Hi People !
I'm evaluating the possibility to move to the United States. Since I don't personally know people on Florida, I want to ask it here.
I was thinking about to move to the Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Ventura, Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Pompano, Sarasota, Saint. Petersburg. (Naples? :cool: ) Well... that area :).
I have a project, but here in my country (Argentina), I don't have the necessary support. Also the prices here raise to hell.
And as you can see.. I also need to learn a better english :)
I need some help about best place to live, inmigration process, house cost, car cost, lease a house, what are the internet service in that area, cost of that.
If somebody can give me a little help I'll apreciate.
Please email me to admin@downtownhost.com or contact me through PM.
Thanks in advance to everybody.;)

We just did the US Immigration process and currently the rules are very hard. But it also depends on the state where you apply. Don't participate in a so called "Green Card Lottery" because there are millions of people applying each year ...and only 50.000 green cards are given out each year. The best thing would be fly to the US and go talk with the immigration in the state you wish to immigrate personally. :)

There are also different levels of immigration.

- Green Card
- Entrepreneur (you need to provide jobs for at least 5 U.S Citizens)
- Marrying a U.S Citizen
- ...and lots more.

The best thing is if you contact an U.S Immigration Lawyer to discuss it, since i'm not really a specialist of Immigration :D

correct me if im wrong, but doesnt florida have a really high cost of living?

Yeah, it does. Florida & California are very expensive.

Originally posted by jw
correct me if im wrong, but doesnt florida have a really high cost of living?
I don't think that the cost of living is higher than here.
the Cost or a car here is
Mutsubishi Eclipse U$S50.000
Neon U$S 35.000
ADSL connection (very bad service) U$S100/month
Cablemodem U$S100/mo
Phone is really expensive.
Gas Galion U$S4
and so more

heh, im talking about apartments, food, etc mainly, the normal stuff, not the technology stuff

Well.. here the only thing cheap is the meat.
Because to rent an apartment 2 rooms, in a nice place but not so high it cost $400/500 Month.
Everything here is pretty expensive.

Alot of people complain about the cost of living in florida being to high. I think it just depends on where you come from before. I lived in New York most of my life, so Florida seems cheaper to me. Certain areas of South Florida can be more (much more) expensive as far as rent. It just depends on what city you live in. Boca Raton is a very nice area, but tends to be higher (although not all the time) as far as rent, car insurance ect. You just have to look around. You can try Delray Beach, or Deerfield Beach. They are the cities just north and south of Boca, and generally more affordable. But all that aside South Florida is a great place to live.
You can get a good idea of some apartment costs at
http://www.apartments.com/
Hope this helps.

florida gets out of a lot of taxing. We used to have a home in Sarasota. It is truly one of the best gems of florida. If you're looking for a nice place to relocate, I reccomend Sarasota.

Hey hey, another (possible) floridian!

Boca is very nice, although as nelson said, parts of it can be pretty expensive. I don't think the cost of living overall is very high, though.

I mean... where else do you find grocery stores with valet parking?! :D

Originally posted by Planet Z
I mean... where else do you find grocery stores with valet parking?! :D

Its called BTI FOOD SYSTEMS, THey seriously have a valet, complete with a shopping assistant to load your grocieries in the car.

Damn. I thought we were the only ones. I'll have to find something else to brag about, then. :stickout

A Ton of immigration links and a lawyer if youd like to speak to one , my Fiance is Canadian and we are going through the Visa Process. PM me if I can help :)

Finding a home is a serious activity. Some of my considerations follow:

1. Connectivity
If your only business is on the Internet then this may be your number one concern. Good connectivity is not available in all places (unless you consider a modem connection as adequate).

2. Acceptance
A location where people live in somewhat isolation may be short on tolerance. In some such neighborhoods any cultural differences are looked upon with suspension. It does depend upon the outlook (religious and otherwise) of the people. An area where people believe that the solution to all social problems is punishment is not a healthy environment (In one state not long ago some kids took guns to school and killed other students. Some adults from the same town said on TV that the responsible people should be found and punished. Well, that was the same attitude the killer kids had. They identified what they though was the source of their problems and punished someone). An area where people come and go a lot (due to tourism, industry, colleges, etc) will most likely have greater acceptance.

3. Crime
My city has very low crime. It is a blessing to feel safe. Avoid areas with a lot of desperate people. Desperate people do desperate things.

4. Up slope
It is very depressing to live in an area in decay. Un-employement and general dissatisfaction can be high. Empty buildings may be poorly maintained and an eye-sore. They may even become the center of illegal or undesirable activity. It is great to live in a growing area. People have a positive outlook. Business is good. The city has money to maintain the roads. Property values are on the way up. It will be easy to sell later. Many new and interesting businesses. Many business opportunities (hosting or otherwise).

