Where are you in FL?

I live near Jax, in Baker County/Macclenny.

What about yall?

Um.... Houston, Tx... but I grew up in FL, mostly in Hollywood.

Currently, I live in Tallahassee, but I was born and raised in South Jacksonville.

Tampa here.

I live in Bithlo, it's between Christmas and Orlando. I'm by the racetrack.

Thank goodness for books! I live in Palm Bay!

i am a happy resident of volusia county. specifically, deltona, although i know all of florida fairly well. have lived in orlando, kissimmee, lake wales, port charlotte, miami, pensacola, belle glade, and west palm beach.

(and if were from bithlo, i wouldn't admit it.isn't that where jeff foxworthy hails from?)

see my website to see the books i've published:

www.andyray.net

Well, I'm not from Bithlo. I live in Bithlo. That's two very different things. And I'm not 'shamed.

I keep moving south - born 'n raised in Jax, college in Deland, living in Altamonte Springs and will probably retire to Sarasota.

Zee, I know Bithlo and you shouldn't be 'shamed.

Jacksonville (East Arlington, or as it's being rebranded, Intracoastal West)

Beautiful downtown St Petersburg.

I grew up in Jacksonville, but I've been living in St. Petersburg for the last 7 years, lovin' the downtown scene.

hmmm.... notice that all of us that grew up in Jacksonville no longer live there.. just an observation.

Myself. I live in Largo. Been in Florida for 23 years, but grew up outside Cleveland, OH.

I'm in South Florida, Pembroke Pines to be exact. I'd give anything to move to Bithlo. I hate SoFla. Too expensive, shallow, dirty and obscene. I grew up in Indiana.

Tasses: LOL. I grew up in SoFLa. It is a strange place. It's everything you describe plus some other things, both good and bad. The light is different there.

trasses -- for peace, friendliness and inexpensive living, set your sights further north than central florida -- northern florida or middle georgia. just returned from there and the difference between the people and country and here (deltona-sanford-orlando-daytona) is as different than large oaks and concrete sidewalks. i sat and talked to complete strangers there for hours. two started the conversations. if anyone walks up to you and says "hello" around here, you grab your wallet with one hand and your knife or gun with the other.(last observation a bit extreme, but not on OBT)

I grew up in Jacksonville Beach area, but have lived in Coral Gables (south of Miami) for the past 7 years. Agree that SoFla is a bit grotesque, but the tropical light is enough to keep me here.

Hi fellow Floridians! I live in the booming metropolis of New Port Richey. Glad to see some fellow Tampa Bay residents here! =) Jill

Sarasota -- been here for 25 years and watched it change from a sleepy little town with a couple of theaters and a run-down art museum to a high-class culture center with lots of theatre, opera, ballet, a first-class art museum, great restaurants, high rise condos and out-of-sight real estate -- despite the downturn in real estate prices. Not really sure which Sarasota I prefer, but the traffic and continual road construction are no fun.

I am here in Tampa, though I grew up in New York state. The book collection just keeps moving with me.

Hi All,

I've lived here in West Palm Beach since I was born.

Beautiful, scenic Stuart...Sailfish Capital of the World. I grew up in Ft Lauderdale and have slowly moved North since I graduated High School back in the day. I'm trying to get away from the crowds but, they seem to keep following me. I just can't leave the beautiful sunshine.

Is Jacksonville in Florida?
wow! what a bummer! i thought it was a transplanted Yankee city.

DAYTONA BEACH, FORMERLY FROM SANFORD/ORLANDO-BUT GREW UP IN SOUTH FLORIDA- MIRAMAR

I'm from Daytona too. ... NSB, spent some time in Flagler. School in Gainesville.
Now living in New Mexico.

Hi, Boondoxx (message 27),

Where in New Mexico are you?
I'm from Raton, toward the NE corner of the state.

I now live in St. Pete, FL, home of the Famous Green Benches! LOL

SpacemanSpiff

I have been a Florida resident since March 2005. I live in Fort Lauderdale now, but in 2005 I lived in Pompano Beach.

I'm in Jacksonville too. Been here for 25 years. I'm a Virginian at heart tho!

