Need General Info on Fort Lauderdale Please

[Guest mondo]

I was informed yesterday that I might have to relocate to the Fort Lauderdale area. The company I work for has a regional office in a city called Margate. I have never been to Florida, well once I was in Miami when I was a kid. Any information from areas to live, weather, cost of living (i.e. apartment or house rentals) - basically anything will be of help guys.

 

Just a little info on myself to help anyone offer suggestions: I rent a two bedroom apartment in a beach city at $1,400 per month. I am very middle - middle class. I don't need to be in the Gay area of town but it is nice to know where it is. I'm not into the bar scene at all my preference is watching the boys at the beach, nice dinners, movies, various types of music and live music clubs like the House of Blues. I also volunteer working with delinquent teens.

 

I'm currently living in Huntington Beach, California so anyone who migth be aware of both places a that would be great as it will give me something to relate too.

[CT Dick]

Just as West Hollywood is a gay city in LA, Wilton Manors is a gay enclave in Fort Lauderdale. It is a separate city with a gay governement. Most of the businesses on Wilton Drive, its main street, are gay. It is inland but about a mile from the beach.

 

Dick

[Guest Tristan]

I second the motion on the previous reply regarding Wilton Manors. The city is small and laid back, almost like village atmosphere. The location is excellent for getting to everything. The mayor is gay, as are city council members and other town officials. There are lots of restaurants and gay-oriented clothing stores. The rainbow flag is everywhere. The distance to the beach can be up 2.5 miles, depending where in WM you live. However, there are other places to consider like Victoria Park, right above Las Olas Blvd. Las Olas is the showcase for upscale boutiques and restaurants. There are gay people scattered all over the area east of I-95. Other areas include Oakland Park, Lake Ridge, Coral Ridge, and Middle River Terrace. Generally, the Ft. Lauderdale area is very accepting of gay people.

 

In your price range, you should have no problem. I have not been to Huntington Beach, but from my knowledge of that area, you can get at least as much bang for the buck if not more. The gay beach is right north of Las Olas around Sebastian Street. Lauderdale Beach is a very large beach which goes on for miles. You shouldn't be disappointed with this.

 

Suggest you get a good road map of the Ft. Lauderdale area so you can see where Margate (which is not a gay town) is located in relation to everything else. As for the weather: humid, humid, humid. I lived in LA many years ago. LA is dry subtropical. South Florida is humid subtropical. The summer months (about half the year) run very high dew points and frequent showers and thunderstorms. Temperatures don't dip that much at night. Winter months can have very warm days and are a little less humid. Sometimes, it's even cool enough to wear a sweater at night, but not that often. Everything is air-conditioned, unlike the coast of LA. You need your car AC to be working well, and things like sun shields in the windshield help as well. Well at least there's no mudslides or earthquakes.

 

Hope this all helped. Tristan

[Guest Tristan]

South Florida does not have the smog and brown tinge in the skyline that you have in Southern California because it does not have the valleys and hills which trap the smog. Florida is as flat as a board. Maybe boring, but a plus for your health! Tristan

[FrancoDiSantisxxx]

Left Coast versus Right Coast

 

http://www.gayread.com/ is a site primarily for home ownership, but should give you some ideas about areas in the Broward County area.

 

If you have lived in Huntington Beach for a while, I think you will find, commute wise and suburban sprawl wise, that much of Broward is very similar. Obviously, just as with Orange County, Broward has its pockets, such as "old Fort Lauderdale" on the New River and many of the homes on the intercoastal, which have their own unique charms.

 

Weather wise, as others mentioned, it will be similar in some respects to Orange County except it will be warmer in the winter, more humid over the spring, summer and fall, and there will be more rain and more thunderstorms. While the South Florida is quite flat, the congestion and traffic from smog will be as bad there as it is in the equally flat central valley of California.

 

Finally, personally, I think you will enjoy living in South Florida and while it is far more gay friendly than ever, many things you may take for granted in California will not be present and are not enshrined legally in either Broward County or Florida. If I were you, I would not consider it a long term arrangement or permanent move.

 

Good luck.

[Guest mondo]

RE: Left Coast versus Right Coast

 

Thanks guys for the info. Each post has added more demension for me.

 

I'm curious about one thing Franco posted, well your last few lines, about don't consider it a long term or perm move and can you give me an example of something I might take for granted here (is HB) that I would find different there? That threw me. Also Franco to answer your question I have lived in HB or the general area most of my life.

 

Should like this might actually happen.

