Florida Emigrees

[BillinChiangMai]

I would be interested in hearing from other retirees who have settled here after living in Florida, or who have chosen to retire here after considering Florida. Thanks to any and all.

[Gonzo the Face]

Where are you from in Florida, Kn. Bill ?

gonzo

[CHARLES1949]

hi i just moved from tallahassee florida to sanpatong south of chiang mai in july of this year.

chalres

[Ulysses G.]

I did not like Florida, but Hawaii seemed nice.

[gotlost]

Never considered anywhere in the states.

[PeaceBlondie]

Florida - is that Far East Texas?

[mcgriffith]

Welcome, BillinChiangMai!

Hope you enjoy this place as much as we do....

[gotlost]

You have to have a thick skin and a sense of humor to have fun on this form. Welcome

[NancyL]

OK -- I'll give a serious response. Our legal retirement residence is in Florida. No state income taxes and other regulations are very retiree-friendly. We have many retired friends who are snow-birds -- living the the northern part of the U.S. in the summer and Florida in the winter. But, we spend most of our time in Thailand -- it's much cheaper and the English-speaking population here is much more diverse. Plus, there it seems to be just as retiree-friendly. The medical care is excellent, the crime rate lower and there are many things for retired people to do, including retired western women.

[orang37]

OK -- I'll give a serious response. Our legal retirement residence is in Florida. No state income taxes and other regulations are very retiree-friendly

Sawasdee Khrup, Khun NancyL,

If you'll accept a slightly off-topic question : do you know how long it takes to establish legal residence in Florida ? My human component spent his young primate years in northern Florida, by the way; he was always climbing trees when he was not reading books.

thanks, ~o:37;

[ericthai]

Bill in Chang Mai,

Weclome,

I grew up in Fla so spent a little over 30 years there. I moved to Thailand full time about 10 years ago.

I lived right outside Tampa. The weather in Thailand is hotter, even more to you from being from north Fla.

Food is great here, easy going, nice people etc.

From a retiree point of view cant help you, I still work. I have adjusted the last couple of years and now spend 1/2 the year in Thailand and 1/2 in Fla, but this is just because I'm expanding my business, otherwise I would stay in Thailand full time (expect for being home for the holidays) my family gives me a hard time if I'm not.

Being in Chang Mai it's cooler so it will still be a little hotter than Tallahassee, FL but should be adjustable to you. I have only been to Chang Mai a few times, but it seems it's more very retiree friendly. Do hope you enjoy your retirement in Thailand!!

Oh, you do get allot of hard asses on this website, just ignore them, guess they have nothing better to do in life than complain about everything and everyone.

[piercefilmlid]

Bill in Chang Mai,

Weclome,

I grew up in Fla so spent a little over 30 years there. I moved to Thailand full time about 10 years ago.

I lived right outside Tampa. The weather in Thailand is hotter, even more to you from being from north Fla.

Food is great here, easy going, nice people etc.

From a retiree point of view cant help you, I still work. I have adjusted the last couple of years and now spend 1/2 the year in Thailand and 1/2 in Fla, but this is just because I'm expanding my business, otherwise I would stay in Thailand full time (expect for being home for the holidays) my family gives me a hard time if I'm not.

Being in Chang Mai it's cooler so it will still be a little hotter than Tallahassee, FL but should be adjustable to you. I have only been to Chang Mai a few times, but it seems it's more very retiree friendly. Do hope you enjoy your retirement in Thailand!!

Oh, you do get allot of hard asses on this website, just ignore them, guess they have nothing better to do in life than complain about everything and everyone.

Good post.

I am not from Florida, nor have ever been, but can say that Chiang Mai is a great place to be.

There is an air pollution issue at one time of the year (when Asian farmers burn their fields) and this is a good time to be away visiting family and friends elsewehere.

Other than that, any retiree would feel safe and happy in Chiang Mai - there is lots to do. People are generally friendly, laid back and welcoming.

Please ignore those who post on this forum claiming to "live near the edge" and "seeing the dark side of the City". Any expat with half a brain can avoid 99.9% of the criminal element, and enjoy a safe and happy life here.

But, watch out for the manic driving and uneven sidewalks!

Good luck.

Rgds

Edited December 2, 2009 by piercefilmlid

[Naam]

1989-2004 Deltona, Florida (between Orlando and Daytona Beach). nice living, most people spoke a language i understood, friendly neighbours... but after 2001 the political scene changed, foreigners were looked at with suspicion (my wife and i are Germans), it started at immigration with "who are you, what are you and why are you" although we had valid 10-year visas enabling us to stay six months at a stretch and it ended "owning a house in Florida and paying taxes is no valid reason to enter the U.S. of A.!"

so we sold our house, had our things seaworthy packed and stored and travelled for a year to check out a dozen different countries and finally selected Thailand (which we knew from holidaying dozens of times). we live since 2005 in (shocks!) Pattaya, build a house nearly identical to our Florida one and spend the tax money -which went in olden times to the german finance minister or to the IRS- on a rather luxurious lifestyle.

initially big problems. wife missed running around with her car. here she has to use a driver as i don't allow her to drive on the wrong side of the street amongst a zillion brain-amputated drivers. by now we settled nicely, there is hardly any foodstuff which is (as opposed to Florida) not available. language/communication is still a problem when crossing our property line but otherwise i think we made the right choice.