My roots are in Putnam County but now call Tallahassee home.

Tallahassee has been my home for almost 20 years although I grew up in south Mississippi.

Miami, FL, allthough I spend weekends in Lauderdale

I'm in Brandon, right outside of glorious Tampa (and by glorious, I am referring to the sulphur smell rising from the Tampa port). I've lived her almost (gasp) 20 years and have pined for the North ever since I moved from Mass. (though I don't pine for that particular state).

Greetings from Palatka!

Hello From Jacksonville :-D

I am in Pensacola, I think I am the only Northwest Floridian here. Been all over though, love Key West, West Palm, not so much...Jacksonville...to crowded.
:)

I, too, am from northwest Florida. I live in the Niceville/Valparaiso area.

Good, so I am not alone. :)

I currently live in Baton Rouge. I grew up in Kissimmee, went to college in Tallahassee, lived in Orlando a while. I just go back from a visit to the Tampa/St. Pete area. I get back to Florida several times a year and may return to live some day.

Hi everyone
I'm a transplanted Californian living in Hobe Sound, FL. I am so happy to join this group!

Long Live Northwest Florida! I'm from Pensacola - I've been here since the 3rd grade and it doesn't look like I'll ever leave. ;) Nice to meet everyone.

I love P'cola! I have been here since I was 10.

44 > Yes, our home does have a certain quirky charm to it!

I'm from Ellenton, south of Tampa and on the Manatee River. However, I'm a transplant from Michigan.

We take converts as long as you agree to learn how to cook southern food and talk like a Floridian.
:)

46> training venue for the US Olympic figure-skating pairs -- all 4 of them!

#47 - I think talking-like-a-Floridian would require three or four different accents, depending on what part of the state your in (and that's only for English). ;)

True...and where I'm from it is almost Alabama....almost....

Florida since 1970. Tallahassee since 1972.

Born in Miami, Now in downtown Hollywood Florida. I love Kendall most of all.

I live in Orlando.

I'm in Viera...just north of Melbourne and east of Orlando.

All the way south....Key West!!

I love Key West. My best friend lives on Sugarloaf.

Tampa here!

I've finished and reviewed Tallahassee's poet-in-residence (Florida State no less) Barbara Hamby's Lester Higata's 20th Century, an ARC from the University of Iowa Press through the Early Reviewers program, in my thread...post #75.

Very, very good collection of short stories!

I'm also in Tampa. Moved here from Ohio in '84 with my parents.

Mailing address says Bradenton, but we're actually in an unincorporated area in East Manatee, pretty much halfway between downtown Bradenton and downtown Sarasota (where I work).

#62 (Cyberlibrariannyc)

Hello from Bradenton. Any writers or reading groups around here? I'm specifically interested in a Poetry Group.

Kissimmee myself ....anybody else??
Peace & Love

Born in St. Petersburg, grew up in Brandon. I live in Valdosta, GA now, but will NEVER claim to be Georgian. Viva la Florida!

Hi emcf! I'm origianlly from Valdosta, Ga. but have lived in North Fl. for almost 12 years. :)

Born in Miami. Raised in Southern Dade County. Live in unincorporated Southwest Miami-Dade County.

Ridge Manor here. If you don't know where that is I'm right in the middle of the state along the Withlacoochee River and just North of Trilcoochee and Lacoochee!!

I live in Orange Park,,south of Jax...been here almost a year and love it,,

I reside in Lake Worth just west of West Palm. Originally from Maine so I kept the Ocean and traded the temperature. Great place to live so far, 2 years and counting.

Stuart, just north of West Palm Beach. Although, it says Jupiter on my profile (close enough). ;) Love it here. Not all of South Florida is bad or overcrowded. It's actually quite pretty and scenic if you know where to settle.

Lots of people here from the Tampa area, and north Florida. I've heard both places are lovely to visit and live.

I guess I'm representing Sarasota, FL! I've lived here for about 1.5 years and it's been great! Beautiful weather, great beaches, a georgous city which is also known as "God's waiting room", and lots of shops! It's awesome! The only complaint is sometimes the heat does get to be a little much. I love the winters down here, except I couldn't do without the snow birds.. ;) They triple the traffic here in the city when they are down here! It's just frustrating and kinda dangerous to have that many old people in one localized area when you think about it...

