# The most liveable place in Florida? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 26, 2018, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-liveable-place-in-florida/818645 "2018-07-26T23:06:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2018, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-liveable-place-in-florida/818645/41 "2018-07-29T03:39:33Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > What about the San Diego area? That’s a lot closer to meeting your criteria than anywhere in Florida. > > If you were willing to drop the “near water” requirement, Santa Fe, NM would fit very well. Ocean water temperature off San Diego is “cold” (under 65 degrees) at least 9 months out of the year. Year round air temperatures are “mild” not warm. ---
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2018, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-liveable-place-in-florida/818645/42 "2018-07-29T04:19:39Z")
> [@Textual\_Innuendo](#): > > Nah, the humidity in Hawaii isn’t bad or that noticeable. Trade winds help. Hawaii is basically the ideal climate, 82 and sunny year round, with frequent rain. > > The bad things about Hawaii as others have stated is 1. Cost, 2. Reliance on outside shipments for everything (Hawaii would have a very ugly “societal shutdown” scenario that would act out very fast), and 3. Lots of homeless people and property crime if you live on Oahu. > > Oh, also it has volcanoes, gets earthquakes and tsunamis and can be hit by a hurricane. > > I think you could mitigate a lot of the problems by living on the big island far enough away from the coasts, and having a healthy stock of food/gas/water in case supplies get interrupted. > > That would ameliorate problems 1, 2, and 3, pretty much, but you’d be living a pretty rural life. But you’d be in a perfect climate with amazing scenery and weather, fantastic beaches nearby, and you could have a bunch of coconut, banana, lychee, and mango trees on your property. Sounds good from my end! The trade winds make a huge difference at our home in Hawaii. We are less than 3/4 of a mile from the water and would never think of having A/C. The erupting volcano is on the extreme southern end of the Big Island. The rest of the island and all the other islands in the chain are unaffected. Earthquakes do happen, but even the large 7.2 tremor I experienced years ago, caused very little property damage. There have been two hurricanes that hit Kauai 1982 and 1992. None of the other islands have been hit by a hurricane in recorded history. The water around the islands is too mild for hurricanes to flourish in. Only two large Tsunamis have hit the islands in recent history, 1946 and 1960 (58 years ago). “Mainland” food is expensive, but instead of eating peaches and strawberries, one has to get used to eating mangoes and papayas. Just like anywhere, people make do by shopping sales at the supermarket and growing their own food from fruits and vegetables to chickens and goats. Housing is often costly, but my wife and I were able to buy 8 (deep soil) acres 7 miles from the large town of Hilo for $200,000. We don’t pay for utilities as the home is completely off grid (Solar, water catchment). It can be done. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2018, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-liveable-place-in-florida/818645/43 "2018-07-29T11:27:33Z")
> [@jsntodd10](#): > > To be honest, Walt Disney World came into my mind when I read the title. Disney runs a private town, called Celebration. ---
**Author:** ![survinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@survinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/survinga)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2018, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-liveable-place-in-florida/818645/44 "2018-07-29T13:11:13Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Considering future options. Currently I live in San Francisco, which is rapidly becoming intolerable for a person who just wants to relax and be left alone. Prefer smaller cities or large towns. Best combination of: > > Weather: not so hot as to raise blisters, and tolerable humidity > Least danger from hurricanes > Least long-term danger from rising water due to climate change > Least danger from things that will eat me > Politically and religiously relatively neutral or liberal > > Does this fantasy location exist? Is either coast desirable, or how about the many inland lakes? Is the state as nutty as Carl Hiaasen makes out (and he’s not the only one)? If you want a part of the Atlantic Coast that seems to get “missed” by the hurricanes, and is a calm, less-developed place, you might consider St Simons Island/Sea Island/Jekyll Island on the Georgia Coast. Georgia’s coast is kind of insulated because it doesn’t stick out into the Atlantic as much. And even though there is tourism, it’s not as over-run as parts of Florida. It is humid & hot. But that’s the price of living in the Southeast. Those islands that I mentioned around about an hour south of Savannah and an hour north of Jacksonville. Not the most exciting place to live. But that might be something that would attract you if you’re looking for a calm place on the ocean. Georgia is overall a conservative state. St Simons might be conservative, but I think it’s probably got a mix of Dems & Pubs. ---
**Author:** ![survinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@survinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/survinga)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2018, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-liveable-place-in-florida/818645/45 "2018-07-29T14:18:05Z")
> [@senoy](#): > > Maybe Tallahassee. High enough that climate change won’t get it. It’s not too far from the beach (but not on top of it either) It’s hot unfortunately, but so is most of Florida. Hurricanes are relatively rare. I don’t think anything will eat you there. It’s a relatively liberal island in a relatively conservative area, so you’ll meet people of both stripes. I also like St Augustine. It’s south of Jacksonville, maybe half an hour, and it’s a nice area overall. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2018, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-liveable-place-in-florida/818645/46 "2018-07-29T14:25:21Z")