[Tinkelbell]

I did not like Florida, but Hawaii seemed nice.

I share your sentiment.

We had lived in Honolulu and Miami in our early marriage. As a matter of fact, hubby's job took him to Bangkok, Taipei and Tokyo where we spent a couple of years here and there.

When it was time to retire ( from NY), I want to be in Hawaii ( either on Oahu or Maui ). I love everything about Hawaii...weather, beaches, friendly people, nice infrastructures ( first world living among Asians) etc.

But hubby thinks the ISLAND is too small and too far from the mainland US, usually took us 12-13 hrs on the flight to Hawaii.

So we ended up in Tampa, Florida for the warm climate .

[BillinChiangMai]

hi i just moved from tallahassee florida to sanpatong south of chiang mai in july of this year.

chalres

Hello Charles. Thanks for responding to my post. I worked for many years for the Herald Tribune in Sarasota before coming to Chiang Mai in July and tey have asked me to give them an article on Florida expats here. Would you be interested in talking to me about your experiences, motivations, thoughts of Florida, etc.?

You can respond to me here or at [email protected].

Cheers

Bill

[BillinChiangMai]

Welcome, BillinChiangMai!

Hope you enjoy this place as much as we do....

Thanks for your kind response to my post seeking other Florida emigrees. Not sure if you are among that group, but any message with a quote from Oscar Wilde deserves a response. Are you ex-Floridians? I lived in Sarasota for many years, came here in July. Loving it.

Cheers,

Bill

[email protected]

[BillinChiangMai]

OK -- I'll give a serious response. Our legal retirement residence is in Florida. No state income taxes and other regulations are very retiree-friendly. We have many retired friends who are snow-birds -- living the the northern part of the U.S. in the summer and Florida in the winter. But, we spend most of our time in Thailand -- it's much cheaper and the English-speaking population here is much more diverse. Plus, there it seems to be just as retiree-friendly. The medical care is excellent, the crime rate lower and there are many things for retired people to do, including retired western women.

Thanks, Nancy, for your response to my post seeking other Florida emigrees. I lived in Sarasota for many years, wrote for the Herald-Tribune there, and they have asked me to give them a story on expats here with Florida connections. Would you be available to meet for an interview?

Cheers,

Bill

[email protected]

[BillinChiangMai]

Thanks so much for your response to my post seeking other Florida emigrees. I lived for many years in Sarasota, where I wrote for the Herald-Tribune. Theyhave asked me for an article on expats here with Florida connections. Would you be available to meet for an interview?

Cheers,

Bill

[email protected]

Bill in Chang Mai,

Weclome,

I grew up in Fla so spent a little over 30 years there. I moved to Thailand full time about 10 years ago.

I lived right outside Tampa. The weather in Thailand is hotter, even more to you from being from north Fla.

Food is great here, easy going, nice people etc.

From a retiree point of view cant help you, I still work. I have adjusted the last couple of years and now spend 1/2 the year in Thailand and 1/2 in Fla, but this is just because I'm expanding my business, otherwise I would stay in Thailand full time (expect for being home for the holidays) my family gives me a hard time if I'm not.

Being in Chang Mai it's cooler so it will still be a little hotter than Tallahassee, FL but should be adjustable to you. I have only been to Chang Mai a few times, but it seems it's more very retiree friendly. Do hope you enjoy your retirement in Thailand!!

Oh, you do get allot of hard asses on this website, just ignore them, guess they have nothing better to do in life than complain about everything and everyone.

[BillinChiangMai]

Thanks so much for your reply to my post seeking other Florida emigrees. I lived for many years in sarasota, on staff at the herald-tribune, and they have asked me for an article on expats here with Florida connections. Would you be avalable to meet for an interview?

Cheers,

Bill

[email protected]

1989-2004 Deltona, Florida (between Orlando and Daytona Beach). nice living, most people spoke a language i understood, friendly neighbours... but after 2001 the political scene changed, foreigners were looked at with suspicion (my wife and i are Germans), it started at immigration with "who are you, what are you and why are you" although we had valid 10-year visas enabling us to stay six months at a stretch and it ended "owning a house in Florida and paying taxes is no valid reason to enter the U.S. of A.!"

so we sold our house, had our things seaworthy packed and stored and travelled for a year to check out a dozen different countries and finally selected Thailand (which we knew from holidaying dozens of times). we live since 2005 in (shocks!) Pattaya, build a house nearly identical to our Florida one and spend the tax money -which went in olden times to the german finance minister or to the IRS- on a rather luxurious lifestyle.

initially big problems. wife missed running around with her car. here she has to use a driver as i don't allow her to drive on the wrong side of the street amongst a zillion brain-amputated drivers. by now we settled nicely, there is hardly any foodstuff which is (as opposed to Florida) not available. language/communication is still a problem when crossing our property line but otherwise i think we made the right choice.