What issues did you face when you moved after FIRE?

[CowboyAndIndian]

I grew up in India, and the winters and lack of light in NJ is getting to me.  We have been thinking of moving to a warmer place (FL) after RE.

There are so many unknowns about moving to a new place, and I am starting to worry about this. Some of them are , Lack of friends, how to spend time etc.

So what issues did you face when you moved to a new place when you RE'ed?   What did you do to overcome those issues?

[retired?]

How old are you and how long have you lived in NJ?

The sooner you make the move, the easier it would be.  We have relatives in PA that would not move regardless of opportunities.  They grew up there or have lived there their entire lives and the idea of moving is just too much.

I moved around a bit as a child and, while it wasn't always pleasant, I became used to the idea, or knew what it entailed.

Pick an area, in whatever city, that makes it easy to meet people.  You'll be fine.  0% state income tax!!!

[CowboyAndIndian]

Thanks, Retired? and Spartana,

retired?,  I'm 56 and have lived in NJ for the last 20 years. I have moved before, but when I was much younger. I moved from India to the US when I was 26 years old. And then in the US, moved from NJ to MA for college, to NY for a job and then back to NJ for another job. There are lot of pro's for the area that I am planning to move to (St.Pete), taxes being one of them.

Spartana, good idea to live there for a time. I have gone to the St. Pete areas for the last couple of  years, at the worst time, July and August. And also in the great time (Feb). It is hot and humid, but I can handle hot and humid having grown up in Bombay. I have not lived there for any length of time greater than a week, so will do that. Maybe give myself one year or two years to decide if that is the place for me. Great ideas for meeting people.

One issue I am worried about as I mentioned before is friends. As an immigrant, moving from liberal, immigrant friendly NJ, to an unknown St. Pete is weighing heavily on my mind. My trips there in the last three years do not show anything other than friendliness, but I worry.

[jwilliams0215]

Not really the answer you are looking for; however I am born in raised in Florida. Anytime I mention that fact to anyone here, they are shocked. Why? There are TONS of transplants who live here. You'll find many others transplants in Florida to connect with, likely many from the same areas you have lived.

[DecD]

(not retired.  crashing this thread anyway.)

I wanted to second Spartana's suggestion to rent first.  We did this when we moved to Indiana (3 month lease in an apartment) and when we moved to Texas (2 year lease on a house).  This allowed us to get a thorough impression of the area to be sure we wanted to stay, and to also select very carefully the right neighborhood for our situation.  It also allowed us to have plenty of time for househunting so we weren't rushed into whatever was available.  It's a hassle to move twice, but a much smaller hassle than finding yourself in a city, neighborhood, or house that isn't right. 

I find that it takes a year or even two to really become part of a community and find a good set of friends.  As long as it's an expected cost of moving, I don't think it's too hard to adjust.  If you're more social than we are, maybe it's a quicker process!

[Roots&Wings]

There was a recent NY Times article about finding compatible communities.  One of the places they mentioned was an Indian heritage community in Florida (ShantiNiketan, http://www.shantiniketan-us.com/state/index.php?state=FL) among other places like cohousing communities. 

Tapping into common interests/community groups has been the only way I've found to make new friends in a new place.

Also agree with renting first.

[CowboyAndIndian]

There was a recent NY Times article about finding compatible communities.  One of the places they mentioned was an Indian heritage community in Florida (ShantiNiketan, http://www.shantiniketan-us.com/state/index.php?state=FL) among other places like cohousing communities. 

Tapping into common interests/community groups has been the only way I've found to make new friends in a new place.

Also agree with renting first.

I checked out the place last August when I was in the area. All people there were at least 20  years older than me.
Maybe in 20 years ;-)

[CowboyAndIndian]

Tampa seems to have a pretty active Indian community so might be a better fit than St. Pete - or maybe you can get better info about Indian communities in St. Pete from this site: http://www.tampabayindian.com/desi/

Thanks Spartana, will check that out.
We like St.Pete better than Tampa, but they are so close (10 miles), that it may not matter.