Sunshine State Superlatives Jan 9, 2008
Well, the sun has set on another holiday season, but if it weren’t for the calendar, I’d never have known it. Since our family moved from Michigan in late summer, I keep having to remind myself that this isn’t a vacation. It seems that everything here is simply better than it was up north. Gas is cheaper, the roads are smoother—albeit boring and straight, but they are in much better condition than the moon-like surface of Detroit streets. And the weather is, of course, a wholly different factor in my day-to-day life.
The rest of the immediate family seems to enjoy the sunny Florida lifestyle as much as I do, so it’s strange for us to reminisce about shoveling snow and wearing sweaters for 5 months of the year. As much as I still miss some of our friends and extended family from the great white North, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a good measure happier here. Last year, going to holiday visits with friends and family meant being huddled together in an SUV with the heater on full blast, which is a pretty stark contrast to this year’s trip to pick up Grandma in the Miata (with the top down, of course.)
The downside of the “Florida is great” epiphany isn’t really Florida’s fault at all; it seems that our family wasn’t the only one to take the plunge and uproot ourselves. According to the US Census Bureau, Florida is projected to pass New York in total population by 2011, making it the 3rd most populous state in our country, with 1 of 4 residents on the north side of 65 years old. Sprawl, overcrowding, and depletion of natural resources is sure to follow, making the Florida that my children and grandchildren live in less nice than the one that I enjoy today. However, given the blind choice of Detroit or Orlando in 2030, I think I’ll take my chances here in the sun.
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