Statistics show 33,500+ New Yorkers have moved from New York to Florida from Sept 2020 – June 2021. The latest statistics suggest somewhere around 1 Million people have moved here since 2020, and I for one would like to say: “WELCOME HOME!”
The New York ➡️ Florida migration is real.
When asked why New Yorkers are leaving New York, they often point to…
👉 Taxes
👉 Draconian Government
👉 Taxes
👉 High Cost Of Living
👉 Taxes
👉 Being Big Jimmy Buffett Fans
Well, New Yorker, whatever your reasoning, we love you in Florida because it’s a real win-win situation!
Things You Get When Moving From New York To Florida
😎 More Sunshine / Mild Winter
😎 No State Income Taxes
😎 Lower Cost Of Living (But FL CoL is rising, so make your move soon!)
😎 Florida State Parks (175 Gorgeous Parks)
😎 9 Major Theme Parks
😎 825 of Accessible Beaches
😎 Cuban Sandwiches (YUM!)
😎 Jimmy Buffett (currently has 60-some albums)
😎 Rocket Launches (See them live from Cape Canaveral)
😎 Florida Literature (Very Good!)
😎 New Sports Teams To Cheer For! (3 NFL, 2 MLB, 2 NBA, 2 NHL, 2 MLS)
😎 Spring Training Baseball + Minor League Baseball
😎 Your Kids Get To Go To The School They Are Zoned For
😎 New Financial Opportunities (Florida Is The Future, Texas Too)
😎 Florida Freedom!
In return, Florida gets…
YOU
It’s a pretty good deal!
New Yorkers built America, and if the modern-day New York leaders are foolish enough to let all that talent go, OH WELL!!! THEIR LOSS, OUR GAIN!!!
I’m just a normal lower-middle class guy with a job, wife, and kids who owns a home, can pay my bills, and have money left over for fun.
Let me tell you, we’re living good lives down here!
Where Should You Move To From New York To Florida?
Many New Yorkers prefer Florida’s East Coast because it has a much more New York vibe, while the West Coast has a much more Midwest vibe. The reason for this is simple: Interstates.
For decades (generations, really), people from New York / New England took I-95 to Florida for vacations, to live part time, or to settle permanently and the New York / New England culture integrated with the Florida culture. Same thing happened with Mid-Westerners taking I-75 from the heartlands down Florida’s West Coast. (And before these two interstates were built in the 1950s other, similar routes were used).
I happily live in the Tampa Bay area, so I can heartily recommend that…but again, I am the product of the Midwest…so who really knows.
The East Coast
There are a ton of amazing big cities and small towns along FL’s East Coast.
If I had to choose a place to move to on the East Coast, this would be my short list (google them): St. Augustine, West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, anywhere in the Keys.
I’d pick those places due to affordability + fun/interesting things to do there. West Palm Beach is quickly becoming unaffordable due to its close proximity to ritzy Palm Beach. The Keys are stunning, but doesn’t have as much financial opportunity.
My list isn’t exhaustive. I’ve, of course, hardly scouted out every single town up and down the East Coast to determine livability. Plus I know the West Coast way better than the East Coast. There may be some glaring omissions.
A ton of New Yorkers are moving to Palm Beach because that’s where all of New York’s financial institutes are moving to. Palm Beach is the most expensive place to live in Florida and is quickly becoming a serious financial hub. It’s where Donald Trump lives. It’s basically FL’s Hamptons.
The West Coast
As previously stated, I live in the Tampa Bay area. Things are really happening here. Business and housing is booming. Our sports teams are crushing it. Busch Gardens is fun. We have some of the finest beaches in the world. You could make a very good life here.
Tampa Bay is my top pick for the West Coast, and within that area there are basically three large cities: Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater. Like all cities, there are nice parts and not so nice parts, so do your due diligence. A lot of people are surprised that there are no beaches in Tampa. St. Pete and Clearwater have world-renowned beaches that do not disappoint. However, Orlando theme parks are only an hour drive away from Tampa.
Then, there are suburbs in Tampa Bay. I live in Wesley Chapel (nice place to raise a family). Other nice suburbs are Riverview, Brandon, Land O’ Lakes, Dunedin, Palm Harbor, New Port Richey.
To get away from city/suburban life I’d go to Brooksville.
If I couldn’t live in Tampa Bay, my short list would be: Fort Myers and Estero.
Sarasota is nice, but expensive. Ditto for Naples.
What About Orlando?
Frankly, I don’t know much about how it would be to live in Orlando. Sure, I’ve been there a bunch for the theme parks, but I really don’t know what it would be like to actually live there. I suppose it would be a dream come true for a Disney Fanatic or Theme Park Die-Hard.
