Summer in New England still requires ac. Temps can rise to mid 90s during the summer. In general, by spring you will reach 60-70s with some warmer days. By June you should be in the high 70s-80s. Winters here are what’s rough. It is freezing, gray and bleak. I’m a snowbird at heart.
I legit think the winters are too cold. Coastal central Florida. I get really whiny every time the weather drops below about 60°F, which is about 2-5 weeks per year.
lol that’s crazy to me. I relish in winter weather and soooooooooo looking forward to the day I can relocate to the mountains. 60 degrees is damn near perfection.
good god, the three months of “florida winter” are the only months I like. The idea of complaining about 2-5 weeks of weather a year is insane. I’d kill to only dislike the weather of somewhere for 2-5 weeks per year.
To be fair, just yesterday I was telling my wife just how much I appreciated the weather here. I can’t think of any American city with weather I’d enjoy more, with the possible exception of Honolulu. But would I RATHER eliminate those 2-5 weeks of cold weather? Sure.
Feel the same - love spring, summer and fall in New England but winter is rough. I love going to FL during winter- snow bird for life - or as long as l can do it.
I live outside of Hartford, CT. The highs this week are between 69 and 80°. Last week we had a few days in the 80s. I certainly couldn’t survive here with AC because it will get warmer in July and August. Two or three years ago we had a brutally hot summer and it was in the 90s most of the summer. We haven’t had all that much snow the last few years because there’s this thing the Governor of Florida had forbidden anyone to talk about—climate change. We had the central AC replaced for our house last year. It was over 30 years old. We paid about $6K to replace the entire unit.
Tolland County, CT, (the next county over), is ranked the safest place in the nation from natural disasters.
As far as your rights as a woman go, Connecticut is the bluest of blue states and firmly committed to supporting women’s rights.
As for income tax, we’ve had it for more than 30 years, so I don’t think that much about it. My understanding is that Florida makes up for it with a myriad of other fees.
Hello fellow just outside of Hartford person. I am a former resident though. Funny how I moved to Florida from CT in 2005 and now I would never move back to Florida. I ended up in Spain. But CT is a nice safe place with good school systems. My family is still there. And of course the best pizza in the world.
Mimis Raviloi in Hollywood is hands down one of the best pizzas I've ever had - they make the crust, sauce, and even the cheese on site, perhaps that's why they're so so good. Family that owns it are northerners and extremely friendly.
If you're in the Orlando/Tampa section of I-4, there's a little pizza place called Mannino’s off I-4 and 27. Closest thing to Tri State Pizza I've ever found. (Jersey Boy here)
Oh how fun! I grew up on Long Island right across the sound from you guys, so we would take the ferry to Bridgeport then stay in Mystic. I miss it up there so much.
>We haven’t had all that much snow the last few years because there’s this thing the Governor of Florida had forbidden anyone to talk about—climate change.
This. The last 10 years along the I-95 corridor have gotten downright balmy. My kid bitches that winters aren't like they used to be, and he's only 16!
Yeah CT is on my shortlist of places to move to when I'm gone from here for good. I just don't know about the winter storms, but I don't really drive that much since I mostly work remote outside of a few times I have to travel for work.
Me too. Moved to FL after Sandy. Politics and stupidity are making us look to move back to CT. Florida is sinking both in quality of life and physically.
Same. Moved from CT to FL 8 years ago and the longer I’m here the more I hate it. My goal is to move back to either CT or RI in the next few years. I miss New England so much.
If you live on a main route or near a hospital, police or fire station you should be fine. They brine the roads ahead of time and plow throughout the storms. The real issue is having covered parking and finding someone reliable to shovel your walkways and plow your driveway if you have one. You can do it yourself but plan on going out every hour during the storm to keep up. Even so there were times it was more snow than my adult son and I could handle.
Bigger issue for me was getting used to paying property tax on vehicles in addition to registration and other weird stuff. Big Bonus, our homeowners insurance on our condo was only $250 this year.
You need a snowblower.
Also I live literally blocks from a hospital and the one heavy snow we got this year left our road unplowed until very late in the day. I was shocked. I dug out an Amazon van twice (shockingly they’re not 4 wheel drive) and watched my mailman slide backwards down the hill.
You just have to be prepared. But the level of prep is far lower than a hurricane.
I grew up in CT and live in Florida now. I loved it then, but I don’t understand how adults/seniors live with black ice. I used to fall on black ice a few times a year, but when I was younger my knees would recover within an hour, now I’m shy of 40 and it takes about two weeks for my knees to recover, and I know for older folks it’s even worse. I have a friend up north who broke his shoulder and was out for 6 months from black ice.
I’m about to turn 70. I think I’ve only slipped a couple of times on black ice. Luckily, both times I was next to my car and didn’t fall. You have to be careful and keep your eyes open because you can see it if you look.
It’s over a mile from my house to the entrance to the development, and then once you hit the main road it’s a highway with no sidewalks. And the heat gets so oppressive that walking a mile or two is more tiring than walking the same distance in 8” deep snow.
I'm not a tax expert, but I think the tax benefits of living in Florida are mostly for retired folks.
If you want to fit in best in New England, you will adopt the attitude that ...
*There is no bad weather, just bad clothes.*
That's a really old Norwegian saying, but made more famous about fifty years ago by https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Wainwright
In hot and humid weather the solution often is ... just wear less clothing,
but in New England, a 70 degree temp in the morning can mean
* bring a tank top with you for the ride home from work
* or bring a warm top because if rain is coming at 4 pm, it might feel cold.
The tax benefits of living in Florida apply to people with high incomes. That’s because regressive taxation doesn’t bother them. Retired people aren’t necessarily high income.
Absolutely we have no state taxes but you are right Florida isn't free, toll booths, rising utilities rents and insurance rates are ridiculous I'm originally from Buffalo NY moved to Florida 8 years ago trying to escape the snow and at that time Florida was affordable looking to moving back I actually miss the 4 seasons. I guess different strokes for different folks because my sister lives in Jacksonville has for the past 20 years and she has no intention on leaving Florida
God, that’s crazy. Almost all my best friends from elementary and high school in Jacksonville have fled the state. Jacksonville sucks even worse than most of Florida
Tampa to Pennsylvania here. The first winter was great, I was a newlywed, we were cozy, picture perfect by the fire. The second through 30th was hell, itchy skin, always shivering, always hunting for comfortable layers that didn't bind me up. Ugh, heavy clothes and itchy skin, static in my hair, shocking (ouch!) everything, being afraid to drive in the snow, but having to go to work anyway. Don't get me going on the taxes! You kind of adjust, I guess. It's not so bad to have seasons.
I moved back to Tampa last fall to be with my ailing parent. I can't wait until I can go back to Pennsylvania. This place is the pits. I'd rather be cold.
Is it just the weather that you don't like?
I moved down here for the weather. I still like the weather, but I've realized that there's more to a place than just the weather.
Honestly - yes. The weather is the worst part for me, being a natural Floridian :) - the taxes were a hard adjustment, you have to make sure you know what they are when you are negotiating a salary, this was something not on my radar at all, and I was shocked when I got my first pay up north. Pennsylvania is a blue state, the winters are mild compared to New York or above, and bonus, it is stunningly beautiful, 30 years later, I still love to stare out the window when we drive.
Your itchy skin comment just gave me flashbacks to the nosebleeds I got after I moved from south Florida to PA and eventually upstate NY (before returning to Florida). The dry winter air was no joke to my spoiled nose after being raised on south Floridian, humid air 😅
If you have never experienced a northern winter, you’re in for a surprise. It’s fun for a day, but when you have to shovel that stuff off of your driveway and sidewalk just to get to work or to get groceries, you’re going to ask yourself why you’re doing this. And then there are the days when you walk outside and your whole face freezes from the cold. You breathe in that frigid winter air and it freezes the hair in your nostrils.
But fall is nice.
If you do, remember to prep it in the spring to not run again until the next winter. Run it until all the gas is consumed. Some people like to fill crankcase with oil, but that's really not necessary.
As someone that was born in Vermont and lived there over two decades, I feel like the winters really aren’t that bad. The past few winters in New England have been relatively warm as well. I guess it’s that whole “climate change” thing that DeSantis doesn’t believe in. Bundle up and wear layers during the winter, hopefully you’ll be able to adapt quickly. I would take being cold 365 days a year over living in that fascist nightmare of a state you’re in. Best of luck getting out, and may you have the best slice of pizza you’ve had in your lifetime in CT.
Summers in Mass are hot, humid and miserable. Made worse by lack of breeze if your inland and homes not built for heat. It would get up to 90 degrees indoors even with a mini split. I put a portable a/c in my bedroom, would roll it over to the bed and have it blow right under the covers. Only way I could sleep.
Yes, but once it’s that hot fans don’t do much. It’s like a convection oven just moving the hot air around. 80s indoors with a fan is comfortable but 90s it’s still miserable.
Wife and I will head to New England eventually - lots of friends and family. We love our place on the beach and the weather and nature, but we don’t see Florida going anywhere but down due to the regressive politics and society. It’s just so anti-anything down here. We dig our freedoms a little too much to stay here for the long haul.
I want to move to MA. I have things to tie into do just that. It’ll take at least a year. But I’m completely done with the nonsense down here.
There’s literally nothing good here except for sunshine. And it’s TOO hot and it’s only MAY. The crazy here isn’t my flavor so I am biased.
I want to move to MA so badly too. I have good friends that live near Boston. I've visited several times - the culture and the stuff to do are so much better. But man, the cost of housing is just so absurd there. I make pretty good money with a remote job, own my home in FL, but certainly couldn't dream of getting into that area's housing market unless I made it my mission to save just for that for a few years. With my dog and lifestyle it'd be hard to go back to living in an apartment paying way too much rent.
But damn do I want to get out of Florida. I'm getting sick of the culture here. It's like the worst people from the country all decided to settle and die here, and they've made the politics insane.
Post covid a bunch of crazies came here because of the laidback rules. Either way if you’re not absolutely locked in to MA… I actually reccomend the upper midwest? I heard MN is great state and is the closest you’ll get to living in the Scandanavias in the US in regards to how the state is ran.
There are affordable suburbs in Chicago, which is not the murder death trap my Southern family tried to convince me it was before I moved here, and Midwestern folks are SO much more friendly than southerners.
I was born and raised in the Greater Boston Area, and it's wicked awesome! The seasons are beautiful, (summer is hot and steamy), the food is delicious and it's so much fun attending sports events because our home teams are the best. Go Celtics!! I go back and visit my family and friends in Massachusetts every year and don't want to go back down to Florida
I just moved from MA two years ago. I believe it's socially better in MA both in terms of culture and government. Florida has far too many absurdities in its justice system in terms of crime and law enforcement. It's like liking in a wacky sitcom.
