If you love the beach, boating, fishing this is th
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10/4/2007
I've lived in South Florida for 21 years (Fort Lauderdale area) and have watched it grow up from being a small city to a city that wants to be bigger than it is. The beach area has transformed from a grungy Spring Break haven -- you wouldn't want to go to the beach 10-15 years ago because it was a hang out for homeless, runaways and drug addicts -- to a high-end beach destination that markets itself highly in Europe. Several major high-end condo developments along the beach will create an even glitzier feel. To this day, I still wonder where all the money comes from to afford all of the $1 million dollar and higher developments along the beach area, intracoastal and now downtown. Fort Lauderdale wants to be a 24/7 city and it will get there, but it isn't close now.
You have to really love hot, humid weather -- I don't and will be relocating to Colorado or the Pacific Northwest once my son graduates HS next year. It's October 4 and it was 89 degrees today. Typical. I love Florida winters -- highs in the mid 70s, lows in the high 50s. The only problem is this weather only occurs during December-March. Earlier post said hot, humid weather was May-September, when it's actually April-November. A typical summer day (June-Sept.) has highs around 90 and lows in the low 80s. It doesn't cool off at night. Yes, there is a breeze the closer you live to the ocean, but it's a hot breeze. Previous poster was 100% on when saying the newscasters freak out when the temp drops below 70! Natives wear jackets, while I'm wearing shorts (I'm originally from the Northeast).
One of the biggest challenges in living here is that it's truly a melting pot -- of several Latin cultures trying to maintain loyal identities and northerners who have relocated and brought their attitudes with them. None of this is bad, but it does create a lack of social identity throughout the area. Not the most friendliest of places I've lived. I've lived in four different South Florida cities and have only known my neighbors on either side of my house. People keep kinda close, especially if they are from out of town. There is a definite eastside vs. westside mentalit, too. If you live east of I-95, your eastsider and for some reason cooler and more hip. 20 years ago, there was a mass exodus from the eastside to the west side of Broward County as numerous developments and new cities emerged with larger lots and homes for less money. People left in droves. Which created a lot of empty strip malls on
Jon | Pompano Beach, FL