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Question from Twiggy

Twiggybass
Posts: 624
For a long time I have been planning for move to Coral Springs, Florida. Those that know me, know that I am a Canadian. I have planned on moving to Florida for 2 year now. As American citizens, I would like to become one, everyone keeps telling me, and I don't give a @$!# lol, “It's bad there.” “You will get in debt fast.” “The healthcare is garbage and they leave you to rot.” I'm tired of hearing all of this jazz. I want to come to Florida because I like Beaches and I want to make music. If Any of you American cats can fill me in and give me some points, that would be great. Coral Springs is a really nice place but I guess a really big question would be:

Here in Canada the wage is like 10 dollars or something. in American it's like 6, I think, and a condo is like 800? How the hell does that work?

I guess I have a lot of question and any info would be grand
boppa
Posts: 63
So a good friend of mine moved to Florida, from Washington. He loves the weather, but there is no work to speak of. There are some hospitality jobs and service jobs. He said that the snow birds come down and eff up evrything through the winter.

If you do find work, be prepared to earn a little over half what you are accustomed to. The cost of living is less, the weather is great, the old people will drive you to drink.

I would go myself, just because I hate being wet and cold here in the Pacific Northwest.

Boppa
Quote:
I would go myself, just because I hate being wet and cold here in the Pacific Northwest.Boppa

Im just a few miles north of the border. I agree. The cold rainy weather on the west coast can be rather dreadful. Missed my Mexico trip this year
Marko1960
Posts: 3143
Me and my family used to visit Devon every year, its such a beautiful place that we decided to sell up and move there, what a disaster! its lovely to visit but a nightmare to live there, theres no work, the people are a miserable bunch of bastards, (cos they live in Devon), every other vehicle is a tractor so the traffic crawls along on a good day, or just stands still on a bad one. So after 4 months we moved back to the industrial north east that we know and love. The moral of the tale, the grass certainly aint greener on the other side!

Ps, did you contact Daniel Castro Valdes, (Dannybassman)?
2nick3
Posts: 533
Just so you know, there are only 2 seasons in Florida. Hot and wet, and not-as-hot and not-as-wet. In the spring/summer/fall, you can expect rain/thunderstorms daily. I lived in Tampa for 7 years, and we got it there sometime between 3:20 to 3:40 daily, varied a little depending on what part of town you were in, and lasted maybe 15 minutes. Just about every day. Figure out what the cycle is where you live, and adjust your schedule accordingly - when my shift ended at 30 I'd just stick around until the band of rain passed through. And then you get to enjoy “anti-rain” - my term for watching the water steam back up off of the pavement.

It can be hard to breath with how high the humidity can get, especially in the summer. It's like swimming and walking at the same time. You can have months of 90/90 days (90 degrees F, 90% humidity). It takes some getting used to, especially if you move in the summer (which is half the year). Don't try to go for a run your first day there - it will not go well (learn from my mistake).

Coral Springs should be a nice area, but that comes at a cost. Boca Raton is not a cheap area, and you're right next to it, so your cost of living may be higher than in some other areas (but then those other areas aren't as desirable to be in).

The Florida economy is essentially tourism. And seasonal residents (snowbirds). So a lot of jobs can be seasonal or fluctuate based on the seasons.

You will hear jokes about how the tornadoes (there will be tornadoes - if you can't deal with that, don't move to Florida) target trailer parks. They're kind of funny, but seem very true. My recommendation is to not live in a trailer park, or next to one. Which can be a challenge, as they are everywhere.

You may see luxury mobile homes for the first time in your life. It can be shocking, so I wanted you to be prepared.

You'll also have hurricanes. They can be seen coming a long way off, but a few times a year your life will be impacted by them, if only from people panicking and stocking up on everything (I almost got into a fight in a grocery store over the last can of Dinty Moore Beef Stew. I decided the full shelf of store brand was a better option, but that's just how people get).

You will have Publix around for groceries. They're expensive, but their bakeries are awesome.

Watch out for the alligators. Assume any patch of water big enough for one to be in has one.

Enjoy watching the locals in “winter”. You'll be happy in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, they'll be in ski gear. Seriously. And if there is a frost forecast you'll hear reminders to “bring in your pets and your plants.”

The heat and humidity will play havoc with your basses. Be comfortable adjusting your truss rod, and realize you will likely have to tune during a gig. I didn't play when I lived there, but I had a professor who played guitar, and he would gig with 3 of them, each setup to be good at different points during the gig. That way he didn't have to make adjustments on the fly, he just switched guitars as the gig went on and conditions changed.
Marko1960
Posts: 3143
And learn Cockney Rhyming Slang, the place is full of them! You may spot the odd Geordie but they are the salt of the earth. To be honest it sounds like a right pain in the arse
purplez
Posts: 189
Alligators.. Tornadoes.. Heat..
Does sound a pain in the arse.
There must be better places in the states to live.?
I'd like to live near the sea with a wood at the back of the house.
You seem determined to do this - as a half Canadian, I have to say…never mind, there's nothing to say. If you're determined, all the shitty things that anyone can say will only encourage you further. So, here you go:

1) The mosquito is the state bird, but depending on what part of Canada you're from, you can handle that.
2) The weather is just fecking awful.
3) Hurricane Season means that there is a whole part of the year that has hurricanes…several…gnarly…hurricanes. My recommendation - seriously - is to have a part of whatever dwelling you're in dedicated to a few crates of MRE's and several jerry cans or some similar water storage container full of purified water so that you're not fighting over Dinty Moore's or hotdog buns. These will also come in handy when frost hits and people make a run on the stores because OH HOLY FECKING JEEZUS THE SKY IS FALLING!!!
4) If you're planning to take advantage of cheap housing left by Americans who claim that they will leave the country based on who gets elected in November, it's not going to happen; they say that every time, none of them ever actually leave.
5) Alligators aren't the only awful fauna - check your toilet before you sit down, check your shoes before you put them on. Florida is the Australia of America - everything is pointy, toxic, venomous, squeezy, bitey, or chompy.
6) There are more Timmy Horton's in Dubai than Florida - just sayin'.

Did you try California?
Marko1960
Posts: 3143
Boise, Idaho sounds like fun, whatever you decide, better do it quick cos Donald Trump is gonna build a big wall to keep all you foreigners out
Sidsquishus
Posts: 1499
Boise, there's a town with a nice French name. Sounds like a pretty place
IamMark
Posts: 1103
I was born and raised in Florida. I lived in the Cocoa Beach area for 31 years. I loved growing up there, but that was the 70s and 80s when the space industry brought jobs and prosperity to the area.

Now, the state survives on tourism. Everything is geared towards attracting and suckling every dollar out of visitors.

I loved the water. I lived where my front yard faced the ocean and my back yard faced the intracoastal waterway. I lived on a barrier island. Great for surfing, fishing, boating, bikinis… but it also attracts some pretty shady characters.

When I got married I told my wife I didn't want to raise a family in Florida. The taxes and cost of living in Florida is low, which means poor public service and some of the worst schools in the country.

The state of Florida also has the highest population of registered pedophiles and sexual predators in the country. Why? Because the laws in Florida are the most relaxed for these offenders and they “hide” very well in the state.

There are some great beach bars and plenty to do, but you'll find night life is limited outside the Miami, Orlando, Tampa cities.

The seafood is excellent though.

I still have family in Florida. It's a nice place to visit now, but I get sick of it after a few days.

It's not just warm there. It's fucking hot. Hot and miserable in the summers. Even on the coast. You'll sweat as soon as you walk out of the shower.

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