Hey Y'all-
Born: Palatka (Native child)
Then: St. Augustine & Jacksonville
Then: Kissimmee, St. Cloud, and Winter Garden
Then: Miami Beach, Miami, Miami Shores &
Now: Cutler Ridge
As you can see, it's been a mostly southerly migration over time. Next: Big Pine Key (God willing), but if I'm keep it up, I might end up in Cuba ;)

Indian River County, near Vero Beach. Specifically: Roseland, a tiny town on the St Sebastian River at the north end of the county. Beautiful, natural, uncrowded, largely unspoiled slice of Old Florida here with fantastic light and plenty of wildlife. Refugee from landlocked, car-choked Atlanta as of a few years ago.

Not a lot of intellectual stimulation around here, alas -- so thank god (actually, thank ARPA, CERN, and countless unnamed pioneers) for the Internet and WWW!

I now live in Palm Coast. Was born in Ma and have lived in NH and Georgia. Of all I love Georgia the best.

Been based in Tampa since 1979. Paradise found here on the west coast of FL. Some 4M of us live in the metro 6 county area. That means that one out of 5 FL residents live in the Tampa Bay area.
I discovered LT thanks to a Drew Harris presentation on how best to find genealogical topics at his Tampa PC User Group presentation this May 2010.
I am an adjunct at HCC and am currently interested in the origins or reasons leading to the outbreak of WW1. So I am currently reading Barbara Tuchman's "The Proud Tower" and Norman Stone's "Europe Transformed 1878-1819".

I live in Cutler Bay, a suburb of Miami about 45 minutes south of Downtown. I've lived in the South Miami-Dade area for 20 years. I was raised in Queens, NY. Came down to Miami for college and stayed.

I'm in Jacksonville. I'm a recent Florida transplant from North Georgia. I don't mind the area all that much. Weather's much better in the winter and only slightly hotter in the summer than my hometown of Tunnel Hill, GA.

How recent a transplant are you, Jessica? Have you made the trip out to Chamblin's yet?

(ETA: I haven't posted in this thread yet...I'm also in Jacksonville, lived here all my life, except for my infancy in the Tampa Bay area and a couple semesters at New College in Sarasota.)

I moved here in July, but am just now really exploring the area. I have not made it out to Chamblin's yet. Sounds like a weekend trip is brewing.

Depending where you are in the region, Chamblin Bookmine on Roosevelt Blvd can be a bit of a trek to get to. I went there for the first time last May (!), because I've always lived closer to the beaches and never had a reason to get out there. But the Uptown branch on Laura St in downtown is a lovely spin-off, though much smaller. It has a café and little patio attached...

Orlando Area Here... and I love local used bookstores... you never know what treasure you might find!!!

andi3132

Wesley Chapel...I moved to Florida from New York with my husband and two children in Jan. 2005 and would never even think of going back. Love it here! :)

Bradenton --- moved here from Canada 22 years ago. Would like to summer there and winter here. Or preferably to summer in my native land of Ireland - I do visit there at least once a year (and end up with a load of new Irish books!). I'm on match.com to find a lover who'll do the winter summer thing.

Tallahassee, all my life.

Mount Dora, Lake County, for the past 25 years.

Orlando for 14 years,
Did the keys (Islamorada) for a while,
And now back to Orlando...had to make money somehow.
I miss a lot about the keys but I sure enjoy being able to go buy something when I want it instead of planning a day trip to the store.
I love you Trading Post but you don't sell shoes and cereal is $5!

I live in Orlando and have been here since 1978.

I'm in Port Charlotte, have been here since 2008. Originally from Connecticut where we still go back to in the summer. After the winter they had in Connecticut this year I know we're in the right place.

Born and raised in Florida: Fort Pierce, Bradenton, Hollywood, Miramar, Lake Worth. Went to FSU in 1972 and have lived in Tallahassee ever since, except for 1979-1981.

In the small town of Greenville, east of Tallahassee.

Valrico, Florida. Does anybody know where that is? ;-)

92: Yes, Valrico is very pretty. Lots of big trees.

