GF has Job-offer in Cape Coral..
 

We have 48hrs to decide if we are going to move from michigan. We will be renting in Cape Coral. No future plans to buy a house in FL.

Visited back in May to check out the area, but mostly stayed in Fort Myers Beach. because beach.

Anyone here like the area or anything good/bad to say? We knew a job offer mite present itself, so we are ready (so-so) to go.

I'm 28, she is 24. We are coming from a medium metropolis (500,000 ppl)

Its really hot. Half the people on the road driver super fast and the other half drive super slow (in the left lane). Someone might get high on bath salts and try to eat you. You may also get an urge to start stockpiling guns and ammo for the apocalypse which seems to be getting ever nearer.

I say do it.

Source: Been a psychotic Floridian since 1990.

Is this job offer with Hertz by chance?

I personally like Florida a lot but if I was in my 20's Cape Coral/Fort Myers is not where I would want to live. There is not a whole lot to do unless you drive north or east to the other coast. There is no income tax which is great. There are also beaches down there...because Florida.

What do you do for a living? Do you already have opportunities in the same area or can you transfer with your current job? This would be my biggest concern as it is not the biggest business hub and you may end up stuck with a horrific commute to Ft. lauderdale or very limited prospects.

No it is not with Hertz.

I have opportunities in the area- not a major concern there.

I grew up in Port Charlotte, which is about 45 minutes north of Fort Myers on US41.

I'm sure that the place had changed somewhat in the 20 years since I lived there, but my recollections are thus:

It's mostly a retirement community. Accept that. Anyone who isn't either retired or working in healthcare is either a wanna-be thug or a typical Florida Man who has basically failed at life.

There is a night life, but expect to be accosted by meth-heads.

It is, by far, vastly preferable to Detroit, which is the only part of Michigan I've personally spent much time in. (And I was I the burbs, not the ghetto.)

If you're into the white picket fence thing, forget it. If you're open to learning a few Jimmy Buffett songs, it can be tolerable.

Yes, it's hotter than fuck and humider than hot in the summer, which encompasses the months of March through September. But you will never have to shovel anything out of your driveway aside from love bugs.

There is no state income tax. This is reflected in the quality of the roads, the schools, the public parks, etc.

I live on the other coast, actually closing on a house in Port Saint Lucie in 2 weeks. I like the west coast tho. Nice beach areas, parks, rivers, bays, etc if you are into nature. Fishing is killer over there too. There are a few paradise like places to go nearby, Sanibel, Marco island which are nice to go to once in a while. Only a few hours from Miami too, across 75 (alligator alley). But others are right, from Naples up to maybe Sarasota is mostly retiree's. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but it's just different. I've been to Tampa and St. Pete a few times and I like it more up there.

But in the end, it's Florida. I ride topless everyday unless it's raining. You are only a few hours from one of the greatest tracks in the world, Sebring, and a few hours from Homestead Speedway as well. Come across and up a little to West Palm and you have Palm beach international raceway. AutoX is huge over there too, there are some big events that go on. No downtime/winter, no salt/rusty cars (unless you live on the beach).

No twisty roads or mountains tho, then we would have it all...

No state income tax is nice, and our sales tax is only 6%. Registering a vehicle with new tags is expensive tho, expect to pay about $500 per vehicle...

Trailer's don't require a title either, that's a bonus.

Concealed carry permits are easy to get if you have one from another state already too.

I'm 27, and lived in Illinois and Texas before I ended up here.

That's all I got to say bout that...

Great info guys. It's the little things that can make or break a move.

Cape seemed a little sleepy, but the outdoor activities and Florida weather are such a huge plus.

Oh, and they just started opening up jets pizza down here too :)

Yay South Florida!

There are much worse places to be.

For me, the biggest problem was simply that there are exceedingly few good jobs in my chosen profession down there- I needed to be either in the SD/LA area or the NYC area. It sounds like you guys won't have that problem.

Housing is surprisingly inexpensive in coastal south Florida as compared to most of the country, though property taxes and insurance can be high, so bear that in mind if you do think about buying. And in any event, be prepared for brutal electric bills in the summer and surprisingly large water bills all year round. For a town that's just barely above water to begin with, virtually none of it is potable.

