Minnesota - Florida (Minneapolis, St. Paul, Jackson: to rent, home, neighborhoods)

[The Search Continues...]

Have any non-retirement age Minnesotans moved to Florida? Have you moved back? I moved to Tampa and hate it. I can't get used to the way the city is set up and don't enjoy how trashy a lot of the city is.

I tip my hat the winter weather in Florida all day everyday. 77 and sunny on Dec. 9th. There's no contest there. But weather isn't everything. I miss the way the Twin Cities is laid out and how readily accesible culture and hobbies are. In Florida it takes forever to drive anywhere and some of the residents are quite...unsavory to put it nicely. Does anyone else have impressions or experiences of moving to Florida and wanting to go back home to Minneapolis/St. Paul? If so, can you please share?

I love the cultural offerings in the Twin Cities, the great bars/restaurants, the immaculate urban planning, how high the standard of living is and how wealthy per capita the state is overall, the education level of the citizens, and the fact that it's a big city with great commute times and relatively inexpensive rent prices.

I'm a Republican too, but yet I still love Minneapolis. Please share your MN - FL experiences!

[Chester Burnett]

My wife and I live in Sarasota but will be moving to Minneapolis soon. We go to Tampa about once a month for various things but, like you, we find getting around up there a chore. Sarasota is much easier to get around and very laid back. Although it's a smaller city there are plenty of amenities and a fair amount of culture and it is much cleaner and less grungy than Tampa. If you haven't made your way down here yet you should consider a visit. If we were to stay in Florida I can't imagine living anywhere else in the state frankly.

[CarverKris]

I have lived in Jacksonville and Minnesota and may some day live in Jacksonville during winters if my husband and I can see how to make it happen with work and finances, but I totally agree with you that Minnesota is pretty hard to beat. We moved back to MN (actually from CA) about 12 years ago to take care of my husband's elderly parents and really like just about everything but the weather. MN will probably always be our main homebase even if we can swing wintering somewhere else. In fact we even bought a smaller home in Minneapolis to rent out now with the hopes of downsizing to it once we can make wintering in FL or AZ a reality.

My sister moved to Jax 15 years ago with her husband and two sons and says she would never move back and put up with winter again, so it is just a matter of personal choice. She does live in St. John''s county though where it is a little more like MN with well kept neighborhoods and great schools.

MN is a great place in many ways I live in Carver county which is a bit more conservative or at least well-balanced, so I am not bombarded 24/7 with ultra-liberal politics at least in my own community and local government. I certainly don't mind hearing different viewpoints and it is great living in a community where folks with diverse backgrounds can co-exist and work towards the same goals. As long as folks can share their beliefs without being told they are wrong because their viewpoint is not shared by the majority or it is not what is, "popular," now, and as long as people are pretty respectful overall, I think this is an outstanding place to live.

[Yosh01]

As I reach retirement, I mulled over the thought of moving to FL myself, but I've concluded that I have too many things going on here and too many life-time friends to abandon them year round. St. Paul suits me nicely, but I do need to get away from the winter for awhile. This year we'll be spending a month on the beach on Longboat Key, just outside of Sarasota. I expect that this will be the way I spend the next several years, assuming health and finances permit it.

[Minnesota Spring]

Not a big fan of winter either, but if all winters were the same as what we have been experiencing so far in Minnesota, that would be perfect.

[ellysbelly]

I moved from FL to MN 18 months ago-- after living in and raising a family South Florida for the last 12 years and after growing up in South Florida myself.

Though we do love and miss our friends and family in FL (and the weather in February!), I prefer MN to South FL for so, so many reasons. The populace in MN, on average, is far more educated and down to Earth than the average person in Florida (South Florida, at least)-- the schools here are exceptional and those in FL have gone through tremendous changes (Common Core, 'teaching to the test', etc), few of them good-- the restaurant scene here is outstanding (and not 'scene-y').

Florida, at least South Florida, tends to often be overly focused on materialism and conspicuous displays of wealth-- here's you're more likely to find a millionaire driving a rusted out '86 Subaru vs in Florida where people are mortgaged to the hilt and on the verge of bankruptcy, yet still driving a Lambo.

Weather isn't everything-- and, truthfully, I'll take our winters over their summers, any day-- but I do think that at some point we will likely spend 1-2 months there each winter, especially as both my dad and my in laws are there and we'd like to be there to help, should they need us.

[Astron1000]

I generally agree with the consensus so far. I've spent a lot of time in South Florida. The Twin Cities is "easier livin' " and far more "civilized." I know that sounds like an insult to Floridians but it's not meant to be. I like Florida for a number of reasons.

If you set aside Minnesota's challenging winters and Florida's unbearable summers, the choice is clear. Minnesota is the better place to raise a family, get a decent education, enjoy the arts and just plain relax.

To risk further ire from Floridians I have to say this: Just turn on Minnesota Public Radio News (99.5 FM in the Metro) and you are suddenly launched into a world of difference between the two states. In Minnesota there seems to be a genuine interest in the wider world with locally produced programs that are heard nationally (American Public Media is based in St. Paul), while Florida basically regurgitates NPR programming and the local shows are more concerned with what the Kardashians are wearing.

Yes, I am exaggerating for effect. That said, I will always enjoy boating in the Keys in January!

[Citykid3785]

There seems to be a general correlation between warmth and overall quality of life. My personal experiences have shown me that warmer climates generally attract more rifraff, and the cities rest on the warm weather laurels too much. Colder climate cities have been forced to adapt by building up culture and job opportunities.

[ellysbelly]

Originally Posted by Citykid3785

There seems to be a general correlation between warmth and overall quality of life. My personal experiences have shown me that warmer climates generally attract more rifraff, and the cities rest on the warm weather laurels too much. Colder climate cities have been forced to adapt by building up culture and job opportunities.

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...

[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.