By all accounts, Orlando is an A-OK place to raise a family. I bet it is a good place to find a career too. It’s a new, modern city. I think a person could do well there.
I know a lot of people move to Orlando to be close to Disney. They get annual passes and spend all their free time there. Not a bad set up. Some even make a full time income making YouTube Disney videos and/or blogging about it. Also, Orlando is not too far a drive from interesting beaches, state parks and springs. I’d probably be okay living in Orlando, personally.
What About The Panhandle?
Sorry, don’t know much about the Panhandle. Looks lovely. Planning some trips to explore there. Will let you know.
Some Other Factors To Consider When Moving From New York To Florida
There are probably many places in FL that you will fall in love with and want to live at even if it wasn’t on my official list above. That’s okay. Listen to your heart.
Here are some questions to consider when deciding where to put your Florida roots:
👉 Do you have any friends or family that already live in Florida? Does it make sense to live by them?
👉 Do certain areas of Florida have better job prospects for your skills compared to others?
👉 What do you want to do in your free time? Beach? Fish? Disney? Chill?
👉 Do you practice a certain faith? Is there a nearby faith community?
👉 Do you have a hobby? Are any groups located in town?
Also–you don’t have to marry the first Florida place you move to. When you get down here you might come across a different town you never heard of and fall in love with it. There ain’t no rule that says you can’t move again.
Some Other Things To Know Before Moving From New York To Florida
Florida has a pretty good marketing team, but before uprooting and driving on down. Here’s a few things to keep in mind:
1. Florida Won’t Fix Your Personal Problems
Any internal/mental problems that you have will come with you to Florida. “Wherever you go, there you are.” I’ve known too many mentally unstable people that have moved to Florida thinking it was THE ANSWER and it clearly was not. Sorry, you gotta work through that shit no matter where you live.
However, your external problems very well could go away, like dark, depressing winters. Weather really does have an impact on a person’s mood.
Personally, Florida has always been like a beacon for me. I always knew I was gonna end up here, and my happiness has increased while living here and I would be very sad to leave. It could be the same for you.
2. Come With A Job
If you’re not coming to Florida to retire, come with a job lined up. This is a mistake that has been made for centuries going back to the first Europeans in Florida who thought all they had to do was show up and the locals would hand them gold.
The good news is that it is pretty easy these days with the rise of remote work and a labor shortage. A good bet is to get a high-paying job in high-cost New York City and work remote in lower-cost Florida.
It’s unlikely you’ll find a job that makes as much as your NY job here, but just remember–no income tax, lower cost of living. Your dollar goes farther in Florida.
3. Come With Savings
Florida sings a pretty good siren song to the young and broke, middle-aged and broke, and old and broke. Too many times the broke come to Florida looking for gold, but all they find instead is a trailer park.
If you have savings, then you can get a hotel for a week in your preferred area while you search for a house to rent or buy. While you certainly can get rich in Florida, the general trend is to get rich somewhere else and then come to Florida for the sun and cheaper living expenses.
4. Your Social Network Won’t Come With You
Chances are you have very fond memories of trips to Florida; these trips were great because you were with friends and family, not to mention you were on vacation! But when you strike out by yourself to the Land of Sunshine you will be doing so alone.
It doesn’t hurt to have a hobby that has a strong, built-in community, such as Crossfit, basketball, mountain biking, board gaming, etc. There are also rabid theme park groups. If you plug into one of these communities you will get instant friends.
5. Learn About Hispanic Culture
Florida is enormously impacted by Hispanic culture, specifically the Cuban and Puerto Rican cultures. About 21% of Florida’s population is Hispanic (70% of Miami’s population is Hispanic/Latino).
Your new neighbors will be thrilled to learn you put in a little bit of effort to learn about them and that you picked up a few phrases of Spanish. (And for the love of God…don’t call them Latinx. Despite what the all-knowing NY Times says, they do not want to be called that).
6. Learn About Florida Culture
If you wanna piss off a Floridian, all you have to do is arrogantly start a sentence by saying, “Well, let me tell how we do it in New York…” Just so you know “Don’t New York my Florida” is a popular catch-phrase down here. While we love New Yorkers who come here to improve their lives, we don’t like New Yorkers who come down here and try to make Florida like New York.
Instead, learn about Florida culture. Start by reading the Florida Wikipedia page and you’ll be better educated on Florida than 98% of the people who move here.
To go deeper on FL culture, check out these books: The Yearling, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Everglades: River Of Grass, A Land Remembered, Tourist Season.
Well, it’s time to call it a night for me so I’ll wrap up the post here. If you have any questions or things to add, please drop a line in the comments I have in the works many follow up articles on moving to FL, so be sure to subscribe to the email list so you can be notified when new posts go out.
Thanks for reading,
Austin
