List your reasons why you want to move out or already moved out of South Florida (Miami: crawl space, earthquake)

[Rock Newman]

Originally Posted by Outofhere77

I am moving to KIngwood, TX, just outside of Houston. I am not bitter or angry, but I am really looking forward to leave this place. Just yesterday, I went out to my parents' place and almost got hit by two cars. One, an elderly gentleman who had no business driving a car, and another, a black guy driving while listening to loud music, smoking, talking on his cell phone, and speeding . I wouldnt mind it so much if I was by myself but I was driving with my wife and my 2 year old daughter...and this is all the time

I happen to like the Houston area as the economy is solid , cost of living good and the area offers a lot with its cultural aspects .. like a great theatre and museum district as well as excellent restaurants and some solid nightlife ... down side is heat and humidity are worse than in South Florida .. also a hurricane prone area .. bad air quality almost as bad as Los Angeles in some areas .... although Kingwood , The Woodlands and Sugarland are nice .... the overall sprawl and lack of zoning laws as well as crappy beaches do not make much of Houston aesthetically pleasing .. also traffic and congestion are worse than anything in South Florida ... the drivers are not as bad though ... last Houston has a high crime rate which is nearly equal to South Florida and some real nasty ghetto areas especially near downtown and in SW Houston .. again I like Houston ... my company almost transferred my family and I there in 2006 ... in fact we bought a lovely home in The Woodlands north of Houston ... looked in Kingwood which we liked as well .... but these master planned communities are no nicer than Weston , Parkland , West Davie , Palm Beach Gardens or Wellington for that matter ... again I like Houston .... but it has a large amount of detractors as well ... so go there with an open mind .

[Rock Newman]

Originally Posted by perry335654

My point exactly, even if it were reasons to stay or the reasons you love South Florida repetitiously over and over is ludicrous.

Yes the same topic over and over does become monotonous ...

[Rock Newman]

Originally Posted by NYC809

Your sarcasm is screaming - I know the housing is expensive (just as Miami) and that there are a lot of homeless in certain pockets of the city (just as it is in Miami's downtown). I'll even give you some points in that the homeless are more aggressive in SF than Miami.

All kidding aside .... San Francisco is a beautiful place and unequalled in that respect .... but housing costs are much , much higher than in Miami ... do not kid yourself ... also the prospects for earthquakes would be a concern ... I do not care for Hurricanes either ... but of the two earthquakes are a hell of a lot scarier ... I have been through both .

Have you considered looking into San Diego ... cost of housing is lower than in San Francisco and I think the quality of life is better .

[cixcell]

Originally Posted by Rock Newman

All kidding aside .... San Francisco is a beautiful place and unequalled in that respect .... but housing costs are much , much higher than in Miami ... do not kid yourself ... also the prospects for earthquakes would be a concern ... I do not care for Hurricanes either ... but of the two earthquakes are a hell of a lot scarier ... I have been through both .

Have you considered looking into San Diego ... cost of housing is lower than in San Francisco and I think the quality of life is better .

totally disagree. I went thru Wilma in 2005 and northridge in 1994 and hurricanes are way scarier simply from the fact that the anticipation lasts forever and then the event takes many hours to finish. also with quakes the damage is pretty much confined to a small area called the epicenter compared to the massive swath of damage of a hurricane's path thru the state. I assure you material damage and financial losses are also tremendously higher with hurricanes. quakes it shakes really bad for a few seconds usually when pure half awake and maybe some knickknacks or dishes fall over big effing deal.

[swoonef]

Originally Posted by Outofhere77

I have read many of your posts, very nice, and I am glad that you moved out and you are enjoying your new place, I am pretty confident that I will feel the same as you when I move out, specially the 'down to earth" people part, I miss that so much. Many people my age here (Im 33), only talk about going to the club, or going to the mall to spend all of their almost "just above" minimum wage salary on designer clothes or on their AUDI or BMW, just so they can fit into the South Florida, "Miami Vice" lifestyle ...Doesnt make any sense to me

Haha i completely agree with the minimum wage earners driving nice cars comment! I was recently in MIA and i over heard some guy talking about his new job at fast food place BK and then saying how he bought something for his new bmw...nothing wrong with BK but i feel if you work there your priorities shouldnt be your 40K vehicle....

Its a tough economy everywhere especially in miami where there is practically 0 manufacturing...

[Chelito23]

Originally Posted by cixcell

totally disagree. I went thru Wilma in 2005 and northridge in 1994 and hurricanes are way scarier simply from the fact that the anticipation lasts forever and then the event takes many hours to finish. also with quakes the damage is pretty much confined to a small area called the epicenter compared to the massive swath of damage of a hurricane's path thru the state. I assure you material damage and financial losses are also tremendously higher with hurricanes. quakes it shakes really bad for a few seconds usually when pure half awake and maybe some knickknacks or dishes fall over big effing deal.

Agreed. Earthquakes for the most part are not much of a concern. A big one is *maybe* a once in a life time experience, and even then, the odds of being near the epicenter are slim. Most people in Cali will tell you they have lived there their whole lived and the worst they have seen in an earthquake is windows rattling or lamps swaying. Every decade there seems to be a bigger jold somewhere...but it is literally over in seconds and most buildings are unaffected unless they are poorly designed or old.

I think people tend to be more scared of what they are less familiar with. I would rather be in a major quake that last a minute than an Andrew that lasted 4 hours and then was hell for a month afterwards.

[MiamiLIFE]

Originally Posted by cixcell

totally disagree. I went thru Wilma in 2005 and northridge in 1994 and hurricanes are way scarier simply from the fact that the anticipation lasts forever and then the event takes many hours to finish. also with quakes the damage is pretty much confined to a small area called the epicenter compared to the massive swath of damage of a hurricane's path thru the state. I assure you material damage and financial losses are also tremendously higher with hurricanes. quakes it shakes really bad for a few seconds usually when pure half awake and maybe some knickknacks or dishes fall over big effing deal.

Except for those killed when the Nimitz collapsed. No warning...unlike a hurricane.

[cixcell]

Originally Posted by MiamiLIFE

Except for those killed when the Nimitz collapsed. No warning...unlike a hurricane.

most peoples experiences of earthquakes are standing in a doorway while everything shakes and then watching the damage on tv wherever the epicenter was.
in hurricane andrew people were hiding behind their couches trying to save themselves when their houses came apart. i know a woman who went through it as a teen and ran room to room in their house as the roof ripped off. they got down to the very last room and her dad took out an axe and was preparing to cut through the floor to go into the crawl space. that is INSANE! thats like movie stuff there.
there were people who were killed when the tornados embedded in andrew threw 2x4's through their walls and impaled them.

[observer]

I rather deal with a hurricane than an earthquake. You can at least prepare for a hurricane and hunker down or leave town. Hurricanes are definitely dangerous and can be scary, especially when it can last for several hours. However, one can prepare for them. An earthquake can hit anytime with no warnings. Depending where you are when an earthquake hits, you may have little chance of surviving it.

I rather have time to prepare for a hurricane before it hits than be surprised by an earthquake.

[cixcell]

Originally Posted by observer

I rather deal with a hurricane than an earthquake. You can at least prepare for a hurricane and hunker down or leave town. Hurricanes are definitely dangerous and can be scary, especially when it can last for several hours. However, one can prepare for them. An earthquake can hit anytime with no warnings. Depending where you are when an earthquake hits, you may have little chance of surviving it.

I rather have time to prepare for a hurricane before it hits than be surprised by an earthquake.

you are probably more likely to be killed in a terrorist attack than a quake. chances of death are vastly vastly less than getting struck by lightning here.