Why are old people on the east coast so obsessed with moving to Florida?

Because the east coast has something called weather and it gets cold as fuck in the winter. Except in Florida.

East Coast? Old People?

I've a given a lot of thought to this and have studied migration patterns, demographic shifts, thermodynamics etc.

In short, old people don't like the cold.

East Coast people only think of Florida for warm weather. Midwest alternate more between Florida (West Coast of the state) and Arizona.

Arizona is just a slightly better option.

I don't get it either.

Western North Carolina doesn't have to deal with hurricanes?

Older people are more vulnerable to cold weather; your body can't handle it as well. It's pretty simple. They move to Arizona for the same reason. I live in San Diego and I'm surrounded by 55+ communities.

Not me, it's a shithole with a shitty governor. Fuck that.

Don't want to live in the south, don't want to live in the middle, fear of the Adreas Fault in the west. Happy in New England.

It doesn't get cold at night like out west.

No personal income tax from the state of Florida.

R10 Major red herring. For the average retiree ,the skyrocketing cost of home owner's insurance and condo HOA's more than make up for missing state income tax.

Florida’s just another word for nothing left to lose.

[quote]No personal income tax from the state of Florida.

This plus the result of applying the same selfish mentality to maintaining a building through proper HOA fees. You end up with building collapses resulting in a "surprise" rise in HOA fees. Those HOA fees are not for state taxes, they are for routine upgrades and and maintenance. Cheap ass old folks vote no, no, no, no on any HOA cost to fix anything hoping they sell or move on before it's actually needed. So many did this that a lot of those buildings are in a state of disrepair they are on the edge of becoming another Champlain Towers collapse. Laws changed to force them to keep up with the job, now their HOAs are through the roof. Don't feel sorry for them.

R13 - very true - the same with condo boards. Put off, put off, put off and then WHAM huge special assessment.

I've been at condo board meetings when these old people literally said - well in 2 years, I'll have sold this place and be gone, so I don't care. The president of the condo board.

I'm in suburban Philly - my best friend and his husband retired to Miami. Several folks I know from my gym has moved to FL. I don't get it. Terrible political atmosphere, terrible traffic, almost impossible to go outdoors six months out of the year, so you gotta drive everywhere. Bugs, crazy tourists, and hurricanes. I really don't get it.

What confuses me about the mass retirement to Florida, is that so many old racists move down there. We are talking about cultists who are apparently paralyzed with fear whenever they are in the presence of someone who isn't white. Why would they move to a place that is 27% Hispanic? Could someone make it make sense?

R16 because they are out of touch and still think Florida is Boca, Shady Pines, good old boys and Bush. They apparently haven't watched the news in 20 some years.

I almost did the opposite. Moved from very hot and dry New Mexico to Seattle. I like the PNW climate, not too hot, not too cold.

What is all this cold weather of which you all speak?

Suburban Philly here and we haven't had any measurable snowfall in years. Same with extreme cold weather, which we haven't had in years.

And I have the gas heating bills to prove it.

I have older friends blabbing about making a move. They complained all summer about the heat in Connecticut and how expensive the state is. I haven’t said a word.

[quote]Why would they move to a place that is 27% Hispanic?

Translation = Lots of available low cost workers / caretakers for the elderly.

I think too many people confuse their week vacations in the winter with living there full time. I can't explain it.

For East Coast, it's an easier flight or drive - although still a very long drive.

For many, I think they go where some of their friends have already retired to - or they know it's a place where family will visit during the winters?

But let's face it - there are only so many options. I don't think retiring in AL, MS, GA, or SC is the dream - too much of a culture shock for Northeasterners. Arizona has its own problems.

And some people crave to be by the ocean and warm temps from the North - not realizing what comes with that.

Florida is one of only a handful of states where they can not take your million dollar home even in a criminal conviction. That's why OJ moved there. And it's why so many big houses, it's a way of parking their cash that is untouchable from legal problems like bankruptcy. It's really a crime haven if you just peek under the hood.

OP, I don't get it, either. Like, how about just putting a sweater on, a la Jimmy Carter?

Slogan on Florida license plates "Sunshine State" should be changed to "God's Waiting Room."

There are tax advantages in Florida. Guys I know paid $27,500 for Long Island property. New house, same size with pool in Florida is $8,000 a year. Isn't Florida one of the states with no personal income tax?

