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Message: [QUOTE="Roger G, post: 2611523, member: 7083"] My wife went to Tampa a few days ago and said it was pretty run down. It used to be beautiful. Two guys got out of cars in front of her and almost came to blows. But both Tampa and Jacksonville have issues with crime right in the city. (As do CT cities obviously). Tampa is quite a bit warmer and has Gulf beaches that are beautiful and there seems to be more to do there. Jacksonville is farther from the theme parks, but is really pretty at night with all the bridges lit up. My wife's brother and family live on Amelia Island, which is a little north of Jacksonville and about an hour's commute into the city, but it is really beautiful. They live a half block from the beach. There is a lot of money there and the housing prices would remind you of CT. I live closer to Jacksonville and appreciate the coolness of the winter months. All in all, both cities and their surrounding areas have pros and cons. One thing I learned recently was that South Carolina, although it has an income tax, actually takes a lower percentage of their people's pay out in taxes than does Florida. It also gets a bit more of a winter. That might be something to consider. It might be my next move. In my small city of Palm Coast, which is on the East coast south of St. Augustine and which is growing by leaps and bounds, they raised property taxes 13% last year. And there are basically no jobs other than retail here. [/QUOTE]