Cape Coral itself is pretty much the textbook definition of Suburbia. Nothing there but middle-class homes, with an occasional Publix or Wal-Mart thrown in just to break up the monotony. It's a much nicer area than Fort Myers in terms of safety / quiet, but expect to cross the bridge if you actually want to buy / do anything. Fortunately, Fort Myers is a sufficiently large town that you can find most of the usual amenities there- shopping malls, hydraulic hose shops, metal fabricators, marine supply, etc.

If it wasn't on the water, we wouldn't consider it.

I'm in Fort Myers, just over the river from Cape Coral.

There are a lot of retirees. The weather in the summer is as hot and humid as anywhere else in the southeast us. The winter is absolutely perfect; sunny, warm, never rains. Traffic in the winter is horrific though with snowbirds. The drugs/meth-head comments are somewhat exaggerated. I'm certainly no gangster and I've never been anywhere in Cape Coral that I felt uncomfortable.

I like it here, there's a decent car scene and a decent miata group. Gearheadsmiataclub.net is based out of SWFL if you want to check it out. If you have any specific questions let me know.

As a man who just turned 39 and has spent many long hours having one-way conversations with "youngsters" about the wisdom of certain life-related personal decisions, I feel I'm qualified to mention this... having a girlfriend (even a longtime GF that you live with) is not the same as being married.

Making a change in your life that huge for a girlfriend (not a fiancé or wife) puts you in the "not gonna work out" side of the equation. I'm just laying out the odds here as my personal experience over the last decade and a half has shown me.

Being in the military, I move a lot... so does EVERYBODY I know and work with. It is rare to see two unmarried people decide to relocate and have it "work out"... even when both have great jobs waiting and make good money. The biggest kinks are things that everybody saw coming... never lived anywhere else, leaving hometown for someplace diametrically different (Michigan v. Florida), young, no friends at new place, etc... You say you have good job opportunities, but for awhile, you're going to be dependent upon her, no? What happens in 6mo when you still have no job? If you do get a new job and then break up, is your life going to be better there single than it would be where you are currently single? If you get down there and she hates it (because homesick women can be borderline committable), will YOU move back home with her after YOU land a sweet job? What if you're miserable?

Granted, I know nothing about you, but I have years of very personal real-life experience counseling and doing my best to manage and wisely steer the decisions of people in exactly your position. Most people who do what you are planning regret it. The absolute worst thing you could do right now is make a decision like this when you feel pressured over a 48hr deadline that is HER deadline. What if you say "NO" and she takes the job anyways?

The solution, btw, is not "get married". My advice is for her to go down there by herself... start her job and get her shit situated. You stay in Michigan and do the long-distance thing for 6 months... fly down once a month and keep the flame lit... then if you're still pining for eachother, pop the question and get married at the courthouse, then fly back to MI together to get your shit and drive back to start your new life as a married couple. Trust me.

Oh dang, well that's some food for thought. I am at work, so i will not address all that stuff; but i appreciate the advice.

6mo with out working tho!? I'll be volunteering at Mcdonalds before I sit on my ass for 6mo jobless. Ive always wanted to test the "I cant get a job" theory--

I'm confused. When I asked you if you had an opportunity down there I meant a current offer. What field of work are you in? That area of Florida is not overflowing with jobs in every industry. This is something that you really need to flesh out some before you move across the country.

It is my girlfriend that has a job offer. I am a diesel technician by trade.

My parents recently bought a retirement property in Cape Coral and I can attest to much of what others have said. It's primarily a retirement community without a whole lot going on, night life, ect. That being said, the fishing is great and the weather is nice. I probably wouldn't choose to live there as a single guy, but it should be fine with your girlfriend, although SamNavy has a good point.

I have friends in Cape Coral, not much older than you and they love it.

When you are ready to go Autocrossing, LMK and I will put you in touch.

"I don’t have no sexual attraction to gators, but I wanted to teach this bitch a lesson."