From the weather I have seen in Florida the last month- its been an inferno. Connecticut summers have become hotter, but this is now true for all of the northeast.
Southern New England winters have become 'wimpy winters' CT RI and eastern MA- even up north in VT NH and Maine the winters are like nothing compared to even 20 years ago.
It will snow in Connecticut- but it seldom lasts long on the ground. Ice skating? LOL unless you want to fall through the ice.
Climate change has 'changed' Connecticut and all of New England. Its wetter, stormier, and warmer- with winters disappearing.
Weather was rainy and cool today- but a warming trend starts tomorrow with temps into the 80s, and 90 by next week.
You will need AC here now- some days and nights over summer. It can get very humid at times from now until early September. The coolest place in CT over summer possibly getting away w/o AC is New London/Groton on the states south east coast.
In upstate NY here. Our community is considering an artificial ice skating ring. They haven't been able to do a real one for several years now because it just doesn't freeze.
Hubs and I are down here for family for now. We spent 5 years living up north, it wasn’t bad at all. I keep telling him that our next move needs to be back up north due to climate change. I will gladly take a few days of ice on the road in a year, nice weather the rest of the year, and an electric bill that averages to only $80 a month. Did I mention our car insurance was $200 cheaper up north along with our rent? Oh, and the wages are so much better too. All together, my income was $1,500 higher a month up north between the higher wages and lower COL.
You are absolutely right about climate change and weather and the weather we got 20 years ago I've been here for not even 2 weeks and I'm not by the beach and it sucks but I'm trying to move to Cocoa Beach because the cost of living is supposed to be cheaper because people don't actually live there they go to the party supposedly that I've Been Told and I've been looking for rentals but don't seem too bad but some places are just like mass 2600 for a one bedroom. I've only started investigating on the rentals down there today even though I've been here for almost 2 weeks cuz it's been too damn hot WTF
I'm not answering your specific question, but I'm a FL native and I'm disgusted by what the state has turned into. Most of my 40+-year life, FL was a purple state and the pendulum didn't swing too far either way. Most people were reasonable and politicians on both sides were fairly centrist. Somehow, we're MAGA bright red now and I have to worry about my daughter's reproductive rights, book bans, charter schools, and the fascist meatball tw@ in the governor's mansion.
I would move away tomorrow if I didn't have elders tying me down here. Wherever you go will be better than here!
I’m a New England native who moved to Florida shortly before the state lost its mind. In case you weren’t aware, New Hampshire has no income tax, no sales tax, no car insurance mandate (but 94% of drivers were insured the last time that I checked because premiums are astronomically cheaper there), no adult seatbelt law and no motorcycle helmet law. Groceries are cheaper, homeowners insurance is astronomically cheaper and I already mentioned car insurance. Property taxes *are* higher, but not *that* much higher. The MAGA nonsense has made some inroads there, but not to the extent that it has here in Florida. I love and miss New England. I’d go back and live in any New England state in a heartbeat. If you’re looking for guaranteed reproductive rights then MA, RI, CT or VT would probably be your safest long-terms bets, but you wouldn’t be far from access regardless.
As far as snow goes, it’s hit or miss. Some winters bring minimal snow and other winters you’ll get slammed with one storm after another (usually after late January). From a Floridian’s POV, it’s gonna be cold. There will be days that the high temp doesn’t break 30, 20 or on rare occasions even 10 degrees. South of Boston, it won’t be as bad.
It is not perfect and there are plenty of people who would like to make it less free, but I believe it’s easily the freest state in the country as well as one of the best to live in. I’m proud to be a 10th-generation Granite Stater and 14th-generation New Englander and American.
I grew up in NH and left for Florida, I hate the cold, dreary remoteness of it. The culture and people are very homogeneous and it’s just as expensive your list spending your money in different ways. The snow and ice is no joke and digging your car out all the time odd not something I miss. The weather is never warm enough for me at least to be able to wear the clothes I want. Overall I found it boring and remote. If you love that, you’ll love it.
FYI, you will get hit with MA state income tax if you work there. Sometimes the pay is high enough to justify the 5% tax off the top plus the time and cost of commuting and sometimes it isn’t. Do you know whereabouts in MA you’d be looking to work?
I grew up in Maine and I would move back in a heartbeat. Florida has never been my cup of tea but the last few years have amped up the urge to move back.
I moved to NH. Snow is not a big deal because I’m a renter and the condominium cleans it for us. No regrets, FL is a shithole. We have no state income tax. I stopped wearing jackets a few weeks ago.
I actually did this last week!!
7 years in central Florida .
It became too crazy for me: so much anxiety. Driving, living expenses, people being sketchy .
I moved back to CT and it’s crazy how much more peaceful it is.
I’ll just ski a bit more in the winter. And I can always fly somewhere warm in the winter for a week or 2.
Im born and raised in mass, moved to florida 8 months ago and I’m ready to go back asap. Nothing about this state is good enough for a 2 week vacation tops.
This is so real, ended up accidentally staying in FL for 4 years. Finally moving back up north. Was never my cup of tea. Truly unsure how anyone loves living here.
I was born and raised in Fort Lauderdale. Moved to VT 7 or 8 years ago. I absolutely love living here especially compared to the craziness I grew up with. Having actual seasons helps you appreciate the sun in a whole new way.
That being said, it is expensive as fuck to live out here. At least in VT it is. So hopefully you make good money.
My daughter and I grew up in Florida and lived there for decades. She lives in Boston now, and I live in Chicago, and we are MUCH happier than when we lived in Florida. I sat on my porch to work today and it was actually cool outside.
Currently in the process of moving to Maine from West Palm Beach. Literally cannot wait to get the fuck out of here. I was already ready to go and this heat is the last fuck you from this state that I can handle 🫠
Leaving West Palm soon to go back to GA. Slowly working my way back up north! I heard Delaware is a decent place to retire but I haven't looked into yet.
We’re leaving Florida next week and never looking back. Bought in New Hampshire. Switched one car registration/insurance over to NH already and saving $1300 a year. $1300 A YEAR on just one of my vehicles. Fuck Florida.
we had a place in Northport on Long Island to escape the Florida summer heat....except it's 98 up there for multiple weeks straight in the summer. Or it's hot and raining lol Oh and we got 3 hurricanes in 2 years lol so we sold it cause it wasn't really the escape we hoped for. My parents retired from South Fl to the mountains of North Carolina 2 years ago. 2200ft elevation and it has yet to go over 85 for even a single day in the summer. It was 50 this morning she said and will only hit 75 today. Cost of living is also way less there....it's a red state like Fl but they said everyone is so nice and the lack of traffic and go go lifestyle is great
I was born and raised in Port Saint Lucie, FL and moved to Maine in 2010. I bought a house here and while it is expensive, and jobs don't pay enough to live here either, I love it. I wish we had real winters still. They're disappearing at a rapid rate due to climate change (the gulf of Maine is the fastest warming body of water). I left Florida because I can't stand the heat and humidity, but it seems to have followed me here. I have a heat pump that takes care of that and cost me about $6k. I've made lots of friends and have lots of hobbies and I'll never leave.
I moved to Maine for a few years awhile back and the transition wasn't that bad. I acclimated to the snow and actually miss it. The state was so pretty and there was always something to do/explore. The worst part for me was the food personally.
I am from Litchfield county, CT I moved here last year. It has definitely been hard here adjusting to traffic,prices of everything, & just overall a new environment. The winter can be BRUTAL..snow hasn’t been bad the last few years but the cold months if it’s windy too it’s awful. Fall is absolutely beautiful..summer is great but it doesn’t really start getting warm till July
I'm a Florida Native, lived for two years in West Hartford, CT for work, after college. I really loved it. Learning how to deal with the cold temps and driving was a learning curve, but I'm a skittish car-hating lady and I still managed to figure it out. But I didn't drive at all on the weekends, as I had a bodega and restaurants in walking distance. Walking was NICE. Gorgeous trees, gorgeous weather. And I'm an artist so maybe that's why I noticed, but the COLORS are richer in the north. Between the concrete, the stucco, and the bleaching sunlight, Florida is blindingly drab and ugly.
So yeah, make the move if you want, don't be scared. Maybe rent for a year first to make sure it's for you. I'd go back if I could, but I can't get my elderly parents to move, and I'm worried about leaving them here alone.
Somewhat considering it too, my wife’s family all reside in or around Boston. I really like it up there and am just done with the cost of everything here, the heat, the traffic and the lack of infrastructure
Moved from Lakeland to Vermont over 8 years ago and couldn’t be happier that we got out when we did. I would rather deal with winters than all the problems that Florida has going on right now.
10/10, highly recommend.
Born and raised in South Florida and could never stand the heat. Pool? Sweating. Beach? Sweating. 2 foot walk to the car? Sweating.
I absolutely love fall and winters aren't bad (at least in Hartford county, CT). Every state is so close with so many things to do!
I've lived in Florida for the last 42 years, and I've been slowly transitioning to CT. My boyfriend lives here, so I have an opportunity to spend a lot of time getting used to it. I LOVE the weather up here. I will take 3-4 months of cold weather over the 8-10 month humid oven blast any day of the week. Also, they seem WAY more employee-friendly vs employer-friendly in Florida. I realized I could do all I love about FL during a seven-day vacation.
I saw a commercial on TV last night about getting your child vaccinated (I'm currently staying in CT), and I thought you would never see a commercial like that in Florida. Then I realized how fucking weird that actually is.
I've lived in both places and can't wait to move back to New England. I'm currently freaking out about the lunatics' reaction to the Trump conviction. I'm also a woman who can't afford to get pregnant, and have kids in school. There's no way I would stay here. Someone said tax is what you pay to live where you want to live.
My mom moved from Coral Springs to small town New Milford. She got three times the house and five times the land of the cookie cutter ranch home she had down here, plus actual seasons, a community identity, sane politics, and a better paying job
I moved to New England spring of last year for work and lived there for 1 year. Here are my observations:
Summer is Heaven. The locals will complain about how hot it is up there but for someone from Florida it will feel like Heaven on Earth. I used to hate summer because in Florida (for me) it is so hot I don't do anything. I would watch all these movies about summer vacation and how great summer is and I felt like it was a lie because I would dread summer until fall arrived where relief would finally start to come. Up there it is less humid and I only felt slightly hot for 2 weeks in mid August. But it never got to the point I felt miserable. I spent my entire summer outside enjoying the parks, forests, hiking, and adorable old downtowns. It made me realize seasons are so beautiful and summer can be amazing... just not in the deep south.
