Questions about considering a move to Florida

[dfurst05]

Currently my wife and I live in Northern MN and this winter is pushing us up against, and almost past, our breaking point.

I work in an small office environment and sometime in the next few years my boss is set to retire so I will be looking for a new job. Thankfully, I work for him in a capacity related to a large national insurance company so I will have the opportunity to do the same job pretty much anywhere in the country.

My wife is a staff accountant so she has a very transferable career as well.

With all this in mind we are considering moving to Florida when the opportunity presents itself for me to find a new job, and we are wondering what city or cities we should consider moving to, as well as any general information you may offer about living in FL.

We currently live in the MN side of the Fargo, ND area. Our "metro" area has about 200,00+ people and the next biggest cities are a few hours drive away. We like the size of this area.

Wherever we end up I would like to be able to bike to work as I do so right now and very much enjoy it. My wife may be willing to drive, 15-20 mins for a commute.

We would like to live in a medium-sized condo or townhome. We don't have or intend to have children so it will just be the two of us, our pets, and any visitors we may get.

Last but not least we would like to live in somewhat close proximity to both Orlando and the beach, about an hour's drive to either.

I was looking at Ocala online but Wikipedia says of all the cities in FL, this has the most "extreme" temps saying it experiences the highest highs and the lowest lows of all the cities in the state. Not sure if it is that noticeable or not or if Ocala would otherwise be a good fit for us?

Those are all the relevant points about us I can think of but if I've missed something or if you want any additional information feel free to ask any questions and I will fill in what I might have missed.

Thank you so much in advance for your help!!

 

[Micca]

I was looking at Ocala online but Wikipedia says of all the cities in FL, this has the most "extreme" temps saying it experiences the highest highs and the lowest lows of all the cities in the state. Not sure if it is that noticeable or not or if Ocala would otherwise be a good fit for us?

I can't offer much help but I'm guessing the "extreme temperatures" in Ocala are nothing compared to what you are dealing with. Good luck with the move

 

[dfurst05]

I can't offer much help but I'm guessing the "extreme temperatures" in Ocala are nothing compared to what you are dealing with. Good luck with the move

Yeah I mean it says it can get as low as 30 degrees!! I'd take that over -10 to -30 any day!!

I'm more anxious about the "extreme" highs but my sister in law made a good point that even if it gets high during the day we can still get out and enjoy outside in the early morning or late evening.

Here there's no going outside unless it's to work or the grocery store for a good number of months out of the year.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

Wherever you're thinking about, make a trip there in mid August.

 

[morgan98]

Does it have to be Florida? I am a transplanted Northerner that currently lives in Atlanta. I am not recommending Atlanta to you by any stretch, as I see you would like to live in a much smaller "city."

I am not knocking Florida, but living there is very different than vacationing there. (We have quite a bit of family in the Tampa and Mount Dora area). If you are looking for more moderate temperatures and the ability to do some outdoor activities, there are plenty of places in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, etc. that would also fit the bill.

 

[cinnaminny]

I agree, you should make a big trip in August. I went in August and while it was very hot and humid we quite enjoyed it. But we HAD to go in during the middle of the day. I would personally rent a house for 6 months before buying a house.

 

[dfurst05]

Does it have to be Florida? I am a transplanted Northerner that currently lives in Atlanta. I am not recommending Atlanta to you by any stretch, as I see you would like to live in a much smaller "city."

I am not knocking Florida, but living there is very different than vacationing there. (We have quite a bit of family in the Tampa and Mount Dora area). If you are looking for more moderate temperatures and the ability to do some outdoor activities, there are plenty of places in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, etc. that would also fit the bill.

I actually have grandparents that live in Gainesville, GA (about an hour north of Atlanta) so I recommended to my wife we consider moving there as we could live with them for a few months while we get on our feet. My wife says if we are going to move south she wants to be close to the beach and theme parks (1-2 hour drive from either) so she would prefer FL and has little to no interest in GA, unfortunately although personally I like GA and would prefer to live there.

I agree, you should make a big trip in August. I went in August and while it was very hot and humid we quite enjoyed it. But we HAD to go in during the middle of the day. I would personally rent a house for 6 months before buying a house.

Yeah we will be renting or finding an otherwise temporary housing situation before we put down roots permanently. In all honesty, I own now and I'm not sure its for me. Condo/townhome or renting might be a better option for us anyway, even long term.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Don't move unless you have a job.

 

[disney junky]

I have friends from upstate NY who relocated to Lakeland, FL after he finished law school at Syracuse. Their perspective is this. Those three or four months you were trapped inside by the incredibly cold temperatures in NY are replaced by three or four months where the heat is unbearable. You go out, but you don't stay out.

You might consider the west coast of Florida.

 

[Southernmiss]

There have been several recent threads on this topic

https://www.disboards.com/threads/ocala-fl-anyone.3730681/#post-60179253

https://www.disboards.com/threads/whats-it-like-living-in-the-se.3731300/page-5#post-60200932

https://www.disboards.com/threads/considering-moving-to-fl.3729201/#post-60138476

https://www.disboards.com/threads/w...-in-fl-to-disney.3726656/page-4#post-60125946

https://www.disboards.com/threads/who-has-made-the-move-to-fl.3668365/page-20#post-60003114

https://www.disboards.com/threads/thinking-of-moving-resources-for-planning.3731478/page-3

About that early morning or late afternoon activity, my aunt visited us in Coastal Mississippi from South Dakota in July one year. She got up for her early morning walk and could not believe that it was hot and humid already.

July, August and September are hot and humid 24/7. No real breaks for outdoor activities, especially for those who are not used to the heat and humidity. You just buck up and get out there and do what you need to do. Knowing that it's gonna be hot.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

Yeah I mean it says it can get as low as 30 degrees!! I'd take that over -10 to -30 any day!!

