Retirement decision - East Coast or Gulf?

[motorref]

All,
I'm in need of a little help; my wife is making me retire in app. 897 days (she has a countdown timer), and she wants to live on or near the beach/water. I need to decide which coast, so I'm hoping for some input from all of you!
I'm familiar with WPB, Pompano, etc., having been there and to the Keys a few times (diving and work), but I've never had the opportunity to dive on the Gulf side; I've always heard that conditions are better on the east coast, but I'd like some local input:
1. Diving: better, clearer, more - east or gulf? (I like wrecks)
2. Cost of living?
3. Cost of housing? We looked at Daytona and as far down as Melbourne but weren't convinced to settle in either; I'm leaning towards looking in Jupiter or Jensen next trip. Ponce Inlet was pretty nice, but not much diving around there,,,, :depressed:
4. Opportunities for consulting work (High Security/Surveillance equipment and "stuff") - my bet is Miami for this, but I don't want to be close to that rat race; access to a decent airport would solve some of this
5. Opportunities to work on a boat - become a DM? Boat Capt.? Anything to be on or in the water!!

Anything else y'all can add would be wonderful.

Thanks!
Kevin Long

 

[EL Pistoffo]

Diving on east coast far better. West coast I think is more laid back which I find nice, more retirees in those areas.
STAY AWAY FROM MIAMI!
Housings costs not sure. So many of the prices down here going back up.
I've lived here all my life but many say the cost of living in Florida is higher than average.
Salaries in Florida not as high generally as up north, they have a saying for Florida, "You get paid in sunshine."

 

[blauvelt]

I'm biased towards Jupiter. Moved there 30 years ago when it was a small town. The only thing on Military trail from PGA to Indiantown rd. was a guy selling tomatoes and boiled peanuts. It's grown quite a bit but still feels like a small town to me. My favorite place in Palm Beach County.

 

[EL Pistoffo]

I'm biased towards Jupiter. Moved there 30 years ago when it was a small town. The only thing on Military trail from PGA to Indiantown rd. was a guy selling tomatoes and boiled peanuts. It's grown quite a bit but still feels like a small town to me. My favorite place in Palm Beach County.

Yep, I could live in any part of West Palm Beach, Jupiter would be one of my top picks.

 

[kelemvor]

I live on the west coast, near Clearwater beach. We have some awesome beaches. From what traveling I have done I would say that our restaurant/bar scene is better. We have better sunsets, and in general I prefer topside activities over here. The diving? Not so great. If diving is important to you, go to the ocean side of the state.

That said the east coast does have a few nice dive sites. The USS Mohawk comes to mind. However, you could probably dive a different site each time for the rest of your life on the west coast.

 

[bamafan]

If you want reefs and clear water the East coast is better. If you want decent diving and better spearfishing then the Gulf Coast is better. I personally like the springs so Tampa to Panama City Beach would be my choice. I would recommend renting a place in several different areas before you make the jump and buy something.

 

[jimw]

We live in the Jensen area and like it a lot, but we might well have moved to the Hobe Sound/Jupiter/Juno area if we had been fully aware of the shore diving at Blue Heron Bridge in Riviera Beach. A couple of times a week or more we trek down US1 44 miles to the bridge to dive--going tomorrow morning! Check out the BHB Trolls thread here............further south would also put you much closer to the West Palm airport.

That said, there are a lot of possible shore diving sites in Broward County but it's also more urban. The rest of the state--not much shore diving. Palm Beach and Broward have a lot of wreck diving, so; if you located somewhere around the county line--Deerfield Beach/Boca Raton! You would then be close to both Ft Lauderdale and West Palm airports. Time for an exploratory dive trip?

 

[Tom Winters]

Without having a clue as to your finances, what is the dynamic attraction to Florida?

Depending on your situation - why limit yourself? You may have other ish-ee-yews that preclude retiring to some of the other thousands and thousands of miles of coastal living around the globe, but again, this is something for you both to weigh.

I personally would not live on the Gulf coast or north of Palm Beach county, but other people love it. Even the Keys are a little third-worldish for me, but they might be your nirvana.

Again... all depends on your wants, needs and desires. Best of luck with all this.

 

[Donnah]

We love Key Largo. Gateway to lots of good diving! What's this thirdwordlish thing about the Keys? Lots of interesting people.

 

[cb5150]

We love Key Largo. Gateway to lots of good diving! What's this thirdwordlish thing about the Keys? Lots of interesting people.

I was wondering the same thing.