Anyone live in, or go to college in Florida, Arizona, or Texas?

<p>I want to move to one of these states in the future. What can you tell me about them? Like, which one do you prefer, and why?</p>

<p>SoFla because of the high population of immigrants, low amounts of english and all around COMPLETELY DIFFERENT from the rest of the United States. Sure it has its crime, but it is so beautiful... just remember South Florida (miami in particular) is not the "tropical paradise" most people percieve it to be.</p>

<p>I'm a white male if it means anything.</p>

<p>I went to college in Florida. I LOVED it. I loved the warm weather nearly year-round, the beaches, the ocean, the greenery, the hibiscus flowers, the wildlife, the thunderstorms, the atmosphere... I could go on. Not everyone is insane like me and loves warm/hot weather. I'm counting down the days until I move back (seriously: somewhere around 700 more days).</p>

<p>I can't compare Florida to Arizona or Texas because I've not lived in the latter two states. Have you visited any of these places? That would be a great way for you to know if you'd like them and which you'd prefer.</p>

<p>Edited to add: I lived in central Florida on the East coast.</p>

<p>Growing up and currently living in Miami, FL I have to say its a ****ty city and state.</p>

<p>I lived with my dad in the summers in FL. I hate the way the humidity makes you feel all sticky and gross.</p>

<p>I live with my mom in TX, and it's amazing. Of course it's hot, but it's fine by me</p>

<p>I hate Florida :(</p>

<p>I was born and raised in New York City. I don't think I'll ever get used to Florida.</p>

<p>As someone who also was born and raised in New York, I feel obligated to let you know how much I love Florida. It has its flaws (hurricanes, low activity, transience, old people), but overall I couldn't be happier. I moved here when I was 12 and was in no way happy about the change initially. But the state really began to grow on me, and although I'll be attending college up north I have every intention of returning to Florida as an adult because I can't picture myself living anywhere else. The weather is perfect, the pace is mellow, and the people are generally pretty happy. Plus there is no state income tax. It's amazing and it's also a great college state.</p>

<p>In Miami, people are selfish, rude, and ignorant. The traffic is horrible. There are hardly any parks or natural areas. There is an air of racial tension that makes a lot of people uncomfortable</p>

<p>I moved to S. FL right out of college from IL and never looked back. It definitely has it's problems, but all things considered, I'm still happy living here. I love the sun, shopping and interesting variety of people. But the crazy drivers, long waits at restaurants and afternoon T-storms can be annoying.</p>

<p>Texas is also a great state, but a very different lifestyle from S. FL. AZ has some truly beautiful areas, especially Sedona. I would suggest you try to find a way to spend time in each place you're interested in, maybe summer internships or courses.</p>

<p>you have to understand what you are getting yourself into when you move to south florida. It takes a certain person to make it.... you have to be a crazy person or it will eat you up and spit you right back out with your tail between your legs going back home..</p>

<p>My list of loving SoFla is the reason for people hating and leaving it.</p>

<p>Born and raised in TX, go to college here as well. TX varies tremendously depending on the region, so you'd have to be specific as to what part you'd be interested in. But I'd be welcome to answer any more specific questions you may have.</p>

<p>I'd probably want to live near Austin, Houston, or Dallas if I decided on Texas.</p>

<p>Living in the middle of nowhere makes me wish I had appreciated the urban chaos that was Miami a little bit more, I sorely miss the fact that I lived 100 ft away from the beach in Miami Beach. If you're headed out of BFE for a big city, that one's hard to beat.</p>

<p>I've lived in Florida for pretty much my entire life.</p>

<p>The types of people in Florida vary wildly, depending on where you live. As many people on here have said, South Florida has a huge population of immigrants. In much of northern Florida, the people are extremely "country" - much like what you'd expect to find in places like Georgia and Alabama. Some cities seem to be filled entirely with people from New York and New Jersey who have moved south. You'd have to check out the state and see for yourself where you'd like to live.</p>

<p>And then there's the weather. It's gorgeous here from October to April. The summer, however, is brutal. May-September is 90+ with high humidity and violent afternoon thunderstorms, complete with lightning, thunder, and tornado warnings, are the norm.</p>

<p>Texas is awesome! It gets pretty hot but i think all three probably do... It hit 100 in May this year... but last year it didn't hit 100 til august... The weather is pretty unpredictable... like it can be rainy, 60 degrees in the morning and 90 and sunny in the afternoon....</p>

<p>Like gstein said, different parts of texas are very different. Austin is significantly more liberal... but its a great town!</p>

<p>yea haha it rained in dallas a few days ago. strange</p>

<p>Floridian here! Yeah, the humidity in the summer sucks, and so does the threat of hurricanes, but I can't imagine living anywhere else. I really do love it here. I'm not a native Floridian (raised in NY) and I live in north Florida, so it's a bit different here than SoFla (not nearly as crowded...well...depending where you are, but we still have old drivers and afternoon thunderstorms in the summers). Did you have any universities in particular you were interested in looking at? Anything else you were really dying to know?</p>

<p>
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And then there's the weather. It's gorgeous here from October to April. The summer, however, is brutal. May-September is 90+ with high humidity and violent afternoon thunderstorms, complete with lightning, thunder, and tornado warnings, are the norm.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>That's basically 100% accurate right there.</p>

<p>In the fall it can be really nice, the winters are never too cold (high 30s at the lowest), spring is like a colder fall but brighter. Summers are outright awful unless you have access to a beach.</p>

<p>Speaking of beaches, look out for red people.</p>

<p>
[quote]
Did you have any universities in particular you were interested in looking at? Anything else you were really dying to know?

[/quote]

In Florida, I'm interested in UF and UCF for engineering.</p>

<p>Coming from Chicago, I'd also like to know which cities are fun to live in/near, with attractions and sights. Orlando comes to mind. I know that I love biking along Lake Michigan and walking through the nice parks with the landscaping.</p>

<p>Also, what kind of weather/season lasts for the longest amount of time in a year? Like, in Chicago, it feels like we only get 1 month of spring and the summers and cold weather dominate the year. 68 degree weather doesn't last long here. I'm just looking to get out of the winters.</p>

<p>I live in Central East Florida. :)</p>

<p>I've been in the same house, in the same city all my life. It never really gets boring. There are so many things to do in Florida.</p>

<p>The summers can be bad, but not to the point of being intolerable. If you live near the coast, there is usually a nice breeze to keep things somewhat cool. Just make sure to wear plenty of sunscreen and drink lots of water if you plan to do something outside.</p>

<p>The weather in the fall, winter, and spring is great.</p>