TommyJ

My wife an I are thinking of relocating from Phoenix, AZ to Florida. I am 31 and she is 30. We have 3 children 8, 6 and 2 so we are looking for neighborhoods that are family oriented, has good schools and a good location for jobs. My wife can work in a broad ranges of the business industry and I am getting into the food industry.

I am trying to convince her to move because Arizona is just not for us nice neighborhoods and weather cost of living is good but that's it and she is very "comfortable" here she's been here most of here life and I've been here about 2 years originally from Brooklyn, NY and cant take it anymore no job opportunities.

Can anyone give me some input on different cities in FL. From the research I have done I was thinking Tampa, Jacksonville, Orlando trying to stay away from Miami and Ft. Lauderdale areas. if anyone can help I will greatly appreciate it.

Thanks....

Michael

I am trying to convince her to move because Arizona is just not for us nice neighborhoods and weather cost of living is good but that's it and she is very "comfortable" here she's been here most of here life and I've been here about 2 years originally from Brooklyn, NY and cant take it anymore no job opportunities.

It sounds like it's your desire, not hers.

TommyJ

No she wants to move as well I think she is just scared of change and failure, she thinks of worse possible scenario when this topic comes up. I picked up and moved from NYC to be with her left everything I know a great paying job my family to move here to try it out and its just not working not a lot of opportunity. Been here since 1/09 and have a part time job. She has been at her job for a year before then unemployed for 3 yrs. She is somewhat unhappy at her current job. It may sound like i am a bit sour and I can honestly say I am not. I like it here, I just think there are no job opportunities here.

BigRuss

Job opportunities? The two best states are Texas and North Dakota. Texas winters suck less.

Don't know the growth spots in Florida, but Miami is not one right now - overbuilt, undercapitalized. I'm thinking the I-4 corridor is probably better, but a Floridian would know more about that.

Bill_H

Sometimes the grass just looks greener on the other side of the fence ... this site from the US Dept of Labor has a lot of current info on employment/unemployment in each urban area:

http://www.bls.gov/lau/

Poking around on it for a bit out of curiosity I checked the current unemployment rates for Phoenix and the three Florida areas you mentioned. The most recent database is at http://www.bls.gov/lau/ssamatab1.txt (this is an 8 MB text file so takes a while to load, but it's got data back to 2000).

Here are the results as of Nov 2 from that site --

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL
workforce 1,304,450
working 1,144,147
unemployed 160,303
unemployment percentage 12.3

Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
1,129,998
1,003,272
126,726
unemployment percentage 11.2

Jacksonville, FL
686,989
614,042
72,947
unemployment percentage 10.6

Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale, AZ
2,133,016
1,949,072
183,944
unemployment percentage 8.6

So the unemployment rate is at least 2% lower in the Phoenix area than in the Florida urban areas you mentioned, plus the cost of living is pretty low.

Just saying ...

Good luck either way, hope you and your wife find solid jobs soon.

Dukey1

Might help if you told us

why you are trying to avoid the South Florida area

exactly WHAT sort of "in the food industry" jobs you might be qualified for

suewoo

Have you been to Florida? It's always best, when considering a move like this, to do so. Knowing what you are getting into helps you to avoid problems you can't possibly foresee.

Visit during August, when the weather is less than desirable so you can decide if it's something you can manage.

qwovadis

I live on the AL/FL border might consider

www.orangebeach.com AL www.terrycove.com

Hop over this bridge to Florida.

Property taxes are low things are starting to boom again

Great Family place white beaches mild winters great food.

www.villagtannin.com

Happy Deciding!

321go

Bill_H is quite correct to point out the high rate of unemployment here in Florida. I have to be honest; unemployment is a big problem in central Florida.

There have been many, many relocation to Florida threads on this forum; a search should bring them up. I'd also recommend going to the forum at http://www.city-data.com/forum/florida/ and posting your question there. They specialize in answering relo questions.

We've been here for more than 15 years and love it, but Florida is not for everyone. Pros: no income tax, plenty of recreational opportunities, diversity, good weather October - May. Cons: low taxes mean fewer services and schools that tend to be inferior to those in other states, hot and humid summers, bugs - lots of bugs, hurricanes & expensive hurricane insurance.

I'd strongly recommend narrowing your focus to a couple of cities, then visiting each (preferably in August to see if you can stand the summer).

Bill_H

Have you been to Florida? ... Visit during August, when the weather is less than desirable so you can decide if it's something you can manage.

Had to chuckle at this ... trust me, the guy has lived thru June-August for several Phoenix summers, where 110 F is considered mild, 115 is considered hot and occasionally it hits 118-122 F, which even to us is damn hot ... not to mention the all-encompassing dust storms from hell that descend upon us 3-4 times each summer. He can probably manage Jacksonville or Tampa, though the occasional hurricane is problematic.

Florida is tough in the summer for me with the humidity and bugs, but Phoenix is one of the worst urban areas in the USA for extreme summer heat.

Cranachin

Neither 95F with 95% humidity (in Florida) or 115F with 45% humidity (in Phoenix) is particularly fun, but they are not equivalent experiences, either. Just because you can tolerate living in one one does not automatically mean the other is no problem for you.