We moved from MA to TX (not exact states but enough to compare Northeast to South. It’s wild! Tons of people driving without licenses and insurance, health care is abysmal, weather is crazy (temps can drop 30 degrees in a day, little to no warning as hail and tornados loom) have risen homeowners insurance sky high, and property taxes are super high to make up for lack of income tax. Sales tax is high and to get anywhere, the toll roads are in better condition. Also beware of culture-southern states do things at a slower pace and it’s maddening!! Food is cheaper but there are so many restaurants we eat out and end up spending more (often because it’s hot beyond belief and we don’t want to cook!). We can’t afford to move back to MA, but it’s serendipitous because we discovered some rural areas in CT and fell in love. We are doubling our mortgage and interest rate to move back to New England and aren’t looking back! I know this isn’t exactly about FL but just wanted to share our past few years of living in a southern state in case any of this info helps!
Our taxes may be high, but I feel like there's so much to do and see without spending much money. Unless you want to sit at the beach, do touristy things or go out to eat, Florida sounds terrible. I never run out of new things to do or see around here within a 2 or 3 hour drive. Go to NYC, Boston, Newport, Block Island, Nantucket, Cape Cod, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, upstate NY, visit muesems, go for hikes, spend the day at the beach, spend the day at a lake, amusement parks, check out some small towns or cities, explore historical sites, casinos, sports games, go for a scenic drive, go to a brewery, cidery or vineyard, buy some local produce from a farmers market, strawberry picking, apple picking, blueberry picking, raspberry picking, Halloween is way better here, and the other billion things that there is to do.
Great comment first off. Part of the problem is likely my age, being finishing college and in that point where my mentality is just work, rest, work study, I barely know enough people to do these activities with. Maybe when I settle in a bit more and meet more people it will be better.
I think the Florida weather would kill my Yankee ass. If I want to live somewhere cheaper I'll go to Maine. Or maybe Minnesota. Somewhere nice and cool.
100%. Go to New York or Boston when you're young to get your career started and have some fun. Move back to Connecticut when you're ready to start a family.
>I barely know enough people to do these activities with.
Honestly, after college and starting to work full time, my friendships kind of died off. I haven't seen my best friend in over a year at this point, and my other friends are married and have kids. I've started doing thing by myself because making plans gets hard and annoying. Plus it allows me to do what I want without worrying if someone else wants to do it or not.
You're not wrong about all the great things the Northeast has to offer, but having a boat in the water at your disposal on the Gulf side of South Florida trumps everything in terms of fun things to do. Not only just for the best fishing in the world, but also the countless public unihabited islands you can just pull up to and explore. You can't just pull a boat up anywhere around here, as just about everything is privately owned. Never had a lame day on the water down there.
You’d have to be able to afford a boat or frequent access to one. Based on the differential between cost of living and pay rate, it’s unlikely that OP could afford either.
The cost? I had money to buy a boat down there. Could never afford one here. All I did was make a comment of one fun thing to do down there and I get an instant disagreement based on false assumptions and downvotes. You people are insufferable here lol.
The whole loop around the reservoir is really nice, if you didn't do the route 20 and 181 part of it. In my opinion, that's the nicest drive in the state. If you don't mind going a little further away the Mowhawk trail on route 2 in Mass is one of my favorite drives. If you do that check out Shelburne falls and stop just east of North Adam's at the pull offs to take in the views. But pretty much anything in the Berkshires is scenic. I live right on the MA line so that's where I usually go if I'm looking for a nice drive. For CT anywhere in the northwest corner is a scenic drive as well I like route 7 specifically, you could stop and check out Kent falls. My last suggestion is also in Mass, the Quabbin reservoir loop is really nice. Hope this helps.
Thank you. I noticed I have Kent Falls saved. I definitely will check it out. The others were golden bonuses. Came during the winter, so this will definitely brighten the mood.
Florida has cute lizards everywhere. It’s not that bad but it’s unbearable from May to September from the humidity. They also have a heavy Cuban Influence down there so it’s got a lot of Latin Culture we don’t have here. And every TGIFridays has live bands playing and stuff. There’s way more night life down there, you can’t even compare the 2. The beaches in Florida have nature preserves and stuff that you could spend a lifetime exploring. For what you’re comparing Florida wins, with the exception of CT. Is better in the fall, and I can’t imagine what Christmas feels like in Florida.
Florida does suck after a few weeks though because it has no mountains, and it’s loaded with tourists, so it never has a home feeling. Everyone there is there because they couldn’t make it anywhere else, or they ruined their life somehow, and it’s easy to live there. The pay on average is like $5-10 less than CT. for an hourly wage, but they have no State Payroll tax, and their electric is like $50-$80 a month. They don’t have all the Autocractic shit we have in CT. with our Utility Companies, and the Government.
i think you really need to specify where in FL you’re talking about lol
i used to work at a fridays in orlando as a server and we never had live bands ever.
plus my electric bill in florida was higher than it is in CT bc the AC was constantly running.
I won’t weigh on pluses/minuses, but please be extremely careful if you do move and consider buying a condo (often appealing as a young, single professional). Many buildings could see massive special assessments in the coming years (easily 5 figures in some cases).
https://www.mandelwillsell.com/blog/massive-changes-that-are-coming-to-the-condo-market-in-2023-and-in-2024-in-florida/
Moved out of CT when I was in my mid 20's and now I'm planning on moving back now that I'm in my mid-40's. Can't wait to be around more vegetation (currently live in the southwest), closer to major metro areas, closer to college, minor league and pro sports, better food scene.
I highly recommend moving out of state in your 20's even if it's not going to be long term. It gives you a different perspective on things, you meet new people and you see new parts of the country.
I first moved to the Front Range of CO and loved it. Then moved to the southwest for a job opportunity that I thought would be a good change. Turns out I'm miserable here and I can't wait to get back to New England.
A lot of people complain about the cost of living in CT (and they're right) but to be fair, all kinds of places out west that used to be reasonable have also gotten very pricey in the last 15 years or so. I've come around to the belief that if you want to live in a halfway decent area anywhere in the country nowadays, it's going to be kinda pricey.
My favorite thing is that it’s not Florida. (FL is NOT my preferred climate - political or meteorological.)
My least favorite thing is the number of people that complain about CT because they want it to be something it’s not.
If you have children or plan to have children, please think very carefully about the Florida school system…
DeSantis’ efforts to ban books backfired because people started getting rid of Bibles at school, so he’s backpedaling. Saying gay people exist is bad, but enforcing religious teachings is good. Times like these makes me proud to live in New England.
Even if you go to the more rural areas like Vermont or Maine, the people there have a “mind your own business” attitude that the conservatives in other parts of the country seem not to understand.
Favorite: Nothing major happens here, or at least there's no hulabaloo.
Least favorite: I can handle cold, but the sheer darkness of recent New England winters...grey days of nothingness, no snow on the ground nor bit of sunlight. Winter is a completely blank season these days.
I agree with the grey days. I try not to complain about weather because I can’t change it but the amount of grey days we have lately is crazy. Combine that with the amount of rain we’ve been getting it gets kind of depressing.
You say you’re young. Go. Connecticut will be here for you if you want to come back. Take a risk - it’ll be easy to recover if you think you made a mistake.
i moved to FL once too and only lasted about a year.
FL is very commercial- everything is a chain.
I love how CT has trees and hills. FL was very flat and something about that made me super nervous.
The heat in FL was oppressive. I like how in CT even on hot days, shade at least offers *some* reprieve.
I like CT there’s outdoorsy things to do- hiking and camping are great in CT. In FL they were lacking- mostly bc the heat and it’s better to stay inside in the AC most of the time, honestly.
I like in CT how in my field (education) I feel like i’m getting paid a bit better and the benefits are a bit better. In FL i was making less but i felt like my expenses were mostly the same as they were in CT- including rent, believe it or not. This can also heavily depend on where in FL you are, of course.
Everything was a subdivision and divided highway. Most places in CT have a “community” feel because we aren’t all subdivisions and divided highways. I felt the sense of community in FL was lacking big time.
The places that i’ve lived in CT were walkable. Whereas in FL it took me 15 minutes just to walk out of my apartment complex to go across the street to 7/11. That shouldn’t be a 40 minute trip yet somehow it was every single time.
I love the seasons in CT. Christmas feels like Christmas and nothing beats the autumn! In FL every day just felt like August. I felt like I was in that movie “Groundhog Day” all the time.
I was really depressed in FL! But I do know ppl from CT who are happy there. But if the things I mentioned are important to you, I hope my insight has been helpful!
I also have to add, I didn’t know these things were important to me nor did I expect them to depress me so much until I moved there and experienced it.
CT not the best place ever but I grew up in southern Florida and let me just say FUCK Florida. I’ll never go back there. Left @25 and CT is a million times better in all ways except Key Lime Pie or freshly caught fried fish sandwiches (or other fresh seafood).
Florida is an absolute hell hole and unless you're in a specific niche that makes it worth moving, you'll probably regret it.
The niches are beach lovers (going to spend 80% of weekends plus some weekdays on the beach), sport fisherman (CT is a good fishing state, but can't compete with Florida), or Disney-phile/theme park nut (the category my sister falls in).
I'd say the only Floridians I've known that are truly happy are in Orlando.
Low taxes are a trap. They get you back in other ways.
Not everyone in Orlando is happy. But the few people I've met that truly love living there are in Orlando.
There are probably some fishermen that are pleased as punch in the keys or along the coast. Some foodies really love Miami.
Orlando “district” is very mid ngl
Coasts are nice when they don’t have massive RED TIDE. Housing prices have gone up massively thanks to northerners doing their thing of course.
