Florida: Love It…Or Not

Now that we are on the very verge of living in Florida, I must divulge an interesting phenomenon. The state of Florida has a great many lovers…and haters.

Over the past couple of months, every time we told people we were moving to Florida, we would get one of two reactions:

  1. Why would anybody EVER move to Florida?
  2. I wish I could move to Florida!

Reaction number 1 came with a plethora of reasons:

  • It’s too hot.
  • There are too many retirees.
  • There is too much traffic.
  • I need all four seasons.
  • It’s too humid.
  • Hurricanes.

Reaction number 2 came with mouths and eyes wide open:

  • I wish I could move to Florida.
  • I love the heat.
  • No more snow to shovel.
  • So much fun stuff to do.
  • No more winter.
  • I love the beach.

It was pretty amazing. Everyone had an opinion. And they weren’t afraid to share it. It was as though I had no feelings whatsoever regarding the impending move to a place I would have never imagined living in a thousand years.

For the record:

  • I like the heat.
  • I don’t even mind the humidity (usually…).
  • I can’t stand the winter and all of its inconveniences.
  • I do not like the cold or snow.
  • I will miss the fall, but have a son who lives in Nashville, so I can go there to visit him…and it.
  • Hurricanes and tropical storms may certainly be an inconvenience, but at least they don’t drop snow (snow storms can be pretty destructive, too).
  • I think I’ll quickly be able to get used to celebrating Christmas in shorts.
  • Our family loves Disney more than the average family.
  • We can’t wait to have friends and relatives visit us in one of the vacation capitols of the world.
  • I’m willing to put up with traffic to live in a place that’s warm.
  • Have I mentioned I like the warmth?

So, to all who would never want to live in Florida: you certainly don’t have to. Thanks for your opinion. 😉

I, for one, look forward to living there and enjoying it. In fact, I’m pretty excited about it.

Would you want to live in Florida…or not?

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Category: Culture
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3 thoughts on “Florida: Love It…Or Not”

  1. I think you're going to love it here. Florida is a HUGE state with so much to do and I'm sure you'll realize that. I work in Downtown Orlando and I thought the traffic would be horrendous when I started working there and come to find out that it's really not that bad. Wearing shorts, tshirt, and sandals during Christmas is great. We also have 4 season. Hot, Kinda hot, Hurricane, and kinda cold. It's all totally worth it and I think you're going to love it.

    Oh, snow is pretty much always going to happen in the north. Here, we haven't legitimately had a hurricane come through in around 6 years or so.

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  2. So, it's good to "listen" to how another person feels about living in a state before subjecting them to your negative opinion. I think most of the negative responses to living in Florida are from people who never lived here. After living in Florida most of my life and then having periods of time living in 3 other states, I was always glad to come back to Florida. It's hard to stay away too long. If you like heat, hate snow, love Disney and love sunshine, you are will be in the right place. But most of all, having you come to Ascension should affirm that you are coming to the right place at the right time. We're so excited about your arrival! Be safe coming through the storm and winds, particularly if you are pulling that pod. When I was a kid, my family was welcomed to Florida two weeks after our arrival by hurricane Donna. I hope you won't have the same welcome, but we know who is watching over us.

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  3. Even though I asked for someplace with mountains for my vicarage and got sent to Florida, I really got to enjoy the state. Yes, there is a lot of weirdness. Most of that comes simply as a result of the large population there. But there are beautiful beaches, theme parks, warm weather, and a much different section of wildlife than I grew up with in Wisconsin. ("Look, an armadillo!") All in all, I'm a fan.

    Of course, I now live in California where I can have both beaches and mountains! And, of course, the weirdness that comes with a large population. And my proximity to San Francisco and Berkeley. It sounds like you can appreciate all that Florida has to offer!

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