Florida or California?
 

I want some input from people who have lived in both places. I currently live in Tampa and have lived in Florida most of my life.

I think the litmus test for wanting to move somewhere is if you go on vacation and then don't want to come back. Most places I visit, by the end of the trip I'm looking forward to coming home.

I went to Los Angeles, CA for 2 weeks (just got back on Sat.) and was actually dreading coming back to FL, heh. So - was I just temporarily enamored with the newness & excitement of CA or is it really all that?

California. :thumbsup

SoCal :thumbsup

Yeah, I think it is.. Weather is great most of the time.. except this week ;/, I like florida also, but its to humid over there.. I love SoCal..

Have you lived in Florida?
:(

Naw, but I stayed for about a month or so.

Both places are fun. :)

Florida.

cali is to fucked up. the laws, politics, and the crap the goes on there is to much.

i have relatives in California and they said it's a great place to live! try it dude.;)

One think i love about cali since i dont smoke is the law that doesn't allow smokers to smoke inside public buildings. I just hate the 2nd hand smoke and the smell..

Good things abut caliifornia
weather (usually). this winter is the one bad year in 20.
location - you can do just about everything you can want without leaving the state.

bad things about california
smog, taxes, cost of living, traffic, earthquakes, fires and too many easterners moving to the state

stay in FL, please

Since you live in Florida, you're Spanish should be good enough to get by in Los Angeles.

no, but i hear the humidity sux :upsidedow

I prefer California :thumbsup

I'd rather go to Florida If i were to choose between these 2 :thumbsup

Take it from someone who has lived in both places, Stay in Tampa! Cali is a great place, don't get me wrong... but the prices for a similar quality of living to one in Tampa are rediculous. You could live in Tampa and fly to LA once a month and still come out ahead by staying here.

Hit me up on ICQ and I'll give you the ins and outs!

I have lived in both places!
 

Los Angeles would be my pick. :2 cents:

I've lived in both. California has real nice summer weather, rains like 3 times from may - october. The winters are kinda dreary and cool alot of days.

Florida has perfect winter weather. but rains alot in the summer.

Florida no state income tax.

Everything is more expensive in California. Even just getting a mcdonalds meal is like a dollar more. It all adds up, and gas is expensive there.

California has earthquakes with no warning. Florida has hurricanes you know are coming two weeks ahead of time.

California has no affordable places on the coast. Theres just nowhere to settle there unless rich. And who wants to live inland in a desert like Bakersfield. Wheras Florida has places up and down both of its coasts that are more affordable. This was one of my main reasons for moving. California just isnt a viable place to put roots down.

there are tons of affordable places near the beach
bakersfield isnt in the desert
have you even been to california?

Lets see...

Weather wise:

FL - Hurricanes & Sinkholes
CA - Earthquakes, Brush fires and Mudslides caused by crazy rain

Real estate - You get more for your $$$ in FL

Things to do - Both have great spots

Air Quality - FL wins

"Naturally" pretty girls - FL wins


For me Cali is nice to vacation, but for the daily grind I'd stay in FL. :2 cents:

At least you know a hurricane is coming and you canget out of the way. Also Florida has no state income tax.

bringer, Bakersfield is like 50 miles from the beach. Ive been to places like that and Palmdale etc. I dont know the technical definition of a desert, but they are definitely hot as hell, dry, not much vegitation.

I dont know of any affordable places on the coast that are somewhat nice.

Florida is better all-year-round...

Maybe you need to get outta Tampa. Try Orlando or South Florida (huge difference from Tampa) :thumbsup

i guess it depends on what you'd consider affordable. ive seen fairly nice houses near pismo beach, some with views etc, for 500k which id consider cheap for the location. it really all depends on where you're located, its 20x once you get within 40 miles of LA. i live near bakersfield and im surrounded by farmland, so i really wouldnt consider that a desert.

I live in LA. What part of the state are these 'cheap' coastal places located? There's nothing cheap on the the South Coast of CA. Maybe way the hell up near the Oregon / CA border the coast is cheap, but not in the fun parts.

The average home in LA is $400-500k. If you have that much to spend, then move here.

the average home in my area is 140k
i live 4 hours from LA/SF
1 1/2 hours from the beach
gotta drive everywhere but cheap to live and a nice area

Ive lived in both places and prefer s. florida

Most people say that about where they live.
:2 cents:

cali keeps raining and wont stop

I am in Tampa area, and will never move from Florida!

Cali is a nice place to visit and its alot of fun, but the traffic sucks! I came back to Florida and it was as if the streets were empty. Its alot more laid back over here too.

I grew up in Florida I moved from Orlando to San Diego 3 years ago. I hate Florida no offence to anyone that lives there I still go back a few times a year. I think Florida is too hot and Flat. I definatly love San Diego. I love the weather and the hills and mountains. BUT It is soo damn expensive to live here. I can't even believe how much it costs to buy a house. :helpme

I lived in San Diego for 4 years, and LA for 8 years, and now Miami for 4 years.

