Tropical U.S.

So if someone decided to live in the keys is there any place you can get away from the strip mall highway?

When the cottages for rent in Key West come with bondage paraphernalia already installed that tells me Key West has become a little too wild for my tastes.

What are the issues with living in the Bahamas?

i personally like the merritt island area.. but i also dont live there so maybe its just cuz i am a frequent visitor.

If you follow the coastline west it curves to the south. There are islands along the shore. The climate is tropical, but the culture may or may not be what you're looking for. The farther south you go the more useful Spanish becomes. There is certainly no winter. There is also no state income tax. There may or may not be work depending on how far south you go. Texas isn't for everyone, but there are some nice places here.

carguy123 wrote: So if someone decided to live in the keys is there any place you can get away from the strip mall highway? When the cottages for rent in Key West come with bondage paraphernalia already installed that tells me Key West has become a little too wild for my tastes. What are the issues with living in the Bahamas?

Some keys are less developed than others.

Born, raised and lived in Florida all my life. It's got it's problems, but it's home. I could totally live in Key Largo. Yeah, the typical Florida strip malls get old, but go a block off of US1 and you may as well be on Grand Cayman. Then go back to US1 and you can hit Publix or Home Depot for your dose of civilization.

Key West, however, I could not cotton to. Too touristy, too expensive, too... pretty much everything. It's like someone loaded up a cannon with Florida and shot you in the face.

Big shout out, too for the SW Gulf coast. Everything from Sarasota to Ft. Meyers is pretty sweet.

jg

How is clearwater?

South Padre Island?

I'd rather live on Orcas, Lopez or San Juan Islands than any where where it is hot and hurricany. These guys don't have real winters, but they do have winters. They have beaches, but no swimming unless you have a wetsuit. They have beaches but not really much if any sand.

I would live there if I could. Not even close to tropical though.

The only experience I have with the USVI or Puerto Rico is what I've seen through a periscope. I put those places as places I'd love to visit, but can't see living there.

Spent a summer in the San Juans (on Anacortes.) Nice place....during the summer. Glad to be in FL right now. Got sunburned legs last last weekend while kayaking and fossil hunting in shorts.

I love the Keys. But,that starts for me at Marathon. Above that,it is a bit too much Miami. From Marathon to Stock Island, much more laid back, but still pricy. I enjoy Key West, but I go there with a very open mind and for short periods. Fantasy Fest, around Halloween, make New Orleans Mardi Gras look like a kindergarten picnic. Key Largo does have Alabama Jacks and The Hurricane, two quite interesting watering holes.

Sarasota - Ft Myers sounds like an awful idea, unless you're 70+.

Islamorada in the keys - its not huge, so strip malls are at a minimum. There are small little communities, maybe 2 - 3 streets interconnected to form small landominium type subdivisions. About half way down through the keys. Far enough away from zombie face eaters that it doesnt feel like your average, run of the mill bath salts ridden Florida, and far enough from Key west that Red white and blue flags outnumber rainbow ones.

San Destin in Fla is also great - we vacation there sometimes, but it feels very vacation-ey

Orange Beach in Alabama was also pretty nice the one time I was there.

4cylndrfury wrote: San Destin in Fla is also great - we vacation there sometimes, but it feels very vacation-ey Orange Beach in Alabama was also pretty nice the one time I was there.

Destin, while it used to be pretty is pretty much mile after mile of empty condos now. Or at least it was last year. The whole beach had disappeared and been covered up with rows of condos. We used to go through Destin a lot and thought it was really beautiful, but sometime or other Destin disappeared.