What year are you writing from r26?

R27, they moved to Florida in 2022.

Yeah property taxes in NY/NJ/CT are not sustainable for most retirees.

Are there any safe and sane oases worth living in down there? Surely outside of the climate stuff, there must be a few areas where the demographics aren’t too low rent or MAGAT-y?

That's why I moved to the center of Florida (Ocala National Forest). If the sea level rises, it won't be a problem here; in addition, a hurricane might blow by here (like it did last week, as a tropical storm), but they rarely hit here dead-on.

The thing about the insurance, condo fees, etc. can be solved very easily. Elders sell their 4-bedroom houses up north and buy a smaller place here for cash. No homeowners or flood insurance necessary. This is so common here that a lot of listings will only accept cash.

I own my trailer and my 1/2 acre and I don't have any insurance. But for folks who do that, it's incumbent upon them to keep enough money in the bank to make a fresh start should anything untoward happen to their property. For a lot of these older folks, that shouldn't be a problem.

So young'uns? Don't sit around waiting for your parents to die.

Florida is where people go to die

Mind your business.

I'm in flyover and everyone I know who has moved to Florida has done so because it is still somewhat affordable with great weather.

For cost of living reasons, and of course weather, the new retirement destination is Alabama. I used to live in Alabama and loved it. I would have stayed but left for, well the weather. The summers were just to fucking hot for me.

You reach a certain age where a shovelful of snow or a slip on the ice can kill you.

Not that I can afford a second home, but I would love a little shack in Naples or Coral Gables

R31 ( Senior Lesbian) I would like to know more about living in a manufactured home on land rather than a traditional park. Are your property taxes calculated on the value of your land only? I read somewhere that if you had a foundation for your manufactured home it's considered property like a regular stick build home? I am curious as to your summertime energy cost with AC . Also the thought of having a septic tank causes me some anxiety. My thought process would be to buy a brand new smaller home around 800 square feet and pay extra for the 2x6 framing for the additional r value in insulation.

The only thing better than the "great weather" is the "great politics".

I'm old. I live on the East Coast. I have never considered moving to Florida. Not even for a minute.

Are there a lot of retirees in Texas? I know South Padre Island has a lot of snowbirds - but you never really hear about it much.

You really only hear about Florida and Arizona for retirement - where they've built up large communities just for retirees.

Palm Springs and the Coachella valley obviously have a lot as well - but you don't really hear about it as much and it's dwarfed by the sheer massive numbers in FL and AZ.

Here ya go, R38:

[quote] Are your property taxes calculated on the value of your land only?

No -- my trailer is included. But keep in mind that my trailer is only slightly younger than I am and needs a lot of updates. My property tax is (don't faint, now!) $300/yr. Why do you think I moved here?

[quote] I read somewhere that if you had a foundation for your manufactured home it's considered property like a regular stick build home?

There is a trailer up the street that sits on a cement base, but honestly, I don't think it makes any difference.

[quote]summertime energy cost with AC

Last year, it was about $400. But I keep my air at 81 degrees and use ceiling fans. This year so far (I'm still running my air), $430, but I had a new window put in my bedroom and put in a window unit so I can keep it cooler while I sleep. I turn the central air to 84 in the rest of my trailer. I know you didn't ask, but heating this place in the winter is much more expensive than cooling it, and because of where I live, I do have frost here. It routinely goes down to the low 30s, even as late as March. If you want to be warm all year round, this is not the place for you. There are even trees here that change color, but not until December or January.

[quote]the thought of having a septic tank causes me some anxiety

I have a septic drain field, whatever that is. I have never had any problems with it, and according to the woman from whom I bought this place, it has never been drained. BTW, she rented it out to two gay men before I bought it.

In my observation, my old trailer was built much better than the new ones. If you do buy one, make sure it's made well or try to find an older one that's "gently used." In addition, if you're going to live out in the boonies like I do (and there are some beautiful areas around here where you can buy land for a song), make sure you can get cable and cell service. You'll be very isolated without them.

Good luck!

R31

Why wouldn’t homeowner’s insurance be necessary? Do you mean mortgage insurance/PMI? That is eliminated with a cash purchase or 20% down payment.

Camp David is a literal dump and it is embarrassing they take world leaders there.