Personally I pick Florida.

Girls are better looking, and have a better attitude in Florida.

People aren't nearly as phoney, shallow and materialistic in Florida(except in south beach, and what do you expect?)

No state income taxes in Florida, that saves you about 8%, plus housing is SO MUCH less than in LA. In Miami, you can find a house on the intercoastal with a dock for your boat out back for 600k. In LA you would be lucky to get a crappy house in hollywood or the valley for that. You can't get into a decent house on the water in LA for under 2 million.

Everything else is more expensive in SoCal also. Traffic is much worse, smog is terrible, the politics are wacky, and the '94 quake was no picnic....at least with Hurricaines, you know that they are coming.

The ocean is frickin freezing in Cali, and much dirtier than in Florida.

Florida has better scuba diving.
Cali has better surfing though...

From Florida, you have easy access to the entire western hemisphere. Europe, South America, The North East,and the West Coast and Africa are all reasonably close. And from Miami you can take your boat to the bahamas in a few hours.

I personally LIKE the tropical humid summers down here, but maybe that's just me.

:2 cents:

i think it all depends on the type of vacation you had. lol
did you stay in a sweet hotel? can you afford to maintain that lifestyle once you get out there?

Interesting to see how many people chose FL, I would´ve never guessed it. I guess I´ll have to visit!

Florida is the best place by far. As mentioned before, no state income tax, no crazy car/tax laws, like cali - no indoor smoking, you get alot more for your money and it's not insanely crowded (yet), there are plenty of nice places you can build or buy that are close to where the fun/business is at. The weather isn't perfect, sometimes it's too hot, but I guarantee you'll never shovel snow again. You learn to love rain, it cools everything off and leaves the air refreshed - summer storms last maybe 20 minutes, not all day. The coastal areas of Florida are cooler than say, central Florida like Orlando where the humidity get's pretty bad in the summer, the coastal areas have a constant seabreaze that keeps the air moving. I went to LA for the first time last November and I couldn't not believe how unbelievable dirty the air was, it was grossly crowded and run down. Things are still pretty new in Florida and there is plenty of place to stake your ground, invest, find work, afford the cost of living, and enjoy life.

LA wasnt the greatest place to be staying in cali. Had you gone a little north or a little south of LA I would venture to say that Florida would have become just a memory. Though the weather has sucked ass out here lately, Sandiego is tight, best place i ever lived (the weather is usually some of the best anywhere).

I think it is plain and simple.. get out of Tampa and move to south florida. I have lived all over florida and California. as a youth and an adult.... and I will always say 'California is a GREAT place to visit, but not to live' There are many reasons and pros and cons on both.. but when it comes down to it.. Florida is cheaper, more bang for the buck and the people are 10 times better than california (of course everyone here from cali is great.. but just a personal experience of mine)...

Best of luck, I am sure you will be happy where ever you go

yeah, the people out here do suck, not to mention the abundance of bullshit laws that we have. the dmv has the power to take your liscenece from you here, that means the border jumber they hired last week can make you pay for callin him a border jumper when you saw him jump the fence.

LOL, I was just thinking how crowded SoCal is becoming.

See, this was one of the main things I liked about the area, is the people seemed way cooler & friendlier. It seemed like west coast people are way more creative and open. There were way more hot girls & they seemed to have less of a 'tude then east coast girls. I noticed the same thing when I went to Vegas.

But the thing is your perception on a vacation can be different then reality on the long-term...

Orlando's all right - South Florida's ok to visit - but eh, I already know I would never live there - if I stay in FL it will be here in Tampa - I already know what this state has to offer. :)

Hahaha....and if you do come, get a bus pass bro!

Freeways are full now, but we will put you on the waiting list :thumbsup

Great reply 100% AGREE!

I lived in Florida my whole life. Been in San Diego for a little over 2 years now and I have absolutely zero desire to ever move back to Florida.

I pick Florida.

We live in Tampa also, and we are in California many times every year, usually somewhere between San Diego and Los Angeles. We just returned from Cali last week, and the weather was much better this time, but it usually is so much nicer here in Florida.

The water is also much better here, as is the traffic. Just getting from our hotel on Sunset Blvd. to LAX last week took over 90 minutes.

Well let's see. You can live in a state where they get repeated hurricanes, mosquitoes the size of bats, the air drips with dank moisture months out of the year, and the little blue haired ladies that can't drive hang out down there all winter.

Or you could live in a state that every once in a while has some freak ass bad weather but totally rocks.

I'm with KimmyKim..don't forget you'd be closer to a woman who knows her shoes!! :)

I felt the same way about Miami coming back to LA. I would love to live in Miami.