[Tarastomsgirl]

Well I'm relocating to NH in less than 2 weeks from Naples Florida. I've lived in Fla for 23 years I'm practically a native, practically. My husband relocated down here 8 years ago or so from Maine and hated it every second. The heat is horrible, the bugs, the snotty people here who think that because they are richer than god they deserve everything and expect everyone else to get it for them. The red tide, the hurricanes, the condo conversions, the pay rate, store closings, lack of ANYTHING for children to do. Oh and lets not forget the housing market.. $300,000 is affordable for a condo .. Yah I think not. There's no season change, traffic is horrible, its over crowed, season suxs and well I can keep going on.. Yes we hate it down here but instead of being people who want to remain miserable my husband and I have done something about it and are getting the hell out. .We'll never come back to this state.

[BlueWillowPlate]

According to Carl Hiassen, more people are coming in than are leaving.

As we all know, newcomers aren't easily spooked away from Florida.
Despite predictions of another terrible storm season, the state's population soared last year by nearly 431,000.

That's the same as adding two more cities, each the size of Orlando.

Many of Florida's problems exist in other states--including Colorado.
But I agree that Florida is, in some ways, one of a kind.
I think bale002's description about covers it.
Here is what Hiassen suggests for overcrowding:
One way to gird for the future -- and protect families who already live here -- would be to impose building moratoriums in those counties where the water shortage is most acute.
link (broken link)

[Floridamom1970]

My family is going to move as soon as we are able to swing it financially. We are looking at Oklahoma or Texas. I do not wish to live in a state where the only homes we can afford are from Habitat for Humanity and where the education is really second rate. I am a 36 year old Florida Native too! Lived here my whole life except for when we spent three years in Texas. I loved it there.

[Floridabound09]

Originally Posted by hiknapster

Myrtle Beach? High crime and ugly.

Look, I guess that tourist traps attract someone. Yeah, tourists. There are people that travel and then there are tourists. Big difference. I avoid the area.

The wage issue is everywhere. True. But then you have to take the wage/housing cost issue into account.

Florida has survived on tourists and retirees for years. It was also very affordable to live there. Quality of life? Depends what you like. If you like Myrtle Beach then Florida might be nice.

Doesn't really matter now.

Hurricanes hit and the American public in their infinite wisdom thought that would be the place to move to. Construction companies said, "Look, we have to repair all the damage. We'll build you a house, but you will have to wait, and it is going to cost you."

Bam.

It was the great housing run up of 2004.

Apparently, these new refugees never considered that hurricane insurance might go sky-high. Of course not, when you live in Ohio and think a hurricane isn't "that bad."

Prices are going to come down? Really?

Maybe. They will never go back to 2003 prices. And then there is the little matter of poor wages and mostly service jobs in Florida. That is nothing new. Been going on since tourists and retirees started showing up. They paid you in sunshine. That was fine when a safe, modest home cost you $60,000.

Always a problem, but heck, you were living in Florida. Except for the occasional hurricane, tornado, bugs, snakes and gators, who the heck cared. Wages didn't pay much, everyone was looking for a cheap house in paradise, cultural offerings were few. Who cared. You could die in Florida and never have to shovel a driveway.

Isn't that all that matters? There's a Walmart close by, right?

Well kids, prices started to edge the big cities, and then holy mike, Miami and Orlando and Tampa and Fort Myers weren't really New York City, were they?

Well, you can still retire there. You've got a pocket full of money after selling out from New York or Chicago. Except there is a problem. Services are lacking. A lot of the fire, police, teachers (oh yes, that is important when those uneducated kids break into your house) and waitresses that brought you the early-bird special are GONE.

Don't go to Florida or even my Tennessee. Stay where you are and be the curmudgeons that you are, because life in your retirement really is going to stink. The baby boomers are retiring, and they have always gobbled up all of the pie.

Now, this one time, you are suffering.

Believe me hard working people who have already earned their living are NOT suffering and never will !!!!!!!!!!

Are you ok? something tells me you have never been to MB!
One side you tell everyone people ate buying homes without looking at them, then you state about crime in Myrtle Beach by looking at numbers from a website. Makes allot of sense to me that you are so twisted!