I lived in the Jacksonville area for about 18 years in 2 different stints. I was sooooooo happy to get out of there. Politically, it’s way to the right. And while most people I encountered were cordial, I wouldn’t call them friendly, since I wasn’t from there. In all the years we were there, it snowed twice, and it melted by noon. My inlaws live in Ocala - it’s in the area of FL that heavily populated by retirees. Drive at your own risk. The only parts of the state I liked were the Keys, tho I wouldn’t want to live there, and Pensacola. but I was young and single when I was there, so it might not count. Honestly, once my inlaws pass, I doubt I’ll set foot in that state again. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2018, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-liveable-place-in-florida/818645/47 "2018-07-29T14:55:06Z")
First Coast is pretty amazing, summers are roasting though and the construction on A1A/SR200 is never ending and never progressing, and now we welcome construction of the regions first diverging diamond at I95 and SR200. ---
**Author:** ![betterlifethroughchemistry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/betterlifethroughchemistry/32/3094_2.png) [@betterlifethroughchemistry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betterlifethroughchemistry)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2018, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-liveable-place-in-florida/818645/48 "2018-07-29T15:29:45Z")
> [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](#): > > I’d worry about the NC coast, too. I have been there many times during the summer, and it’s brutal–not as bad as in FL, for sure, but the heat and humidity in summer there is pretty fierce. People like to talk about the sea breezes cooling things off, but IMHO the sea breeze is highly effective on the beach and pretty negligible anywhere else–even a hundred yards or so inland. **Ulf** is not wrong, there are times the heat and humidity off the beach are pretty high - but it’s no where near as persistent or common as it will be in FL - Kitty Hawk is about 600 miles north of Jacksonville, FL, the furthest northern and eastern city in FL… Yes, my experiences are based on 30+ years of visiting and vacationing in Duck, but IMHO, the NC coast still offers the best of what you are seeking…hurricanes? Yup, all up and down the east coast, heck, Irene smashed the sound side of the OBX before devastating parts of VA, MD, PA, NYC, upstate NY (we were without power for three days - unusual in the summer), before causing devastating flooding in VT and NH…as a previous poster pointed out, only certainly areas of FL are statistically unaffected by hurricanes - the rest is are not… Another poster spoke about the GA coast - I’ve only visited there twice, and it’s definitely on our list to consider…we like hot and can handle the humidity, I hate the winters here, have never gotten used to them in almost 20 years of being in upstate NY, we’re 3 hours north of NYC and 3 1/2 hours south of Montreal, 45 minutes south of the Adirondacks, this last winter was brutal, 3 feet of snow in March alone…I love my job, and a week away from being 56, I can’t retire yet…sigh… ---
**Author:** ![betterlifethroughchemistry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/betterlifethroughchemistry/32/3094_2.png) [@betterlifethroughchemistry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betterlifethroughchemistry)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2018, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-liveable-place-in-florida/818645/49 "2018-07-29T15:42:21Z")
> [@Mangosteen](#): > > The trade winds make a huge difference at our home in Hawaii. We are less than 3/4 of a mile from the water and would never think of having A/C. > > The erupting volcano is on the extreme southern end of the Big Island. The rest of the island and all the other islands in the chain are unaffected. Earthquakes do happen, but even the large 7.2 tremor I experienced years ago, caused very little property damage. There have been two hurricanes that hit Kauai 1982 and 1992. None of the other islands have been hit by a hurricane in recorded history. The water around the islands is too mild for hurricanes to flourish in. Only two large Tsunamis have hit the islands in recent history, 1946 and 1960 (58 years ago). > > “Mainland” food is expensive, but instead of eating peaches and strawberries, one has to get used to eating mangoes and papayas. Just like anywhere, people make do by shopping sales at the supermarket and growing their own food from fruits and vegetables to chickens and goats. Housing is often costly, but my wife and I were able to buy 8 (deep soil) acres 7 miles from the large town of Hilo for $200,000. We don’t pay for utilities as the home is completely off grid (Solar, water catchment). > > It can be done. That does sound awesome…would you mind telling us how much you spent on the initial home build, solar system and catchment system? What size tank? What’s the monthly maintenance cost for the systems? Self-sustainability in Hawaii is actually really appealing - do you still have family on the mainland? Do you ever fell isolated? ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2018, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-liveable-place-in-florida/818645/50 "2018-07-29T16:16:01Z")
