Anonymous wrote: I live in the Austin, TX area with two daughters. My ex-husband recently received two job offers in Florida-one in Miami, one in Tampa. Both jobs come with a significant raise, but he doesn't want to move unless our daughters come with him.
I am fed up with extreme TX weather-the winters are getting colder, and the summers are getting hotter. This year alone we've had a snowstorm that caused trees to block our driveway, our AC broke during the hottest month of the year, our water heater is giving us problems, and we had a surprise hailstorm that damaged our roof. I am seriously considering taking up my ex's offer and moving our family to Florida.
The Miami job is higher paying but from my research Tampa has a much lower cost of living and has less hurricanes. If we move this summer, we will have a rising sophomore in high school and a seventh grader. They currently attend a Christian private school that costs 10k a year and I would like them to attend a Christian school. My daughters both do dance and are adamant about continuing if we moved.
What are your thoughts-would you recommend Miami or Tampa?
Both are great places, frankly. Like other have said Miami feels like a bigger city but there are plenty of "town-like" neighborhoods.
Could you afford to visit both, including some schools, and see what resonates better?