FLORIDA, some of the happiest people in America!!

[ZebraCrossing]

LOL! It could be the water but I am sure the traffic/driving conditions have something to do with it. I have never known it take so long to travel just a few miles in a small city at any time of day and if you miss the green/amber light at an intersection it's a text messengers dream and a frustrating wait for the rest of us. Maybe this is why so many drivers run the red light. We thought that we saw some very near misses in Phoenix but it's amazing there are not more accidents on the road here.
We considered moving to Naples but decided that would be like jumping from the frying pan into the fire. If you think the Costco in Fort Myers is busy the one in Naples is a madhouse. I still have the bruises to prove it. The people there seem as unhappy as their Fort Myers cousins.
We will not give up on Florida quite yet and are still looking for a 'happier' place to settle. Maybe the East coast has something more to offer.

[equalrightsforeveryone]

Many of the people that move to SWFL don't check the place out before they move and believe everything they are told about the area, then when they get here they find out otherwise.
Also the government represents the area as something it is not.
Look at Cape Coral according to some this is touted as "Cape Coral THE Venice of SWFL" Now I know a lot of folks will take issue with this But I will tell you this VENICE this is not
Then there is the bit about the "Canals" which are really drainage ditches with wide spots (lakes) in them I have seen a few lakes in my time and lakes they are not
Then you have to deal with the pissy neighbors in some cases, when we moved here our immediate neighbors were all long time residence, and they took real issue with the fact that we were able to buy our property at half the price they paid ten years ago in some cases or the same price they paid twenty years ago. They are very unhappy and some of them never talked to me or my wife yet.
Then there are the screwy city codes that encourage neighbors to become informants on each other and the individuals so inclined are spreading nothing but discord through out the city. They are not happy so the only way to lift them selves up is by causing aggravation to their neighbor to make them selves feel good.
This in many ways can be a sad place and these are but a few things that are wrong with this area and unfortunately are ingrained in to the SWFL region this will take time to change.
On the other hand we moved here because manly we like Nature and this region has some of the most diverse and beautiful of that to offer. Also our neighbor that have moved here recently like us from other parts of the US will talk to you and are nice folks, the younger generation of native floridians doesn't have the prejudices of their older counter parts either they will talk to you and offer help when you need it.
So the main part about being happy with SWFL is up to the individual that comes here, first make sure you move here for the right reasons and secondly ignore the jerks in the neighborhood and concentrate on building relationships with the nice folks.
Then you will be successful and happy with your decision.

[hiknapster]

The Venice of southwest Florida? Hmm. Our family has lived there 30 years and no one has heard of that? Did you visit Cape Coral before you moved there?

Zebra: I agree that traffic in Naples is terrible. Although it is bad in Fort Myers on down, I think that is the epicenter. We had a baby in 2000 - born in Naples - and I was terrified to get on the road with those people. They were very aggressive. On more than one occasion I had grandmas swearing like truck drivers. It's really very sad.

[ChrisA70]

Yeah and it is that wonderful time of the year when the PART TIMERS are here for a whole 4 months to aggrivate all of us who live here year round. They act as if we are in THEIR way. I saw lots of it today on my run to ACE hardware and Publix, oh what fun it was. And the full moon does not help.

[tmozer]

If this is as bad as it gets (the traffic between Immokalee and Golden Gate and the coast and I-75), I have no complaints. Sure some of the lights are long, but traffic always moves. Where I moved from, Central NJ, traffic is always (all year) much worse than anything I have seen here. There (in NJ) is grid lock at many of the intersections and it would not be unusual for me to sit in traffic at a light for 6 or more cycles. I think the roads here are great and the traffic not bad because of wise planning.

[hiknapster]

It use to be a lot worse before the recession hit, that's for sure. I went back last March and I was stunned. It looked like no one went down last year. During the boom years it was gridlock.

The other thing is up in the northeast at least you are going to a job with good pay and bennies. But either way, it's a very different experience for retirees and vacationers compared to year-round people that work.

[tomno00]

I'm in my early 20's and I actually have enjoyed my stay here thus far. At first I didn't like it, but now that I'm settling in, Fort Myers is kinda growing on me. I grew up in the Atlanta area and hated it. I still hate it. Also, it's really hard for me to complain about the traffic when its so much worse there.

I haven't really noticed the depressed people around here... but yet again I hang around people that are successful and have good jobs. The old people dont bother me too much. I actually kinda like standing out. I guess Im not the type of person that needs to be surrounded by tons of friends. As long as I have a couple of buddies I can hang with, that's all I really care about. The thing that I wish I had though is more family here...