leakus

I live in Margate is a city by Coral Springs, 20 min from the Ft Lauderdale beach. 2 min from a huge quilting store with thousand of bolts of fabric. I belong to the Coral Springs Quilting Guild, 100+ members with nice programs througout the year. One Quilt show per year and is not very big nor innovative.
Very hot the entire year, if we are lucky we have 2 weeks of cold to use jackets, mosquitoes at the parks if you go to them! I dont! If i can help it but nothing that cannot be fixed with some Off.
Be aware that each adult needs a car or have somebody to drive you everywhere. The pulic transportation is non-existing (well, it exists but is not reliable and you can spend hours under the heat if the hourly bus decides not to run)
There are very nice rental pet friendly places, I have 2 friend in differkent ones, both pay abou $1300-$1400 for a 2-3 bedroom townhouse/ first floor appt.
Workwise in the field you mentioned I dont know.
We are 40 miles of miami, at least 1+hour, the traffic inMiami is very bad but not much here in Broward County.
Not sure what else to tell you. I came from a four season country to here 15 yrs ago, I do miss the change of seasons but not the winter.
Good luck and let us know how it goes once you settle in.
Andrea

Edie

We spent a week in Florida - Naples, at my aunt and uncle's home. April. (Collier County) (Actually, we rented a car and it said Lease County - we saw a lot of those license plates. I thought we were in Lease County,Florida - it was a designation that it was a leased car.) Went to the beach, hot sand (felt good), gardenias blooming all over the place, cute little lizards, maybe geckos or newts of one sort or another, scampery and cute to watch.

I loved Naples, I guess it has changed quite a bit. Steer clear of Imokalee. Not real clean, I didn't think! I love the warm, the hot, air conditioning helped. It is all a matter of where you are going, where you have been and where you are coming from. I come from a total four season state. Love it, wouldn't change one two foot snow storm for anything, and I wouldn't change a +97 degree day like we had yesterday. And I, too, have arthritis.

I sure hope you find something that is good for you. I loved our trip to Florida and the people are really nice, I think!
Edie

quiltnut4ever

Edie I work near Naples FL (Bonita Springs actually) and I live in Cape Coral considered SWFL area. I have lived in FL for over 10 yrs now and in the beginning it was hard dealing with the heat and humidity. After two yrs. I've climatized now so it doesn't bother me as much. Rent in our area, apt. wise can go from 750 and up. I rent a home and my backyard has a freshwater canal. For what I pay in rent with a 3/2 home I couldn't ask for more. Gas is just as high at about $3,80 a gln but then again its higher up North. I live close to 3 Joann's and two quilt shops and a highway trip up North is a larger LQS. There are also plenty of garage sales especially when the northerners (we call them snowbirds) come in Oct. They sell there nice stuff at cheap prices since they're getting new stuff to decorate (their loss is my gain!). All in all there is so much to offer in FL its just a matter of having the time to get out and explore. Wish you the best on your new endeavor.

didi

mwhite, I live in lower Alabama, been here 7 years. We have met and have several neighbors that have moved from Florida, because of the expense. I live about 25 miles from Dothan, Al. Thats the biggest town in the SE part of AL..has all of your big stores..Lowes Best Buy Wal-Mart Hancock, but no JoAnns. We are 1-1/2 hrs from beach..I laughed at one of our neighbors, because she stocked up on groceries, because it was so much cheaper then FL. I just thought I would let you know what they thought, maybe lower AL would be a better place to look, Mobile or maybe a smaller town outside of Mobile..of course you have to worry about the Hurricanes...all we every get is the wind and the rain from the hurricanes. Hope that this helps. any questions just pm me. didi

Cindy60545

I've lived in FL over 25 years, then married my DH & moved to TX, but still worked in FL til March of this year. (I drove an 18 wheeler, & So Florida was my regular route.) My favorite part is south central Florida. I really like the Winterhaven, Lake Wales, Lakeland area. You're close to everything. You're an hour away from either coast, good quilt shops, lots of shopping, but small town attitude. Rents are pretty decent, last I heard. Since I've retired, I miss some of the restaurants, my LQS & some of my quilting buddies! Thank goodness for the telephone & internet! I still get to communicate with them!

Lauray

Relocated to Florida 8 years ago from Seattle via Connecticut. LOVE IT! In St. Augustine (oldest city in America). Only wore my coat two times last winter. We do have seasons - not like South Florida. Big artsy, craftsy community with several sources for fabric. Amazingly wonderful quilt guild and supportive bees. BTW - lots of vet clinics too.

alwayslearning

If you have rheumatoid arthritis, you probably would be better off in Arizona. Florida is damp and humid and usually quite hot in the months May through September (it is the rest of the year we live here to enjoy). Arizona is hot and dry.
And if the people that move to Arizona will stop trying to plant the plants that they had at home it will stay dry.

janegb

Jensen Beach is a great place to live. Small enough and close enough to West Palm Beach and Stuart on the South and Vero Beach and Melbourne on N. Lots of quilters in this area. Easy shopping access (great shopping malls} , and Jensen area is just beautiful. My Daughter in law drives S. to West Palm Beach for work. This is a great place to live. Good hospitals and doctors. I love it here.

Kat29803

Think about it!! I was born and raised in Florida and don't even want to visit. I live in Aiken, SC and it is the best place I have ever lived.

Moved back to FL in 2004. Went through 4 hurricanes in 5 weeks. Came back to Aiken in 2005 after Hurricane Wilma made a direct hit on where I lived..

Winter tourists on west coast absolutely over-run the roads, stores, etc. Mosquitoes, and "no-see-ems" wil eat you up at times.

Great quilt stores down there but, as far as I am concerned, it isn't worth it.

Geri B

well, I have been reading this with much interest. Recently widowed, I am toying with the idea moving to a warmer clime....Florida....I now live in Illinois. I have looked at various locations via internet realestate sites just to see what is there........The hardest part I think, will be selling my house here, before thinking of actually relocating to anywhere. And with the housing market so depressed, things are not moving well up here. I thank all those who answered the original query and gave some insight about places, temps, and BUGS....hate them......hmmm, maybe will have to rethink my original idea......