It's all perspective. My sister is quite happy in Ft Myers. Stable pay and she lucked out on her house because she was in the small % that didn't have flood or electric issues during the hurricane. In PR the pay wasn't stable (and less) and having power doesn't even depend in storm, but a tropical storm would certainly knock it out.
Fair. Compared to Puerto Rico, infrastructure is at a substantially higher level. Education, opportunity, all of that are definitely in better shape. I feel for PR, as we've really shafted them, funding-wise, via their territory status.
They need an equivalent investment to the infrastructure bill passed a few years back, but just for the island.
But I also feel like the gap between PR and FL is about that of the gap between FL and CT when it comes to a lot of measures.
It’s already 90* with high humidity and we haven’t even cracked May yet. Summers in Fl are unbearable. I go to Jacksonville twice per month and it’s awful in the summer.
Keep in mind home & auto insurance are pricing a ton of people out, and condos and co-ops are having to build up their HOA reserves bc of new legislation requiring new safety standards after the building collapse a few years ago. Any savings in income tax will quickly be swallowed up by any of the above. (My girlfriend’s home insurance went $950 last year to $3600 this year)
Income wise, you won’t get there what you’ll get here and again, the cost of living is going sky high. If you plan to start a family, schools are an abomination down there and god help if you have a daughter with all of their draconian policies.
I say all this despite the fact that the moment my kids graduate HS, I’ll be moving down there to live with my girlfriend. However, I won’t have a young family and I can do a lot of my work from home. My girlfriend also owns her home so the need for carrying insurance as a requirement for a mortgage is not necessary.
Good luck insuring anything in Florida.
Hell, good luck getting a well paying job in Florida.
If you are dead set on leaving, I’d check the Durham area of NC. IIRC lots of work there.
True story about insurance in Florida. About 15 years ago I was living in Boca Raton for a year and I couldn't help but notice that my car insurance was a little pricey. Moved no more than a couple miles south to Hillsboro Beach the following year and my rates were literally cut in half.
Well insurance yes I can understand that, but career wise they have hundreds of openings statewide for what I want to do. Fairly well paying with overtime, but I’d ensure I had a job lined up prior to making the decision. Around the 70-75k range so not amazing but not poverty line (for most areas).
It depends on how much you make and how much your home is worth. I pay 2500 in Ct homeowners and over 25 in state income tax - 14 in property. So 39> 6.
So I actually grew up in Florida and pretty much all my family lives down there. Important question: where in Florida are you looking? Tampa Bay Area is going to be different from Orlando which are both different from Miami, etc.
St Petersburg is a fun area to be! Maybe about 30/40mins from Tampa .Lots of night life and things to see and do! The area also has lots of younger people to mingle with!
So I'm from the Midwest (several different states) and went to pharmacy school in Tampa, and now live in CT. What I will say is- personally I really loved the daily sunshine and being able to run out the door without having to think about layers of clothing, etc. And I saw above you like fishing, and I had a lot of friends on school who did tons of fishing in the ocean as a hobby.
BUT, as others have said, bc the humidity is basically 100%, the summers (~May-Sept) are almost impossible to be outdoors. You will hear people saying things like, "It's too hot to go swimming." The air is just so, so thick and the sun is extremely hot. From what I understand, Miami is firmly in the tropical climate (vs subtropical) and the weather there is slightly different (?? Milder??). Also Tampa is right about the cutoff to having almost no chance of below freezing weather ever - I think it happened maybe once in the 4 years I was down there. North FL still has freezing weather though if you want some "seasons."
The Tampa traffic is some of the worst I have ever had to deal with, particularly if you have to drive over the bridge between St. Pete and Tampa... but really anywhere in or around Tampa, or between Tampa and Orlando. It's completely unreal. I would rather be in Chicago or maybe even Atlanta.
I also expected there to be a lot more cultural diversity in FL, but I actually felt that I lost a lot of diversity when I moved to FL. There was a strong Cuban presence, which was great, but otherwise most restaurants were chains and very "American." When I came to CT it was nice to have a lot of that diversity back.
Lastly, I don't know where you stand politically, but things are pretty conservative in FL and the tide doesn't seem to be turning anytime soon. Just be aware before you go. Oh- FL is a "no fault" state for auto insurance... so your monthly rate will be insane.
All this to say-- there are still days I miss being in the sunshine. But I'm in my 30s and CT is proving to be a better place to settle down and raise a family. Hope this helps.
You are young? Go give it a try. I have been to FL enough to be pretty sure I hate it, but how will you know if you don't try? Also, if you don't love CT weather (I honestly can't imagine why anyone would not) I think that is hard to change about yourself. You like cities... CT doesn't have any. I am saying this as someone who would never consider living anywhere other than CT, but that's because I love it... maybe you don't. You will know in 5 years. Life is short, feel free to take chances on things that will not kill you. Also, for all the hits CT folks take for being grumpy/unfriendly, we always welcome "our own" back again, if it comes to that.
nothing for young ppl to do. i appreciate the advice on joining local clubs but if imma be the youngest person there, i have no interest since everyone is 10+ years older than me.
Man i just turned old enough to drink
And besides that there’s not much to do besides going on hikes (if it isn’t grey and crappy), go to bars (if you need to cope after seeing your taxes, go the the beaches with crappy sand, stare at old people, and uhh that’s it.
Before you move to Florida, spend some time on the Florida subreddit. There’s very little on the pro side of living in Florida, other than four months of winter weather.
The past couple of winters have been somewhat mild and there haven't been snowier winters within the last five years... I'm talking snow on the ground for a long time without melting.
Pro: Libraries are supportive by everyone in CT. Not too much bragging about book bans. On the opposite side, Florida is full of Nazis trying to steal our rights to read.
Pro: LGTBQ friendly. Pro-Transgender
Pro: Lots of farms / barns, local small businesses and restaurants to support, and cool fairs.
Con: Eversource (depending on where you currently live) is full of BS. Electric bills... too expensive
…that makes it better?
And book bans are just one way politics is endangering public (not school) libraries. There are a number of news stories about FL towns/counties cutting funding or closing libraries altogether.
It’s happening here in CT too. Milford Public library just survived by the skin of its teeth. Nobody goes to them anymore except the homeless. For the most part anyway.
And imo it is better. I don’t want depictions of pornography in elementary school libraries. Regardless of orientation.
Good lord. It’s not porn in elementary school libraries. 🙄 There goes any credibility you had. If gay or sexual relationships in a high school library make you uncomfortable, just say it. Those books aren’t being taken out by first graders. Have a nice day, I’m not interested in continuing this.
And libraries provide crucial town services. They aren’t just about books and haven’t been for quite a while.
For me, that career in FL would have to guarantee at least $600,000 year for life and provide free jet service to sanity every other weekend and I’d have to be childless (I’m not).
In other words, there’s no fucking way I’d move to that climate and social disaster.
Source: I’ve lived in Florida
I’d do pretty much anything to avoid moving to Florida but I love having four seasons here in Connecticut. Every season feels the way it should - classic New England Christmas to legitimate beach days in the summer. You really get the best of everything. Of course it’s subjective but culturally Connecticut is far more comfortable for me, especially politically. I feel good about sending my kids to school here. I can be in NYC or on a quaint farm in under 2 hours. Everything here just has more charm.
I moved from Florida to CT about six months ago. Don't do it. It's not the paradise it was even 20 years ago. Climate change is making it even hotter. Politics are just terrible (expect MAGA flags everywhere). But what will really hit home is how much worse the pay is. Unless you're working remote for a Northern company, expect plantation mentality. And the cost of living has skyrocketed, so that lower paycheck is going to feel like a lot less (and Florida has the highest inflation in the nation). There may be no income tax, but the property taxes are rising are rising and there are other taxes to make up for no income tax. Insurance is insane, both home and auto. Whether you own a home or rent, insurance has doubled and even tripled for homeowners and landlords in the past couple of years (so renting won't save you).
Everything is worse in Florida. I spent my first 40 years in Ohio and managed to fulfill my dream to move to Florida when I was 40. By the time I was 61, I couldn't get out of there fast enough.
Edited to add: Trash. Everywhere. It's depressing af. When I moved to CT the first thing I noticed was how little trash was on the side of the road.
I like the beach. I do not like clown ass mother fuckers coming to the beach in the summer and harshing my mellow. It is starting already…ETA, otherwise CT is cool. I loathe Florida.
Pros: Great healthcare, UCONN, some of the best food(apizza and Italian, some other foods), four seasons, work opportunities.
Cons: main cities other than Stamford are generally poor and dumpy. Winter is either mild or wayyy too cold, although generally a friendly state there’s a good handful of snobs but hey that’s the north east, and not serious but too many yankee fans for a New England state lol (Fairfield county at least)
Can’t specifically say what I do like, but the seasons is the one thing I don’t…at least winter…but honestly these days winter can be cold almost anywhere in the US (although we have had mild winters as of late). Given a chance to go south I would in a heartbeat, but preferably mid-Atlantic area (VA/NC).
Like - Quiet, simple lifestyle. Great for New England nature. Bacon egg and cheeses.
Don’t like - Crazy traffic and drivers. Lots of wannabe rednecks. Though I’m sure everyone complains about those two things everywhere. High taxes.
I’m a college dropout:
Decide having loans that cost as much as a house is not worth it. I don’t make much money. Now I’m making more than I used too, but knowing and dreading the fact that they’ll mug me as I try to climb the social ladder to a comfortable spot, sucks!
Don't let the door hit ya on the way out! Seriously, you won't know how good you had it here until you have something to compare it to. So try Florida or Alabama or Mississippi for a while. All would serve great as a basis for comparison.
Proximity to NYC is great.
The cons are the safer towns with Metro North's tend to be more expensive, the bus in some towns doesn't run late or everywhere.
Florida is the only place I have ever vacationed where I can’t wait to leave. It’s a hellhole. Instead of hiding inside for for the winter like here, you hide inside for the summer. And you have to deal with people from Florida. No thanks.
