Retirement decision - East Coast or Gulf?

[n2ogto]

Hell, we want to move from Melbourne to Jupiter, not that we don't love Melbourne!

 

[DiverAmy]

The only drawback to the Gulf Coast is the long drive to the east coast to dive. I think that's a pretty BIG drawback. On the other hand, we head off to that side a couple of times a year for a long weekend away. I like Palm Beach County better than Broward, which I like better than Miami-Dade. Monroe has its sweet spots, too, especially the Key Largo area.

 

[sheeper]

for sure the diving is best on the east coast. I'm north of Jupiter (about 50 miles) in Vero Beach. Known as the Treasure Coast, our little area has no traffic, little crime, and feels like a small town because it is. Property values here are great and you can get a home here for a third of the money as in South Florida. The lifestyle here is great and we can (and do) just go diving right off the beach over an area of about 20 miles of coast. A short hop (an hour) in the car gets us to the big creature and wreck dives of Jupiter. a 90 minute hop in the car gets us to Blue Heron Bridge and the dive ops in the Palm Beaches. And its 3 hours to Key Largo.
That is a big reason I came here. I manage to dive only 100 to 150 dives a year as I do still work. I'm also the founder of the Vero Beach Scuba Club and we have about 150 members who dive around here a lot.
Feel free to PM me.

 

[sportxlh]

I live in north Palm Beach County and the local diving is great. Jupiter dive Center is 10 minutes from my house and I can just roll out of bed on Saturday morning and quickly get to the shop and then get home to spend time with the family, friends or dreaded yard work in the afternoon. PBC has some very expensive areas but also some more affordable areas too.

If shore diving is your thing, think about Lauderdale by the Sea. It's a nice community with some semi affordable housing once you are west of the beach. Ocean front property is expensive. Knowing what I know now, I'd have probably given LBTS much stronger consideration when I moved here seven years ago.

My wife has a lot of friends in Vero and she really likes the vibe of the community. It is too far away for my job but she'd move there in a heartbeat if she could.

Generally speaking, the east coast seems to get more mid-Atlantic and northeastern immigrants and snow birds (Phila, NYC, New England) while the west coast gets more mid-western immigrants (Mich, Chicago, Oh) and snow birds. That's not as true as it was at one time but you can tell the difference in the vibe of the communities with the residents of the west side of the state feeling a bit more laid back to me. I recognize that I've made a huge generalization, but your own personality might help direct you to where you'd feel most at home.

I'm always impressed with photos posted by Reefman (check out threads started by him) and wonder if Key Largo might not be a cool spot to be some day. Only Issue: wife doesn't dive or even like boats which seems to me to be a central part of Key's culture

 

[Tom Winters]

... What's this thirdwordlish thing about the Keys? Lots of interesting people.

No Costco.

Coastal areas all over the world tend to have lots of interesting people...sometimes it takes a little while to figure out what they're saying. A lot of people might like the more rustic coastal areas specifically because there is not a lot of development. I have always lived next to the ocean, although a lot of people might think that Manhattan, Honolulu, San Diego, Miami, and Seattle have no idyllic qualities at all.

Again, it all depends on what the definition of the word "is" is.

 

[blauvelt]

Most retirees settle to the east coast of Fl. and visit their parents on the west coast once in while.

 

[motorref]

Thanks Everyone!
@ TomW: As for the “driving force” behind this decision, let me introduce my wife,,,,, As the saying goes “Happy Wife, Happy Life!” Affordability is always an issue, but I can afford what I want (we live in the DC area now), and a "fixxer - upper" wouldn't bother me.
@El P: As much as I hate big cities, that’s where my work is, so I’ll need access, but I certainly agree with “Stay the hell away from Miami” On the other hand, I've already retired once, and working as a consultant should be pretty easy.
@ kelemvor: Diving is the only way my wife is able to convince me to move
@ bamafan: Renting in a couple of places before we decide is something we have been talking about - great idea
@ jimw: Great input on Jensen, as it was on the list; Jupiter/Juno are there as well, and I am leaning towards them
@ Donnah: We looked at Key Largo and I could definitely live there; got to spend some time with Pete and Elena and really enjoyed it; Wife thinks it’s too close to hurricanes (I Like them!)
@ n2ogto: Drove to Melbourne last week from Daytona – thought I was going to die from boredom,,,,
@ Sheeper: Vero Beach is on the list, and if you don’t mind, I may want to talk to you at some point for more info; wife wants waterfront or near water, and VB looks to be very affordable

I think DiverAmy and Blauvelt have the right idea – live on the East coast, visit the Gulf every once in a while! I'm hoping to get another trip in before Xmas, so I'm sure I'll have more questions.

Kevin Long

 

[bamafan]

I don't know about other areas of Florida but during the winter in Panama City Beach you can rent nice new condos fir $400 - $600 / month. They are nearly that a night during the tourist season. On the beach and no long term lease.

 

[cb5150]

for sure the diving is best on the east coast. I'm north of Jupiter (about 50 miles) in Vero Beach. Known as the Treasure Coast, our little area has no traffic, little crime, and feels like a small town because it is. Property values here are great and you can get a home here for a third of the money as in South Florida. The lifestyle here is great and we can (and do) just go diving right off the beach over an area of about 20 miles of coast. A short hop (an hour) in the car gets us to the big creature and wreck dives of Jupiter. a 90 minute hop in the car gets us to Blue Heron Bridge and the dive ops in the Palm Beaches. And its 3 hours to Key Largo.
That is a big reason I came here. I manage to dive only 100 to 150 dives a year as I do still work. I'm also the founder of the Vero Beach Scuba Club and we have about 150 members who dive around here a lot.
Feel free to PM me.

In the words of Liz Lemon, "I want to go to there."

 

[billinwilliamston]

Personally, my wife and I love living in Key West. It's a small town (around 22,000 permanent residents on a 4x2 mile island) with entertainment and dining options that belie it's size. Since you own a home in the DC area, the outrageous housing costs would be somewhat in line with what you're used to. There's a small airport that has jet service to the major carriers' hubs (although Southwest pulled out recently) and we have decent diving. This is a place, however, that will chew you up and spit you out faster than you can say "one more won't hurt" if you have a tendency to drink too much of if you try to go into business with out paying proper homage to the "Conchs".

When your wife says that Largo is too close to hurricanes, I assume she means "The U". The Keys are no more likely to get hit by a named storm than anywhere else near the warm water.