dover Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 Now that I am about to be done and out of the Army and have no debt, I think I am going to move to Florida rather then come back to dreary Ohio. So I have a few questions for the folks who live/lived there. 1) What city do you recommend? a) as of right now I am looking in to Miami or Tampa 2) What is cost of living like? b) What should I expect for utilities, gas, groceries? 3) Any vital information I need to know? c) I am done with the Army June 10th so I will either move then or return back to Ohio to settle and save for another couple months before going. Thanks for the insight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gillbot Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 I was in Pinellas Park and it was nice. COL was "average" IMHO but coming from Charlotte, NC it didn't bother me much. Housing cost was sucky, just take your time and pick your neighborhood carefully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dover Posted March 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 I am trying to avoid the ghetto or the trashy areas, I am willing to spend more to find a suitable apartment. I am on Rent.com right now but there is only so much you can see in a picture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty2Hotty Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 Don't know if you were planning on going to school or not, but check out the BAH rates for the areas. I've noticed it gives you a good idea for the average in the area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dover Posted March 19, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 I completely forgot about the post 9/11 gi bill and the BAH.. good idea thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scotty2Hotty Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 I completely forgot about the post 9/11 gi bill and the BAH.. good idea thanks No problem, that's one of the first things I look at. For instance, in Dallas my BAH for school is about $1,600. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trouble Maker Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 Looks like cost of living is higher in Miami and average pay is less... that's about what I would expect. I'd personally never want to live anywhere I've visited in Florida, as fun as they are to visit. I've got a major problem with coastal towns in general, it usually cost more to live, 'cities' too spread out, pay doesn't match the increase cost of living. On top of that Florida is usually not really home for anyone. I think that has negative effects on how people treat each other. Lots of old people live there that don't know how the fuck to drive. Even the people that live there that aren't old drive like they are about to die. http://www.bestplaces.net/col/ http://www.bankrate.com/calculators/savings/moving-cost-of-living-calculator.aspx http://swz.salary.com/costoflivingwizard/layoutscripts/coll_start.aspx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 I lived in Naples and loved it. Still have a condo I rent out and use to visit from time to time. We will move back once kids are through with school here in Ohio. Miami is a cool city but not the best place to live unless you have money. Tampa is more family-friendly. PM me if you have specific questions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acklac7 Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 My Brother lived in Naples/Ft.Myers: loved it. I spent a year or so down there: hated it. Should note i've been Vacationing down there since forever (UA thing), great place to spend a week or two but it gets old fast. The weather down there is nasty (IMO). Like Nov-March are tits but April through Oct is like 94 and 100% humidity every fucking day.(picture the nastiest day in Ohio during August x 210). Personally I'd rather suffer through the hell of Dec/Jan/Feb here then the nightmare of the long summers there. In regards to location i'd definitely focus on Miami: the entire West Coast seems to be riddled with trashy areas and overwhelmed with snotty old people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bruh Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 i would live in ft lauderdale. Cleaner nicer city. And 25mins from miami. I go down to ft lauderdale/miami area every year. There were some really good deals last time i was down there on condos! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acklac7 Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 Oh and the east-coasters will drive you NUTS. Like literally they will pull out right in front of you and give you some look like "what are you going to do, hit me!?". Which brings up another point: infrastructure. The traffic/infrastructure down there (at least on the west coast) is horrid...Sorry I hate that State. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acklac7 Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 i would live in ft lauderdale. Cleaner nicer city. And 25mins from miami. I go down to ft lauderdale/miami area every year. There were some really good deals last time i was down there on condos! Yea Ft.Lauderdale would be a good option too, I think there's a young(er) crowd there. Speaking of Condos, if your dead-set on moving to FL. I would strongly suggest you look into buying property down there. Housing prices down there are NUTS right now. Like prices have dropped 60% in the past few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KillJoy Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 We have friends who live in Sarasota, on Siesta Key. They love it there. Not sure of much of a "car scene" though... They are into boating and fishing, so, it is PERFECT for them.... When we visit them on Vacation, there has always been