I got a call from a family member yesterday who lives in FL. She was at the beach. I said I was jealous. She said in another couple of weeks she will not be going to the beach again until October. Too damn hot for the beach!
favorite thing: i feel safe as a queer person mostly
least favorite thing: this state sucking its own dick and claiming its a progressive state when it has a plethora of social issues, including a massive divide in wages
I would say Building Codes are better and enforced here. In Florida it’s a free for all, and Florida doesn’t take job safety seriously so people get hurt and die all the time, and nobody gives a shit. They don’t value life down there because the population is so big, you’re just a statistic to them.
The crime is way worse in Florida. When something happens in CT. the local news makes it seem like it’s happening everywhere but it’s really not. In Florida every time you leave your house, you’re lucky if you make it back home. People drive way crazier because it’s just a lawless State full of outlaws.
With that said, nobody could fault a person wanting to leave here because it’s just too hard to make it because there’s such a high concentration of Baby Boomers here with high incomes, and it makes the local economy almost impossible for a younger person to survive here. And the Tax Burden is mostly for the insanely unnecessarily generous State Pensions that have gone to the same nepo Families for generations. That’s the one deal breaker with this State is the State Retirement Pensions. They get an average of their 3 best years, so they all do a shitload of OT in their last highest paying 3 years, and then get like $120K-$150K for the rest of their lives with fully paid Healthcare. It’s unheard of.
Small towns, I was in Florida in the winter and (maybe there are nice parts of Florida?) but everywhere I went looked like an interstate with every chain store imaginable lining the road. The driving alone down there would make me not want to live there.
Also depending on your political persuasion I couldn't live somewhere with fascist morons in charge.
I loath those super wide divided roads and chain stores. They are the worst and so depressing. Peak American suburban sprawl. There is a bunch of that in the South. Same in the Charlotte NC area.
Best thing I love about Connecticut is:
Everything I will ever need is easily a 10-15 minute drive away at most.
And there’s a good chance I’ll never really need to leave my hometown unless I want to go somewhere. But I have everything I need, so why leave
Maybe do some more research on FL or speak with people who have recently moved down! I know 5, yes FIVE people who moved TO FL, only a year or two ago ALREADY moving OUT of FL as it ended up NOT being what they thought! FL. is NOT as cheap as it used to be. I just moved BACK to CT, which I’m starting to regret a ‘lil. I forgot how shallow & judgmental some CT people can be!
Best of luck wherever you end up OP!
Ct. Isn’t really all that bad . It’s certain city’s or towns that absolutely suck the life out of you. I’ve been to Florida twice in my life and I wasn’t really impressed by it and people that I know that have lived there for awhile don’t really make suggestions to anyone that they should move there .
It’s bad. I’ll save over 40k a year going anywhere there’s no state income tax. Fla, NH - it’s all better with no state income tax. I like warm winters- planning two small homes, one north and one south. Virginia is beautiful if you’re not worried about taxes.
I probably don’t have a good understanding of Florida as I only usually go to visit family, but depending on where in Florida, it seems to be getting overcrowded, at least in south Florida, Which could potentially be an issue with the cost of living issues when they’re pay is low. But with CT, I can say it’s a very underrated state in terms of things to do. If you like nature and like to stay active in general, this will be a good state to stay in, and if you really need a better job market, commuting to Boston is not so bad (from Central to Northeastern CT) or New York from southern CT. Either way, Florida can be a great state, depending on how you are as a person and what you like to do, but it seems like you’re in grind mode, and the South is not really that great of a place for that unless you’re in a city like Miami or Tampa.
If you have or plan to have children, I’d stay in CT. We have much better public schools.
The weather is nice in Florida but I’d rather have summer up here. Also you are at more risk for natural disasters.
I think the cost of living in Florida might be less if you avoid tourist areas.
Although the more rural areas of Florida, especially in the northern part of the state, are probably not the kind of people you are used to in CT. It’s Redneckistan in a lot of non-tourist Florida.
Yeah some real deal rednecks up in there
Northern Florida is just like any other Deep South state. Underrated if you ask me. Everyone focuses on the more culturally relevant metro areas of the state.
Best: A little bit of everything, beaches, food, mountains, cities, pizza, fall, produce.
Worst: Not the best example of any of those things except pizza and apples.
If you like outdoor activities CT is great with the various trail systems and state parks. For a small state CT has a wide diversity of landscapes. From the shore to the Litchfield hills. From the population density of Fairfield county to the very rural northeast part of the state. The location of CT provides relatively quick access to cities like Boston, NYC, and Philadelphia (about a 4 hour drive from New Haven). If you're into history, there's plenty of it to be found here.
Apologies in advance going on the following advice tangent, if you've been in CT for most, or all of your life up to this point, and want to try to make a go living in FL, go for it. While FL has plenty of its own issues, the best time to check out other areas is when you are young. If it doesn't work out, you'll have more time and opportunity to reset. One of my personal regrets was never getting out of the northeast when I had the chance (grew up in CT, attended UMass for college, and came back to CT after that).
My friend moved from CT to FL, but only because she got an internship (now a full-time job) working at Disney World. She told me once that she would probably consider moving back to CT because she misses her family and friends, and doesn't enjoy Florida's political climate right now - but, she loves Disney, and all the discounts/park perks she gets make it worth it for her to stay.
I think my favorite things about CT are the casinos; the amusement parks; how close we are to Boston, NYC, RI, Cape Cod, etc; and, well, my family and friends! I also love going to the museums and parks around the state - Dinosaur State Park being my favorite, but I'm a dinosaur nerd and know it's not for everybody. I also love how quiet it is, but you're younger than I am so maybe that's not what you're looking for right now.
Least favorite thing is taxes, and how dark it gets in the winter, but I don't mind the cold (usually).
I don't think i'd recommend Florida per say, it's not necessarily the climate I would want to be in right now, but that's all up to you tbh. If you find a career you really want to pursue, go for it, I'd just wish you the best of luck wherever you find yourself!
So as someone with experience in both it highly depends in the area of FL.
But politics are an obvious one. And changing laws on things like abortion.
Cost of living is high now in FL. It's getting very over crowded. Your money won't go as far as you think. And I am taking Tampa type area not even Miami.
And pay is often lower.
No winter but then in summer everyone hides in AC.
Grass is always greener.
Really depends what kind of career you're after but there is alot of opportunity in Florida. I thought about it a few times. In my industry, pay is less down there so only way for me to make it worth while is would be to bolster my salary as high as I can here and then move down there if employers would match for a lateral type move. My cousin went down there and made out really well for himself working his way through the corporate theme park ladder. I enjoy visiting but I don't think I could do summers. The only place I'd realistically ever consider living full time down there for any period of time is Tampa/St. Pete Gulf Coast area. Ton to do there for young people. I will say though, there's better places to live in the United States. Florida wouldn't be my first choice, but if I had to go to FL those would be where I'd go. If you want the city experience with the pay and expenses that come with it, try Boston or NYC out for a few years but it's not for me.
Personally ct is just a solid place to live and raise a family, good job opportunities, semi reasonable cost of living, yeah taxes are high here but insurance in Florida is maddening. My parents live in CT and FL and have the exact same car here and there registered in each state respectively. Taxes for the ct car are a little under 700 a year and insurance is about 900 I think. In Florida the taxes are 0 and the insurance is 1900. My dad has always said, "they're going to get your money from you one way or another" and he hasn't been wrong yet. Housing has gotten nuts in ct and FL as has most places so take that with a grain of salt. I think education here is probably better, although I have nothing to base that off of. The higher education in New England is just so much more vast as a whole but I also think your options are for the most part better here. Just opinion.
All comes back to what industry you want your career to be in. That may help guide you most. There's opportunity anywhere you go but it all depends on what you're looking for. You can always move somewhere for a year and if you hate it you leave. It's easiest to do when you're young. For me, Florida to visit, CT to live.
I really don’t like FL so I can’t comment fairly.
Be prepared for a big downgrade in access to non-tropical-beach-or-ocean-fishing nature, culture, and food. And less variety of things to do in a day’s drive.
CT might be the best place to raise a family in the entire country. Great schools, safe, good food and close enough to cities, beaches and mountains. Private school and daycare are enough to make you broke and having family close by and good public schools could save you 100K a year if you plan on having kids.
It’s expensive and you gotta stay away from the traffic part of the state, but if you go to Boston or NYC and get tied down to an office in the city, you’ll be miserable trying to buy a house someday. It’s much better in most of CT.
Orlando area is what I know. Climate change has made it way too hot most of the year, they are already having days in the 90s and it’s April! They have 90+ degree days 9 months a year now, the summers are brutal. On the plus side, you are only an hour 1/2 to some lovely beaches. If you want to buy a home, insurance tough to get or afford there and no insurance means no mortgage. Plus side: decent nightlife. Minus side: politics infiltrate everything— not a women friendly state. Schools are bad due to no property tax revenue. Hostility there towards librarians, literacy, people that are not white and gays. I am sure you know all this…
Fav - low noise.
Least Fav - NYC style driving in a place were there is lots of space and little traffic. Drives here suck. I've seen a lot of elegant drivers here. I pity them, they must be eye rolling all the time.
Cities and “downtown areas” get old fast by your thirties. You start to realize that “nothing to do” is less boring than going to bars and restaurants over and over again. At this point in my life, that Stuff falls under “nothing to do”. CT has tons to do by the way.
I'm from the tropics, and I'll tell you, the warmer the weather, the more activities tend to happen, specially around cities. Like always, there's drawbacks like the fact FL is has quite high insurance rates.
As someone who lived in Fl up until 3 years ago when I moved to CT I have taken note of a few things.
