Minnesota - Florida (Minneapolis, Jackson, Wyoming: neighborhood, theatre, college)

[Meemur]

It may also be a North-South thing, too.

I was living in Ohio and had to go to Tampa to rehab an elderly relative's trailer in August on year when I was a lot younger. I worked at my normal pace without a/c and seriously thought that I was going to expire! I ended up in the Publix Deli, gulping down a gallon of ice water and another of unsweet tea.

I learned from that experience that it took me about 2.5 days to accomplish down there what I could do in 8 hours up here. There was the heat, slow checkers at stores, slow drivers, and just general laid-back culture. I had to slow down and be a lot more patient, or I would've ended up in the ER.

Since then, I have no desire to ever live in Florida or most of the South. When it was time to move, I came to Des Moines. Yes, portions of the winters can be challenging, but being able to get things accomplished in a reasonable amount of time means a lot more to me than 70-degree temps in January.

There is also a lot to like about Twin Cities. I would move there before I'd ever consider FL.

[SForMNLee]

I'm from MN, but grew up in FL.

I moved back to Minneapolis as soon as possible. It's definitely worth it.

Since, I've moved away to a new city that has nicer weather as well. I'm ready to move back to MN again next year.

[WoodburyWoody]

Originally Posted by Ghengis

It has been proven scientifically (leastwise it should have been) that warmer ambient temperatures decrease the rate of evaporation of depraved laden sweat that the body wants to get rid of and results in a backed up adrenal gland contributing to an eventual moral bankruptcy and general wanton skullduggery.

I intend to embrace to a week or four every winter of moral bankruptcy and wanton skullduggery as long as I live in Minnesota ... Woodbury gets even quieter in January, if you can believe that is possible ... but still prefer living here to most places I have lived and visited, despite the winters.

[srsmn]

Originally Posted by ellysbelly

Completely agreed that warm weather somehow correlates to a dearth of cultural and educational amenities-- not sure why that is, but, at least anecdotally, that rings SO true. My husband jokes that the heat makes people crazy; he might be on to something...

I don't know for sure, but my guess is that since Florida (with the exception of St. Augustine and a few other towns) is typically "newer" development, that the cultural institutions are newer, less endowed, and therefore-- generally-- inferior.

Ditto Arizona, for the most part.

Minneapolis is not Philadelphia or Chicago as far as firmly rooted, institutional cultural amenities go by any means. But Minneapolis wears that hat a heck of a lot better than Orlando, Tucson, Tampa, etc.

[srsmn]

But, the huge caveat-- of course-- is that drinking Corona/mojito on a beach in March can make you forget about the "World's largest collection of jade sculpture outside of China," or whatever else you're missing in Florida. That + the brunches, and I totally get why the elderly like it

And for the record, I don't think that Tampa/St. Pete is some awful eighth layer of h.e.ll, or anything. The Ybor and the Dali Museum are actually sort of nice.

Boca is nice, too, albeit too "Old Northeast money" for my liking.

Not familiar with Miami enough to judge. It's basically a global city at this point, so I imagine it is at least catching up in the "high culture" stuff.

Orlando is legitimately the eighth layer of h.e.ll, though...

[ellysbelly]

Originally Posted by srsmn

But, the huge caveat-- of course-- is that drinking Corona/mojito on a beach in March can make you forget about the "World's largest collection of jade sculpture outside of China," or whatever else you're missing in Florida. That + the brunches, and I totally get why the elderly like it

And for the record, I don't think that Tampa/St. Pete is some awful eighth layer of h.e.ll, or anything. The Ybor and the Dali Museum are actually sort of nice.

Boca is nice, too, albeit too "Old Northeast money" for my liking.

Not familiar with Miami enough to judge. It's basically a global city at this point, so I imagine it is at least catching up in the "high culture" stuff.

Orlando is legitimately the eighth layer of h.e.ll, though...

With you on the mojito in March on the beach overrides my need for cultural and intellectual stimuli.

Just a small correction, Boca is (mostly) new money (and a LOT of it is flash without real cash); the old money resides Palm Beach.

[norman_w]

I was just all over Florida and if you're 20 you can't get a job. Then the landladies only want to rent to fixed income, preferably Rehab, so the person is gone during the day. A lot lot lot of people had spent all their money and were moving to Ocala and north.

[davephan]

Like many others, we are thinking about snowbirding in Florida. To be more exact in SW Florida about 100 miles south of Tampa. I we also visited other cities including Tampa, Orlando, Miami, and the keys. You'd have to take a big pay cut to live in Florida during your working years in many occupations. The lack of state income tax would be nice in retirement, when our income stream will be about the same as our working years. I didn't care for the areas where the ocean shoreline areas are 'walled off' by one high rise condo building after another, that go on for many miles. Marco Island is an example of a place where nearly the whole island's shoreline is 'walled off' by condos and hotels.

I've visited Florida many times, but always in the winter, never the summertime. It's probably pretty miserable in the summertime. You'll probably be hunkering down inside in the AC, just like we have to hunker down inside in the heat in the winter. The repeated threats of hurricanes most years might grow to become too stressful. Preparing for hurricanes over and over, most of the time, the hurricanes weaken or change direction. The cost of living is cheaper than the Twin Cities, about 80% of the cost, which is a plus, if you aren't in your working years. Supposedly, the heath care in Florida is much worse than Minnesota, although Jacksonville has a Mayo Clinic if you can drive that far from SW Florida.

It's also amazing the number of dead cars and trucks on the freeway shoulders. When we drove many times between Punta Gorda and Orlando, which is a three hour drive, there were typically about 200 disabled cars and trucks on the side of the freeways, which were announced by the Waze GPS software. I assume that people don't maintain their cars and trucks very well in Florida or run out of gasoline all the time. We drove through the ghetto areas of Orlando by mistake. The ghetto areas there are much worse than anything in the Twin Cities, but not as bad as the south Chicago area, which is closer to being in a war zone.

Still, Florida might be good enough for snowbirding, but may not be good enough for year round living. For us, southern California and Hawaii are also in the running for snowbirding. After living in Minnesota a lifetime, our goal is to never have to put up with the long, cold, and sometimes snowy Minnesota winters during our retirement years.

[Astron1000]

Originally Posted by davephan

....Still, Florida might be good enough for snowbirding, but may not be good enough for year round living. For us, southern California and Hawaii are also in the running for snowbirding. After living in Minnesota a lifetime, our goal is to never have to put up with the long, cold, and sometimes snowy Minnesota winters during our retirement years.

I noted earlier that I have spent a lot of time on South Florida, and I agree with you. I would put Hawaii (NOT Honolulu) well ahead of Florida for snowbirding. No contest. None.

And among the best places in Hawaii is the Big Island (in my opinion!). Big enough to not get a heavy case of island fever. A very diverse climate! That may sound surprising but the Big Island is home to 12 different climatic zones. The north coast looks a lot like Minnesota's North Shore with pine trees and cliffs, while just a few miles south it can look like Wyoming with tumbleweeds and cactus. And drive up to the top of Mauna Kea for a surreal sci-fi landscape of ice, fog and mountains, dotted with the world's largest astronomical observatories. Then a few miles further south and you can hike through a tropical rainforest. Then take a dip at a nearly deserted white sand beach.

[uptown_urbanist]

What's wrong with Honolulu?