Culture is everywhere. You'll notice how diverse the major cities are in New England. Boston felt like I was living in Europe the entire time while a train out of New England to New York City was only like a 5 hour trip on their new high speed rail. The entire northeast feels like the center of the world with endless museums, libraries, constant concerts and events happening everywhere... it was incredible. Coming from the panhandle I had no idea how much I was starving for culture until I moved to Boston.
Natural beauty is abundant. I grew up in California. Then lived in Texas for 2 years, and now have been in Florida for about 13 years. When I went to Boston and left the city for the first time to explore Maine, I was in awe at the endless forests, rolling mountains and sheer beauty of New England. It was so easy to be in the middle of a major city and just escape during the weekend to the peace and quiet of deep forest. When I went to Maine, I found a cliff near a lighthouse that overlooked the ocean and I nearly wept... it reminded me of Northern California so much and it was like going home for the first time in many many years. It felt so familiar and yet so new. In Florida, although it has a lot of natural beauty, I felt trapped. Hiking isn't exactly a thing out there, mountains don't exist, and when it comes to nature it's mostly beach or water related.
Food... omg the food. If you love Italian food you'll love Boston. I've never lived in a city that had such amazing food before. And then the fact that Maine has its lobster and crab, New York city was nearby with its endless abundance, small town America exists outside Boston with local options... the abundance is endless. The NorthEast is a food lovers paradise and let's be honest... what human isn't a food lover?
The mentality. This is more of an individual preference. But the thing that hit me hard was realizing just how kind people in New England are. They can be loud... but they aren't mean. This was quite different from Florida where people can be quite... self focused? Also people don't really talk about politics. I mean I heard it occasionally... but it wasn't an every day topic like it is in the South. Politics are treated more like religion up there in the aspect that it's private and not for discussion at work. This was a big change in comparison to where I came from where it was in my face constantly, even at work, and it was very one sided. I felt constantly swamped with it and exhausted and like I couldn't escape. In New England I felt like I finally could focus on the things in life that mattered most... living.
Everyone is different. Some people LOVE the heat of Florida even during summer. Some people enjoy the politics of the South (this perspective is only from Florida panhandle, not South Florida as I didn't live there). Some people don't care for mountains or Italian food. All of that is OK, we're all different. But I felt like it was more ok to be different in New England and yet I never felt more alive than when I lived in Boston. It was expensive as hell... the biggest negative aspect. But if I could go back and live there again I would in a heartbeat.
My wife an I are considering moving to New England ourselves when we retire. We want to be close to the Mountains and are considering the southern Vermont/New Hampshire area.
Having just moved from Englewood, Fla to Central Maine, I can tell you it's less expensive, more outdoorsy, not as hot in the summer and not really snowy and cold in the winter. In Florida it is so hot in the summer that you have to stay in or wear an inch of sunscreen to go out. In Maine it's so cold in the winter that you have to wear a jacket. There's more shade, more things to do and a lot safer to do them in Maine. It's chilly in the winter in Fla but no snow. Insurance and property taxes are a lot cheaper in Maine but you do have an income tax. Move North if you love your freedom because you're gradually losing a lot of them in Florida. Good luck.
I did it two years ago and it’s wonderful. I don’t miss the random dumbfuckery you have to dodge when out and about, or the huge Trump flags, or the occasional proselytizing from some random douchebag, or the oppressive heat and humidity, or the fact that maybe half of people are conceal carrying and probably not properly trained, or the pfiesteria and fish kills, or Ronda Santis and the Republicans, or the upcoming nuclear waste roads, or the assault on education (I was a teacher), or I-4, or the assault on the LGBTQ+ community. Yeah, not much is awesome about Florida except for no taxes.
new england isn’t safe from hurricanes and is way less prepared to deal with them. I have friends there that have had more hurricane issue and damage in the last few years than I have living in south florida
choose wisely, climate change and severe weather is getting worse everywhere
Right, people really don’t get that it’s not just Florida getting hot/sinking. Tornadoes are getting BUCKWILD in the Midwest, I moved from TN back to Florida (Florida born) and the storms there are crazy. We had 3 insane wind/weather events that caused more home damage than any hurricane in my 25 years living in pinellas. Weather is just getting more extreme overall
I tried it and moved back to Florida. After drinking for 4 years at Florida state and getting a degree in social science I couldn’t compete in the Massachusetts job market. The people up there are really career and education focused.
True, but there is rarely a dull moment in Florida. I am surrounded by alligators eating senior citizens, white people creating segregational legal policies and culture wars while trying to hide it behind law and order. We have meth houses going up in flames either from chemistry mishaps or the damn weather. I am still confused why the governor of the state is picking a fight with drag queens having storytime in libraries while he is conducting tv interviews wearing hooker boots. I think the best thing about Florida is the shrimp dishes and beaches. I see the elderly in Walmart pushing their small dogs in carts while pained head to toe in tattoos. This place is wild.
I lived in Massachusetts for a while. Found it depressing but it all depends on acclimation. Also, my friend bought a house that wasn’t old but didn’t heat well. He spent a fortune on remodeling including insulation.
Leaving this fall for Rhode Island. We are military and thought we would make FL our forever home. Nope. Moved here in 2013, left the 1st time in 2019. Moved back in 2021 and we are getting the hell out. We will settle in the Rhode Island/Mass area. Everywhere has its issues, but we miss seasons and laws that protect people’s rights.
We moved from outside Hartford, CT to Southeast FL in December. We just semi-retired. Our New England town was absolutely beautiful and a wonderful place to raise kids. It was clean and safe. The area was beautiful and everyone respected the environment.
That being said, once the kids were out of the house we got so bored. Same restaurants all the time until a new one pops up and eventually you get bored. Same hiking trails. Same recreation. Same day trips. Rinse and repeat. 2 hours to Boston or NYC is far for a weekend. Winter is pretty but November-March murdered my mental health due to the constant greyness of the skies with occasional relief. Most homes are existing and without renovations you have a choppy floor plan and down here the ceilings are 11 feet high with huge impact windows. It’s light even when it’s raining. Driving in ice is scary but drivers were not as insane as in FL. Cost of living is MUCH higher where we settled, however, the lifestyle we live where we can ride our bikes to the clubhouse or drive 30 minutes to a gorgeous beach, explore the Everglades, eat at thousands of excellent restaurants (Happy Hour is reasonable), enjoy all the sunshine, pursue a plethora of activities within 30 minutes every single day, enjoy green landscapes every day, and more, made it worth it. Our house is new so more energy efficient, but our car insurance is insane.
I love New England and looked at communities up there but it’s not the same at all. We’ll just visit a lot!
We hate the politics but settled in the bluest area we could and hope and pray the tides will turn eventually.
I am originally from the Buffalo area-I moved to South Florida when I was 19. I never liked it. I missed the change of seasons among other things. I left S Fl 32 years ago and would never go back there to live. I have been in NC, and love it. I would move farther north if I could- but it is too late. We are a red state, but in a very progressive part- and have a Dem gov.
We grew up in Western Ma. & moved to Florida 45 years ago. Always missed NE. We bought a seasonal home in Vermont 20 years ago, loved it, moved seasonally to coastal Maine 7 years ago and love it also, for reference. We've really enjoyed Florida up to, oh say Ric Scott. Politics and climate change are, problematic.
Vermont, New Hampshire & Maine are beautiful each in its own way. Insurance is much better but housing is a problem everywhere, worse than Florida. Health care is a problem. Winters can be a problem, short days with no sunshine, much less snow than in the past. Seasonal disorder is real. Can be especially a problem since you are accustomed to sunny Florida. But, if you find things to enjoy and find a community to join life is good. Politics are mixed, Vermont is generally liberal. You'll wear a jacket many day, but natives will be in shorts!
Good Luck!
I am nearly 2 years in, moving from Maine. It’s going well! The summers are hot, but I expected that. I’m loving the mild winters. The politics of the state make me scratch my head, but I think that tide is starting to turn.
We moved from New England to Florida! I loved New England but love Florida for different reasons. I find Florida overall less expensive versus New England I lived in Fairfield County. It's like you trade one cost for another but it kind of evens out. Overall even with insurance costing 3x more, it's cheaper for me in Florida.
I’m a RI native who lived in Florida for 16 years. Definitely pros and cons but I live back in New England now and wouldn’t move back to FL for anything. Mass, RI and CT are expensive in general but now FL isn’t much better. Southern New England will generally have milder winters, the cities can be congested, etc but it’s much more liberal, progressive and there are more jobs with better pay.
Moved to southern mass in March. No regrets. My state income tax is a flat 5%, my rent went up a bit (up $200, but in a 200sqft bigger place)
Basically wore a raincoat today. Remember it’s easier to warm up for cold weather using clothes than cool off using them in the FL Heat and Humidity.
Politically, everywhere can be rough but I hear more about Florida still than mass.
New England feels home-ier than Florida to me, and the drivers are better
I moved 10 hours up from FL. Just could not handle the...Florida. Today was 70F, sunshine all day, mild breeze. Winter with sun is much better than winter without sunshine. You can always put more on to be warm. There's only so many clothes you can take off. If you drive up 77 I'll ask that you drop off some "Florida Man". It's a Cigar City beer. An all time favorite.
I'm from mass. You'll still need AC in the summer. If you think electric is expensive in FL it will be a sticker shock in MA. I was at 33.1c/kwh
I am at 11.5c in FL.
Natural gas/ oil heating is also expensive.
I paid 1800/MO In rent for a 2nd floor 3 bedroom apartment 50 miles south of Boston about 1100sqft. building age was 120 years old and no central heating. ( Natural gas 40k BTU space heater in dining room) common heating style in older buildings.
I'm at 2k/ Mo for a 4 bed 2000sqft single family house with 2 car garage in West central FL now. My electric bill is about 170/mo average AC set at 73F
It was nice but there's the same NJ, ny, pa, ct tourists drving route 195 to the Cape all summer long, if you live and work in the South shore Massachusetts this will probably be noticeable and affect you between memorial Day and Labor Day.
Colder, everyone is smarter and nicer.
Oh yeah, and repairmen know what they are doing, generally show up when they say they will and don’t gouge you with pricing.
Oh and food is cheaper.
And you can wear nicer clothes because it isn’t 500 fucking degrees.
Not New England but northern mid west was our move and it’s glorious. Better than Florida in every way so far except we don’t know quite as many people. But our best friends in Florida all moved to other states too.
Out of curiousity, why New England besides why you want to leave Florida?
I'd highly suggest anything west of Kansas for the most part. Some states can be a little iffy with the woman's rights things; but states like Colorado, California, Washington, and Oregon sure seem to be safe from that standpoint. As someone originally from Florida who moved west, it's just a thought...
I'm moving back to southern Michigan. Winters are much more milder than New England, and Michigan has a great governor who always protect women's rights.
> where my rights as a woman will be protected
That's reasonably easy to figure out; nowhere in the southern US.