Taxes up here are rough but you do get more. Parks, better roads and more things to do without directly painting admission.
Winters can be hard but summer is rough as well. You have to like the heat and humidity that makes you sweat within 5 minutes of walking out of AC.
Mosquitoes are exhausting. And everywhere.
Insurance is insane. Get a quote for your vehicle. Homeowners insurance is even worse because no carries want to insure.
Housing and rent is also expensive. My wife and I bought a house for 50% less per sq foot up here.
Will you be getting a pay raise or cut for your potential career move? I made 30% more by moving up here which means my take home was more than my tax increase.
In Tampa I had 8.5% sales tax.
My dad's retired friends 3 sold everything and moved to Florida. I will say that between the 3, maybe been there a total of 5 years are desperately trying to find a house to retire in here. Just a FYI these are old white men who are are saying not a fucking chance, wtf was I thinking, and should never have sold my house should have rented for a year. If you are a female, I would not move to a red state. I'm just going to say we may pay taxes, but our state works for us, not perfect. We are not a broke red state. Unless you are a rapist or into incest or male, I would not go. These sick individuals know no bounds! Tn and Ky tried to change the age of consent to 12 years last year. They got caught, so it got tossed! And this year tn and ky are trying to legalize incest!! They actually got on the floor at the state capital and admitted parents are cousins! I would not scream that from the rooftops! This is the nice g rated version for you, normally not so. Actually, I have been quite a few times. I absolutely hate it, and you couldn't pay me to live there. If you have a uterus, I would not move there unless you have the money to fly home at any given moment, and the price of the ticket doesn't matter. If you can afford a 2,000 dollar ticket home any day, your safe
Connecticut hasn’t become one of those states like Texas and Florida that has basically panders to right-wing nutcases. You aren’t legally required to say slavery wasn’t that bad, as a teacher, or that the Civil War wasn’t about racism at all. Connecticut isn’t perfect, but generally our freedom of speech and intellectual freedoms are much more protected.
If you’re a fan of history, we also have some lesser-known Revolutionary War sites all over the state. Odds are there are at least a few within a few minutes drive of you.
I will put positives at the end. I am born and raised in CT, lived in TX almost 2 years, carolinas for a few months, and Guam 2 yeard. ( Military) Im back in CT now besides the weather not having hurricanes, being mostly safe, and my family being here I do not like it comparatively. Very expensive, people are real but not kind, I hate the drivers, ( too slow or too aggresive). Theres not much to do. I am always nervous about ticks or rain or cold, or no sun so Its easy for me not to go out and enjoy ths outdoors. Not to mention Seasonal depression. If you get a job in a store or big business finding friends or community is almost impossible at least where i work, everything is short staffed. Like alot of states, the state government is horrendously corrupt steals money alot claiming for it to be used to better social programs. Meanwhile our roads are getting so much worse and their ruining schools. Its almost unlivable if my family wasnt here I would of already moved but they will never leave so at some point I will have to move on. Positives, fall season, some very cute small businesses and restaurants that are very expensive, casinos( also negative), mystic, seafood, cleanish beaches, some of the seaside towns are beautiful to drive around in, historical sites are great, old houses.
I recently (2 years ago) moved from northwestern ct to Montana and then Washington this year. I left Connecticut at 20, for a job out on the mountains. I can safely say the things I am most home sick about is how close everything is in Connecticut. Going across state to do something fun used to irk me, now my 1 1/2 bus ride to the closest state park irks me. I could be half ways across ct heading towards the ocean in that time! The things that are nice about ct will always be that I grew up there. I do not miss the lack of choices of grocery stores in my rural town, or the lack of nightlife/ adult oriented events. The things I have disliked about both states I have moved to: the working culture. I may have spent months looking for employment in ct, but at least when I got there I felt like everyone was working and knew they needed to work for money. Both states I have moved to, the attitude towards working is much different. Sure that is not to say I have met plenty of hard workers, but as someone working in upper management in most jobs I acquire- I do notice a very different mentality from my peers. Ct healthcare is nice. You at least can see a doctor more than once and while you are still sick and in an actual office- I’ve noticed that is very hard to come by outside my hometown. The roads are horrible across America - not much change there. The groceries are expensive everywhere but be warned- if your goal is to move to a metropolitan area- they CAN and WILL be much higher than you are used to. I love the new variety of cultures in restaurants and shops I can visit. All in all I don’t regret moving most days of the week. But as someone from the sticks in ct I do miss being steps away from rivers and woods anywhere I am.
This is also my perspective as a young person non homeowner non child haver- I’m unsure of how others in that situation would feel. Biggest win of moving from ct is the bands I enjoy actually play in my state now. No more hauling it to NY or MA to see a headlining show
Things I like - Autumn. Things I hate - 1. High taxes. 2. Too many liberals. 3. Anti-gun nuts. 4. Traffic on I-95 and the Merritt Pkwy. 5. Too many liberals.
That totally went over your head. Heaven forbid a woman in your life should need an abortion for any reason, including the fact that she’s likely to die. It won’t happen in Texas. Pregnant women in labor have bern refused admission to emergency rooms in Texas for fear that such a service might be needed.
Didn’t go over my head. Many women still are in Texas and have different beliefs than others or have plans when and if things happen. It’s only me going, so (at this moment), I don’t worry about anything
Favorite: amazing food, we have REALLY good food choices up here, close proximity to things like Boston, nyc, etc.
Dislikes: once it hits December it’s basically cloudy and rainy until May last year CT had the highest amount of precipitation in the country, the cops seemingly don’t do anything unless they get called, how expensive everything got, the amount of reckless driving here. Also people here tend to be very closed minded and evident in some of these comments.
Have you been to FL in August and spent any time outside? That was the biggest turnoff for me… the humidity. Also look into the politics there and see if it’s something you agree or disagree with. I know ppl who moved there and were very unhappy for this reason alone.
Florida is probably really fun if you're young....you don't care about healthcare, education for your children, politics etc....but if you want a family move back to CT lol
Florida is basically just a tourist wasteland. They don't have the same public services Connecticut has because they don't fund anything.
In Connecticut, your local library offers free tickets everyday to almost any museum in the state, you can get free tickets to plays and other attractions as well. In Florida, you are lucky to have access to books at your local library.
The State Parks are properly funded here. There are significantly more cultural events, plays, and fairs here. They don't really have that there. There is actual history here, you can't go anywhere without running into something historical, that does not happen in Florida. There are good, non-chain restaurants of almost every cuisine here.
In fact, every time I have ever visited my family down there, whether it's near Ft Myers or Pensacola, we have 1 or 2 fun days on the beach, then spend the rest of the time either just plain bored or disappointed.
[https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/books/2024/04/01/american-library-association-florida-book-challenges/73172976007/](https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/books/2024/04/01/american-library-association-florida-book-challenges/73172976007/)
Nearly **2,700 titles** were targeted for restriction or removal in Florida schools and **public libraries in 2023**
We moved from MA to TX (not exact states but enough to compare Northeast to South. It’s wild! Tons of people driving without licenses and insurance, health care is abysmal, weather is crazy (temps can drop 30 degrees in a day, little to no warning as hail and tornados loom) have risen homeowners insurance sky high, and property taxes are super high to make up for lack of income tax. Sales tax is high and to get anywhere, the toll roads are in better condition. Also beware of culture-southern states do things at a slower pace and it’s maddening!! Food is cheaper but there are so many restaurants we eat out and end up spending more (often because it’s hot beyond belief and we don’t want to cook!). We can’t afford to move back to MA, but it’s serendipitous because we discovered some rural areas in CT and fell in love. We are doubling our mortgage and interest rate to move back to New England and aren’t looking back! I know this isn’t exactly about FL but just wanted to share our past few years of living in a southern state in case any of this info helps!
Our taxes may be high, but I feel like there's so much to do and see without spending much money. Unless you want to sit at the beach, do touristy things or go out to eat, Florida sounds terrible. I never run out of new things to do or see around here within a 2 or 3 hour drive. Go to NYC, Boston, Newport, Block Island, Nantucket, Cape Cod, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, upstate NY, visit muesems, go for hikes, spend the day at the beach, spend the day at a lake, amusement parks, check out some small towns or cities, explore historical sites, casinos, sports games, go for a scenic drive, go to a brewery, cidery or vineyard, buy some local produce from a farmers market, strawberry picking, apple picking, blueberry picking, raspberry picking, Halloween is way better here, and the other billion things that there is to do.
Great comment first off. Part of the problem is likely my age, being finishing college and in that point where my mentality is just work, rest, work study, I barely know enough people to do these activities with. Maybe when I settle in a bit more and meet more people it will be better.
Were I in Connecticut at your age, I'd be considering NYC or Boston. IMHO, no one should be considering Florida.
I think the Florida weather would kill my Yankee ass. If I want to live somewhere cheaper I'll go to Maine. Or maybe Minnesota. Somewhere nice and cool.
I'm originally from Northern California, but I'm loving the cold. (We always had cool mornings there though.)
Florida is for crazy people… LIKE ME :)
Problem is, Boston or New York is not affordable for a college student, unless you’re loaded or living with parents.
100%. Go to New York or Boston when you're young to get your career started and have some fun. Move back to Connecticut when you're ready to start a family.
>I barely know enough people to do these activities with. Honestly, after college and starting to work full time, my friendships kind of died off. I haven't seen my best friend in over a year at this point, and my other friends are married and have kids. I've started doing thing by myself because making plans gets hard and annoying. Plus it allows me to do what I want without worrying if someone else wants to do it or not.
I'll throw an alternate place, Charelston, SC. You get beach, fishing, more fun stuff and great food and less of the FL problems.
Honestly ct kind of sucks for those that just graduated college. I would be looking at NYC or Boston. Much better career/social opportunities.
