I'm retired and live in Florida - say what you will about either or both, I'm always on vacation. :mrgreen:
I live in Delaware. For the life of me, i can't understand the dislike or hatred of Florida thats mentioned from time to time by northerners. I'll list some reasons why everyone should love Florida!
We bought a condo down in southeastern Martin county, just north of the Martin/Palm Beach county line. We are just across the intracoastal waterway from the northern end of Jupiter Island. Our place overlooks the well maintained fairway of the golf course our community is based around. Everything about the way the development, the roads, and the landscaping in and around our development is MUCH nicer than the vast majority of housing developments up north in the quad-state region of De, Md, Pa, NJ where i actually live. But yet we paid just $135,000 for our condo in 2003!
In most cases, you get MUCH MORE for your money in Florida than up here, when it comes to houses, condos, housing developments etc. The roads and landscaping are just much nicer, more extensive and better maintained in housing developments down there. All that for MUCH LESS money in most cases!
Aside from the housing, the primary roads are in better shape, the parks are nicer, the beaches absolutely BLOW AWAY the beaches in De, NJ, NY and in Md for the most part! Everything about the beaches in Martin, Palm Beach county are better! They are cleaner, and many of them have facilities like showers right beside the parking areas to rinse sand from everything before you get back into your car. You dont have to pay for parking, AND you park closer to the beach! There's NO charge for visiting the beaches either!
Best of all, you can comfortably walk around in tshirts and shorts in winter most days. You can comfortably swim in the ocean in December to February during many winters, without feeling freezing cold!
That brings up the WARM, clean, clear, blue ocean water! That doesnt really exist in DE, MD, NJ beaches! Also very few jellyfish, if any at all. There are SO MANY really nice towns and cities in that area, with a LOT of really nice restaurants that DON'T charge the ridiculous prices of NY and NJ, MD, etc. There are regular piers, etc
Then theres the wildlife! Youve got tropical and subtropical wildlife, reptiles and birds that you dont see up north. You see manatees, alligators(if you wish), cool little lizards and anoles scurrying around, herons walking around, tropical fish, etc.
The attractions are also much nicer!