It's been over seven years since my husband and I chose to relocate our family from Maryland to Florida. It's a decision I've never regretted once, but living in the Sunshine State is very different from life in the Northeast.
Aside from the obvious things like no snow and exponentially more humidity, there's a different political vibe down South and a lot more Southern hospitality. Plus, Disney World is here, which makes me — a journalist who covers theme parks — very happy.
Since arriving here, we've lived in the same place — a concrete, hurricane-proof bunker of a beach house that's steps from the ocean. My kids, who were 6 and 8 when we arrived in Florida, are now 13 and 15. They've grown up eating mangoes fresh from the neighbor's tree, hanging out at the beach, and spending summers at surf camp.
The life we've built here in our tiny beach town is what I love most about Florida, but such a drastic move is not without its surprises. Here are some things that have given me pause since we arrived as a caravan of cars, kids, dogs, and moving vans in 2016.