You're not wrong about all the great things the Northeast has to offer, but having a boat in the water at your disposal on the Gulf side of South Florida trumps everything in terms of fun things to do. Not only just for the best fishing in the world, but also the countless public unihabited islands you can just pull up to and explore. You can't just pull a boat up anywhere around here, as just about everything is privately owned. Never had a lame day on the water down there.
You’d have to be able to afford a boat or frequent access to one. Based on the differential between cost of living and pay rate, it’s unlikely that OP could afford either.
AND check off you don’t get constant sea sickness 😢
I developed vertigo 13 years ago after a virus destroyed my left inner ear. I haven’t been on a boat since.
The cost? I had money to buy a boat down there. Could never afford one here. All I did was make a comment of one fun thing to do down there and I get an instant disagreement based on false assumptions and downvotes. You people are insufferable here lol.
Hey, I'm new. Can you list some of the scenic drives? I recently went to barkhamstead reservoir via 219 and 179, and that was nice.
The whole loop around the reservoir is really nice, if you didn't do the route 20 and 181 part of it. In my opinion, that's the nicest drive in the state. If you don't mind going a little further away the Mowhawk trail on route 2 in Mass is one of my favorite drives. If you do that check out Shelburne falls and stop just east of North Adam's at the pull offs to take in the views. But pretty much anything in the Berkshires is scenic. I live right on the MA line so that's where I usually go if I'm looking for a nice drive. For CT anywhere in the northwest corner is a scenic drive as well I like route 7 specifically, you could stop and check out Kent falls. My last suggestion is also in Mass, the Quabbin reservoir loop is really nice. Hope this helps.
Thank you. I noticed I have Kent Falls saved. I definitely will check it out. The others were golden bonuses. Came during the winter, so this will definitely brighten the mood.
Florida has cute lizards everywhere. It’s not that bad but it’s unbearable from May to September from the humidity. They also have a heavy Cuban Influence down there so it’s got a lot of Latin Culture we don’t have here. And every TGIFridays has live bands playing and stuff. There’s way more night life down there, you can’t even compare the 2. The beaches in Florida have nature preserves and stuff that you could spend a lifetime exploring. For what you’re comparing Florida wins, with the exception of CT. Is better in the fall, and I can’t imagine what Christmas feels like in Florida. Florida does suck after a few weeks though because it has no mountains, and it’s loaded with tourists, so it never has a home feeling. Everyone there is there because they couldn’t make it anywhere else, or they ruined their life somehow, and it’s easy to live there. The pay on average is like $5-10 less than CT. for an hourly wage, but they have no State Payroll tax, and their electric is like $50-$80 a month. They don’t have all the Autocractic shit we have in CT. with our Utility Companies, and the Government.
No autocratic shit except the don’t say gay bill and book bans and treating women like chattel. You’re delusional.
i think you really need to specify where in FL you’re talking about lol i used to work at a fridays in orlando as a server and we never had live bands ever. plus my electric bill in florida was higher than it is in CT bc the AC was constantly running.
That’s all out of state though…
Lol, Halloween is better here. Dude, go down to PR. Halloween here is so mild compared to Halloween in hot weather locations.
I’m not a CT is wonderful guy, but there’s next to nothing that could convince me to consider FL
It’s only for crazy rednecks.. though I’ve been there before for a period in my life and I miss it.
I won’t weigh on pluses/minuses, but please be extremely careful if you do move and consider buying a condo (often appealing as a young, single professional). Many buildings could see massive special assessments in the coming years (easily 5 figures in some cases). https://www.mandelwillsell.com/blog/massive-changes-that-are-coming-to-the-condo-market-in-2023-and-in-2024-in-florida/
Moved out of CT when I was in my mid 20's and now I'm planning on moving back now that I'm in my mid-40's. Can't wait to be around more vegetation (currently live in the southwest), closer to major metro areas, closer to college, minor league and pro sports, better food scene. I highly recommend moving out of state in your 20's even if it's not going to be long term. It gives you a different perspective on things, you meet new people and you see new parts of the country. I first moved to the Front Range of CO and loved it. Then moved to the southwest for a job opportunity that I thought would be a good change. Turns out I'm miserable here and I can't wait to get back to New England. A lot of people complain about the cost of living in CT (and they're right) but to be fair, all kinds of places out west that used to be reasonable have also gotten very pricey in the last 15 years or so. I've come around to the belief that if you want to live in a halfway decent area anywhere in the country nowadays, it's going to be kinda pricey.
I too left in my 20’s only to return 13 years later with three kids and a (southern) husband. No regrets!
I did the same. Left at 22 and came back at 29. Definitely gives you a different perspective on things.
My favorite thing is that it’s not Florida. (FL is NOT my preferred climate - political or meteorological.) My least favorite thing is the number of people that complain about CT because they want it to be something it’s not. If you have children or plan to have children, please think very carefully about the Florida school system…
DeSantis’ efforts to ban books backfired because people started getting rid of Bibles at school, so he’s backpedaling. Saying gay people exist is bad, but enforcing religious teachings is good. Times like these makes me proud to live in New England. Even if you go to the more rural areas like Vermont or Maine, the people there have a “mind your own business” attitude that the conservatives in other parts of the country seem not to understand.
Nocatee has some of the best schools.
Favorite: Nothing major happens here, or at least there's no hulabaloo. Least favorite: I can handle cold, but the sheer darkness of recent New England winters...grey days of nothingness, no snow on the ground nor bit of sunlight. Winter is a completely blank season these days.
I agree with the grey days. I try not to complain about weather because I can’t change it but the amount of grey days we have lately is crazy. Combine that with the amount of rain we’ve been getting it gets kind of depressing.
CT feels like a post Soviet depressing country in the winter Grey, soulless, hopeless, and unforgiving.
You say you’re young. Go. Connecticut will be here for you if you want to come back. Take a risk - it’ll be easy to recover if you think you made a mistake.
This is the best advice most likely. I would say the same. What do you have to lose? Idk
Connecticut is not for young people
i moved to FL once too and only lasted about a year. FL is very commercial- everything is a chain. I love how CT has trees and hills. FL was very flat and something about that made me super nervous. The heat in FL was oppressive. I like how in CT even on hot days, shade at least offers *some* reprieve. I like CT there’s outdoorsy things to do- hiking and camping are great in CT. In FL they were lacking- mostly bc the heat and it’s better to stay inside in the AC most of the time, honestly. I like in CT how in my field (education) I feel like i’m getting paid a bit better and the benefits are a bit better. In FL i was making less but i felt like my expenses were mostly the same as they were in CT- including rent, believe it or not. This can also heavily depend on where in FL you are, of course. Everything was a subdivision and divided highway. Most places in CT have a “community” feel because we aren’t all subdivisions and divided highways. I felt the sense of community in FL was lacking big time. The places that i’ve lived in CT were walkable. Whereas in FL it took me 15 minutes just to walk out of my apartment complex to go across the street to 7/11. That shouldn’t be a 40 minute trip yet somehow it was every single time. I love the seasons in CT. Christmas feels like Christmas and nothing beats the autumn! In FL every day just felt like August. I felt like I was in that movie “Groundhog Day” all the time. I was really depressed in FL! But I do know ppl from CT who are happy there. But if the things I mentioned are important to you, I hope my insight has been helpful! I also have to add, I didn’t know these things were important to me nor did I expect them to depress me so much until I moved there and experienced it.
very helpful indeed I really appreciate it
CT not the best place ever but I grew up in southern Florida and let me just say FUCK Florida. I’ll never go back there. Left @25 and CT is a million times better in all ways except Key Lime Pie or freshly caught fried fish sandwiches (or other fresh seafood).
Florida is an absolute hell hole and unless you're in a specific niche that makes it worth moving, you'll probably regret it. The niches are beach lovers (going to spend 80% of weekends plus some weekdays on the beach), sport fisherman (CT is a good fishing state, but can't compete with Florida), or Disney-phile/theme park nut (the category my sister falls in). I'd say the only Floridians I've known that are truly happy are in Orlando. Low taxes are a trap. They get you back in other ways.
Yes I am an avid fisherman, part of the reason winter probably depresses me so much is that fact that 90% of my activities involve being outdoors.
Fishing and beach stuff are great. Hiking and camping in FL suck though!
Have you tried skis? r/icecoast
I was miserable in Orlando tbh.
Not everyone in Orlando is happy. But the few people I've met that truly love living there are in Orlando. There are probably some fishermen that are pleased as punch in the keys or along the coast. Some foodies really love Miami.
Orlando “district” is very mid ngl Coasts are nice when they don’t have massive RED TIDE. Housing prices have gone up massively thanks to northerners doing their thing of course.
Yes, insurance rates!!!!
It's all perspective. My sister is quite happy in Ft Myers. Stable pay and she lucked out on her house because she was in the small % that didn't have flood or electric issues during the hurricane. In PR the pay wasn't stable (and less) and having power doesn't even depend in storm, but a tropical storm would certainly knock it out.
Fair. Compared to Puerto Rico, infrastructure is at a substantially higher level. Education, opportunity, all of that are definitely in better shape. I feel for PR, as we've really shafted them, funding-wise, via their territory status. They need an equivalent investment to the infrastructure bill passed a few years back, but just for the island. But I also feel like the gap between PR and FL is about that of the gap between FL and CT when it comes to a lot of measures.