[FrancoDiSantisxxx]

Behind The Orange Curtain

 

HB is a pretty conservative place but Florida, even when the statehouse and the congressional delegation were more "liberal" and headed by Democrats, was always more conservative than even California under Ronald Reagan. I do not want to get into a discussion of specifics, because this would turn this thread into a more political discussion than anything else. Suffice to say, some every day things you take for granted will be different. When I was living in Atlanta a few years ago and knew I wanted to move, I considered South Florida, both Broward and Dade (Miami) counties. I have visited the area frequently and went to Art School in Fort Lauderdale.

 

I looked at cost of living, career opportunities, quality of life issues, social and cultural concerns and other things which someone might consider. Like a parent who might or might not move somewhere simply because of the quality of the schools, I made the concious choice to move back to California.

 

To be honest with you, I doubt I will buy a home in Los Angeles County and would not imagine doing so in Orange County. However, when I do settle down and buy, it would be in California over Florida for a number of reasons, including IMHO, quality of life for a single gay man.

 

I enjoyed living in Fort Lauderdale and I do enjoy visiting the South Florida area. I do not wish to suggest that you will not like it there and may not make a very good life for yourself there, certainly for any length of time while you are with your current employer and even potentially well into the future. I would just make any such future determinations with great care, were I you. You are welcome to write me directly if you care to discuss this more and more specifically.

[Guest Tristan]

RE: Left Coast versus Right Coast

 

I don't want to turn this thread into a meteorological discussion, but for the record Florida does not have the smog which the LA area has, though it does have the large number of cars. The sky is blue without the brown haze you see in LA. Again, this is due to the difference in topography and, possibly, the fact that Florida is a peninsula. End of discussion. You can check air quality and pollution statistics if this is of any concern to you.

[Guest mondo]

RE: Behind The Orange Curtain

 

I might not have any choice as this is due to work not personal. But with that said it seems like a nice place from the research I did and all of your posts.

 

One glaring statistic I found was the crime rate in Ft Lauderdale. The murder rateis three times the national average and violent crime is over two times the national average. I tried to compare that to a like size city in my area, I used Anaheim and Santa Ana both actually larger by population and both under the national average. I even compared the gay town mentioned above with WEHO and I was shocked to see that the gay town itself was also three times the national average for murders.

 

What is going on there, is that weird gun law still in effect where basically anyone can carry a gun or is this just a high crime area in general?

[woodlawn]

RE: Behind The Orange Curtain

 

>I might not have any choice as this is due to work not

>personal. But with that said it seems like a nice place from

>the research I did and all of your posts.

 

There's no doubt that Florida as a whole is less liberal politically than California. Florida is the only state that specifically prohibits adoption by gay couples, and there are a number of gay-friendly laws on the books in California that have not been enacted in Florida. On the other hand, because of its more conservative climate Florida, unlike California, has no state income tax, and thanks to the legislature's more frugal disposition it has been able to manage its budget problems with far less commotion than California (or even Alabama).

 

>What is going on there, is that weird gun law still in effect

>where basically anyone can carry a gun or is this just a high

>crime area in general?

 

It's not hard to purchase a gun in Florida, but the "10, 20, Life" statute provides a long prison term for anyone carrying or using a gun in the commission of a crime. Many people attribute South Florida's high rate of violent crime to its large population of immigrants. About 25% of the population of Broward County is foreign born.

[Michael]

RE: Behind The Orange Curtain

 

> I might not have any choice as this is due to work not personal.

 

I don't know what kind of work you do, or what the background to this possible work-related move is, but I think you need to be reminded that you most definitely *do* have a choice and that nobody can force you to relocate if you don't want to.

 

That having been said, if you *want* to relocate it's a great opportunity to experience living in a different part of the country.

 

I live in Northern California and have visited Fort Lauderdale many times over the past few years - it's a nice enough place but, personally, I couldn't imagine living there - the heat and humidity in summer are too much for me, and i'll take earthquakes over hurricanes any day.

[Guest Utopia]

I wouldn't trade Huntington Beach for Ft Lauderdale ever. Floria in general is a boring state with terible weather and high crime rate. Tell your employer you are a Nancy Reagan fan and then Just Say No!

===

"You realize that life goes fast

It's hard to make the good things last"

[+ Charlie]

Since I am a northerner in the process of making a relocation decision between southern California and Florida, I really appreciated the information and perspectives provided in this thread. Thanks, guys! (I'm off to check out Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando tomorrow.)

