Anybody ever lived or worked in South Florida?

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sheila022

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I'm thinking about Palm Beach Gardens, FL area or just palm beach county.

Have you guys ever lived or worked in that area? I'm considering and trying to see if I could find a job in that area.

It pretty much comes down to working and living in Boston vs. Palm Beach Gardens, FL.
 
I grew up in Florida. I used to ride in rodeos in South Florida.

Its hot, humid and the mosquitos dive bomb you in V formation.
 
sheila022 said:
I'm thinking about Palm Beach Gardens, FL area or just palm beach county.

Have you guys ever lived or worked in that area? I'm considering and trying to see if I could find a job in that area.

It pretty much comes down to working and living in Boston vs. Palm Beach Gardens, FL.
Click to expand...

Heh, two really different places.
 
I know. But I am looking for a job/internship for this semester in either those two areas.

Boston:
1) Have to pay for rent + food expenses
2) more independence--can roam around Boston w/o needing a car
3) be able to see and hang out with my MIT friends
4) the weather...cold..
5) lots of business and firms

Florida:
1) Free rent, food, and transportation (with family friend)
2) Not as much as independence as I would have in Boston
3) not much business and firms compared to Boston (so it seems to me)
4) great weather

But I am not sure which would pay me more....or is the either potential job better than the other? I don't know.

It would be great if I could take part-time classes but the thing is...I can't afford any classes...not even community college classes....unless someone has ideas?
 
I would stay in Boston.....no doubt.

I will be in Orlando on Wednesday......not looking forward to it. Although it is pretty hot an humid here to right now.
 
I live in Palm Beach County. Just south of Palm Beach Gardens. I actually in West Palm Beach, the county seat.

Jobs:
Experience tells me, there are very few jobs available. What are available only pay minimum wage or slightly better.

Living Expenses:
Be glad you could get the free rent, food and transportation. It's very high. A rental on a 3 BR place around here or Palm Beach Gardens easily goes for $1800-$2000 a month. We live my mother-in law and I have a family of 5.

Weather :
Varies. We have lots of rain, lots of sun, lots of heat and high humidity. Wind every so often. In the Winter, it used to only go down to maybe the 50's, now we get down to the 30's. We do get the occasional hurricane, possible tornado and possible flash floods. We have also been know to have fire issues. The county is currently on a water restriction for the 3rd or 4th year. In spite of all the rain, we are still dry.

General stuff:
Mosquitoes are bad and they do spray 2-4 times a year. Crime is out of this world, but not as bad as other places. (Do not take this wrong, anybody please. I promise, I am not prejudicial at all.) When I left here in 1996, there was a joke that said, "Will the last American to leave Dade County, please bring the flag?" I returned here in 2009. Palm Beach County has had an "explosion" of foreigners. We are "overrun" with Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans, Haitians, Guatemalans, and I'm not sure what else. We have learned to adapt and deal with it, but it makes shopping and job hunting hard. They seem to get all of the jobs and are still on welfare.

Positives:
We do get the occasional celebrity here. There have been times that a President comes to town. It can rain in your front yard but not your back yard. Even though the Doppler radar shows rain covering the whole area, it's still hit or miss. My area doesn't get rain as much, but then an area just 3 miles from us gets rain daily. The beaches are wonderful. You may have to go through some trash left by careless people to get there. Also, there is no more free parking for the beaches here in my area. You have to pay for your parking. Up towards Juno Beach or so (Just north of Palm Beach Gardens) there is a fantastic park called Blowing Rocks. They have some of the best snorkeling opportunities available. (I only hope the hurricanes from 4 or 5 years ago didn't damage them too much.)

It is a great area, as long as you can deal with the diversity of cultures. There is not a big deaf community. (I am still trying to find more)

Let me know if you need any other information.
 
Great weather? Wait til you get hit by hurricane. Once you hit, there will be lots of clean up and you may be out of work for weeks.

Free rent? Probably where you would find plenty of roach infested place in free rents.

I rather in Bawsten than in south Florida!

To tell you this, from my experience it is not always true that the grass is greener on other side of fence.

sheila022 said:
I know. But I am looking for a job/internship for this semester in either those two areas.

Boston:
1) Have to pay for rent + food expenses
2) more independence--can roam around Boston w/o needing a car
3) be able to see and hang out with my MIT friends
4) the weather...cold..
5) lots of business and firms

Florida:
1) Free rent, food, and transportation (with family friend)
2) Not as much as independence as I would have in Boston
3) not much business and firms compared to Boston (so it seems to me)
4) great weather
But I am not sure which would pay me more....or is the either potential job better than the other? I don't know.

It would be great if I could take part-time classes but the thing is...I can't afford any classes...not even community college classes....unless someone has ideas?
Click to expand...
 
Well, the free rent is my friend's mom who offered me to stay with them...and their house is very nice. :)

But the thing is, KristinaB said the jobs are very few. Does those job include business and consulting? How about CH2M Hill? Any other firms in PBG? (I'm thinking about internship)
 
I've been here two years. I came to get away from the cold weather in the northeast. I don't mind the heat. I love the beach and how warm the water is late in the summer. I love being able to go outside in the winter only wearing a t-shirt and shorts, instead of wearing a hoody, a thermal hoody and a coat. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else in the country. I also just found a small apartment 3 short side blocks from the beach and will be moving in soon.
 
Went to Florida for a 3 week vacation in July back in like '03. Came back with an accent. Won't be living there anytime soon. Hot and very humid. Showering twice a day is not a bad idea. I would think Boston would be much more suitable for a young professional vs. anywhere in Florida (Miami seems "ok"). Does it beat free rent? Up to you. I think with the skills and background you have, you would probably have a nice selection of doors to walk through anywhere (try SF/bay area?). You'll probably want the independence too.

I'd choose Boston > Florida.
 
One advantage Florida has, especially on the coastlines, is the coastal breezes. Yes, the temps are high, but the breezes can be real nice.

An earlier poster mentioned wearing shorts and t-shirts at Christmas. I remember going to the beach on Christmas Day. When I was little, one of the lifeguards would dress ans Santa and give a gift to all the children. It was usually some beach toy.

$th of July along the inter-coastal is really nice. We have a lighted boat parade with fireworks. If you time everything right, you can drive A1A from West Palm, all the way down to Miami and catch fireworks all the way.
 
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