Any one move down from NY City?

[bocamom]

i have been down here for almost 40 years and have never had a problem with sharks even though i have lived on the beach the entire time. i am scared of sharks, though, and always watch for them, just in case, as it isn't far fetched that they might get lost and end up too close to shore

there are a TOn of stingrays, though, and you should ALWAYS shuffle your feet when you walk in the water.

[rainroosty]

Originally Posted by bocamom

ok, that just isn't true imo. you get a better pizza in any subway station than anywhere in south florida. we have some phenomenal restaurants here (cafe max anyone?) but the pizza is awful

Well you're certainly entitled to your own opinion just like the rest of us.
I can say that I and millions of other folks here in South Florida just love the pizza here locally and wouldn't trade one of them for ten of those pizzas those certain urban northerners with the accompanying attitude proclaim as being so superior to everyone elses pizza.
I'm not talking about you, mind ya - I'm talking about those real special people that think they're so much better and more educated than others - you know what I mean?

[nyorker94]

Well, they say Boca Raton is like Long Island with Palm Trees, and having family in that area who I visit and being from Long Island myself, I must agree.

...You'll be able to find restaurants, and the Broward Center for the Performing Arts gets about every single Broadway national tour, so you'll get shows. But, as far as art galleries go and an assortment of culture: you won't really find that. Although, about 45 minutes south in Miami you will find loads of culture!

I would say to the plunge down south, every time I'm down there I love it.

[Zeech]

I haven't read every post and question but I'll just answer generally. I've lived in So Fla for 4 1/2 years after living in NYC for 16 years. I absolutely LOVE New York, but I'm really glad I moved down here. Yes there are tradeoffs. Forget about good pizza and bagels, it's just not happening and it has to do with the water down here. If you are single it is a bit hard to meet people. In NYC you could walk into a bar and walk out with 5 new friends. It's just not like that here. It is very much a couple-oriented or family-oriented place. In NY, most of my friends were single; here the majority are married, that is just the demographic.

As far as jobs are concerned, the pay is MUCH less. I took a job at 1/2 what I was making in NY, and my housing costs were not that much cheaper, although it was a bigger place. (Plus you have car expenses.) The market has dropped in recent years, however, and now you can get a nice place for a couple hundred dollars less per month than when I first came down here. As far as buying a home, now is the time. I bought at the bottom of the market.

Someone asked about sharks. I'm a surfer and I see sharks every now and again. You get used to it. Great whites are not really in this part of the ocean but there are a few smaller sharks. Just be aware.

At times I really miss NYC. To this day, I can't watch a Seinfeld episode or a Woody Allen movie because I start getting too nostalgic. But I still know it was the right move for me. Good luck.