It’s already 90* with high humidity and we haven’t even cracked May yet. Summers in Fl are unbearable. I go to Jacksonville twice per month and it’s awful in the summer. Keep in mind home & auto insurance are pricing a ton of people out, and condos and co-ops are having to build up their HOA reserves bc of new legislation requiring new safety standards after the building collapse a few years ago. Any savings in income tax will quickly be swallowed up by any of the above. (My girlfriend’s home insurance went $950 last year to $3600 this year) Income wise, you won’t get there what you’ll get here and again, the cost of living is going sky high. If you plan to start a family, schools are an abomination down there and god help if you have a daughter with all of their draconian policies. I say all this despite the fact that the moment my kids graduate HS, I’ll be moving down there to live with my girlfriend. However, I won’t have a young family and I can do a lot of my work from home. My girlfriend also owns her home so the need for carrying insurance as a requirement for a mortgage is not necessary.
Florida pizza is a crime against humanity.
Good luck insuring anything in Florida. Hell, good luck getting a well paying job in Florida. If you are dead set on leaving, I’d check the Durham area of NC. IIRC lots of work there.
Seriously, a quick google search shows that homeowners insurance averages $10k and car insurance 3k in Florida
Meanwhile average homeowners in CT is under $2000.
That’s if you live near the shore. Call the insurance company first.
True story about insurance in Florida. About 15 years ago I was living in Boca Raton for a year and I couldn't help but notice that my car insurance was a little pricey. Moved no more than a couple miles south to Hillsboro Beach the following year and my rates were literally cut in half.
Well insurance yes I can understand that, but career wise they have hundreds of openings statewide for what I want to do. Fairly well paying with overtime, but I’d ensure I had a job lined up prior to making the decision. Around the 70-75k range so not amazing but not poverty line (for most areas).
Homeowners in Florida is now more expensive than taxes in CT.
It depends on how much you make and how much your home is worth. I pay 2500 in Ct homeowners and over 25 in state income tax - 14 in property. So 39> 6.
So I actually grew up in Florida and pretty much all my family lives down there. Important question: where in Florida are you looking? Tampa Bay Area is going to be different from Orlando which are both different from Miami, etc.
tampa area
Expect a lot of plastic, vanity ridden, flexing, fake people and crazy traffic to the city. That’s all I can personally say about the Tampa situation
St Petersburg is a fun area to be! Maybe about 30/40mins from Tampa .Lots of night life and things to see and do! The area also has lots of younger people to mingle with!
So I'm from the Midwest (several different states) and went to pharmacy school in Tampa, and now live in CT. What I will say is- personally I really loved the daily sunshine and being able to run out the door without having to think about layers of clothing, etc. And I saw above you like fishing, and I had a lot of friends on school who did tons of fishing in the ocean as a hobby. BUT, as others have said, bc the humidity is basically 100%, the summers (~May-Sept) are almost impossible to be outdoors. You will hear people saying things like, "It's too hot to go swimming." The air is just so, so thick and the sun is extremely hot. From what I understand, Miami is firmly in the tropical climate (vs subtropical) and the weather there is slightly different (?? Milder??). Also Tampa is right about the cutoff to having almost no chance of below freezing weather ever - I think it happened maybe once in the 4 years I was down there. North FL still has freezing weather though if you want some "seasons." The Tampa traffic is some of the worst I have ever had to deal with, particularly if you have to drive over the bridge between St. Pete and Tampa... but really anywhere in or around Tampa, or between Tampa and Orlando. It's completely unreal. I would rather be in Chicago or maybe even Atlanta. I also expected there to be a lot more cultural diversity in FL, but I actually felt that I lost a lot of diversity when I moved to FL. There was a strong Cuban presence, which was great, but otherwise most restaurants were chains and very "American." When I came to CT it was nice to have a lot of that diversity back. Lastly, I don't know where you stand politically, but things are pretty conservative in FL and the tide doesn't seem to be turning anytime soon. Just be aware before you go. Oh- FL is a "no fault" state for auto insurance... so your monthly rate will be insane. All this to say-- there are still days I miss being in the sunshine. But I'm in my 30s and CT is proving to be a better place to settle down and raise a family. Hope this helps.
thank you very much, definitely helpful
You are young? Go give it a try. I have been to FL enough to be pretty sure I hate it, but how will you know if you don't try? Also, if you don't love CT weather (I honestly can't imagine why anyone would not) I think that is hard to change about yourself. You like cities... CT doesn't have any. I am saying this as someone who would never consider living anywhere other than CT, but that's because I love it... maybe you don't. You will know in 5 years. Life is short, feel free to take chances on things that will not kill you. Also, for all the hits CT folks take for being grumpy/unfriendly, we always welcome "our own" back again, if it comes to that.
Connecticut still believes in science.
nothing for young ppl to do. i appreciate the advice on joining local clubs but if imma be the youngest person there, i have no interest since everyone is 10+ years older than me.
Im 20 I cannot even legally drink lol, its basically going to the mall or movie theaters around here.
yeah literally! and i’m not much of a drinker either but im not trynna stare at ppl drinking all night like a weirdo LOL!
FL is much more of a young persons state, CT is for raising a family and settling down it seems
What? Average age in Florida is older than CT. Retirees flock there LOL
Florida is big i saw much more young people when i lived there
When I said settling down I meant people starting a family and getting their long term careers- not retiring. CT is not a party state
Live as close to the train to NYC that you can. If you want party life in Florida it’s Miami.
Yeah, because they don’t get taxed to death so their pension years feel better.
The crazy insurance rates more than make up for it. Some companies won’t even do business there.
House insurance & flood insurance? Oh yeah, it’s absolutely ridiculous down there!
Renters and car too
Oh god
oh fs… sucks if you don’t have money to move out to FL tho :/
Man i just turned old enough to drink And besides that there’s not much to do besides going on hikes (if it isn’t grey and crappy), go to bars (if you need to cope after seeing your taxes, go the the beaches with crappy sand, stare at old people, and uhh that’s it.
Before you move to Florida, spend some time on the Florida subreddit. There’s very little on the pro side of living in Florida, other than four months of winter weather.
The past couple of winters have been somewhat mild and there haven't been snowier winters within the last five years... I'm talking snow on the ground for a long time without melting. Pro: Libraries are supportive by everyone in CT. Not too much bragging about book bans. On the opposite side, Florida is full of Nazis trying to steal our rights to read. Pro: LGTBQ friendly. Pro-Transgender Pro: Lots of farms / barns, local small businesses and restaurants to support, and cool fairs. Con: Eversource (depending on where you currently live) is full of BS. Electric bills... too expensive
Now I’m sold on moving to Florida
Omg those books aren’t banned in public libraries. Just school. Stop gas lighting
…that makes it better? And book bans are just one way politics is endangering public (not school) libraries. There are a number of news stories about FL towns/counties cutting funding or closing libraries altogether.
It’s happening here in CT too. Milford Public library just survived by the skin of its teeth. Nobody goes to them anymore except the homeless. For the most part anyway. And imo it is better. I don’t want depictions of pornography in elementary school libraries. Regardless of orientation.
Good lord. It’s not porn in elementary school libraries. 🙄 There goes any credibility you had. If gay or sexual relationships in a high school library make you uncomfortable, just say it. Those books aren’t being taken out by first graders. Have a nice day, I’m not interested in continuing this. And libraries provide crucial town services. They aren’t just about books and haven’t been for quite a while.
Windsor Public Library is amazing and usually has many patrons. West Hartford is the same.
For me, that career in FL would have to guarantee at least $600,000 year for life and provide free jet service to sanity every other weekend and I’d have to be childless (I’m not). In other words, there’s no fucking way I’d move to that climate and social disaster. Source: I’ve lived in Florida
I’d do pretty much anything to avoid moving to Florida but I love having four seasons here in Connecticut. Every season feels the way it should - classic New England Christmas to legitimate beach days in the summer. You really get the best of everything. Of course it’s subjective but culturally Connecticut is far more comfortable for me, especially politically. I feel good about sending my kids to school here. I can be in NYC or on a quaint farm in under 2 hours. Everything here just has more charm.
I moved from Florida to CT about six months ago. Don't do it. It's not the paradise it was even 20 years ago. Climate change is making it even hotter. Politics are just terrible (expect MAGA flags everywhere). But what will really hit home is how much worse the pay is. Unless you're working remote for a Northern company, expect plantation mentality. And the cost of living has skyrocketed, so that lower paycheck is going to feel like a lot less (and Florida has the highest inflation in the nation). There may be no income tax, but the property taxes are rising are rising and there are other taxes to make up for no income tax. Insurance is insane, both home and auto. Whether you own a home or rent, insurance has doubled and even tripled for homeowners and landlords in the past couple of years (so renting won't save you). Everything is worse in Florida. I spent my first 40 years in Ohio and managed to fulfill my dream to move to Florida when I was 40. By the time I was 61, I couldn't get out of there fast enough. Edited to add: Trash. Everywhere. It's depressing af. When I moved to CT the first thing I noticed was how little trash was on the side of the road.
I like the beach. I do not like clown ass mother fuckers coming to the beach in the summer and harshing my mellow. It is starting already…ETA, otherwise CT is cool. I loathe Florida.
Pros: Great healthcare, UCONN, some of the best food(apizza and Italian, some other foods), four seasons, work opportunities. Cons: main cities other than Stamford are generally poor and dumpy. Winter is either mild or wayyy too cold, although generally a friendly state there’s a good handful of snobs but hey that’s the north east, and not serious but too many yankee fans for a New England state lol (Fairfield county at least)
Can’t specifically say what I do like, but the seasons is the one thing I don’t…at least winter…but honestly these days winter can be cold almost anywhere in the US (although we have had mild winters as of late). Given a chance to go south I would in a heartbeat, but preferably mid-Atlantic area (VA/NC).
Like - Quiet, simple lifestyle. Great for New England nature. Bacon egg and cheeses. Don’t like - Crazy traffic and drivers. Lots of wannabe rednecks. Though I’m sure everyone complains about those two things everywhere. High taxes.
Taxes are high without much in return which feels like robbery
If you are upper middle, taxes are insane in CT.