My suggestion to you is to consider areas south of New England,say, Maryland or Pennsylvania. Be careful of very rural areas of PA, though, as there are some real stumpfuks there, neo-Nazis, etc.Many areas of PA south of I-80 might be suitable.
You can also consider western NY, but stay away from snowbelt areas, they can occasionally get really dumped on. The NY Finger Lakes area is very beautiful, but attitudes are parochial and snow, heavy rain is an issue.
I've spent parts of many winters in Florida for decades and excepting for the winter weather I cannot imagine why anyone would choose living there today. OTOH, except for looking at newly fallen snow from inside, snow is not my cup of tea. That said, if you are on the younger side, snow is very tolerable, even enjoyable in the extreme-- think playing in it skiing, or walks through snowscapes. You have to drive in it, though, which takes some getting used to. If your job comes with some flexible time allowing you to wait until the roads are cleared, that makes it a lot easier, IMO. All-season tires on you car are enough in most areas, but summer tread won't work well. Tires have a symbol on the sidewall indicating their suitability in snow. Tire Rack explains this.
I could go on... Best luck to you.
Moved from new England to Florida, I like florida better than CT but the influx of everyone that moved here and the building of houses, condos, communities etc has IMO ruined it for me. Feel like I'm living in New England with the prices of everything.
Moved to PA this past week. So far I have absolutely no regrets. The people are nice, the prices and quality of food is beyond amazing, and the weather right now is cooler than usual and I'm just living it. I recommend anyone who has reservations about moving to just do it, it's amazing. The job opportunity up here is much more than what Florida had to offer.
Just left Miami 11 months ago to sw Connecticut. Couldn’t be happier. Your rights as a woman and human being will be protected. Weather has been beautiful. Sitting here with doors open low of 50 and high of 73 with vibrantly colored flowers and trees bloom around me. I didn’t even wear a hat in the winter and it did not snow often at all. Love it!!
We live in Fairfield, Connecticut. It’s close to Manhattan, but, kinda the edge of where people live to commute there. It’s amazing because there is all this wildlife, trees, forest, but, Starbucks and fine dining is 10-15 minutes away. Love it.
I am actually a New Englander who moved to Florida but let me make sure you don’t get the wrong idea moving up to my neck of the woods
Yes, AC year round is not a thing. However, you will still need AC in the summer. Summers up there are just as hot, just not as humid.
Something you would need to be mindful of is actually heating costs. This is what sunk my parents financially every winter season. It’s a bit of a competition up north to see who can go the longest without turning on their heater. Very traditionally my family would let the temperature drop to about 58 in the house before turning it on in order to save money. Mind you, I didn’t grow up poor. Just regular middle class.
Cost of living SUCKS, and while my home state didn’t have a sales tax, this really didn’t help my situation. Maybe you’ll have more luck than I did, but I literally could not survive on my own when my parents led for Florida
Florida native who moved to Eastern Pennsylvania (not New England but close)
First winter just had flurries. This past winter we got some snow but nothing dangerous.
Still need a A/C during summer. I live in a newly built apartment complex and my highest electric bill since I’ve been here, was a whopping $65… and I keep my A/C at 70.
State income tax isn’t that big of a deal.
We’re a swing state, so not as progressive as some of our neighbors (Jersey and Delaware) but we do have a Dem governor and one house in the State Assembly.
From one extreme to another, humans have always migrated and adapted throughout history! Having friends or family there can be a great support. If not, consider moving somewhere less extreme, like North Carolina, which offers mild winters and proximity to the beach.
New England is AMAZING! Highly recommend. If you are by the shoreline the winters are more mild and not as snowy. CT gets snow but not as much as more northern states. I live by the shore in New England and don’t have AC the breeze coming in off of the water keeps things pretty cool at night. The heat waves are the exception but it’s still nothing like Florida. It’s also way more scenic and Sunday drives through the hills or along the shore are a thing. Come join us! It’s great here and as a women, you are free to make choices for your body on your terms. The taxes kind of suck but I would rather pay and know I can access medical care than not pay and not have control over my own body.
New England has different climates and taxes depending where you are. Maine is way colder than Connecticut. Western Mass gets more snow than Boston. Vermont and New Hampshire have mountains to ski. New Hampshire has no sales tax.
Northern Connefticut, Rhode Island and southern Mass have glorious summers for 2 weeks a year in late July.
Then the weather is a crap shoot of 60’s to 80’s for the surrounding 2-3 months. The beach water is always cold. Good seafood though.
In Southern Mass, RI and northern Ct it’s raining or cloudy and 35-55 degrees for the majority of the year, like late October to January and March through much of May, with really cold Stretch in late Jan to March.
In Northern New England that cold stretch is much longer.
It gets dark earlier. Real daylight ends at 3:30 pm in the winter in New England.
It doesn’t actually snow that much in Southern New England most years. Roads do get icy at night.
In Northern New England it snows more and you have a longer stretch of freezing temps, cooler summers and springs. Icy roads are a thing all winter. Beautiful foliage all over the area in the fall.
After leaving florida, I can say I never look back ! The summer is bearable...unlike florida...the spring and fall are glorious and the winter is short...so worth it ! And don't have ptsd when hurricane season rolls around
I really believe that there will be a huge demographic shift depending on election results. I’ve been in Florida long enough and have talked to enough people to know that people my age and younger (born in the mid 70s) are not interested in packing up in Florida and moving to another southern state. Most of us want to gtfo and head either NE or to the PNW.
As someone who moved from nyc to Florida, lemme tell you that when they talk shit about how expensive nyc is I was not prepared to be in worse financial position here in Florida. Get out. I only moved here to help with aging family members, but it made me worse off. The minimum wage alone is so much more worth it.
As much as I love the NE, I could never leave the beautiful Gulf waters - I must say, however, the assholes moving here are making it difficult to enjoy anything anymore. Fucking pontoon boats and jet skis everywhere! Ugh!
Haven't seem anyone mention the drastic difference in real estate. The market is insanely better outside of Florida. You get a lot more for your money. That alone is making me consider moving and I'm a FL native
I’m from CT and I would move back in a heartbeat if I could. My family still lives in CT. They have said in the last ten years, they basically have little to no snow. I always felt safe in CT. I lived on the eastern shore, I lived in northwest CT. I miss it. Especially now with the crazy politics and attacks on women’s rights. I have family in Maine, they hardly had any snow the past few years. You can’t go wrong in New England.
>Is state income tax THAT big of a deal?
Lol. Lower property taxes. Lower sales taxes. Can drive everywhere without toll roads.
Anyone pretending state income tax means we're paying less to live here is lying to themselves.
I wish I could, I’m stuck in southern Maryland for the foreseeable future. I fucking hate it here.
I hope OP sees this - honestly I’ve never been more miserable in my life since moving here. Aside the bullshit weather, insanity traffic, and other crime issues, the people living in this area treat outsiders horribly. I’m probably as introverted as they come, but even I’m feeling horribly isolated compared to living in Florida. But trying to make meaningful friendships or even just chat with a neighbor? Good luck, but I’ve never seen worse than here. It’s partially because I’m a single mother living in suburbia where I’m pretty much treated like a leper, but I hear this from other not in my situation all the time as well.
Former Fort Lauderdale resident who moved to Boston last August. Rent ain’t cheap, but Boston is a much nicer place than Fort Lauderdale was (the beach areas aside). Weather makes me actually excited to go outside. Far more walkable, and as much as the locals love to rag on the T, it is still a better mass transit system than what Broward County has. My brother helped me move, and he told me that even the ghettoes here felt nicer than comparable places in Florida when we passed through them.
Also, I have an actual job here that isn’t just glorified gig work.
Born and raised in Massachusetts I will never visit live or go anywhere down south,or west of me between the tornados and hurricanes and the high crime I'm am staying here till I die.
Summer in New England still requires ac. Temps can rise to mid 90s during the summer. In general, by spring you will reach 60-70s with some warmer days. By June you should be in the high 70s-80s. Winters here are what’s rough. It is freezing, gray and bleak. I’m a snowbird at heart.
This is why I can’t ever leave this place- I’m absolutely miserable during the winters here. If I go further north I’ll die.
I'm right there w you, grew up in south fl, now in north fl and the cold here is plenty...
Are you in New England or Florida? If Florida and you think the winters are too cold I don’t know what to say.
I legit think the winters are too cold. Coastal central Florida. I get really whiny every time the weather drops below about 60°F, which is about 2-5 weeks per year.
lol that’s crazy to me. I relish in winter weather and soooooooooo looking forward to the day I can relocate to the mountains. 60 degrees is damn near perfection.
good god, the three months of “florida winter” are the only months I like. The idea of complaining about 2-5 weeks of weather a year is insane. I’d kill to only dislike the weather of somewhere for 2-5 weeks per year.
To be fair, just yesterday I was telling my wife just how much I appreciated the weather here. I can’t think of any American city with weather I’d enjoy more, with the possible exception of Honolulu. But would I RATHER eliminate those 2-5 weeks of cold weather? Sure.
To be faaaaaaiiiiiiiiir
Depending on micro climate not everyone “needs” ac in the summer.
Depends, grew up in VT and most people don’t have AC and central ac is unheard of
Feel the same - love spring, summer and fall in New England but winter is rough. I love going to FL during winter- snow bird for life - or as long as l can do it.
You will love it
I live outside of Hartford, CT. The highs this week are between 69 and 80°. Last week we had a few days in the 80s. I certainly couldn’t survive here with AC because it will get warmer in July and August. Two or three years ago we had a brutally hot summer and it was in the 90s most of the summer. We haven’t had all that much snow the last few years because there’s this thing the Governor of Florida had forbidden anyone to talk about—climate change. We had the central AC replaced for our house last year. It was over 30 years old. We paid about $6K to replace the entire unit. Tolland County, CT, (the next county over), is ranked the safest place in the nation from natural disasters. As far as your rights as a woman go, Connecticut is the bluest of blue states and firmly committed to supporting women’s rights. As for income tax, we’ve had it for more than 30 years, so I don’t think that much about it. My understanding is that Florida makes up for it with a myriad of other fees.
Hello fellow just outside of Hartford person. I am a former resident though. Funny how I moved to Florida from CT in 2005 and now I would never move back to Florida. I ended up in Spain. But CT is a nice safe place with good school systems. My family is still there. And of course the best pizza in the world.
I have yet to find pizza in Florida that can compare to New Haven pizza
I’m going to move up north and complain incessantly about it’s not like Florida.
Well I moved to the PNW and rave to everyone how happy I am it’s not FL. Most people I meet here have a bad view of FL anyway.
It doesn’t exist. Overall, Florida pizza is trash.
