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Message: [QUOTE="BRS24, post: 2614667, member: 197"] We bought a house about 30 mins north of Tampa after talking with a lot of friends that had done the same, pre-retirement, but would never have picked FL if we didn't know anyone in the area (and if a friend wasn't desperate to sell). Making friends is a HUGE challenge, as the older you get, I think it's harder to find and cultivate friendships. We are in a 55+ gated community, but we've not made many friends within the gate yet (after being here almost FT for 4 yrs), as we still have a very active social life with our pre-FL friends outside the gate, however, we've started to get to know a few neighbors. I am a bit younger than hubby, so it's interesting that I'm one of the younger in some of our social circles, and find it difficult to relate at times. I am probably very amusing to some of our neighbors, as being one of the newer and younger residents. I have finally made a few girlfriends my age, which helps all of us deal with the "more mature" crowd. LOL. Our daughter and SIL came down here over 2 years ago and she struggled with relocating, with limits to work and recreation as a mom of three toddlers. She finally found a gym catering to women/moms, and it has made a world of difference for her. So I guess that's my way of saying that friends and social/activity circles are incredibly important. From a $$ perspective, we appreciate the lack of income tax, no property tax on vehicles, and the homestead exemption in FL which gives each owner $25K credit on value of home, as long as you are a FL resident. We still spend 3 months in CT to get out of the heat and visit family and friends, however that will probably come to an end within next few years, as we're finding more reasons to stay in FL. TPA is a pretty decent airport and has added a bunch of improvements over last few years. We are about 45 mins from the bay, 30 mins from the gulf coast (west), and close enough to "old FL" to still see farms and cattle, however I'd bet in next 10-15 years, those will be gobbled up by huge housing developments. As much as we miss some of the northern seafood, we love being close to the gulf. Right now, we are in a weather pattern that fluxuating high 60s to 70s during the day, and 40s to 60s at night, so I still get to put jeans and a sweatshirt on every once in a while. :) [/QUOTE]

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