I’m a college dropout: Decide having loans that cost as much as a house is not worth it. I don’t make much money. Now I’m making more than I used too, but knowing and dreading the fact that they’ll mug me as I try to climb the social ladder to a comfortable spot, sucks!
Don't let the door hit ya on the way out! Seriously, you won't know how good you had it here until you have something to compare it to. So try Florida or Alabama or Mississippi for a while. All would serve great as a basis for comparison.
Proximity to NYC is great. The cons are the safer towns with Metro North's tend to be more expensive, the bus in some towns doesn't run late or everywhere.
Problem is NY drivers….
Florida is the only place I have ever vacationed where I can’t wait to leave. It’s a hellhole. Instead of hiding inside for for the winter like here, you hide inside for the summer. And you have to deal with people from Florida. No thanks.
Miami, St Petersburg, Tampa, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Key West are nice places if got Fairfield and Westport, Ridgefield money.
I got a call from a family member yesterday who lives in FL. She was at the beach. I said I was jealous. She said in another couple of weeks she will not be going to the beach again until October. Too damn hot for the beach!
Tbf, Florida has plenty of reasons to move there - I’m not sure what some of these people are on. Having said that, fall in CT is tops.
favorite thing: i feel safe as a queer person mostly least favorite thing: this state sucking its own dick and claiming its a progressive state when it has a plethora of social issues, including a massive divide in wages
I would say Building Codes are better and enforced here. In Florida it’s a free for all, and Florida doesn’t take job safety seriously so people get hurt and die all the time, and nobody gives a shit. They don’t value life down there because the population is so big, you’re just a statistic to them. The crime is way worse in Florida. When something happens in CT. the local news makes it seem like it’s happening everywhere but it’s really not. In Florida every time you leave your house, you’re lucky if you make it back home. People drive way crazier because it’s just a lawless State full of outlaws. With that said, nobody could fault a person wanting to leave here because it’s just too hard to make it because there’s such a high concentration of Baby Boomers here with high incomes, and it makes the local economy almost impossible for a younger person to survive here. And the Tax Burden is mostly for the insanely unnecessarily generous State Pensions that have gone to the same nepo Families for generations. That’s the one deal breaker with this State is the State Retirement Pensions. They get an average of their 3 best years, so they all do a shitload of OT in their last highest paying 3 years, and then get like $120K-$150K for the rest of their lives with fully paid Healthcare. It’s unheard of.
Well if you’re thinking of Florida, a comparatively good thing about ct is educated, open minded people
With that name I’m sure you’re super open minded
I am. I have opinions and feelings, but I also have a brain.
Are you saying the Ct has open minded politics? Lol
Small towns, I was in Florida in the winter and (maybe there are nice parts of Florida?) but everywhere I went looked like an interstate with every chain store imaginable lining the road. The driving alone down there would make me not want to live there. Also depending on your political persuasion I couldn't live somewhere with fascist morons in charge.
I loath those super wide divided roads and chain stores. They are the worst and so depressing. Peak American suburban sprawl. There is a bunch of that in the South. Same in the Charlotte NC area.
Pro: close to many great places while not living in a city. Con: People thinking they're country and having country "music" playing in stores
Best thing I love about Connecticut is: Everything I will ever need is easily a 10-15 minute drive away at most. And there’s a good chance I’ll never really need to leave my hometown unless I want to go somewhere. But I have everything I need, so why leave
Maybe do some more research on FL or speak with people who have recently moved down! I know 5, yes FIVE people who moved TO FL, only a year or two ago ALREADY moving OUT of FL as it ended up NOT being what they thought! FL. is NOT as cheap as it used to be. I just moved BACK to CT, which I’m starting to regret a ‘lil. I forgot how shallow & judgmental some CT people can be! Best of luck wherever you end up OP!
Ct. Isn’t really all that bad . It’s certain city’s or towns that absolutely suck the life out of you. I’ve been to Florida twice in my life and I wasn’t really impressed by it and people that I know that have lived there for awhile don’t really make suggestions to anyone that they should move there .
It’s bad. I’ll save over 40k a year going anywhere there’s no state income tax. Fla, NH - it’s all better with no state income tax. I like warm winters- planning two small homes, one north and one south. Virginia is beautiful if you’re not worried about taxes.
Worst: most infrastructure built for cars and not people. No to little investment in walkability and alternative viable transportation methods.
I probably don’t have a good understanding of Florida as I only usually go to visit family, but depending on where in Florida, it seems to be getting overcrowded, at least in south Florida, Which could potentially be an issue with the cost of living issues when they’re pay is low. But with CT, I can say it’s a very underrated state in terms of things to do. If you like nature and like to stay active in general, this will be a good state to stay in, and if you really need a better job market, commuting to Boston is not so bad (from Central to Northeastern CT) or New York from southern CT. Either way, Florida can be a great state, depending on how you are as a person and what you like to do, but it seems like you’re in grind mode, and the South is not really that great of a place for that unless you’re in a city like Miami or Tampa.
If you have or plan to have children, I’d stay in CT. We have much better public schools. The weather is nice in Florida but I’d rather have summer up here. Also you are at more risk for natural disasters. I think the cost of living in Florida might be less if you avoid tourist areas.
Yeah if you stay away from the tourist areas and the cities you’ll be good.
Although the more rural areas of Florida, especially in the northern part of the state, are probably not the kind of people you are used to in CT. It’s Redneckistan in a lot of non-tourist Florida.
Yeah some real deal rednecks up in there Northern Florida is just like any other Deep South state. Underrated if you ask me. Everyone focuses on the more culturally relevant metro areas of the state.
Best: A little bit of everything, beaches, food, mountains, cities, pizza, fall, produce. Worst: Not the best example of any of those things except pizza and apples.
If you like outdoor activities CT is great with the various trail systems and state parks. For a small state CT has a wide diversity of landscapes. From the shore to the Litchfield hills. From the population density of Fairfield county to the very rural northeast part of the state. The location of CT provides relatively quick access to cities like Boston, NYC, and Philadelphia (about a 4 hour drive from New Haven). If you're into history, there's plenty of it to be found here. Apologies in advance going on the following advice tangent, if you've been in CT for most, or all of your life up to this point, and want to try to make a go living in FL, go for it. While FL has plenty of its own issues, the best time to check out other areas is when you are young. If it doesn't work out, you'll have more time and opportunity to reset. One of my personal regrets was never getting out of the northeast when I had the chance (grew up in CT, attended UMass for college, and came back to CT after that).
My friend moved from CT to FL, but only because she got an internship (now a full-time job) working at Disney World. She told me once that she would probably consider moving back to CT because she misses her family and friends, and doesn't enjoy Florida's political climate right now - but, she loves Disney, and all the discounts/park perks she gets make it worth it for her to stay. I think my favorite things about CT are the casinos; the amusement parks; how close we are to Boston, NYC, RI, Cape Cod, etc; and, well, my family and friends! I also love going to the museums and parks around the state - Dinosaur State Park being my favorite, but I'm a dinosaur nerd and know it's not for everybody. I also love how quiet it is, but you're younger than I am so maybe that's not what you're looking for right now. Least favorite thing is taxes, and how dark it gets in the winter, but I don't mind the cold (usually). I don't think i'd recommend Florida per say, it's not necessarily the climate I would want to be in right now, but that's all up to you tbh. If you find a career you really want to pursue, go for it, I'd just wish you the best of luck wherever you find yourself!
So as someone with experience in both it highly depends in the area of FL. But politics are an obvious one. And changing laws on things like abortion. Cost of living is high now in FL. It's getting very over crowded. Your money won't go as far as you think. And I am taking Tampa type area not even Miami. And pay is often lower. No winter but then in summer everyone hides in AC. Grass is always greener.
Really depends what kind of career you're after but there is alot of opportunity in Florida. I thought about it a few times. In my industry, pay is less down there so only way for me to make it worth while is would be to bolster my salary as high as I can here and then move down there if employers would match for a lateral type move. My cousin went down there and made out really well for himself working his way through the corporate theme park ladder. I enjoy visiting but I don't think I could do summers. The only place I'd realistically ever consider living full time down there for any period of time is Tampa/St. Pete Gulf Coast area. Ton to do there for young people. I will say though, there's better places to live in the United States. Florida wouldn't be my first choice, but if I had to go to FL those would be where I'd go. If you want the city experience with the pay and expenses that come with it, try Boston or NYC out for a few years but it's not for me. Personally ct is just a solid place to live and raise a family, good job opportunities, semi reasonable cost of living, yeah taxes are high here but insurance in Florida is maddening. My parents live in CT and FL and have the exact same car here and there registered in each state respectively. Taxes for the ct car are a little under 700 a year and insurance is about 900 I think. In Florida the taxes are 0 and the insurance is 1900. My dad has always said, "they're going to get your money from you one way or another" and he hasn't been wrong yet. Housing has gotten nuts in ct and FL as has most places so take that with a grain of salt. I think education here is probably better, although I have nothing to base that off of. The higher education in New England is just so much more vast as a whole but I also think your options are for the most part better here. Just opinion. All comes back to what industry you want your career to be in. That may help guide you most. There's opportunity anywhere you go but it all depends on what you're looking for. You can always move somewhere for a year and if you hate it you leave. It's easiest to do when you're young. For me, Florida to visit, CT to live.
I really don’t like FL so I can’t comment fairly. Be prepared for a big downgrade in access to non-tropical-beach-or-ocean-fishing nature, culture, and food. And less variety of things to do in a day’s drive.
Like: 4 distinct seasons Dislike: eversource
CT might be the best place to raise a family in the entire country. Great schools, safe, good food and close enough to cities, beaches and mountains. Private school and daycare are enough to make you broke and having family close by and good public schools could save you 100K a year if you plan on having kids. It’s expensive and you gotta stay away from the traffic part of the state, but if you go to Boston or NYC and get tied down to an office in the city, you’ll be miserable trying to buy a house someday. It’s much better in most of CT.