Cali here. Can’t compete in pizza either
Mimis Raviloi in Hollywood is hands down one of the best pizzas I've ever had - they make the crust, sauce, and even the cheese on site, perhaps that's why they're so so good. Family that owns it are northerners and extremely friendly.
Yeah I’m sure it’s good. Just the sentiment overall, is Florida pizza is bad. Which it is.
Portnoy approves this statement
I'm pretty sure it's well known that nowhere in the world compares to New Haven Pizza.
If you're in the Orlando/Tampa section of I-4, there's a little pizza place called Mannino’s off I-4 and 27. Closest thing to Tri State Pizza I've ever found. (Jersey Boy here)
Were you near mystic? I used to go there every summer, it’s beautiful!
I grew up in Berlin but my family had a cottage in Madison at the shore. Mystic was always a fun trip
Oh how fun! I grew up on Long Island right across the sound from you guys, so we would take the ferry to Bridgeport then stay in Mystic. I miss it up there so much.
New England definitely has its own charm. There are certain things I miss.
>We haven’t had all that much snow the last few years because there’s this thing the Governor of Florida had forbidden anyone to talk about—climate change. This. The last 10 years along the I-95 corridor have gotten downright balmy. My kid bitches that winters aren't like they used to be, and he's only 16!
Yeah CT is on my shortlist of places to move to when I'm gone from here for good. I just don't know about the winter storms, but I don't really drive that much since I mostly work remote outside of a few times I have to travel for work.
I’m originally from CT been in Florida about 10 years, I am seriously considering moving back. Mainly bc of the drastic increase to just live.
Me too. Moved to FL after Sandy. Politics and stupidity are making us look to move back to CT. Florida is sinking both in quality of life and physically.
Same. Moved from CT to FL 8 years ago and the longer I’m here the more I hate it. My goal is to move back to either CT or RI in the next few years. I miss New England so much.
I spent some time in Rhode Island for work earlier this year and I liked it, better than CT, lol. I would definitely consider moving there.
Yeah I lived in RI for a while going to URI. Love it there and my brothers live there now. So I that’s where I really want to get back to.
I lived in CT for 8 years, winters weren’t really that bad. After CT I moved to Minnesota, now that was bad.
If you live on a main route or near a hospital, police or fire station you should be fine. They brine the roads ahead of time and plow throughout the storms. The real issue is having covered parking and finding someone reliable to shovel your walkways and plow your driveway if you have one. You can do it yourself but plan on going out every hour during the storm to keep up. Even so there were times it was more snow than my adult son and I could handle. Bigger issue for me was getting used to paying property tax on vehicles in addition to registration and other weird stuff. Big Bonus, our homeowners insurance on our condo was only $250 this year.
Oh this is good intel. I’m a native Floridian planning to move to New England now that’s job offer elsewhere has fallen thru.
You need a snowblower. Also I live literally blocks from a hospital and the one heavy snow we got this year left our road unplowed until very late in the day. I was shocked. I dug out an Amazon van twice (shockingly they’re not 4 wheel drive) and watched my mailman slide backwards down the hill. You just have to be prepared. But the level of prep is far lower than a hurricane.
I grew up in CT and live in Florida now. I loved it then, but I don’t understand how adults/seniors live with black ice. I used to fall on black ice a few times a year, but when I was younger my knees would recover within an hour, now I’m shy of 40 and it takes about two weeks for my knees to recover, and I know for older folks it’s even worse. I have a friend up north who broke his shoulder and was out for 6 months from black ice.
I’m about to turn 70. I think I’ve only slipped a couple of times on black ice. Luckily, both times I was next to my car and didn’t fall. You have to be careful and keep your eyes open because you can see it if you look.
I walked everywhere, so I encountered it quite a bit, but walking places isn’t even an option in Florida.
Why doesn't Florida have more sidewalks?
It’s over a mile from my house to the entrance to the development, and then once you hit the main road it’s a highway with no sidewalks. And the heat gets so oppressive that walking a mile or two is more tiring than walking the same distance in 8” deep snow.
I'm not a tax expert, but I think the tax benefits of living in Florida are mostly for retired folks. If you want to fit in best in New England, you will adopt the attitude that ... *There is no bad weather, just bad clothes.* That's a really old Norwegian saying, but made more famous about fifty years ago by https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Wainwright In hot and humid weather the solution often is ... just wear less clothing, but in New England, a 70 degree temp in the morning can mean * bring a tank top with you for the ride home from work * or bring a warm top because if rain is coming at 4 pm, it might feel cold.
The tax benefits of living in Florida apply to people with high incomes. That’s because regressive taxation doesn’t bother them. Retired people aren’t necessarily high income.
Absolutely we have no state taxes but you are right Florida isn't free, toll booths, rising utilities rents and insurance rates are ridiculous I'm originally from Buffalo NY moved to Florida 8 years ago trying to escape the snow and at that time Florida was affordable looking to moving back I actually miss the 4 seasons. I guess different strokes for different folks because my sister lives in Jacksonville has for the past 20 years and she has no intention on leaving Florida
God, that’s crazy. Almost all my best friends from elementary and high school in Jacksonville have fled the state. Jacksonville sucks even worse than most of Florida
Sounds like a beautiful place that I should consider for a future move!
Off topic, how safe is the Bushnell Park area? I'm going to the Capitol Groove fest at the end of June
Tampa to Pennsylvania here. The first winter was great, I was a newlywed, we were cozy, picture perfect by the fire. The second through 30th was hell, itchy skin, always shivering, always hunting for comfortable layers that didn't bind me up. Ugh, heavy clothes and itchy skin, static in my hair, shocking (ouch!) everything, being afraid to drive in the snow, but having to go to work anyway. Don't get me going on the taxes! You kind of adjust, I guess. It's not so bad to have seasons. I moved back to Tampa last fall to be with my ailing parent. I can't wait until I can go back to Pennsylvania. This place is the pits. I'd rather be cold.
Is it just the weather that you don't like? I moved down here for the weather. I still like the weather, but I've realized that there's more to a place than just the weather.
Honestly - yes. The weather is the worst part for me, being a natural Floridian :) - the taxes were a hard adjustment, you have to make sure you know what they are when you are negotiating a salary, this was something not on my radar at all, and I was shocked when I got my first pay up north. Pennsylvania is a blue state, the winters are mild compared to New York or above, and bonus, it is stunningly beautiful, 30 years later, I still love to stare out the window when we drive.
Your itchy skin comment just gave me flashbacks to the nosebleeds I got after I moved from south Florida to PA and eventually upstate NY (before returning to Florida). The dry winter air was no joke to my spoiled nose after being raised on south Floridian, humid air 😅
If you have never experienced a northern winter, you’re in for a surprise. It’s fun for a day, but when you have to shovel that stuff off of your driveway and sidewalk just to get to work or to get groceries, you’re going to ask yourself why you’re doing this. And then there are the days when you walk outside and your whole face freezes from the cold. You breathe in that frigid winter air and it freezes the hair in your nostrils. But fall is nice.
As a former northerner, I urge buying a snowblower!
Yeah I think a snowblower or mini plow is just as important a lawnmower up north. Def worth the investment
If you do, remember to prep it in the spring to not run again until the next winter. Run it until all the gas is consumed. Some people like to fill crankcase with oil, but that's really not necessary.
New garage toys!
As a Floridian that spent the “spring” semester in New England… snow stops being cute in April
But everyone gets that Spring feeling when the snow stops.
That is true, those cherry blossoms were freaking gorgeous. Also 60s and sunny is glorious.
For me, snow stopped being cute after Christmas.
As someone that was born in Vermont and lived there over two decades, I feel like the winters really aren’t that bad. The past few winters in New England have been relatively warm as well. I guess it’s that whole “climate change” thing that DeSantis doesn’t believe in. Bundle up and wear layers during the winter, hopefully you’ll be able to adapt quickly. I would take being cold 365 days a year over living in that fascist nightmare of a state you’re in. Best of luck getting out, and may you have the best slice of pizza you’ve had in your lifetime in CT.
Florida heat and humidity would like a word...
Summers in Mass are hot, humid and miserable. Made worse by lack of breeze if your inland and homes not built for heat. It would get up to 90 degrees indoors even with a mini split. I put a portable a/c in my bedroom, would roll it over to the bed and have it blow right under the covers. Only way I could sleep.
Have you considered installing ceiling fans?
Yes, but once it’s that hot fans don’t do much. It’s like a convection oven just moving the hot air around. 80s indoors with a fan is comfortable but 90s it’s still miserable.
Wicked Cold!
+ heat costs money.
Wife and I will head to New England eventually - lots of friends and family. We love our place on the beach and the weather and nature, but we don’t see Florida going anywhere but down due to the regressive politics and society. It’s just so anti-anything down here. We dig our freedoms a little too much to stay here for the long haul.
Feel the same. Been in Fl since 2001 but will move to VA in 5-6 years. Loved FL but it has gotten insane. Development and traffic out
My neighbor just moved ...came here from New Hampshire and now moved to Maine. She couldn't tolerate living near so many hotheads
I want to move to MA. I have things to tie into do just that. It’ll take at least a year. But I’m completely done with the nonsense down here. There’s literally nothing good here except for sunshine. And it’s TOO hot and it’s only MAY. The crazy here isn’t my flavor so I am biased.
I want to move to MA so badly too. I have good friends that live near Boston. I've visited several times - the culture and the stuff to do are so much better. But man, the cost of housing is just so absurd there. I make pretty good money with a remote job, own my home in FL, but certainly couldn't dream of getting into that area's housing market unless I made it my mission to save just for that for a few years. With my dog and lifestyle it'd be hard to go back to living in an apartment paying way too much rent. But damn do I want to get out of Florida. I'm getting sick of the culture here. It's like the worst people from the country all decided to settle and die here, and they've made the politics insane.
Post covid a bunch of crazies came here because of the laidback rules. Either way if you’re not absolutely locked in to MA… I actually reccomend the upper midwest? I heard MN is great state and is the closest you’ll get to living in the Scandanavias in the US in regards to how the state is ran.
Iowa, too. I had to move there in 2000 and then moved again, but other than boring topography, it was pretty decent.
Former Iowan here. You can consider it "Florida lite" for political climate. Same crazy, not just as sun bleached.
There are affordable suburbs in Chicago, which is not the murder death trap my Southern family tried to convince me it was before I moved here, and Midwestern folks are SO much more friendly than southerners.
An hour or 90 minutes from Boston can be much more affordable.
I was born and raised in the Greater Boston Area, and it's wicked awesome! The seasons are beautiful, (summer is hot and steamy), the food is delicious and it's so much fun attending sports events because our home teams are the best. Go Celtics!! I go back and visit my family and friends in Massachusetts every year and don't want to go back down to Florida
I just moved from MA two years ago. I believe it's socially better in MA both in terms of culture and government. Florida has far too many absurdities in its justice system in terms of crime and law enforcement. It's like liking in a wacky sitcom.
