Anyone From Florida!?

I also live in South Florida, West Broward County/ Fort Lauderdale. The great point about South Florida is the diversity that we have with so many cultures and, if you want, you can experience that with just a short drive and a little planning. The night life is great, downtown Fort Lauderdale and Miami’s South Beach, Coconut Grove, etc… There nothing better than to party with your friends while looking at the ocean across the street, or going to a hip restaurant with your hubby by the beach. We have lots of parks, water sports, fishing, and opportunities to be outdoors. There is no way to express how lucky we are to be able to wear shorts and sandals in the middle of “winter” and if it is a little bit cold all we require is a sweater or light jacket (while wearing shorts and sandals…) If you are into the arts; there is always something going on; from the Opera, art exhibitions, concerts, festivals, etc. We are blesses that if there is a “world tour” for a musician or bad we can be sure they will stop here in one of the three counties. Cons: Summer is hot and humid. Also, afternoon showers, mosquitoes, “snow birds”, lots of tourists, road construction, and high prices for real estate and rentals.

I love living in Florida. I am originally from Northern Cal and when I first moved here 16 years ago it was a huge culture shock for me.
What I have found is that no unlike California, Florida is very different depending on where you go. I would cut it in four sections. You have North Florida near Jacksonville, Gainsville.. etc.. Normally much cooler weather than the rest of the State. Known for lots of medical. You then have the Gulf side of Florida.. ie.. Tampa, Clearwater, St. Petersburg.. beautiful beaches but somewhat different than the east coast beaches because its the Gulf of Mexico and not the Atlantic Ocean. You have Central Florida which includes Orlando and Cocoa Beach... thats where I live. Tons of tourism, great beaches also and tons of rivers to have fun in. In the Orlando area you are going to deal with normal big city traffic but if you go further south east to Cocoa Beach area, you do not have that much traffic to deal with. Then you have Southern Florida which is where I consider more of the Culture of the State. Do not get me wrong, there is a ton of Culture everywhere in this state but its where I have seen personally the most. Also in my opinion the beaches in Southern Florida are much nicer then the beaches in Central Florida. Not as much pollution. The water is much clearer.

Wow! A ton of great/helpful info here. Thank you so much for taking the time to type al that!:flowerforyou:

I'm in Wesley chapel, just north of Tampa. I've only been here a little while, and it took me a while to get used to it.

What I love; warm weather of course, I know I can walk out my front door in a T-shirt every day and be fine. The beaches and pools are nice and fun to go to, and I'm starting to find more and more fun outdoorsy things to do.

What I don't like: the economy sucks, there are a lot of people struggling financially and it is hard to watch. There seems to be more of a drug issue here too, which I worry about for my kids. The traffic is always bad in the city, and the Tampa area is crazy confusing to try to navigate!

Wesley Chapel is really bad for drugs and jobs. I grew up in Brooksville, it's even worse there. Meth is the drug of choice for Brooksville.

I'm in Wesley chapel, just north of Tampa. I've only been here a little while, and it took me a while to get used to it.

What I love; warm weather of course, I know I can walk out my front door in a T-shirt every day and be fine. The beaches and pools are nice and fun to go to, and I'm starting to find more and more fun outdoorsy things to do.

What I don't like: the economy sucks, there are a lot of people struggling financially and it is hard to watch. There seems to be more of a drug issue here too, which I worry about for my kids. The traffic is always bad in the city, and the Tampa area is crazy confusing to try to navigate!

Wesley Chapel is really bad for drugs and jobs. I grew up in Brooksville, it's even worse there. Meth is the drug of choice for Brooksville.

I actually think WC is the best around. We looked at so many different areas trying to figure out where to live, and WC gave the best options for school quality, less crime/drugs/unemployment. It's also much more updated as far as development goes. Go North in Pasco county and it's terrible, go south and you're in the city. The WC/New Tampa area is a pretty coveted area.