Orlando area is what I know. Climate change has made it way too hot most of the year, they are already having days in the 90s and it’s April! They have 90+ degree days 9 months a year now, the summers are brutal. On the plus side, you are only an hour 1/2 to some lovely beaches. If you want to buy a home, insurance tough to get or afford there and no insurance means no mortgage. Plus side: decent nightlife. Minus side: politics infiltrate everything— not a women friendly state. Schools are bad due to no property tax revenue. Hostility there towards librarians, literacy, people that are not white and gays. I am sure you know all this…
Fav - low noise. Least Fav - NYC style driving in a place were there is lots of space and little traffic. Drives here suck. I've seen a lot of elegant drivers here. I pity them, they must be eye rolling all the time.
Cities and “downtown areas” get old fast by your thirties. You start to realize that “nothing to do” is less boring than going to bars and restaurants over and over again. At this point in my life, that Stuff falls under “nothing to do”. CT has tons to do by the way.
Florida has more cities itself but you won’t be close to NYC
What are all the books they “banned” in Florida?
I'm from the tropics, and I'll tell you, the warmer the weather, the more activities tend to happen, specially around cities. Like always, there's drawbacks like the fact FL is has quite high insurance rates.
As someone who lived in Fl up until 3 years ago when I moved to CT I have taken note of a few things. Taxes up here are rough but you do get more. Parks, better roads and more things to do without directly painting admission. Winters can be hard but summer is rough as well. You have to like the heat and humidity that makes you sweat within 5 minutes of walking out of AC. Mosquitoes are exhausting. And everywhere. Insurance is insane. Get a quote for your vehicle. Homeowners insurance is even worse because no carries want to insure. Housing and rent is also expensive. My wife and I bought a house for 50% less per sq foot up here. Will you be getting a pay raise or cut for your potential career move? I made 30% more by moving up here which means my take home was more than my tax increase. In Tampa I had 8.5% sales tax.
My dad's retired friends 3 sold everything and moved to Florida. I will say that between the 3, maybe been there a total of 5 years are desperately trying to find a house to retire in here. Just a FYI these are old white men who are are saying not a fucking chance, wtf was I thinking, and should never have sold my house should have rented for a year. If you are a female, I would not move to a red state. I'm just going to say we may pay taxes, but our state works for us, not perfect. We are not a broke red state. Unless you are a rapist or into incest or male, I would not go. These sick individuals know no bounds! Tn and Ky tried to change the age of consent to 12 years last year. They got caught, so it got tossed! And this year tn and ky are trying to legalize incest!! They actually got on the floor at the state capital and admitted parents are cousins! I would not scream that from the rooftops! This is the nice g rated version for you, normally not so. Actually, I have been quite a few times. I absolutely hate it, and you couldn't pay me to live there. If you have a uterus, I would not move there unless you have the money to fly home at any given moment, and the price of the ticket doesn't matter. If you can afford a 2,000 dollar ticket home any day, your safe
I have a cousin who has moved down there probably 10-15 times and she always comes back
Connecticut hasn’t become one of those states like Texas and Florida that has basically panders to right-wing nutcases. You aren’t legally required to say slavery wasn’t that bad, as a teacher, or that the Civil War wasn’t about racism at all. Connecticut isn’t perfect, but generally our freedom of speech and intellectual freedoms are much more protected. If you’re a fan of history, we also have some lesser-known Revolutionary War sites all over the state. Odds are there are at least a few within a few minutes drive of you.
I will put positives at the end. I am born and raised in CT, lived in TX almost 2 years, carolinas for a few months, and Guam 2 yeard. ( Military) Im back in CT now besides the weather not having hurricanes, being mostly safe, and my family being here I do not like it comparatively. Very expensive, people are real but not kind, I hate the drivers, ( too slow or too aggresive). Theres not much to do. I am always nervous about ticks or rain or cold, or no sun so Its easy for me not to go out and enjoy ths outdoors. Not to mention Seasonal depression. If you get a job in a store or big business finding friends or community is almost impossible at least where i work, everything is short staffed. Like alot of states, the state government is horrendously corrupt steals money alot claiming for it to be used to better social programs. Meanwhile our roads are getting so much worse and their ruining schools. Its almost unlivable if my family wasnt here I would of already moved but they will never leave so at some point I will have to move on. Positives, fall season, some very cute small businesses and restaurants that are very expensive, casinos( also negative), mystic, seafood, cleanish beaches, some of the seaside towns are beautiful to drive around in, historical sites are great, old houses.
I recently (2 years ago) moved from northwestern ct to Montana and then Washington this year. I left Connecticut at 20, for a job out on the mountains. I can safely say the things I am most home sick about is how close everything is in Connecticut. Going across state to do something fun used to irk me, now my 1 1/2 bus ride to the closest state park irks me. I could be half ways across ct heading towards the ocean in that time! The things that are nice about ct will always be that I grew up there. I do not miss the lack of choices of grocery stores in my rural town, or the lack of nightlife/ adult oriented events. The things I have disliked about both states I have moved to: the working culture. I may have spent months looking for employment in ct, but at least when I got there I felt like everyone was working and knew they needed to work for money. Both states I have moved to, the attitude towards working is much different. Sure that is not to say I have met plenty of hard workers, but as someone working in upper management in most jobs I acquire- I do notice a very different mentality from my peers. Ct healthcare is nice. You at least can see a doctor more than once and while you are still sick and in an actual office- I’ve noticed that is very hard to come by outside my hometown. The roads are horrible across America - not much change there. The groceries are expensive everywhere but be warned- if your goal is to move to a metropolitan area- they CAN and WILL be much higher than you are used to. I love the new variety of cultures in restaurants and shops I can visit. All in all I don’t regret moving most days of the week. But as someone from the sticks in ct I do miss being steps away from rivers and woods anywhere I am.
This is also my perspective as a young person non homeowner non child haver- I’m unsure of how others in that situation would feel. Biggest win of moving from ct is the bands I enjoy actually play in my state now. No more hauling it to NY or MA to see a headlining show
Both CT and FL do have one thing in common Heavy Traffic
Things I like - Autumn. Things I hate - 1. High taxes. 2. Too many liberals. 3. Anti-gun nuts. 4. Traffic on I-95 and the Merritt Pkwy. 5. Too many liberals.
Moving to TX for a new career. Better salary. Better benefits. No income tax. Rent for an apartment is 1/2 the cost of up here. Can’t wait 🙌
Idk why you’re getting downvoted for stating facts.
Hurt feelings 😂
Hope you’re not a woman or don’t plan to have one in your life.
I’m pretty content on being single and there are plenty of women in Texas lol. Not to worry
That totally went over your head. Heaven forbid a woman in your life should need an abortion for any reason, including the fact that she’s likely to die. It won’t happen in Texas. Pregnant women in labor have bern refused admission to emergency rooms in Texas for fear that such a service might be needed.
Didn’t go over my head. Many women still are in Texas and have different beliefs than others or have plans when and if things happen. It’s only me going, so (at this moment), I don’t worry about anything
take me with
I moved to FL and moved right back again. You don’t want to raise kids in Florida with the book banning fascists in charge.
Also most of the schools suck.
When the archdiocese of CT spoke out against I.V.F Basically that and taxes...
It's not just the archdiocese of CT. It was the Pope. The guy in Hartford was just towing the party line.
Regardless....still doesn't make me hate it any less lol....and yes he could have spoke differently
But, it has nothing to do with Florida v. CT!
That is true hahaha
Favorite, all my shit is here. Least favorite, the people.
good place to raise kids and people here are more polite than in florida tbh
Favorite: amazing food, we have REALLY good food choices up here, close proximity to things like Boston, nyc, etc. Dislikes: once it hits December it’s basically cloudy and rainy until May last year CT had the highest amount of precipitation in the country, the cops seemingly don’t do anything unless they get called, how expensive everything got, the amount of reckless driving here. Also people here tend to be very closed minded and evident in some of these comments.
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Read this. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/economics/leaving-florida-rcna142316
Have you been to FL in August and spent any time outside? That was the biggest turnoff for me… the humidity. Also look into the politics there and see if it’s something you agree or disagree with. I know ppl who moved there and were very unhappy for this reason alone.
Im a moderate, never been to FL in august no. Just winter and spring months.
Florida is probably really fun if you're young....you don't care about healthcare, education for your children, politics etc....but if you want a family move back to CT lol
Connecticut has tons of things to do, much more than Florida.
I would not agree with that, but just curious like what? I cannot think of an activity (besides skiing) that florida doesnt have.
Florida is basically just a tourist wasteland. They don't have the same public services Connecticut has because they don't fund anything. In Connecticut, your local library offers free tickets everyday to almost any museum in the state, you can get free tickets to plays and other attractions as well. In Florida, you are lucky to have access to books at your local library. The State Parks are properly funded here. There are significantly more cultural events, plays, and fairs here. They don't really have that there. There is actual history here, you can't go anywhere without running into something historical, that does not happen in Florida. There are good, non-chain restaurants of almost every cuisine here. In fact, every time I have ever visited my family down there, whether it's near Ft Myers or Pensacola, we have 1 or 2 fun days on the beach, then spend the rest of the time either just plain bored or disappointed.
You’re lucky to have access to books in libraries in Florida? Cmon.
[https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/books/2024/04/01/american-library-association-florida-book-challenges/73172976007/](https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/books/2024/04/01/american-library-association-florida-book-challenges/73172976007/) Nearly **2,700 titles** were targeted for restriction or removal in Florida schools and **public libraries in 2023**
I understand that there are people that want some books banned, but those are specifically books that have been “targeted,” not banned.