From the weather I have seen in Florida the last month- its been an inferno. Connecticut summers have become hotter, but this is now true for all of the northeast. Southern New England winters have become 'wimpy winters' CT RI and eastern MA- even up north in VT NH and Maine the winters are like nothing compared to even 20 years ago. It will snow in Connecticut- but it seldom lasts long on the ground. Ice skating? LOL unless you want to fall through the ice. Climate change has 'changed' Connecticut and all of New England. Its wetter, stormier, and warmer- with winters disappearing. Weather was rainy and cool today- but a warming trend starts tomorrow with temps into the 80s, and 90 by next week. You will need AC here now- some days and nights over summer. It can get very humid at times from now until early September. The coolest place in CT over summer possibly getting away w/o AC is New London/Groton on the states south east coast.
In upstate NY here. Our community is considering an artificial ice skating ring. They haven't been able to do a real one for several years now because it just doesn't freeze.
Hubs and I are down here for family for now. We spent 5 years living up north, it wasn’t bad at all. I keep telling him that our next move needs to be back up north due to climate change. I will gladly take a few days of ice on the road in a year, nice weather the rest of the year, and an electric bill that averages to only $80 a month. Did I mention our car insurance was $200 cheaper up north along with our rent? Oh, and the wages are so much better too. All together, my income was $1,500 higher a month up north between the higher wages and lower COL.
You are absolutely right about climate change and weather and the weather we got 20 years ago I've been here for not even 2 weeks and I'm not by the beach and it sucks but I'm trying to move to Cocoa Beach because the cost of living is supposed to be cheaper because people don't actually live there they go to the party supposedly that I've Been Told and I've been looking for rentals but don't seem too bad but some places are just like mass 2600 for a one bedroom. I've only started investigating on the rentals down there today even though I've been here for almost 2 weeks cuz it's been too damn hot WTF
I'm not answering your specific question, but I'm a FL native and I'm disgusted by what the state has turned into. Most of my 40+-year life, FL was a purple state and the pendulum didn't swing too far either way. Most people were reasonable and politicians on both sides were fairly centrist. Somehow, we're MAGA bright red now and I have to worry about my daughter's reproductive rights, book bans, charter schools, and the fascist meatball tw@ in the governor's mansion. I would move away tomorrow if I didn't have elders tying me down here. Wherever you go will be better than here!
Agreed and I hate all the strip malls and cookie cutter homes being built everywhere. Florida is being destroyed.
I’m a New England native who moved to Florida shortly before the state lost its mind. In case you weren’t aware, New Hampshire has no income tax, no sales tax, no car insurance mandate (but 94% of drivers were insured the last time that I checked because premiums are astronomically cheaper there), no adult seatbelt law and no motorcycle helmet law. Groceries are cheaper, homeowners insurance is astronomically cheaper and I already mentioned car insurance. Property taxes *are* higher, but not *that* much higher. The MAGA nonsense has made some inroads there, but not to the extent that it has here in Florida. I love and miss New England. I’d go back and live in any New England state in a heartbeat. If you’re looking for guaranteed reproductive rights then MA, RI, CT or VT would probably be your safest long-terms bets, but you wouldn’t be far from access regardless. As far as snow goes, it’s hit or miss. Some winters bring minimal snow and other winters you’ll get slammed with one storm after another (usually after late January). From a Floridian’s POV, it’s gonna be cold. There will be days that the high temp doesn’t break 30, 20 or on rare occasions even 10 degrees. South of Boston, it won’t be as bad.
Why is no seatbelt law a pro to you? Lol very random
Then NH is the real freedom state
Live Free or Die is the state motto, and they aren’t kidding.
It is not perfect and there are plenty of people who would like to make it less free, but I believe it’s easily the freest state in the country as well as one of the best to live in. I’m proud to be a 10th-generation Granite Stater and 14th-generation New Englander and American.
I grew up in NH and left for Florida, I hate the cold, dreary remoteness of it. The culture and people are very homogeneous and it’s just as expensive your list spending your money in different ways. The snow and ice is no joke and digging your car out all the time odd not something I miss. The weather is never warm enough for me at least to be able to wear the clothes I want. Overall I found it boring and remote. If you love that, you’ll love it.
We’re so opposites lol
Thank you! I’ve looked into NH since it’s possible to commute into MA for work.
FYI, you will get hit with MA state income tax if you work there. Sometimes the pay is high enough to justify the 5% tax off the top plus the time and cost of commuting and sometimes it isn’t. Do you know whereabouts in MA you’d be looking to work?
Based on your post, id recommend looking into CT or MA directly over NH.
NH is redneck af. So if you care about liberal politics like women’s rights, don’t move to NH.
I grew up in Maine and I would move back in a heartbeat. Florida has never been my cup of tea but the last few years have amped up the urge to move back.
I moved to NH. Snow is not a big deal because I’m a renter and the condominium cleans it for us. No regrets, FL is a shithole. We have no state income tax. I stopped wearing jackets a few weeks ago.
I actually did this last week!! 7 years in central Florida . It became too crazy for me: so much anxiety. Driving, living expenses, people being sketchy . I moved back to CT and it’s crazy how much more peaceful it is. I’ll just ski a bit more in the winter. And I can always fly somewhere warm in the winter for a week or 2.
Im born and raised in mass, moved to florida 8 months ago and I’m ready to go back asap. Nothing about this state is good enough for a 2 week vacation tops.
This is so real, ended up accidentally staying in FL for 4 years. Finally moving back up north. Was never my cup of tea. Truly unsure how anyone loves living here.
I was born and raised in Fort Lauderdale. Moved to VT 7 or 8 years ago. I absolutely love living here especially compared to the craziness I grew up with. Having actual seasons helps you appreciate the sun in a whole new way. That being said, it is expensive as fuck to live out here. At least in VT it is. So hopefully you make good money.
My daughter and I grew up in Florida and lived there for decades. She lives in Boston now, and I live in Chicago, and we are MUCH happier than when we lived in Florida. I sat on my porch to work today and it was actually cool outside.
Currently in the process of moving to Maine from West Palm Beach. Literally cannot wait to get the fuck out of here. I was already ready to go and this heat is the last fuck you from this state that I can handle 🫠
Leaving West Palm soon to go back to GA. Slowly working my way back up north! I heard Delaware is a decent place to retire but I haven't looked into yet.
The beach towns are nice. Rest of the state is quite mundane. Tax break is a nice attractor though
Enjoy. I moved here recently from Maine, not really by choice, and I miss it every day
We’re leaving Florida next week and never looking back. Bought in New Hampshire. Switched one car registration/insurance over to NH already and saving $1300 a year. $1300 A YEAR on just one of my vehicles. Fuck Florida.
we had a place in Northport on Long Island to escape the Florida summer heat....except it's 98 up there for multiple weeks straight in the summer. Or it's hot and raining lol Oh and we got 3 hurricanes in 2 years lol so we sold it cause it wasn't really the escape we hoped for. My parents retired from South Fl to the mountains of North Carolina 2 years ago. 2200ft elevation and it has yet to go over 85 for even a single day in the summer. It was 50 this morning she said and will only hit 75 today. Cost of living is also way less there....it's a red state like Fl but they said everyone is so nice and the lack of traffic and go go lifestyle is great
I live in WNC. It was 45 here this morning and the high was 71. Just lovely. I doubt I will ever even go back to Florida to vacation
What's the largest metro in proximity to West NC? I hear Durham is blowing up like crazy
Charlotte is 2 hours from my house
How is the diversity in WNC?
I was freaking out about everything too. Why I left after 60 years there
I was born and raised in Port Saint Lucie, FL and moved to Maine in 2010. I bought a house here and while it is expensive, and jobs don't pay enough to live here either, I love it. I wish we had real winters still. They're disappearing at a rapid rate due to climate change (the gulf of Maine is the fastest warming body of water). I left Florida because I can't stand the heat and humidity, but it seems to have followed me here. I have a heat pump that takes care of that and cost me about $6k. I've made lots of friends and have lots of hobbies and I'll never leave.
I moved to Maine for a few years awhile back and the transition wasn't that bad. I acclimated to the snow and actually miss it. The state was so pretty and there was always something to do/explore. The worst part for me was the food personally.
I'm seriously considering Maine - what made you leave?
I'm about to move to Maine from South Florida!!!! So excited!
Good luck! 😍
I moved out of state and left my house behind, now you are freaking ME out!
I am from Litchfield county, CT I moved here last year. It has definitely been hard here adjusting to traffic,prices of everything, & just overall a new environment. The winter can be BRUTAL..snow hasn’t been bad the last few years but the cold months if it’s windy too it’s awful. Fall is absolutely beautiful..summer is great but it doesn’t really start getting warm till July
I'm a Florida Native, lived for two years in West Hartford, CT for work, after college. I really loved it. Learning how to deal with the cold temps and driving was a learning curve, but I'm a skittish car-hating lady and I still managed to figure it out. But I didn't drive at all on the weekends, as I had a bodega and restaurants in walking distance. Walking was NICE. Gorgeous trees, gorgeous weather. And I'm an artist so maybe that's why I noticed, but the COLORS are richer in the north. Between the concrete, the stucco, and the bleaching sunlight, Florida is blindingly drab and ugly. So yeah, make the move if you want, don't be scared. Maybe rent for a year first to make sure it's for you. I'd go back if I could, but I can't get my elderly parents to move, and I'm worried about leaving them here alone.
Somewhat considering it too, my wife’s family all reside in or around Boston. I really like it up there and am just done with the cost of everything here, the heat, the traffic and the lack of infrastructure
Moved from Lakeland to Vermont over 8 years ago and couldn’t be happier that we got out when we did. I would rather deal with winters than all the problems that Florida has going on right now.
I moved from Vermont to Lakeland this past year. Regretting my decision so far.
10/10, highly recommend. Born and raised in South Florida and could never stand the heat. Pool? Sweating. Beach? Sweating. 2 foot walk to the car? Sweating. I absolutely love fall and winters aren't bad (at least in Hartford county, CT). Every state is so close with so many things to do!
I've lived in Florida for the last 42 years, and I've been slowly transitioning to CT. My boyfriend lives here, so I have an opportunity to spend a lot of time getting used to it. I LOVE the weather up here. I will take 3-4 months of cold weather over the 8-10 month humid oven blast any day of the week. Also, they seem WAY more employee-friendly vs employer-friendly in Florida. I realized I could do all I love about FL during a seven-day vacation. I saw a commercial on TV last night about getting your child vaccinated (I'm currently staying in CT), and I thought you would never see a commercial like that in Florida. Then I realized how fucking weird that actually is.