If the book described in [this article](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jun/26/rising-seas-florida-climate-change-elizabeth-rush?CMP=share_btn_tw) is accurate, Florida isn’t going to be liveable at all in the near future. ---
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2018, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-liveable-place-in-florida/818645/51 "2018-07-29T16:36:29Z")
> [@Mangosteen](#): > > Ocean water temperature off San Diego is “cold” (under 65 degrees) at least 9 months out of the year. Year round air temperatures are “mild” not warm. No place in the US AFAIK can compete with HI in weather, according to what most people like/dislike. Maybe at relative extremes of taste somebody could outright prefer some west coast weather to HI’s, but east coast I don’t see any way unless you positively like either cold/snow or heat with humidity. San Diego, or LA and SoCal generally have IME (having lived there year round not not many years) way less objectionable weather periods than either NY area (where I’m from and lived most of my life) or FL. It can be 90 F in SD in January sometimes, though more often mild not warm I agree. Anyway the ocean is always frigid at that time of year, not true beach weather in that respect. Also it can damned hot in the summer inland in SoCal (and humid in LA at least). It seldom is right near the ocean, but that’s more expensive. The ‘right near the ocean part’ somewhat mimics FL, but there’s much more oppressive heat/humidity there in general. Most of the state was viewed as not that livable before the widespread use of A/C, for good reason (and it wasn’t hotter back then). I don’t get the emphasis in some posts in people agreeing with your politics where you live. I’m relatively out of synch with predominant NY area politics but that doesn’t particularly bother me. Whether there are interesting things to do beside peace and quiet or enjoying the weather is a somewhat separate question. The other is taxes, which is why I have some interest in scoping out possibilities in FL, not urgently, but CA would not be in the running for that reason. It’s indirectly about politics I guess, but I really don’t care if the guy next door shares my political views (which aren’t a huge part of my identity anyway), here or anywhere else I might live. HI is just too far from the rest of the US for me to ever consider. ---
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2018, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-liveable-place-in-florida/818645/52 "2018-07-29T17:18:53Z")
> [@betterlifethroughchemistry](#): > > That does sound awesome…would you mind telling us how much you spent on the initial home build, solar system and catchment system? What size tank? What’s the monthly maintenance cost for the systems? > > Self-sustainability in Hawaii is actually really appealing - do you still have family on the mainland? Do you ever fell isolated? Termites can be a problem in a warm, humid climate, so our home has no wood in the structure at all. (This makes the home “fireproof” as well). We used steel framing with a light weight concrete panel system for the walls. These materials are a little more expensive, but they reduce labor costs because they go up easier and faster. The 8 acres was completely covered with 8 foot high grass so it had to be cleared and a level house site had to be created. A complete septic tank sewer system had to be installed as well. (Like I said, we are completely off grid and independent of any county utilities.) The 10,000 gallon catchment tank system that captures rain from the roof was part of the build, too. There is a electric pump that is activated when a faucet is turned on in the house We spent about $200,000 on the build. Solar was an additional $40,000, but between State and Federal rebates, we only had to personally pay a little over half of that. There really isn’t much in the way of maintenance. We got 16 expensive, sealed, heavy duty batteries that store the sun’s energy. One thing that makes them so expensive is the fact that they are sealed and don’t need maintenance. There is, of course, a panel with a read out screen that shows the system is working properly. We have planted about 300 various tropical fruit trees and hope to harvest an income crop soon. With well over 100 inches of rain a year, no irrigation is needed. We still own a home in California and travel back and forth. Never feel isolated; the island is about 100 miles across and about the same lengthwise about 4000 square miles, about the size of Connecticut. We rent the home out as a vacation rental when we are not using it. With the ocean view, the home is quite popular. If you want to have a look at the home go to AirB&B, Pepeekeo, HI )Sea Breeze Cottage…on 8 acres with ocean