People have money, have ALLOT more brains then you do because they earned and knew how to make their money work and will buy up all your properies that will come down, its a matter of time. If I go by your doom post the properties will be almost be given away soon as no one will be able to afford them.

Open up your eyes, your blinded by something. Both Florida and Myrtle Beach have pockets of problems, for instance, MB is an awesome place, you have to go out of the downtown areas and you will find some awesome housing sections with great new schools etc. Crime is nil in those areas. Florida has pockets too, sections were you do not have to worry about crime almost at all.

Stop the hurricane crap, 4 bad canes in 25 years.... you are thriving on that dead story. Gators, snakes and bugs, where? I travel to Florida at least 1 time per month on business and 3-4 times per year on vacation and have never seen a gator, a snake and only palmetto bugs that dont bother me.

I am and many others are not buying your DOOM stories! I am coming to Florida with a nice retirement income at 49 years old and can buy whatever I want where I want, only now I am seeing I might be able to buy much more from your doom stories that everyone is losing it all. Guess I learned something from people like you Florida doomers, wait it out because before long from your stories they will be given free land away!!!

You post a twisted thought, look back at your postings, you are constantly are on the peiople with money and mention how they buy without seeing the property but then use data numbers off a website to start an arguement, you cannot have it both ways and make a solid statement.

White Trash? What the heck is that? How does one qualify in your mind?

Knoxville would not be an option as it cold there 7 months a year, traffic is just as bad as Tampa and there are not many good paying jobs unless you travel to P. Forge or Gatlinburg and work in a service job, sound familiar? Tenn is no paradise, believe me.

Fleeing to the central areas is not a good idea, your trading one bad for another and have to deal with the cold all over again.

Florida is the place for us, we are just going to wait out the problems because certain posters have taught us that EVERYONE will lose it all soon.

Please stop the cane stories as a scare tactic, no one is listening. Come to Ohio, you could get hit by a falling ice cube and die and never get to see the beach. Now that would be a shame!

[Floridabound09]

I forgot something, I know you going to come back with why are you not moving to MB then? I can see that question coming.

MB is an awesome place, beautiful, reasonable etc.

But, it's cold 4 months of the year, outside of MB you have to drive forever to get to anything and there are no antiques.

MB is a growing retirment community, I owned a condo there for years, it is a great choice for someone who is in there 60-70's, but I am retiring in 2 years at 49 and it doesnt have enough for us and its too cold in Dec and Jan.

Actually, we cannot wait to move to Florida, so much to do and see!

I really can see a "huge" amount of northerners moving to Fla in the next 1-2 years, how can you pass it up?

[Rhett_Butler]

MB is a tourist trap reminiscent of I-Drive in Orlando. The beach must be nice to draw this kind of praise, because the rest looks like an Orlano/Las Vegas strip hybrid....

[daniellefort]

Speaking of Myrle Beach. We rented a condo and I'm going there for a vacation with my sister and the kids in August. Our first time out there. Anything we should be sure to do or see??

[Floridanative2]

Originally Posted by JSnFla

people in those chat rooms are already complaining about all the new yorkers moving in and the increase in traffic, cost of living, crime, pollution....its the next florida then florida may become beautiful again after everyone leaves

If you call concrete beautiful. It is everywhere and no stop in sight. Colorado, here I come!

[Bones]

"Stop the hurricane crap, 4 bad canes in 25 years"

Guess I was dreaming when the rest went through.

[Floridanative2]

Originally Posted by cil

According to Carl Hiassen, more people are coming in than are leaving.

As we all know, newcomers aren't easily spooked away from Florida.
Despite predictions of another terrible storm season, the state's population soared last year by nearly 431,000.

That's the same as adding two more cities, each the size of Orlando.

Many of Florida's problems exist in other states--including Colorado.
But I agree that Florida is, in some ways, one of a kind.
I think bale002's description about covers it.
Here is what Hiassen suggests for overcrowding:
One way to gird for the future -- and protect families who already live here -- would be to impose building moratoriums in those counties where the water shortage is most acute.
link (broken link)

Cil, Good article! It is true that the growth has to stop sometime! Think it is already too late. I heard on the news Cape Coral is giving citations to people for watering lawns, there was a woman that said she put so much money into the lawn that she has to water it, she would rather pay the fines than re-sod!
With that mentality, Florida is doomed. Forget the grass, people need to have drinking water!