I'm more anxious about the "extreme" highs but my sister in law made a good point that even if it gets high during the day we can still get out and enjoy outside in the early morning or late evening.

Here there's no going outside unless it's to work or the grocery store for a good number of months out of the year.

Move whoever you can get a job. It’s a tough market here for a lot of jobs.

While your sister in law has a point in that the sun won’t kill you in the morning or evening-it doesn’t really cool down much after sunset in central Florida in the summer. It will be 85 and muggy at midnight. As far as “extremes” in Ocala, when it’s 90% humidity with a heat index of 105 it’s not going to make a difference if you’re in Ocala, Orlando, Kissimmee, etc.

Unless you have shower facilities or just don’t sweat then biking in the summer more than 5-10minutes will make your office mates hate you. You’ll stink as it will easily be 90+ by the time you leave for work.

I love Florida and I’ll never live anywhere else, but it’s not for everybody. I highly recommend what others have said and visit in August. Rent a car and go through daily stuff like running errands and finding a limebike and riding what you think your trek to work will be to get a feel for things.

I have to run errands and walk my dog, but I spend minimal time outside in the summer unless I’m at the beach or the pool.

 

[NotUrsula]

It sounds like the Tampa Bay area might be your best bet. It's big, has good employment prospects (at the moment, at least), and has made a fairly substantial investment in bike trails. Also, as you're not accustomed to the heat, being closer to the coast will be cooler for you because the breezes off the water help dispel the worst of the humidity. (Make no mistake, it's still punishingly hot in summer, but the air moves a bit more than it does further inland.)

FWIW, my DS lives in St. Pete and bikes almost everywhere. His rule is that if he has to go somewhere mid-day he puts the bike on a PSTA bus rack and rides the bus most of the way, but he's fine in the morning and after 5 pm. It took a little while for him to acclimate to the heat (summers are much hotter in our part of the midwest than in MN, though), but now he's fine. He does carry a misting bottle and a spare tee when he rides, so he can keep cool and change shirts at his destination if necessary. (He rents & lives in the Old NE area of St. Pete.)

There are plenty of short-term rentals available for you to do a trial run at the lifestyle.

PS: I will disagree with some folks who will recommend "luxury condo" developments. They tend to be sited in the far suburbs, which is at odds with your desire for a cycling commute. New suburbia doesn't much lend itself to cycling safety, and that is where the worst of the traffic tangles tend to be as well. Downtown St. Pete has "luxury condo" developments built in density, but I don't know too many other Florida cities outside of Miami that do. Your best bet for both cycling safety AND a shorter commute for your wife is to focus on older neighborhoods and not go for the gated community lifestyle. (Do be careful of planning a commute that requires the Sunshine Skyway, though. It gets closed for weather in high winds, and the alternate commute is 3X as long.)

 

[Feralpeg]

Orlando doesn't meet any of your requirements other than being close to the theme parks. Everybody moves here making it harder to find descent paying jobs. It is not a good city for biking to work and, unless you're lucky enough to live near your job, driving to work is a long, tedious and expensive proposition. Most highways are toll roads.

I really haven't notice Ocala having extreme temperatures. Since they are slightly north of Orlando, they get a bit colder than we do. Not much. I haven't noticed them getting any warmer. Ocala is a descent size city without going terribly large. You might have a better change of a job there. You might consider Jacksonville or St. Augustine. Although, keep in mind, living near the coast means higher prices, higher insurance and more chance of hurricane damage.

You could also look into Lakeland. It is south of Orlando and a descent size.

 

[Squirlz]

There is a Facebook group called "Taking the Florida Plunge".

 

[dfurst05]

Don't move unless you have a job.

Yes finding a job will be our number one priority before we book any living arrangements or do anything else. As I mentioned in my original post my work situation will lend itself to flexibility in finding work (almost) anywhere I would like, with some restrictions.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Find cities https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&id=8DE4D2FD2D95592ED3B1B19CBF1294624C4A1E84&thid=OIP.9wZkJQNyQCY5LIYGZ376HgHaGL&mediaurl=http://www.centralfloridarealestate.nefla.com/maps/mid_florida_central_florida_map.gif&exph=500&expw=600&q=central+florida+map&selectedindex=0&ajaxhist=0&vt=0&eim=1,2,6 Then determine distance https://distancecalculator.globefeed.com/US_Distance_Calculator.asp?state=FL Then determine where among your target area is the best place to move https://www.bestplaces.net/state/florida

 

[kirstenjk]

We moved to Florida almost three years ago and live 45 minutes north of Tampa. It's a fast growing area with a lot of new housing options being built, good job prospects and plenty of stores/restaurants. About an hour and a half drive from WDW (and FL resident discounts). Biking to work will depend on where you live vs where you work. You won't want to bike in the middle of the summer.

With that being said, it is not cheap to live here. Rents in good areas, car insurance, groceries, utilities, etc are expensive. Public transportation isn't plentiful so you have to drive to most places. I recommend renting until you get the lay of the land. Most people live in planned communities with HOAs as opposed to traditional neighborhoods. Remember living here is vastly different from vacationing here.

 

[dish rag]

Coming from where you are and it’s going to be a huge shock. I would stay put. Its so much different than what you are used to. Much of it for the worse.

 

[dfurst05]

Coming from where you are and it’s going to be a huge shock. I would stay put. Its so much different than what you are used to. Much of it for the worse.

Can you expand on this? In what ways?

 

[Kitty 34]

Can you expand on this? In what ways?

Read those links that Southernmiss just gave you. The one link is only from 4 weeks ago and they (the poster/family were moving from Idaho. It should really help you out and probably help you with understanding what Dish rag is trying to explain to you. Good luck.