____twoism

Okay everyone, I need some suggestions/opinions on where I should relocate myself. I'm really sick of New Jersey, and my sister and I have constantly been talking over the years on a new place to move to.

We both want to move somewhere more tropical. Ever since a kid, and taking vacations with my family to Florida, the place has this aura surrounding it that brings me so much happiness. I don't know exactly what it is, but something about Florida has always had a huge space in my heart. The modern feel of the cities, the tropical glow, it makes me feel so much at home. I have so many great memories from those vacations, and I'd really like to move down there. Every so often there will be a small window of time, that I'll be somewhere in NJ walking along (usually on summer nights, or sometimes in the spring) and I'll get this weird feeling of having that "Florida" feel. It's amazing, and depresses me greatly when it fades. And it fades way too quickly

However, there are things that I fear of moving there. I want to hear the pros and cons of moving away, and any other suggestions of places to move to. I've always considered that certain parts of California may offer the same feel, so maybe that is another option. Besides that, I don't know many other states/locations that have the same setting.

Also, I'm still in college, my first year, so for me I'll just have to find a new college to transfer to. As for my sister, she's almost done with college (sorta) so she'd just have to move down with me and try to survive with a job and a small apt for the time being. If anyone has any suggestions regarding this too, it would be greatly appreciated. Also, what are the people like in these locations? Am I going to continue on with no friends, lol? I don't get along too much with NJ folk, so I guess it won't be too much of a difficulty if the same thing happens where we move. I've just heard some negative things about the two locations mentioned.

Me and my sister really want to leave soon. We both can't stand NJ, and this place leaves me so uninspired, especially the location of my college. I can't deal with NJ cities, they make me want to curl up and vomit out my soul. I hate the run down feeling that is everywhere in NJ and the place makes me feel homesick to such a great degree. I know the same thing happens in parts of Fl or Ca, but I know from being there, that it is not nearly as close to the shittiness around here. And were not trying to move to these places, just to sit on the beach all day and drink tropical drinks. It's really not about the exotic landscape (partly ) but there's something else that I just can't describe.

Again, any suggestions/help I will be grateful for. Thanks!

Cali is gonna be WAY more expensive than FL. Plus, we have no state income tax here. I've lived here my whole life and I love it. Orlando, my home town, is growing fast and I really don't like it anymore like I used to. Too urban, too many rude fuckers from NYC who think they own the place, etc.

Gainesville is ideal for me. Everyone here is between the ages of 18-25. There's 65,000 college kids here. There's a great music scene. It was named the best place to start a band in 2007, and the best city to live in in America the same year (by several publications, including National Geographic). There's a big environmental movement here as well. Tons of art, museums, great restaurants, lots o' bars, etc. The city is stacked without being to big or traffickey. It's also pretty isolated, so you don't have to go but a few miles to be out in the middle of the country. Paynes Prairie is a beautiful area I like to bike/hike in. You see tons of gators and the last wild horses (feral, technically. Re-wild-ized)/wild buffalo anywhere close.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gainesville,_Florida

I've never been as happy as I am now that I live here. Consider it! Cheap rent too!

Slough is a beautiful part of the uk!

saurus wrote:Slough is a beautiful part of the uk!

LOL!

saurus wrote:Slough is a beautiful part of the uk!

i wonder how many tonnes of concrete sit upon natures garden?

A religous community in a beautiful place out in the country.

The Friendly Stranger wrote:

saurus wrote:Slough is a beautiful part of the uk!

LOL!

This made me laugh 2.

Move to the sunny beaches of Canada.

how about the pacific north west? they have rain forests! i want to move there.

Tennessee is the obvious choice.

Milwaukee.......................................

madison!

green bay!

not tallahassee.

Don't move to the south eastern US, thank god I am not cursed to live in that redneck infested hell hole! too bad for florida!

i like trees and mountains and hills and lakes. and all four seasons. thats why i like the north. when i think of florida i think of tourists and old people.(haha, sorry phasen) obviously i know that isnt true.
fight club was filmed in miami.

A log cabin somewhere between Phoenix and Tucson.

Oh wait, that's where I want to move to.

a log cabin between canada, and the lateral line of san diego, ok?

My long-ass journal entry for the day, basically:

Not necessarily to speak for everyone, but moving away was definitely the best thing that ever happened to me. i was 18 and apprehensive, having dropped out of film school of all things, but some elderly neighbors that i really respected told me to 'go for it'. i had a ton of people that heard i was moving out telling me they'd give anything to have done that when they were that young. so i did. cool stuff.

the pros were that it got me out of my comfort zone and introduced me to a crazy amount of new amazing things, people, and ideas. and i ended up making a big impromptu move again to yosemite NP shortly thereafter where i lived in peace for 3 years and met the girlfriend that i'm still with today. powerful stuff

the cons are money (lack thereof), choosing the right location for you, and new employment.

i was totally desperate within 3 months of moving the first time across country and had to give plasma for christ's sake just to pay rent for awhile. wasn't fun, but i got over it--it was a humbling experience. i dug it.

as far as location, just weigh benefits vs. cost. a lot of cities (especially rural too) are cheaper than most people think. granted i worked for the park, but in yosemite i literally only paid $19/wk for rent and got to live and work right there. it's a good quick gig if you get bored one summer. otherwise, i don't know florida, but as far as tropical places i know...oakland (ca) is a cheap(er) smaller city on the coast that's really cool. 'bout 100 dispensaries with 50 mile radius too. but seriously, if you get much farther south on the coast than like say, monterey, you're running the risk of running into some serious douce-baggery people in the LA scene. bleh. plus, santa cruz has palm trees and some of the best beaches and surfing in the country if that's what you're into.

jobs...depends what's more important to you out of the experience. as far as continuing school goes for you, over half of all california students go to community colleges systems for a couple years (way cheaper, easier admittance), but which is much more highly respected there than in other places i've lived. most students transfer straight into any of the larger state universities in CA, all of which are amazing. UCSC/UCLA/USC, i guess employers like these degrees. as for me, i'm pursuing the 'i don't give a fuck' mode in my life right now and it's been working out swell. i don't need to buy fancy things or pay a lot of rent. i just play in the sun, you know? so, basically, you just need to consider your financial obligations and make move. blah blah

c'mon man, everyone's doing it...

zeitgeist wrote:My long-ass journal entry for the day, basically

that was extremely helpful, thanks

i think i need to do just the same, just make a move and go for it
stop fearing anything and just dive into it

thanks for the inspiration