Taxes do indeed suck in some cases, but that’s not the whole story. The per capita income in Mass is 25k higher than Florida for example, which more than offsets the tax burden for most folks, many times over. Now if you can find a job that pays the same, then yeah money wise it makes sense. Or if you just hate the cold, or northeast urban living, or “libbies” then yeah. But taxes alone aren’t a real reason for most people.
Best decision ever. I don't hate Florida in any way other than year round HOT. I like seasons and the people are so much nicer in these parts. My wife always begged for beach vacations but other than a cruise but Im like.. we live(d) in Ft. Myers, were always on the beach... Now shes happy that she gets her beach vacations lol
Seems odd to include Miss, one of the few states that actually had a decline in population in the last census and has little going for it other than casinos and catfish farming.
Not sure I agree that the weather is nice but I’m in the minority there lol. Land is also more affordable here in many places. Florida also has a pretty good debtor protections.
One of the nice things about Gainesville was the more extended “fall weather” compared to South FL. Like a couple extra months worth. We are lucky to see fall whether at all down in South FL. Usually lucky to just get a nice mild December-February before it heats up again. I grew up in snowy climates. I liked “seasonality”, but don’t want to see snow or ice. That gets old fast.
On the other hand Gville summers are far worse than those in SFla. Was just in Ft L for a week, had a nice breeze off the ocean the entire time, very pleasant . Followed it up with a day in land locked G ville, truly a sweat box in the summer.
Yeah that's true, we thought about moving to Northern Florida but visited Tenn and fell in love. Not just with the area, but the proximity to so many states is amazing. Im less than a 10 hour drive from a lot of states, including most importantly a lot of SEC football stadiums
Tell us about the beaches in Mass.. Are they as nice ours? Do you have to go to the coast just to go boating?
Florida's best quality? No border to Mexico. Having the Bahamas close by is a nice perk. Cuba not so much.
Relaxed Covid policies and remote work certainly accelerated it, but FL also has the environment, culture and entertainment they are looking for within SFla, Tampa/St Pete, Orlando, that other warm low tax states can’t compete with.. It’s like Rogan moving to Austin, or Ben Shapiro moving to Nashville. They are generally moving to the most Lib parts of the state.
I have spent more than half my life away from my home state at this point. It will always rank first for me because it is home. But here in NC, where I met my wife, and we are raising our 3 kids is very hard to beat. We live at the beach but several times a year we are suddenly at the cabin in the Blue Ridge mountains. We have all 4 seasons but outside of the dead of summer, none are too extreme. Its a little pricy here in Wilmington. (Nearly a half million folks crammed into a small place does that.) But we found a great spot on a big piece of property 7 miles from downtown amd literally may never move again. Florida is my favorite state. My youth is there. Some family is there. Some friends. All of my sports teams... Etc. But being objective, its hard to say that my favorite place is really the "best".
I hear you. Florida is not my first state. I was a New Yorker until 10 years old. I grew to love Florida, but I’ve lived overseas for 10 years and in other states, too. I’ve found that I prefer all four seasons and a more diverse terrain. But, as you said home is home. My family is split between Florida and New York, but most of them, including the ones my age are in NY. If my parents weren’t here, I doubt I’d consider living here.
Depends on what part of South Florida. If you are even a few miles inland, you aren’t getting that ocean breeze. Most people are not near that coast and bake in the summer heat like everyone else. Having trees helps. It’s really bad in those developments where it’s more asphalt than trees.
No…this looked at multiple things. Though it did acknowledge that Florida has been a desirable destination since 2010. There is a reason Florida is in its own league now…
There is a lot more inventory than there was 4-5 months ago. Homes aren't moving in a day and getting $100,000 over asking price anymore. They were buying these homes without walking through them. You have to have a special move-in ready home today to hit up those high income earners. No one likes to buy with their own money and the interest rates are slowing everything down.
Agreed. That said…the high end inventory remains scarce. Million dollar homes are still in high demand. Now interest rates are certainly slowing things for everyone a bit. But the 200-500K homes are certainly not moving like they were. Though if in the right area of the right community they are.
I had to laugh at this thread that has been posted ad nauseum several times already. People move to low tax states for cheap land, housing, and low taxes. That’s all true but as the OP states it’s the high income earners. Those people will start demanding the same services they got in the state they just left which will cause local property taxes to rise. The high demand for land and housing will cause the price of both land and housing to skyrocket. In Southwest Gainesville you can’t find land for less than $250,000 per lot. The old family farms and ranches are being bought up by Northern corporations. The Villages original developers are from Michigan, and the main holding company is based in Washington D.C. Florida is quickly turning into California where only the well off can afford to live, and the only difference is the GOP politicians are are trying to solve Florida’s California problems with Mississippi solutions.
I mean, sure... If money is all you care about, but there are alot of reasons to love Florida that arent income based. Its like here in NC. We have an income tax and a ludicrous gas tax, but its a great place to live even if other places let you keep more money. Unless you are driven by dollars, income is just a fraction of the reasons.