Delray Beach

Welaka !!

I don't think I've ever been to Welaka. I'm going to google it now to see where it is.

Welaka looks really nice there on the St. John's. I've been to San Mateo and Satsuma, but not there.

34- I live in St Pete and have thousands of books, mostly literature. I reread a lot, which is my rationale for keeping books. It would be fun to meet another booklover, but science fiction is oustside my ken. Do you like poetry?

I just had to reply to this. I moved from Pembroke Pines to Indiana, then retired in the Villages in central Florida! Love it here.

Between Plant City and Brandon?

Fallchick, you are exactly right about where Valrico is. And I know where the Villages are, too. Lots of things there to keep retirees busy!

Kathy, we have book clubs and our own library, so I am never without something good to read if I'm not out doing some fun activity here!

Brandon. I'm a fifth generation Floridian but I've lived out of state since 1998. It's good to be home.

Kathyfl1946: Looks like we are very near each other!

alembics: Ah, you live in the land of my dreams! I was born in Tampa but grew up in Hollywood. I graduated from FSU (fouth generation to do so!) in 1984. I LOVE Tallahassee! It's just about marching band season there. I've spent some very, very hot days on chiefs field this time of you. Enjoy!

Fallchick: what part of Indiana? My husband's job took us to Bloomington, IN for 4 years. Pretty place.

@ 63 -- Leslie Glass is relatively local. She writes police procedurals that have been compared favorably with those by Ed McBain. As for poetry, I have no idea. I don't do poetry.

My original post was #23.

UPDATE:
West Palm Beach, Florida, Jan 1987-Aug 2009. Parkersburg, West Virginia, Aug 2009-present.

Live in Kissimmee, working at Florida Hospital in downtown Orlando :)

Born in Miami, now living in Gulfport...

Grew up in St. Petersburg, but have been in St. Augustine now for about 8 years. Love both cities!

Grew up in Tampa. Medical school in Miami. Now I live in New Smyrna Beach (actually closer to Deltona than New Smyrna Beach). Medical practice was in Oviedo, FL

I live in Spring Hill. Grew up in NY though.

Spring Hill. Wow. I used to live in Brooksville. (I live overseas these days.)

I moved to Jacksonville from Pennsylvania just recently. :)

Hi!! I'm in Miami. Lived here for the last 42 years. :)

We're neighbors, then.

Tampa here

I was born in Lake Worth and have stayed in Palm Beach County my entire life! I am old enough to appreciate our winters and to try to leave in the summer:)

I am headed to Ft. Walton Beach, Okaloosa Island, on September 7, and will do a book signing at Barnes and Noble in Pensacola on September 28.

I'm in Leesburg (no, not the one in VA), Lake County - mile 285 on the Florida Turnpike.

Lakeland, FL (Central Florida) here

Hi neighbor! We're not too far apart.

Palm Bay, Florida

Bayonet Point, Fl. (40 miles north of Tampa/St. Pete)

Wow, we may have enough for a meet-up!

Mount Dora, just north of Orlando. Before that, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale, Deerfield Beach and Pompano Beach. So cool to see so many people from all over the state here. I love our crazy state.

>127 Mariel_Grey: I'm in Leesburg - Royal Highlands.

Some of you within driving distance of the Tampa Bay area may want to come and listen to our guest speakers talk about books at the Florida Bibliophile Society meetings: http://www.floridabibliophilesociety.org/upcoming-event

I'm in St. Petersburg

Born/raised in Brandon, spent a *very* brief period in South GA when I got married and followed that with a tour of my beloved Sunshine State. We've lived in Fort Meade, Winterhaven, Lakeland, Tampa, Englewood, Daytona, and now Frostproof. I'm at least 7th generation Floridian and all five of my babies were born here. Most definitely my home, sweet home. :)

I'm in Ocala.

>132 bigorangecat: Not far from me! I'm in Leesburg.

Miami, FL since 1996 ;-) Kendall branch is my local MDPLS site.

Pinellas county is where I live. Seminole to be exact. Been in FL since 1980.

#135 Bookaholic Cindy

Hi Neighbor! I'm in Pasco County!