Not only is Florida a visually beautiful state known for its hospitable communities, family-friendly theme parks, and stunning saltwater beaches, it is also becoming increasingly popular for residents with respiratory ailments, families, and young professionals looking for an affordable place to settle down. Many Floridian towns are known for their exceptional air quality, particularly those on the westernmost end of the state. This may be due to the landscape: Florida is fairly flat, with no mountains, hills, or valleys to capture pollutants for any extended length of time. It is also surrounded by water, which makes it appealing to many people who prefer to be close to the ocean.
If you’re considering a relocation, Florida might seem like a surprising choice. While it was once viewed mainly as a retirement state and a vacation spot for families, the state of Florida is drawing lots of interest from inland state residents looking for a fresh and revitalizing place to relocate. This is especially true for millennials. Not only are there are an incredible array of gorgeous places to see on Florida’s Gulf Coast, but the clean air promises a healthier and safer alternative to virtually all the other southeastern states. If this isn’t enough incentive, job prospects in Florida continue to grow at a faster rate than many other places in the U.S.
- You’ll always be close to the beach.
Everyone loves a good day at the beach, and for residents of coastal Florida, every day feels like the weekend. But there are more advantages to living near the beach than simply having a nice place to lay out and indulge in a guilty pleasure novel. According to many Floridians, the proximity to saltwater decreases the likelihood that you’ll develop respiratory problems or lung cancer. Why?
The story goes that while coal miners throughout Appalachia suffered immense harm working in dangerous carcinogenic environments, leading to many cancer diagnoses in later life, salt miners rarely met the same fate, even if they were habitual smokers. Today, Himalayan salt lamps are used by people suffering from ailments ranging from psychiatric illnesses to cancer, and “salt cave” therapy is said to naturally draw toxins and impurities out of the body. It might not be a magical cure-all, but it seems that salt may have at least some impact on respiratory health.
While it is still up for debate whether there is any scientific basis to this theory, many people actually report feeling healthier after moving to beach towns, and, coincidentally, all of the Floridian cities ranking the highest on clear air reports, are, in fact, near the ocean. The effects of saltwater could be purely psychological, but even so, most people prefer to think they are living in an area with clean air, especially if their family history indicates they are at great risk of developing lung cancer. If you are concerned about your potential risk of getting sick from air pollutants, you can learn some key facts about lung cancer before making a relocation.
- Housing is affordable and job prospects are high.
While your mileage may vary depending on where you’d like to move, most parts of Florida are fairly inexpensive. Generally, as you may already know, cheaper housing comes with other downfalls, such as a stagnant economy or higher rates of crime. However, Florida appears to be developing, rather than lagging behind. Florida can hardly be considered a wasteland with few job prospects, and in comparison to other states, Florida offers a lot of qualities that families and young professionals alike are seeking. These include affordable housing, opportunities for job growth, safe neighborhoods, and good schools.
There are a variety of towns in Florida known for their significantly low crime rates, reasonable housing costs, and plentiful family-friendly amenities, including Dunedin, which ranks as one of the safest and cheapest towns in Florida, and Tavares, which is only a short drive away from the excitement of Orlando while providing a quiet place to raise a family. Even as other states grow overcrowded and gentrification shifts the demographic of suburban residents, Florida remains fairly consistent. According to Florida natives, the all-American small town with a slow pace and affordable amenities still exists.
For millennials without kids, some of the larger Floridian cities are drawing a crowd: Sarasota, Cape Coral, Jacksonville, and Orlando have seen an increase in millennial relocation over the last decade. With their entrepreneurial attitudes and inspiring work ethic, millennials are turning previously “uncool” retirement communities into lavish, hip, and exciting places to live. Millennials are not only moving to take job openings in Floridian cities, they are creating new jobs by opening small local businesses and allowing the surrounding metropolitan areas to flourish with economic growth.
It’s been said that once you move to Florida you automatically become a beach person whether you intended to or not. It’s certainly true that it’s hard to avoid the pervasive beach culture in this state. If that’s your thing, you’ll definitely love living in Florida. Watersports enthusiasts will love the accessibility to the beach and will quickly find that boating, golf, and tennis are part of the culture inherent to Florida. Yachting and boating are extremely popular year-round, and there are lots of nature trails to explore if you are so inclined.
Even as crime rates rise in many parts of the state and housing costs in major cities like Miami climb to ridiculous heights, many longtime residents of Florida say that the ideal “Florida lifestyle” is still attainable, if you know where to look. If you have found a condo or home you are interested in, you can use a free rental application that will show your credit history, income, references, and expected move-in date to your potential landlord. It’s never been easier to relocate to a brand new state.
- It’s a hotbed for entrepreneurship.
When people think of startup culture in Florida, they typically think of Miami, and it is one of the most lavish cities in the state, with its strong tech culture reminiscent of Silicon Valley and a southern entertainment industry rivaling only Atlanta.
The sky-high cost of home ownership in more traditional startup cities like New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles are driving entrepreneurs in tech, entertainment, finance, and the creative industries. They are moving to Florida in droves and helping to grow this sleepy state’s economy. In addition, since Florida doesn’t charge state taxes, residents moving for the sake of business find it to be a very profitable choice.
If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or you’re looking to expand your business network, you might want to check out the opportunities newly available to you in Florida. One night on the streets of Miami and you will immediately see the impact of this gold rush, and you might be inspired to bring your own startup dream to Florida.
What is lesser-known is that many previously successful, established businesses are also being courted by Floridian mortgage lenders who are encouraging them to set up shop in the Sunshine State. State incentives are becoming increasingly business-friendly and more and more professional young talent is being sought out in Florida, especially in cultural hubs like Orlando and Miami where the hospitality industry is booming.