I'm old and live in NE and not only wouldn't ever more to Florida, I will no longer set foot in the state.

well smell you Princess Grace

[quote]Why wouldn’t homeowner’s insurance be necessary?

It's not, R4s3, if your property/land is completely paid for. But you personally are assuming the risk if anything happens to your real estate. If it gets decimated in a hurricane, you better have enough money stashed away to start over.

What's so complicated about that?

My godparents lived in Gulfport, FL (which routinely floods even in a hard rain) a block away from the beach, and as soon as their place was paid for, they dropped all their insurance on the their home. It's a pretty common thing to do when homeowner's/wind/flood insurance costs are out of control.

And if you buy your home/lot with cash, you don't need to get any insurance at all. But if you buy a house and have a house payment, good luck getting insurance in FL!

^^^^^Meant for R43.

I think they were tiring of it until the Villages came along.

Winters in New England can be BRUTAL and last five fucking months.

Yes, Florida has heat and humidity, but as long as you aren't poor, that's easier for people with a retired lifestyle to deal with than those winters.

That's usually the logic.

R15, anywhere is better than Philly.

I think it was mostly a lower-middle-class midcentury New Englanders generational thing.

There are places like Staunton, VA and Chambersburg, PA that would make more sense as retirement spots…innocuous weather, on the interstate, decent public transportation, good hospitals nearby. Prices are reasonable for condos or smaller homes.

Or Raleigh, which has become expensive but has a lot of bang for your buck. Plus, if you have money, you can live in Cary.

For me, humidity is worse than cold and snow. I can put on another layer or postpone errands until the streets are bare (usually a day after a storm if it’s sunny) but there’s no escaping humidity.

Yes there is -- it's called a de-humidifier.

[quote]Why are old people on the east coast so obsessed with moving to Florida?

No one ever accused east coasters of being smart.

R54 - the other part of humidity that people don't talk about is that up north, the cold usually has very low humidity in the winter. That makes it more tolerable - although it does tend to dry out your skin.

If you get a humid 40F, it feels worse than 20F because you can feel the cold in your bones. When it gets cold down South, it feels colder because of the humidity. Cold wet London in winter is really awful.

Humidity makes both extremes worse - and that's why a dry heat and a dry cold is so much more easier to tolerate. But no one else talks about low humidity cold.

I don't mind the humidity. It keeps your skin nice and fresh. No matter what that old saying is, it's not the humidity, it's the bone melting heat.

R58 - I respectfully disagree. I can deal with 95 or 100 degrees in 15% humidity in the desert just fine. You don't sweat - which is a whole other issue to keep hydrated.

90 degrees and 80% humidity? I have literally perspired and got a bit wet under my clothes just walking from the house to the car in Florida.

Now over 110-115 in the desert is just blazing hot - I don't think you ever get used to that. However, you have salvageable hours in the morning and the evenings are amazing.

I never felt there were 'good' hours of the day where you get some respite in Florida. Maybe in the late evenings closer to the ocean with the ocean breezes. But even then, humidity is still there. You can't escape it.

You get used to it, R59 -- just like you get used to the dry heat of the desert.

I lived in St. Pete, FL for 15 years before I went back "up home" to work for the state govt. for four more years so I could get a pension -- and I was absolutely miserable in the cold. One winter there was 31 inches of snow and I almost had a heart attack trying to shovel my truck out so I could drive to work. I was so homesick for FL that I built a snowman holding a sign that said "I miss Florida."

But it's getting hotter here in FL every year, and while I would never live in Chambersburg with R53 (ye Gods! Why would you pick Chambersburg?), it is getting more and more difficult to handle the FL summer heat as I age.

My plan? After Kamala is elected (knock wood), I'm going to spend my "I'm leaving the country" money, buy a trailer I can drag behind my truck and stay in RV parks in the summer. That way, if it's 100 degrees in the NE in the summer (like it was last summer), I can go to the UP of Michigan, the only place in the continental US where the summer heat wasn't outrageous.

Wish me luck.

R60 - fair enough - I've heard good things about the arts community in St. Pete - or is it Clearwater? And you're close enough to get those nice ocean breezes. The Tampa area is probably the best of the metros in Florida.