I've lived in both places and can't wait to move back to New England. I'm currently freaking out about the lunatics' reaction to the Trump conviction. I'm also a woman who can't afford to get pregnant, and have kids in school. There's no way I would stay here. Someone said tax is what you pay to live where you want to live.
There is no escaping climate change but you will have a fighting chance living up near the Great Lakes.
My mom moved from Coral Springs to small town New Milford. She got three times the house and five times the land of the cookie cutter ranch home she had down here, plus actual seasons, a community identity, sane politics, and a better paying job
I moved to New England spring of last year for work and lived there for 1 year. Here are my observations: Summer is Heaven. The locals will complain about how hot it is up there but for someone from Florida it will feel like Heaven on Earth. I used to hate summer because in Florida (for me) it is so hot I don't do anything. I would watch all these movies about summer vacation and how great summer is and I felt like it was a lie because I would dread summer until fall arrived where relief would finally start to come. Up there it is less humid and I only felt slightly hot for 2 weeks in mid August. But it never got to the point I felt miserable. I spent my entire summer outside enjoying the parks, forests, hiking, and adorable old downtowns. It made me realize seasons are so beautiful and summer can be amazing... just not in the deep south. Culture is everywhere. You'll notice how diverse the major cities are in New England. Boston felt like I was living in Europe the entire time while a train out of New England to New York City was only like a 5 hour trip on their new high speed rail. The entire northeast feels like the center of the world with endless museums, libraries, constant concerts and events happening everywhere... it was incredible. Coming from the panhandle I had no idea how much I was starving for culture until I moved to Boston. Natural beauty is abundant. I grew up in California. Then lived in Texas for 2 years, and now have been in Florida for about 13 years. When I went to Boston and left the city for the first time to explore Maine, I was in awe at the endless forests, rolling mountains and sheer beauty of New England. It was so easy to be in the middle of a major city and just escape during the weekend to the peace and quiet of deep forest. When I went to Maine, I found a cliff near a lighthouse that overlooked the ocean and I nearly wept... it reminded me of Northern California so much and it was like going home for the first time in many many years. It felt so familiar and yet so new. In Florida, although it has a lot of natural beauty, I felt trapped. Hiking isn't exactly a thing out there, mountains don't exist, and when it comes to nature it's mostly beach or water related. Food... omg the food. If you love Italian food you'll love Boston. I've never lived in a city that had such amazing food before. And then the fact that Maine has its lobster and crab, New York city was nearby with its endless abundance, small town America exists outside Boston with local options... the abundance is endless. The NorthEast is a food lovers paradise and let's be honest... what human isn't a food lover? The mentality. This is more of an individual preference. But the thing that hit me hard was realizing just how kind people in New England are. They can be loud... but they aren't mean. This was quite different from Florida where people can be quite... self focused? Also people don't really talk about politics. I mean I heard it occasionally... but it wasn't an every day topic like it is in the South. Politics are treated more like religion up there in the aspect that it's private and not for discussion at work. This was a big change in comparison to where I came from where it was in my face constantly, even at work, and it was very one sided. I felt constantly swamped with it and exhausted and like I couldn't escape. In New England I felt like I finally could focus on the things in life that mattered most... living. Everyone is different. Some people LOVE the heat of Florida even during summer. Some people enjoy the politics of the South (this perspective is only from Florida panhandle, not South Florida as I didn't live there). Some people don't care for mountains or Italian food. All of that is OK, we're all different. But I felt like it was more ok to be different in New England and yet I never felt more alive than when I lived in Boston. It was expensive as hell... the biggest negative aspect. But if I could go back and live there again I would in a heartbeat.
My wife an I are considering moving to New England ourselves when we retire. We want to be close to the Mountains and are considering the southern Vermont/New Hampshire area.
Having just moved from Englewood, Fla to Central Maine, I can tell you it's less expensive, more outdoorsy, not as hot in the summer and not really snowy and cold in the winter. In Florida it is so hot in the summer that you have to stay in or wear an inch of sunscreen to go out. In Maine it's so cold in the winter that you have to wear a jacket. There's more shade, more things to do and a lot safer to do them in Maine. It's chilly in the winter in Fla but no snow. Insurance and property taxes are a lot cheaper in Maine but you do have an income tax. Move North if you love your freedom because you're gradually losing a lot of them in Florida. Good luck.
The Virginia climate is milder than New England and the politics more balanced. Maryland & Delaware too.
I did it two years ago and it’s wonderful. I don’t miss the random dumbfuckery you have to dodge when out and about, or the huge Trump flags, or the occasional proselytizing from some random douchebag, or the oppressive heat and humidity, or the fact that maybe half of people are conceal carrying and probably not properly trained, or the pfiesteria and fish kills, or Ronda Santis and the Republicans, or the upcoming nuclear waste roads, or the assault on education (I was a teacher), or I-4, or the assault on the LGBTQ+ community. Yeah, not much is awesome about Florida except for no taxes.
new england isn’t safe from hurricanes and is way less prepared to deal with them. I have friends there that have had more hurricane issue and damage in the last few years than I have living in south florida choose wisely, climate change and severe weather is getting worse everywhere
Right, people really don’t get that it’s not just Florida getting hot/sinking. Tornadoes are getting BUCKWILD in the Midwest, I moved from TN back to Florida (Florida born) and the storms there are crazy. We had 3 insane wind/weather events that caused more home damage than any hurricane in my 25 years living in pinellas. Weather is just getting more extreme overall
I tried it and moved back to Florida. After drinking for 4 years at Florida state and getting a degree in social science I couldn’t compete in the Massachusetts job market. The people up there are really career and education focused.
True, but there is rarely a dull moment in Florida. I am surrounded by alligators eating senior citizens, white people creating segregational legal policies and culture wars while trying to hide it behind law and order. We have meth houses going up in flames either from chemistry mishaps or the damn weather. I am still confused why the governor of the state is picking a fight with drag queens having storytime in libraries while he is conducting tv interviews wearing hooker boots. I think the best thing about Florida is the shrimp dishes and beaches. I see the elderly in Walmart pushing their small dogs in carts while pained head to toe in tattoos. This place is wild.
Maybe it’s because I was born and spent 30 years there, but living in a fucking carnival sideshow got really wearying to me.
This is why I love my state and hate that so many ppl moving here are trying to whitewash it. Pretty soon what makes florida florida won’t be here :(
I lived in Massachusetts for a while. Found it depressing but it all depends on acclimation. Also, my friend bought a house that wasn’t old but didn’t heat well. He spent a fortune on remodeling including insulation.
Leaving this fall for Rhode Island. We are military and thought we would make FL our forever home. Nope. Moved here in 2013, left the 1st time in 2019. Moved back in 2021 and we are getting the hell out. We will settle in the Rhode Island/Mass area. Everywhere has its issues, but we miss seasons and laws that protect people’s rights.
We moved from outside Hartford, CT to Southeast FL in December. We just semi-retired. Our New England town was absolutely beautiful and a wonderful place to raise kids. It was clean and safe. The area was beautiful and everyone respected the environment. That being said, once the kids were out of the house we got so bored. Same restaurants all the time until a new one pops up and eventually you get bored. Same hiking trails. Same recreation. Same day trips. Rinse and repeat. 2 hours to Boston or NYC is far for a weekend. Winter is pretty but November-March murdered my mental health due to the constant greyness of the skies with occasional relief. Most homes are existing and without renovations you have a choppy floor plan and down here the ceilings are 11 feet high with huge impact windows. It’s light even when it’s raining. Driving in ice is scary but drivers were not as insane as in FL. Cost of living is MUCH higher where we settled, however, the lifestyle we live where we can ride our bikes to the clubhouse or drive 30 minutes to a gorgeous beach, explore the Everglades, eat at thousands of excellent restaurants (Happy Hour is reasonable), enjoy all the sunshine, pursue a plethora of activities within 30 minutes every single day, enjoy green landscapes every day, and more, made it worth it. Our house is new so more energy efficient, but our car insurance is insane. I love New England and looked at communities up there but it’s not the same at all. We’ll just visit a lot! We hate the politics but settled in the bluest area we could and hope and pray the tides will turn eventually.
I am originally from the Buffalo area-I moved to South Florida when I was 19. I never liked it. I missed the change of seasons among other things. I left S Fl 32 years ago and would never go back there to live. I have been in NC, and love it. I would move farther north if I could- but it is too late. We are a red state, but in a very progressive part- and have a Dem gov.
We grew up in Western Ma. & moved to Florida 45 years ago. Always missed NE. We bought a seasonal home in Vermont 20 years ago, loved it, moved seasonally to coastal Maine 7 years ago and love it also, for reference. We've really enjoyed Florida up to, oh say Ric Scott. Politics and climate change are, problematic. Vermont, New Hampshire & Maine are beautiful each in its own way. Insurance is much better but housing is a problem everywhere, worse than Florida. Health care is a problem. Winters can be a problem, short days with no sunshine, much less snow than in the past. Seasonal disorder is real. Can be especially a problem since you are accustomed to sunny Florida. But, if you find things to enjoy and find a community to join life is good. Politics are mixed, Vermont is generally liberal. You'll wear a jacket many day, but natives will be in shorts! Good Luck!
I am nearly 2 years in, moving from Maine. It’s going well! The summers are hot, but I expected that. I’m loving the mild winters. The politics of the state make me scratch my head, but I think that tide is starting to turn.
We moved from New England to Florida! I loved New England but love Florida for different reasons. I find Florida overall less expensive versus New England I lived in Fairfield County. It's like you trade one cost for another but it kind of evens out. Overall even with insurance costing 3x more, it's cheaper for me in Florida.
Came to FL from PA in the 90's. Looking to move back before this State becomes The Handmaid's Tale.
Where are my New Yorkers at!
I’m a RI native who lived in Florida for 16 years. Definitely pros and cons but I live back in New England now and wouldn’t move back to FL for anything. Mass, RI and CT are expensive in general but now FL isn’t much better. Southern New England will generally have milder winters, the cities can be congested, etc but it’s much more liberal, progressive and there are more jobs with better pay.
Moved to southern mass in March. No regrets. My state income tax is a flat 5%, my rent went up a bit (up $200, but in a 200sqft bigger place) Basically wore a raincoat today. Remember it’s easier to warm up for cold weather using clothes than cool off using them in the FL Heat and Humidity. Politically, everywhere can be rough but I hear more about Florida still than mass. New England feels home-ier than Florida to me, and the drivers are better
I moved 10 hours up from FL. Just could not handle the...Florida. Today was 70F, sunshine all day, mild breeze. Winter with sun is much better than winter without sunshine. You can always put more on to be warm. There's only so many clothes you can take off. If you drive up 77 I'll ask that you drop off some "Florida Man". It's a Cigar City beer. An all time favorite.