views!) [https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/15785050?location=Pepeekeo%2C%20HI%2C%20USA&adults=1&children=0&infants=0&s=5flmbUw5](https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/15785050?location=Pepeekeo%2C%20HI%2C%20USA&adults=1&children=0&infants=0&s=5flmbUw5) ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2018, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-liveable-place-in-florida/818645/53 "2018-07-29T20:45:02Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > I like the idea of being on the ocean, an ocean where you can actually go in the water (unlike here, where the water temperature always requires a wetsuit). I also like the idea of those offshore islands (I guess that’s what they are) along the Atlantic coast that maybe protect the coast from weather and make protected places for water activities. That sort of thing. > > Maybe I should aim for somewhere in the Hawaiian islands, but I think I prefer the mainland. Well, In SoCal, you can go in the ocean. Anyplace South of Pt Conception. However, houses on the ocean are pricy here and there. Oxnard is not that bad if you want a place within walking distance of the ocean. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2018, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-liveable-place-in-florida/818645/54 "2018-07-29T23:00:10Z")
Nice place **Mangosteen** – I’d love to see pictures of the stream / waterfall Brian ---
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-liveable-place-in-florida/818645/55 "2018-07-30T01:37:34Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Well, In SoCal, you can go in the ocean. Anyplace South of Pt Conception. > > However, houses on the ocean are pricy here and there. > > Oxnard is not that bad if you want a place within walking distance of the ocean. OP want to be able to go into the ocean “without a wetsuit”. That rules out all of California north of L A. and south of L A 9 months out of the year. ---
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-liveable-place-in-florida/818645/56 "2018-07-30T02:06:26Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > Nice place **Mangosteen** – I’d love to see pictures of the stream / waterfall > > Brian Thank you, Brian. Here’s a shot of me swimming under the waterfall. > **[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=253197468543291&set=pb.100015591181850.-2207520000.1532916090.&type=3&theater)** > > Last 6 days have seen over 20 inches of rain at Pepeekeo home. Waterfall on property must be really flowing. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-liveable-place-in-florida/818645/57 "2018-07-30T03:29:01Z")
> [@Mangosteen](#): > > OP want to be able to go into the ocean “without a wetsuit”. > > That rules out all of California north of L A. and south of L A 9 months out of the year. Not really, you can go into the water anywhere south of Pt Conception during the summer. ---
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-liveable-place-in-florida/818645/58 "2018-07-30T04:23:01Z")
One “could” go swimming south of Point Conception during the summer, but the water temperature peaks in August in Santa Barbara at around 65 degrees. (Its only around 62 degrees at the beginning of summer.) This is not cold by any means, but I’m not sure if the OP would find it “comfortable”. I surf without a wetsuit when the ocean gets in the mid 60’s, but I’m moving around a lot generating my own heat. For me, “comfortable” ocean swimming means 70 degrees YMMV. > **[Pacific Ocean Temperatures for California in Summer - Current Results](https://www.currentresults.com/Oceans/Temperature/pacific-ocean-temperature-california-summer.php)** > > Average water temperatures of the Pacific Ocean at beaches, towns and cities along the California coast during summer. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2018, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-liveable-place-in-florida/818645/59 "2018-07-30T05:42:48Z")
> [@Mangosteen](#): > > One “could” go swimming south of Point Conception during the summer, but the water temperature peaks in August in Santa Barbara at around 65 degrees. (Its only around 62 degrees at the beginning of summer.) This is not cold by any means, but I’m not sure if the OP would find it “comfortable”. > > I surf without a wetsuit when the ocean gets in the mid 60’s, but I’m moving around a lot generating my own heat. For me, “comfortable” ocean swimming means 70 degrees YMMV. I find the cooler water refreshing in the hot sun & sand. But I only body surf, i dont go out far. ---
**Author:** ![Textual\_Innuendo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/898d66/32.png) [@Textual\_Innuendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Textual_Innuendo)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2018, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-liveable-place-in-florida/818645/60 "2018-08-01T21:10:22Z")
> [@Corry\_El](#): > > No place in the US AFAIK can compete with HI in weather, according to what most people like/dislike. Given this is the 3rd or 4th vote for Hawaii in the thread, I’d say the question is settled, then! The most liveable place in Florida has in fact been cleverly and rather deceptively located in Hawaii. 😃 Those wacky Floridians, what will they get up to next? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-liveable-place-in-florida/818645.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-most-liveable-place-in-florida/818645.md?page=4)