McGookin had a nice summary. I'm certainly no expert, but I lived there briefly years ago. Islamorada gets my vote, Upper Matecumbe Key is one of my favorite places there, but housing is going to cost you and arm and a leg, not much land there. As far as schooling, it seemed like a lot of the locals sent their kids to Island Christian School, but Coral Shores High in Tavernier was the main school and probably the best in the Keys. I though Key Largo was tacky, but it's closer to Miami. I never did explore the "big" lower Keys, like Big Piney Key, but they would be the most peaceful place to be. Key West, touristy. One thing to consider is getting out for a Hurricane. I went to church with an old guy that survived the Labor Day storm in 1935. Things can get rough there. Islamorada is a lot closer to the mainland, and you still have to get through a 29 mile stretch with basically nowhere to get off the road. If anyone reading this happens to visit the Lorelei, toast a drink to me.
LOL Also if you like going out for dinner at 4-30pm Rain storms screwing up every afternoon in the summer Really shit nightlife(that's the whole of Florida except Miami) The cheapest,grimmest local news channels ever created
[i think trading and living down in the florida keys for half the year would be great. That laid back life style would be great for trading QUOTE]Quote from Coldspring: McGookin had a nice summary. I'm certainly no expert, but I lived there briefly years ago. Islamorada gets my vote, Upper Matecumbe Key is one of my favorite places there, but housing is going to cost you and arm and a leg, not much land there. As far as schooling, it seemed like a lot of the locals sent their kids to Island Christian School, but Coral Shores High in Tavernier was the main school and probably the best in the Keys. I though Key Largo was tacky, but it's closer to Miami. I never did explore the "big" lower Keys, like Big Piney Key, but they would be the most peaceful place to be. Key West, touristy. One thing to consider is getting out for a Hurricane. I went to church with an old guy that survived the Labor Day storm in 1935. Things can get rough there. Islamorada is a lot closer to the mainland, and you still have to get through a 29 mile stretch with basically nowhere to get off the road. If anyone reading this happens to visit the Lorelei, toast a drink to me. [/QUOTE]
Ok..and what do you do when you get all the false 'mandatory evacuations' for so called hurricanes...? You will be far better off finding a good coastal spot in Miami or Broward county or even Palm Beach county and visiting the Keys on weekends/long otherwise you will go"troppo'...just like Hawaii...unless you speak Yapaneeeesss... NiN
Great thread. My wife went to high school with a gay guy who's lived in Key West for 6 years. This guy made the dating life (for gays) sound like New York City. He left discouraged. Hopefully, some of the weirdness and extremes of gay culture will be wrung out of the place in the coming years. It's also more "rat-racy" than you think. The time I spent there I walked in the shopping areas and felt like I was being hunted - eyed by shop managers trying to ring every dollar out of the cruise ships that would soon leave (I wasn't doing the cruise ship thing).