Wish we'd never moved here to Mouldy old Fort Myer
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8/11/2012
My family and I moved here not knowing much about the area and took a chance as we have family here.
Where do I begin? Well, the jobs are hard to come by. My husband found a job but he was VERY lucky and also very skilled in his line of work. He works his butt off 50+ hours a week and gets no overtime or benefits. But we are thankful he has a job. We came across so many people who said that they needed a job and had been looking for months. There are also many struggling to make ends meet. Unless you have a nice job lined up here, I would fully advise against moving here. My husband said that there are literally piles of job applications at his work.
Cost of Living is high. Food prices compared to other states are insane. The electric Bill in summer will run you $200 to $300+ /month if you live in a house.
The weather is AWFUL for a large part of the year! It is hot and humid all summer and I find it gross to go outside for 15 minutes and be covered in sweat. I have lived in Phoenix and that is dry heat which is more tolerable. The storms, as beautiful as they are, make it even muggier and sticker. But that is the tropics for you.
The crime is VERY HIGH! This year has been one of the worst. Lots of shootings which involve innocent people.
We had a break in a few weeks ago with lots of our belongings stolen. It was the icing on the cake!
High crime areas: Pine Manor, MLK blvd, Ortiz & Palm Beach Boulevard west of the 75.
The people here are quite rude. Some are just plain nuts. We have met some really nice, friendly people since moving here, but they all seem to be from the North and new to Florida. There is an abundance of ignorant, selfish people here (more than anywhere I have lived before) and kids are disrespectful and out of control.
The beaches are not that great unless you go to Sanibel. Fort Myers Beach is nice to visit once but crowded in season. Nothing to write home about. And nothing compared to Miami beaches. So I would advise against moving to Fort Myers city to be near the sea as unless you move to Sanibel or Bonita Springs, you will be disappointed.
My favorite things about living here? The Everglades are not too far and it is so beautiful down there. i have nothing but good things to say about that area. Seeing the crocs in their natural habitat is great. Fishing down there is fun too as long as you know the few spots that yield a good catch. The people also seem friendlier and more down to earth.
The schools in Fort Myers are hit or miss. My son goes to School and I am definitely not blown away. Looking forward to getting him into a school not overcrowded. I have heard from other people that there are some good schools (Edison) but they are hard to get into and have waiting lists.
So to wrap this up, our family (the reason we came here) moved away as they were very unhappy and it really affected their health negatively. Humidity is not so good for Arthritis.
Also, if you have allergies I would steer clear as mine are the worst I have ever had here. I had gone to a few doctors due to a chronic sinus infection only to find out it is because of the climate and allergens here. Only solution in my case is to move out of Florida. And the mold count is high. Its hard to avoid breathing in all that moldy air.
Overall I am unimpressed and can't wait to leave. It sounds like a whole lot of negative but I have tried so hard to like it here. We came here with nothing but hopes that this was the place to settle and raise our family. It is sad, but I wish I had read some of the reviews here before moving, and heeded the advice. I know some people will disagree with my review, which is fine as everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I also think that even though I had a bad experience, someone else might love it here.
But I have learned a valuable lesson when it comes to moving to a new city: Visit a couple weeks, (stay in an extended stay hotel) and experience the city before just moving there.
Gia | ,