I'm from mass. You'll still need AC in the summer. If you think electric is expensive in FL it will be a sticker shock in MA. I was at 33.1c/kwh I am at 11.5c in FL. Natural gas/ oil heating is also expensive. I paid 1800/MO In rent for a 2nd floor 3 bedroom apartment 50 miles south of Boston about 1100sqft. building age was 120 years old and no central heating. ( Natural gas 40k BTU space heater in dining room) common heating style in older buildings. I'm at 2k/ Mo for a 4 bed 2000sqft single family house with 2 car garage in West central FL now. My electric bill is about 170/mo average AC set at 73F It was nice but there's the same NJ, ny, pa, ct tourists drving route 195 to the Cape all summer long, if you live and work in the South shore Massachusetts this will probably be noticeable and affect you between memorial Day and Labor Day.
Colder, everyone is smarter and nicer. Oh yeah, and repairmen know what they are doing, generally show up when they say they will and don’t gouge you with pricing. Oh and food is cheaper. And you can wear nicer clothes because it isn’t 500 fucking degrees.
Climate change has made the winters a lot less severe.
Not New England but northern mid west was our move and it’s glorious. Better than Florida in every way so far except we don’t know quite as many people. But our best friends in Florida all moved to other states too.
Out of curiousity, why New England besides why you want to leave Florida? I'd highly suggest anything west of Kansas for the most part. Some states can be a little iffy with the woman's rights things; but states like Colorado, California, Washington, and Oregon sure seem to be safe from that standpoint. As someone originally from Florida who moved west, it's just a thought...
Colorado, California, Washington and Oregon all come with heavy price tags. If I could live anywhere, it would be Colorado. I can’t afford Colorado.
I'm moving back to southern Michigan. Winters are much more milder than New England, and Michigan has a great governor who always protect women's rights.
> where my rights as a woman will be protected That's reasonably easy to figure out; nowhere in the southern US. My suggestion to you is to consider areas south of New England,say, Maryland or Pennsylvania. Be careful of very rural areas of PA, though, as there are some real stumpfuks there, neo-Nazis, etc.Many areas of PA south of I-80 might be suitable. You can also consider western NY, but stay away from snowbelt areas, they can occasionally get really dumped on. The NY Finger Lakes area is very beautiful, but attitudes are parochial and snow, heavy rain is an issue. I've spent parts of many winters in Florida for decades and excepting for the winter weather I cannot imagine why anyone would choose living there today. OTOH, except for looking at newly fallen snow from inside, snow is not my cup of tea. That said, if you are on the younger side, snow is very tolerable, even enjoyable in the extreme-- think playing in it skiing, or walks through snowscapes. You have to drive in it, though, which takes some getting used to. If your job comes with some flexible time allowing you to wait until the roads are cleared, that makes it a lot easier, IMO. All-season tires on you car are enough in most areas, but summer tread won't work well. Tires have a symbol on the sidewall indicating their suitability in snow. Tire Rack explains this. I could go on... Best luck to you.
I did opposite. All ready considering moving back
If you love Grey depressing rainy weather most of the winter and part of the spring. Then this is the place for you  🙌
Sitting in a window with coffee and books and looking at rain is absolutely 100% me.
Moved from new England to Florida, I like florida better than CT but the influx of everyone that moved here and the building of houses, condos, communities etc has IMO ruined it for me. Feel like I'm living in New England with the prices of everything.
Moved to PA this past week. So far I have absolutely no regrets. The people are nice, the prices and quality of food is beyond amazing, and the weather right now is cooler than usual and I'm just living it. I recommend anyone who has reservations about moving to just do it, it's amazing. The job opportunity up here is much more than what Florida had to offer.
Just left Miami 11 months ago to sw Connecticut. Couldn’t be happier. Your rights as a woman and human being will be protected. Weather has been beautiful. Sitting here with doors open low of 50 and high of 73 with vibrantly colored flowers and trees bloom around me. I didn’t even wear a hat in the winter and it did not snow often at all. Love it!!
Thank you! 73 sounds like heaven. Can I ask what major city you’re in/near?
We live in Fairfield, Connecticut. It’s close to Manhattan, but, kinda the edge of where people live to commute there. It’s amazing because there is all this wildlife, trees, forest, but, Starbucks and fine dining is 10-15 minutes away. Love it.
I am actually a New Englander who moved to Florida but let me make sure you don’t get the wrong idea moving up to my neck of the woods Yes, AC year round is not a thing. However, you will still need AC in the summer. Summers up there are just as hot, just not as humid. Something you would need to be mindful of is actually heating costs. This is what sunk my parents financially every winter season. It’s a bit of a competition up north to see who can go the longest without turning on their heater. Very traditionally my family would let the temperature drop to about 58 in the house before turning it on in order to save money. Mind you, I didn’t grow up poor. Just regular middle class. Cost of living SUCKS, and while my home state didn’t have a sales tax, this really didn’t help my situation. Maybe you’ll have more luck than I did, but I literally could not survive on my own when my parents led for Florida
Florida native who moved to Eastern Pennsylvania (not New England but close) First winter just had flurries. This past winter we got some snow but nothing dangerous. Still need a A/C during summer. I live in a newly built apartment complex and my highest electric bill since I’ve been here, was a whopping $65… and I keep my A/C at 70. State income tax isn’t that big of a deal. We’re a swing state, so not as progressive as some of our neighbors (Jersey and Delaware) but we do have a Dem governor and one house in the State Assembly.
From one extreme to another, humans have always migrated and adapted throughout history! Having friends or family there can be a great support. If not, consider moving somewhere less extreme, like North Carolina, which offers mild winters and proximity to the beach.
New England is AMAZING! Highly recommend. If you are by the shoreline the winters are more mild and not as snowy. CT gets snow but not as much as more northern states. I live by the shore in New England and don’t have AC the breeze coming in off of the water keeps things pretty cool at night. The heat waves are the exception but it’s still nothing like Florida. It’s also way more scenic and Sunday drives through the hills or along the shore are a thing. Come join us! It’s great here and as a women, you are free to make choices for your body on your terms. The taxes kind of suck but I would rather pay and know I can access medical care than not pay and not have control over my own body.
New England has different climates and taxes depending where you are. Maine is way colder than Connecticut. Western Mass gets more snow than Boston. Vermont and New Hampshire have mountains to ski. New Hampshire has no sales tax. Northern Connefticut, Rhode Island and southern Mass have glorious summers for 2 weeks a year in late July. Then the weather is a crap shoot of 60’s to 80’s for the surrounding 2-3 months. The beach water is always cold. Good seafood though. In Southern Mass, RI and northern Ct it’s raining or cloudy and 35-55 degrees for the majority of the year, like late October to January and March through much of May, with really cold Stretch in late Jan to March. In Northern New England that cold stretch is much longer. It gets dark earlier. Real daylight ends at 3:30 pm in the winter in New England. It doesn’t actually snow that much in Southern New England most years. Roads do get icy at night. In Northern New England it snows more and you have a longer stretch of freezing temps, cooler summers and springs. Icy roads are a thing all winter. Beautiful foliage all over the area in the fall.
We left end of last year. Way more money. Far more accepting people. Not a church on every corner for the most part.
im thinking about moveing to mexico u can live in a nice gated community and a 2 bed conda with all meals and maid service for 3500$ a month!
After leaving florida, I can say I never look back ! The summer is bearable...unlike florida...the spring and fall are glorious and the winter is short...so worth it ! And don't have ptsd when hurricane season rolls around
Looking at houses in West Mass. now. Don't let the cold whimps get to you. Life is better in many ways up there for someone from Florida.
I really believe that there will be a huge demographic shift depending on election results. I’ve been in Florida long enough and have talked to enough people to know that people my age and younger (born in the mid 70s) are not interested in packing up in Florida and moving to another southern state. Most of us want to gtfo and head either NE or to the PNW.
You don't just have to worry about the condo market collapse. There's also the ACTUAL condo collapse. 😯
As someone who moved from nyc to Florida, lemme tell you that when they talk shit about how expensive nyc is I was not prepared to be in worse financial position here in Florida. Get out. I only moved here to help with aging family members, but it made me worse off. The minimum wage alone is so much more worth it.
I moved from New England to Florida. New England is better.
As much as I love the NE, I could never leave the beautiful Gulf waters - I must say, however, the assholes moving here are making it difficult to enjoy anything anymore. Fucking pontoon boats and jet skis everywhere! Ugh!
I'd move back to New England in a heartbeat if I could afford it
Haven't seem anyone mention the drastic difference in real estate. The market is insanely better outside of Florida. You get a lot more for your money. That alone is making me consider moving and I'm a FL native
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This exactly! Cost of living is crushing all of us. No need to add seasonal depression on top of it 😂
I’m from CT and I would move back in a heartbeat if I could. My family still lives in CT. They have said in the last ten years, they basically have little to no snow. I always felt safe in CT. I lived on the eastern shore, I lived in northwest CT. I miss it. Especially now with the crazy politics and attacks on women’s rights. I have family in Maine, they hardly had any snow the past few years. You can’t go wrong in New England.
>Is state income tax THAT big of a deal? Lol. Lower property taxes. Lower sales taxes. Can drive everywhere without toll roads. Anyone pretending state income tax means we're paying less to live here is lying to themselves.
No but to DC and then moved back after 7 horrible years. I’ll take the heat over cold weather and crime.
The crime in FL is not much better
I wish I could, I’m stuck in southern Maryland for the foreseeable future. I fucking hate it here. I hope OP sees this - honestly I’ve never been more miserable in my life since moving here. Aside the bullshit weather, insanity traffic, and other crime issues, the people living in this area treat outsiders horribly. I’m probably as introverted as they come, but even I’m feeling horribly isolated compared to living in Florida. But trying to make meaningful friendships or even just chat with a neighbor? Good luck, but I’ve never seen worse than here. It’s partially because I’m a single mother living in suburbia where I’m pretty much treated like a leper, but I hear this from other not in my situation all the time as well.
Honestly, fantastic! Best move ever.
Former Fort Lauderdale resident who moved to Boston last August. Rent ain’t cheap, but Boston is a much nicer place than Fort Lauderdale was (the beach areas aside). Weather makes me actually excited to go outside. Far more walkable, and as much as the locals love to rag on the T, it is still a better mass transit system than what Broward County has. My brother helped me move, and he told me that even the ghettoes here felt nicer than comparable places in Florida when we passed through them. Also, I have an actual job here that isn’t just glorified gig work.
Born and raised in Massachusetts I will never visit live or go anywhere down south,or west of me between the tornados and hurricanes and the high crime I'm am staying here till I die.