something to do... KillJoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wagner Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 Dover, join http://www.need2speed.com most of that website is based in Florida. Chris Brazel owns the site and lives in Tampa he is a pretty good guy. I am on that site from time to time but mostly lurk now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Spam Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 Tampa is a nice city. Relatively clean. Newer roads, beaches are nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GSXRAntwon Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 Tampa gets my vote, if I were to move to FL that'd be the only place I move to. You can't go wrong with Tampa / Clearwater / St. Petersburg areas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wagner Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 Tampa gets my vote, if I were to move to FL that'd be the only place I move to. You can't go wrong with Tampa / Clearwater / St. Petersburg areas. Yes, I have always liked that area. Or you can look more inland and save on cost of living. There are some nice tracks down there too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HotCarl Posted March 19, 2011 Report Share Posted March 19, 2011 Now that I am about to be done and out of the Army and have no debt, I think I am going to move to Florida rather then come back to dreary Ohio. So I have a few questions for the folks who live/lived there. 1) What city do you recommend? a) as of right now I am looking in to Miami or Tampa 2) What is cost of living like? b) What should I expect for utilities, gas, groceries? 3) Any vital information I need to know? c) I am done with the Army June 10th so I will either move then or return back to Ohio to settle and save for another couple months before going. Thanks for the insight. Ive never lived personally but my brother seriously considered relocating for a job and i have a friend who is in the middle of relocating to tampa. Personally i would rather live in tampa than miami, Ive heard cost of living is either at or nominally above cost of living in cbus, which is pretty cheap all things considered. What kind of work do you want to get into after youget out of the army? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bruh Posted March 20, 2011 Report Share Posted March 20, 2011 We have friends who live in Sarasota, on Siesta Key. They love it there. Not sure of much of a "car scene" though... They are into boating and fishing, so, it is PERFECT for them.... When we visit them on Vacation, there has always been something to do... KillJoy Siesta key is beautiful. Sarasota property was like number 1 or 2 in the country for home values lost. So you can find a nice place there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KillJoy Posted March 20, 2011 Report Share Posted March 20, 2011 Siesta key is beautiful. Sarasota property was like number 1 or 2 in the country for home values lost. So you can find a nice place there. This. Their Property Values (currently) are CHEEEEAAAAPPPP compared to what they were when we first went down there. Very beautiful area, but I think the entire community is tourism based. The Oil Spill did not really hurt their area though. :thumbup: KillJoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RS69 Posted March 20, 2011 Report Share Posted March 20, 2011 Tampa gets my vote, if I were to move to FL that'd be the only place I move to. You can't go wrong with Tampa / Clearwater / St. Petersburg areas. I agree, I have a few friends that live in this area and it would be a nice place to settle down in this area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldman09FZ6 Posted March 20, 2011 Report Share Posted March 20, 2011 check out http://www.ls1tech.com/forums/florida-members-58/ search the threads,there are many inquiries concerning your ?. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirks5oh Posted March 20, 2011 Report Share Posted March 20, 2011 This. Their Property Values (currently) are CHEEEEAAAAPPPP compared to what they were when we first went down there. Very beautiful area, but I think the entire community is tourism based. The Oil Spill did not really hurt their area though. :thumbup: KillJoy yep, i'm currently looking for a condo in siesta key---prices are still dropping, so i probably won't buy this summer, but its nuts. i wouldn't recommend sarasota for a young, single guy in his 20's, though. my buddy has a place in siesta key, and we've been going on guy trips about every 2 months for the last year----crescent beach is the nicest beach i've ever seen. some of the prices on the inland houses are ABSOLUTELY NUTS. they are selling for roughly 60% of the cost of the materials to build the house. the condos on the beach, or near the beach have not depreciated to the same extent. tampa is where its at. i lived there for a year, and thoroughly enjoyed the city. tons to do for a young professional. cost of living is very reasonable. huge, huge car scene. good shopping, restaurants, great nightlife. don't know much about finding a job there, so i can't comment on that. traffic is traffic, but its not aweful. we lived about 20 minutes north of tampa. i'd avoid miami like aids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forrest Gump 9 Posted March 20, 2011 Report Share Posted March 20, 2011 I used to live in Tampa. Very cool city, lots of things to do, lots of clubs, and lots of car scene. Miami is very unreal. Everyone is so fake there. It gets old very fast there. I lasted three months there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJ Posted March 20, 2011 Report Share Posted March 20, 2011 ocala was nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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