[Guest Tristan]

RE: Behind The Orange Curtain

 

Unfortunately, the crime in Florida in general is among the highest in the country. Some years back, Florida made the national news for being the capital for car jackings, especially coming out of the Miami Airport. That particular crime seems to have been greatly reduced. The consensus is that the high proportion of foreign-born residents is a factor. If 25% of Broward County is foreign born, a recent study revealed that 60% of the city of Miami (Miami-Dade County) residents are foreign born. Ironically, the emphasis of this report was on the advantages of having diverse cultures, which in itself IMO is positive. As for Wilton Manors, people don't feel threatened by violent crime, and while I read the same statistic about high crime in Wilton Manors, you don't hear of a lot of violent incidents. I live in a community which is not gated, yet I don't feel any more fearful due to this fact. I have not heard of a single crime incident in the nearly six months in which I've lived here.

 

I think you have to be cautious and aware of your surroundings wherever you are today, and take appropriate measures. Another point is that that in many areas of Ft. Lauderdale, the neighborhoods change from one block to the other like in Manhattan. So you choose wisely where you live and take appropriate precautions in areas that are questionable. That's the nature of the society in which we live.

[Guest Tristan]

RE: Behind The Orange Curtain

 

As an addendum to my last reply, I just recalled that on the national news last night, they reported that 25% of the residents of CA are now foreign born. So as for crime reasons in Florida, go figure.

[bigguyinpasadena]

RE: Behind The Orange Curtain

 

Mondo,I have 2 friends who have 2 different takes on Ft. Lauderdale.One is a mellow good looking massuer(sp?)who moved there from San Francisco and loves it.He was amazed at being able to BUY a condo for less than half of what his shared apartment in SF cost him each month.He is very laid back,and is not really into anything cultural.He has become active with the local Demo politacal scene there,and has made a few(not many)friends.

Anouther fella I know moved from Lauderdale because he hated it so-crackerland as he puts it.

I do know the boys are sure more willing to "do things"for less $$$ than here in LA,and they have a stripper club there(since you are always searching for one in another area of this board!)So go!And I would sure think about buying versus renting if you can swing it.You can always use the condo as a rental.

[Guest endoman31]

Think health care. Broward county was once the county where most malpractice cases in medicine were submitted. It may still be true. If there is smoke there must be fire.

[Huey]

Another thing that hasn't been mentioned yet no state disability insurance in FL . So you might save on state income tax (6% to be exact)you lose on the disability issue.

 

I lived in So. California for approx. 6 - 7 years and really loved it. There is so much to do down there and you are close to many interesting cities like Las Vegas or San Francisco or even TJ.

 

The people in So. California are usually friendly and tend to pull together when needed though can be a bit selfish too . The weather is much nicer in So California than FL and aside from housing there is very little difference in cost of living.

 

Check out findmyspot.com or bestplaces.net the latter has a comp of any two cities in the country and they both have a survey form that helps you select the right city to live in based on your preferences . I keep coming up on findmyspot.com with these trippy cities in VA or TN and a few in OK? Why me what did I do to the Internet gods to make them so angry at me that they're suggesting I move to one of these hick states :7 .

[Michael]

> Think health care. Broward county was once the county where

> most malpractice cases in medicine were submitted. It may

> still be true. If there is smoke there must be fire.

 

But if anything *does* happen to you, whether through medical malpractice or in any other way, just remember that Florida is also home to the nation's finest personal injury lawyers.

 

Just look at: http://www.injuredinflorida.com ... :o

[Guest mondo]

Here is some irony I felt like sharing. A little while ago I get a call from my younger brother (who lives in Dallas) and he had just returned from Fort Lauderdale. His girlfriend and him went to visit one of her friends for the weekend.

 

So his take on the city, in the brief time he was there, was enjoyable, friendly, lots of water (he knows I like to be near water), but he hated the weather. Said he would take the heat and humidity in Dallas anytime over what he experienced in FTL.

 

He went on to give me a few other bits and pieces of info but nothing that strays too far what others have already mentioned here.

[Guest]

It's interesting. I've played California's Super Lotto when the jackpot gets really big with a certain fantasy in mind. The fantasy is that I'd have a "summer house" in the SF Bay Area, and a "winter house" in Fort Lauderdale with a big yacht I'd sail into the Bahamas and the Caribbean from November to March. I don't know if it's really what I would even do if I did win a mega-jackpot, but it's a nice fantasy. I've always enjoyed my visits to Ft. Lauderdale, although I'm not sure I'd like it in the warmer months...