I have always said that St. Pete has the best weather in all of Florida. Not only is FL a peninsula, but Pinellas County is itself a peninsula hanging off a peninsula. I can remember driving from St. Pete to Tampa over Tampa Bay and on the St. Pete side it was beautiful, while, in Tampa, it was pouring down rain.

There are breezes from the water on all sides of Pinellas County. And if you want art, Gulfport and Dunedin are the towns to live in. In fact, the first Friday and third Saturday of each month, Gulfport has an "art walk" where local artists display their wares.

Keep in mind that both of these towns usually have water in the streets after a hard rain. And DeSatan was raised in Dunedin.

I don't get the idea that Florida has great weather. Yes it is warn in the winter, but in the summer it is like living in a sauna, hurricanes, tornadoes, cockroaches, mosquitos, alligators, pythons, being forced to evacuate when a hurricane is coming, no thanks. Property is no longer cheap there like it use to be, then insurance, condo fees, crazy Florida man. No thank you, I live in a Great Lakes State, recently the winters haven't been that snowy, we had one really cold snap that lasted a week and the then the rest of the winter was mild. I retired in a neighborhood with an HOA that plows the driveway if there are 2 inches of snow, they plowed 3 times last year and shovels the sidewalk. Runs and maintains the sprinkler system, maintains the pond. Mows and fertilizes the grass and picks up the leaves in the fall 6 times all for $150 a month.

I like the change of seasons, and I have the coldest feet even in summer on the planet but even that couldn't get me to move to Florida

I see Senior Lez must have FLOATED during the storm, I thought as much.

My husband and I moved to Duneding when we retired. We were sick of the winter, we wanted a reasonable cost of living, there's no state income tax, they can't take your house, and you can put your money into a trust to go on Medicaid if need be when you are old.

Our town, like Safety Harbor, Tarpon Springs, and Gulfport are blue towns adjacent to the blue cities of Clearwater, Largo, and especially St. Petersburg (which is art central) in the blue county of Pinellas across from Tamps in the blue county of Hillsborough. Tampa has a marvelous lesbian mayor, and Dunedin has ha a terric Mayor and Commission the ten years we've been here.

Yeah, summer gets tiring, even grueling, but it's a small price to pay for a vibrant community, plenty of fiends, and also $470/year in property taxes for the 1100 square foot condo we bought for $60k in 2014.

We left Manhattan and have never looked back despite living there for 35 years.

I hate typing. Forgive the errors please. ^^^

Lots of old people can't tolerate Northeastern winters. So they move to Florida.

New England is so redneck and the people are so vulgar, I cannot stand it there.

Holy fuck, i hate Florida and yet so many people PERDIO love going there. Half of Chicago goes to Destin

I live in northwest Missouri, the humidity is exhausting in the summer, I can't imagine dealing with Florida's humidity. My neighbor is from New Orleans she says the difference in Kansas City's humidity is in KC your clothes are soaking wet from the humidity in 25 minutes, in New Orleans you're a wet mess as soon as you step outside.

An older colleague after he retired moved from DC to Fort Lauderdale. Ten years later and he’s planning on moving back to DC. He HATES the trump culture and more than that, he really doesn’t like it there.

I never considered moving to Florida until I attended a couple business meetings in Naples. It was not anything like my preconceived notions. We’ve lived in SWFL for almost ten years, first Naples and now Marco Island. We love it. I’m from the Syracuse area. That probably explains it.

I wouldn't live in Arizona if it were free.

I like to visit Florida. My parents used to have a condo there and I loved the east coast. When I was younger loved Orlando as well with all those theme parks. Gorgeous beach for the county residents and you could park right up to it. None of those long walks. Sand dunes separated the parking lot so you felt like you were on an isolated beach. Blue clear water unlike the slate grey polluted NJ waters.

I don't get the warmer weather thing now. I wish we had colder weather here in the tri-state NY area. We didn't have one snowfall this last winter. I have all these nice sweaters I have not needed to use for years. Sometimes I leave the building in mid summer and feel like I'm entering into blast furnace. This never happened until a few years ago.

I grew up in Southern California and now live on the east coast. I hate winter, ice, snow, shoveling, and all that goes along with it. But worse than that is the obsession over Florida as a respite. Girl, I guess. A friend moved there last year because, FLORIDA, and now wants to move back because of hurricanes and well, Florida.

