[TPRLOC]

Been here since the year 2000, owned 5 houses in TV, originally kept place in N>Y>, but got sick and tired of reaching for a tool or some other item and it was in the OTHER place. So, here I am , and will not be moving.

[Gerrys]

Been here 23 years and still miss NJ Tomatoes. There were the best on my BLT SANDWICHES.

[dsnrbec]

We lived in a valley surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains. They were beautiful in every season — covered in snow, budding a thousand shades of green, or covered in fall color. They were the background of my life and I miss them.

[ThirdOfFive]

My wife has a t-shirt with the logo "Its weird being the same age as old people".

To us, that says it all. Back home in Minnesota, living less than an hour from George Floyd "Ground Zero", the living situation was far less than ideal. Feeling that you had to carry a pistol every time you went anywhere near the MSP metro was a real pain in the bleep, but that is where the best restaurants and shopping (outer ring suburbs, anyway) were. The problem was that the ground zero mentality and environment spreads; even our sleepy little town was not immune.

Other than that the physical challenges were enormous and were getting more so as the months and years went by. Living in a four-bedroom rambler with a huge yard and deck meant maintenance and upkeep that I was progressively less able to do, not to mention having to shovel snow for six months out of the year and driving in conditions that most southerners cannot even imagine let alone cope with. High taxes on income, property and just about every other thing you can imagine. Law enforcement that was becoming pretty sketchy, even in our sleepy little town. All in all, being a senior citizen in that environment was becoming a challenge that was getting progressively harder to meet. It is HARD being old in Minnesota.

But here? I love those "severe weather warnings" when the mercury is supposed to plunge to (gasp!) THIRTY DEGREES ABOVE ZERO. Golf and tennis year round. Anything you could possibly need or want within a 15-minute golf cart ride. Environments tailored to the needs of Seniors. Flowers blooming year round. Excellent law enforcement for the most part. A tan that I don't have to buy. Folks who offer you a ride when you're walking in the summer. NOT having to constantly look back over your shoulder. Clubs for any interest you can possibly imagine. Not having to wake up at 2:00 AM to a strange sound coming from the vicinity of the garage. Lots of people of our age group. Arthritis pain nearly nonexistent for the most part. And so on.

Sure, family is back there, but it is a short airplane ride in either direction and we see a lot of them. Other than that? After three years here I cannot envision myself back in that situation. It's not whether or not you can go back. For us, we don't want to.

[NotGolfer]

We moved here 13 years ago. At first I missed "elements" of where we came from. People actually 'knowing' us and being able to get to dr's, shops etc. within 15 or less minutes. We lived in a small midwestern town close to a large city. Traffic wasn't bad neither and people less impatient as well. The seasons I missed---Spring and summer. Fall's could be very wet and chilly with impending winter, that seemed to come earlier and stayed longer. The ice, snow and cold---do NOT miss that at all. It's true you can't go back to what 'seemed' familiar. People we know continued along with LIFE (as they would here) and a true connection seemed missing. This was my interpretation anyway. I'm very content here. We live in the south now---got used to a new culture and cuisine (many can't seem to). We don't dwell on "what isn't" here as others seem to. Nostalgia is nice....memories (for the most part) are nice too. We have been back but the topography has changed as the places are growing there too. The towns (we've lived in a handful over 50-something years) have all changed. The changes don't mesh with the memories.

[Chamo]

The food especially and for sure the medical care.

[NoMo50]

Not from "up north," more like "flyover country." But, there some things I do miss:

1. Real BBQ. Not the wanna be stuff dished out here.
2. Summers spent boating on lakes without alligators.
3. Homegrown tomatoes and farm fresh sweet corn.
4. The Ozarks.
5. The fully-equipped woodworking shop I used to have.

That said, on the whole, I'd rather be here.

[paulajr]

This is me..I go up kicking and screaming for an obligatory visit once a year.

Originally Posted by PugMom

i don't miss anything but the people i knew. we tried visiting 2 years ago for 5 days, & i couldn't wait to get back here

[Worldseries27]

Originally Posted by dsnrbec

we lived in a valley surrounded by the blue ridge mountains. They were beautiful in every season — covered in snow, budding a thousand shades of green, or covered in fall color. They were the background of my life and i miss them.

agreed. Loved driving thru them on the blue ridge pky. Stopping at grandfather mt ( where forest gump ran the curve) and standing on the 1 mile high swinging bridge was a blast.

[phojo]

I don’t miss a thing,

[CFrance]

I miss Lake Michigan and living at a marina. I miss spending spring and fall at our apartment on the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh, a block from PNC Park and three blocks from Heinz Field (I'm not into calling it Acrisure Stadium yet...). If it weren't for the winter, we never would have moved.

[dougawhite]

Forget 4 seasons, NH has 19:
- Early winter; 1st snow season
- Ice-in season
- More snow (repeats) season
- Sledding/skiing/ice-fishing fun season
- Even more snow season
- Ice heaves season
- Fake spring season (used to be called indian summer, but that's racist now)
- Oops, even more snow season
- First robin season
- Spring
- Mud season
- Ice-out season
- Black fly season (probably also racist now)
- Birds and squirrels season
- Heat wave season
- Tourist season
- First freeze season
- Pretty leaves season (More tourists)
- Leaf raking season

[kendi]

Originally Posted by Michael G.

What do you miss about your northern home state compared to living in Florida?
I think living in Florida is great at my age, but there are times I reminisce after 7 years down here.
We travel back, but it just isn't the same.

For me it has to be the 4 seasons, not the snow and cold, but the change in weather, the fall colors that never seem to last long enough.
The farm fields in summer watching the crops progress from month to month, or the smell of freshly cut hay and miles of corn fields.

Grandchildren, good butchers, (not impressed with the new butcher at Sawgrass) convenient shopping and quality medical care. Will never make this my permanent home and give up my doctors up north.

[Causey]

I don't miss anything, I am a Florida resident now and I am proud to say it!
Sold the home of 35 years on 2.5 acres with 2 outbuildings full of tools and machines of all sorts. My life "up north" was all about work, and I honestly loved it. My life here is all about games, golf, billiards, cards, skeet, going out to eat, etc. etc. Don't even talk to me about work, I am loving retirement!
I can say I have made more friends here in a year, than I did in the last 20 years "up north".
I still own a second home in the mountains, looking forward to selling that too. Been there, done that, on to new things in Florida.
I do meet a lot of people here, living in the past.
Not me, very happy to experience new things here in my new home, Florida.

[Bay Kid]

I am a lucky guy having the best of both worlds, the beautiful Chesapeake Bay and the fantastic The Villages.