who seem upset having to deal with local residents. Hello - we live here and this is our home - you're just visiting. I have been to Kentucky, Minnesota, Tennessee, Chicago, Conneticut, Georgia, Cape Cod, NY and the Ozark mountains. The people I meet there ar no more or less friendly than here. Sorry if I sound short but being a native my biggest pet peeve is standing in a store and hearing people talk about how much they hate Florida, yet they're in Florida. We have no rule that says you have to stay. I think you're family will find the people here nice as anywhere else and a thousand things to do year round. As far as home owners insurance and taxes I can only speak for mine - I have relatives in CT and NY and both pay almost double what the same house is in our area.

susiequilt

I've been here 26 years and I won't go back!!!!!!
I love it both Winter and Summer for all the reasons above!
While we love to see the snowbirds come, we also love to see them go!
It helps to be an outdoor person but it's not a requirement.
There's something for everyone to do here all year round.

MissSandra

I lived in ocala or slowcala for 6 years and the heat and humidity were killers. win dixie had the worst food and publics was not much better. the bonus the ladies at the quilt shop were fantastic when I was learning to quilt. then two hurricans came threw it was time to depart. the tornado warnings and stress were to much also. I would rather have the rocking and rolling of earthquakes in calif again than florida but I must say I love fall winter and spring in NY. summer any where is a killer for me.