Too many bugs, that place is full of cockroaches both natural and human.

R75 - yes, you would think more people would come to Southern California for vacations (not just LA), but it is a long flight and can kill 2 days of your vacation getting there, so I understand why East Coast people go down to Florida from a logistics perspective.

Coastal SoCal is >>>> Florida almost any time of year.

r73, parts of northern arizona are wild and alpine, very cold in the winters and flagstaff gets more snow than most of the rest of the US. but you deal with those "rugged " types who complain about the government all the time

R78 - I agree. Arizona has cooler destinations within a few hours driving distance. The whole state isn't Phoenix.

A lot of Arizonians go to California coast in the Summer (5 hour drive) - we call them Zonies because there are so many of them. Then there's Northern Arizona which is more alpine and that's 2 hours away. There are other cool mountain ranges as well.

Florida? You're stuck - you're not going to escape the heat with a few hour drive. You drive and drive and then hit - Georgia and Alabama? Still hot as fuck.

Florida is surrounded by hot weather with no escapes for almost 800 to 1000 miles. I'm not a huge fan of Phoenix - but give me Arizona over Florida every time.

[quote] driving distance. The whole state isn't Phoenix.

but admittedly it might as well be. one r70 percent of the state lives near phoenix

and r79, i grew up in arizona and still visit, i agree. florida is a cesspool

It is also a place where a lot of seniors go so other seniors know they will have friends.

Personally I hate FL. I think it is one of the ugliest states. It's flat, hot and all around ugly. I am in my 70's so I feel that cold now but I don't care. I will always just be a northerner. I can still cover up to get warm but there's nothing left to take off when it gets too hot. I am also an outdoor person and you have to stay inside too much for the air conditioner to keep cool. Unless you love hot weather I see no reason to live in the south. Eventually they will all be migrating north anyway because it will be too hot to live down there.

R82 - I agree with you about the lack of beauty. People go on and on about the beaches - but I don't think they're very special at all. Yes there are some pretty beaches and water - I'll admit that. But very few people live ON the water.

I am a sucker for palm trees and tropical plants - so that's a plus. The drive to Key West is really pretty - but I have a cousin that lives in the keys and no fucking way would I live in any of the keys.

But otherwise, it's flat and has a lot of unkept wild plants and ugly St. Augustine grass. Lack of dense walkable urban areas - tons of UGLY strip malls, although that's common in most areas built since the 1960s.

There are some very nice neighborhoods and areas of course. But that's housing and commercial development - not any real natural beauty.

Honestly, I would love to live in California. I've flown there three times and stayed in three different cities (SF, Silicon Valley/Santa Cruz, and Long Beach) and I've loved it each and every time. The weather is wonderful, everyone there was nice to me, and I felt right at home as soon as I got there. I stayed on the Queen Mary in Long Beach during Pride Week (a coincidence, I assure you -- I was there for a conference), and I even rented a Harley and rode up the PCH. Simply beautiful.

But hell, even people who live in CA can't afford to live in CA! Why do you think I live in Florida?

I always say that Florida is California for poor people.

[quote]The drive to Key West is really pretty

that causeway is INTERMINABLE!

Its not just the East Coast; Midwesterners yearn for it. When my husband and I visited my mother-in-law at her community near Mt. Dora, then visited other folks in nearby communities, we were impressed with how living could be. The retirement communities were no-brains easy for retired living. These are all PLANNED communities, and have so much available. There is a busy gay community in the Mt. Dora area, lots going on. We were seriously thinking about future living down there, but this was a decade ago. No way would we now.

The living also happens a LOT just by chance or word of mouth. Tough to get properties in some areas. It's all about knowing people who are down there already. Half my in laws have lived there, snowbirded there, or are living there. I'd their neighbor died, they call you: "So-and-so died on the next lane. I'll let you know how much." Might get a steal. The prices for fixer uppers in that area ten years ago post-recession were 👍🤟🤑🧐

Nothing like having a condo in Boca and sitting by the pool all day.

Sarasot is nice. It's cultured, sort of.

Sarasota [bold]is[/bold] nice, but it's very expensive to live there.

Check out the Ringling Museum sometime.

Well, that settles it r65. I’m going to check out Duneding to find my own set of fiends. I’m solded.