5. Relations
It would be nice to have people you can relate to (similar culture, outlooks, etc). It is then easier to form support groups, to find a mate for yourself or your children, etc. However, some people (even if different) warm up quickly. (My travels took me to a western state where the gas-station owner was wearing a gun. I asked him about it and he said that nobody messed with his stuff. I was careful not to touch any of his stuff. I don't like it when the cost of offending someone is death.)

6. Cost of living
It is not only about what you can afford. The more reasonable the price the more you, and others, can have, do, and enjoy. I live in a 3000 sq ft home that cost me half what it would in other areas. I even financed it for 15 years and it pays off this year. Yea! I visited Boston Univ. for 2 weeks (great place, lots to do, felt good, could not afford a house there). The professors pay $80 a month (to the Univ.) to park. A lunch (at the Univ.) costs $10. In two weeks I saw two fights in the cafeteria (in one a girl ended up on a guy's back hitting him on the head). I have been at the Univ. of So. Ms. for 15 years and have never seen a fight, either on campus or in the town.

I like selecting a small, well-to-do town near (but not too near) a large city. If not near a large city then near a high activity area. How small? 15 minutes from side to side. 2 minutes is too small for me (unless you are talking about a community very near a larger one). How close to a large city? 30 minutes to 90 minutes on a super-highway.

Recommendation:
Either
1. Travel first as a tourist, spending a day or longer in a given location.
2. Move to a promising area but don't put down roots. Don't obligate yourself to stay. Then over a period of a few years (2?) travel often, ask questions, listen not just to what people say but to the attitudes expressed between the words. Pay attention to your own reaction. You may find yourself saying "this is it".

Gary

Aloha,
well do not even think of Hawaii
gas on Maui 2.45 for premium hte cheap stuff is 2.25

what about Arizona ?? my parents have a getaway place nad seems to have some decent spots outside Phoenix or Tuscon that have good cost of living and seems to be growing as a tech area
also Texas seems reasonable

scrap the idea of Seattle area or SanFrancisco. LA or SanDiego
ya might have to look at the mid US for better cost of living

Originally posted by nelson

You can get a good idea of some apartment costs at
http://www.apartments.com/
Hope this helps.
Time Out :(
Also Google :confused: :confused:

Strange..
Time Out

It seems to work fine here, just tested it now. I also first found and linked to it through Google.

Yep.. its work fine now :)
Thanks for the tip ;)

I live in Texas, we had relatives from oregon and california visit here and were astonished about such a lower cost of living here. I live in Waco, TX (between Dallas and Austin) and the population is about 200,000. We have a very low crime rate which is great as well as education. Propery is very low as well, though you arent so close to the beach like in florida.

WHAT YOU DONT WANT TO LIVE IN KANSAS! I cant understand that.. :)

I live in the Tampa Bay area, near Clearwater/St. Petersburg to be exact. Sort of crowded and a lot of tourists, but that is to be expected. I recommend you check out some of the local newspapers and classifieds online at www.sptimes.com and www.tampatrib.com.

LOL, also, there are TONS of tech jobs in Dallas and Austin if thats one main concern.

Originally posted by jw
Propery is very low as well, though you arent so close to the beach like in florida.
You got a point there :)
I love the beach, I live at 200 Mts. of the beach and work at 25 mts of the beach ;) just crossing the street

Originally posted by jw
LOL, also, there are TONS of tech jobs in Dallas and Austin if thats one main concern.

Hey, they call So. Florida Silicon Beach (for the computers, not the girls :D).

Originally posted by Planet Z

(for the computers, not the girls :D).
LOL

Hey

My family (husband and 16 month old son) just moved to Sarasota, Florida not even a month ago.

And we got an apartment for $585/month -- 2 bedroom, 2 bathrooms, 1000 square feet.

Our complex is on of the cheapest apartment complexes in the Sarasota area -- without being in the "bad" part of town.

About 85% of the population of Sarasota is middle class and above families.

There are 2 cities that surround Sarasota - Bradenton to the north, Venice to the south. And out of those three Sarasota is the most expensive to live in.

The bad part of about living here in Sarasota, is that they (apartment complexes) are veryy strict about credit and your background. Meaning they do credit checks and background checks before you can move in. Most require you to make at least 3 times your rent in monthly income - and they use a point system when it comes to your credit.

If you have any question about Sarasota or the surrounding cities, let me know, and I'll be sure to help you out.

Hope your search goes well! :)

Tonya

Is really hard to find a house with 6 Bedrooms :P
And most of the appartments do not allow Rotwaillers :(
I have 4 dogs.. and 1 is a rotwailler