Looking for Info on the Mobile/Pensacola area

[Storm-Chaser]

I'm possibly moving to the Mobile/Pensacola area in the next few months. I'm curious as to whether anyone here has lived in or near both areas and can give me a heads-up on which area you preferred. I'm interested in hearing whether there's an advantage in one area over the other, in terms of the cost of renting and income tax rates.

I know both areas fairly well, having spent a lot of time on the Gulf coast between 1992 and 2005.

 

[SuperchargedSHOguy]

paging Roy...1stSHO

 

[SHO-NUF93]

Dunno about AL, but no state income tax = FL FTW!

 

[Storm-Chaser]

Ding - Ding . . . .

Round One

Florida 1 - Alabama 0


:woohoo:

 

[SHOtime2511]

you don't want to move to Florida.
its so hot down here,you cant even go outside in the summer.
we get hit by Hurricanes every 2 months.
theres no weather,just heat.
it rains everyday.
everyone that lives heres is stupid.

 

[SuperchargedSHOguy]

you don't want to move to Florida.
its so hot down here,you cant even go outside in the summer.
we get hit by Hurricanes every 2 months.
theres no weather,just heat.
it rains everyday.
everyone that lives heres is stupid.

We like beer though, so that makes it all better. Note to anyone wanting to move to FL...you better like alcohol to brave the sweltering hot weather.

 

[JRA2000TL]

Storm Chaser, PM me. I live in Mobile and have relatives in Pensacola. It's only a 60 mile distance between the two cities. I can give you all the pros and cons...more cons though hehe.

Like SHOtime2511 says, it's so damn hot here that any outside activity is not worth doing unless it's on or in the water (that's why I have a jetski and not a SHO right now--jetski is a cool sport for the summer, working on a SHO in a hotass garage in the summer is not).

The hurricanes really suck but if you're not in a flood zone, you're fine--that's the worst part of them. Wind damage isn't as bad unless a tornado is spawned and nails you. What sucks is the "right before" and "right after" parts. All of the backwoods type people think the world is coming to an end and go crazy. You have mile long lines at gas stations, grocery stores get emptied in hours, etc. It's a PITA.

I, for one, prefer the cold and the snow. Give me a heated garage and I'm happy. I am contemplating moving to the Chicago area sometime in the future simply because I'm sick of the heat and the hurricanes. The heat is by far worse than the cold.

Oh yeah, like the other poster said...Florida has no state income tax. AL does, but property taxes in AL are cheaper. Housing and rent are cheaper in AL. You might consider Daphne/Fairhope, AL (Midpoint between Mobile and Pensacola) Certain parts of the AL coast are more elevated inland keeping you out of the flood zone and the worst of the hurricanes. Schools in AL are a joke and FL's are better. Insurance is a helluva lot more in FL than AL. Example....though Pensacola is 60 miles from Mobile, homeowners and car insurance is a LOT higher than in Mobile. FL is a wealthier state and AL is just ass-backwards. You have your rednecks everywhere but it's worse in AL. Pensacola does have a significant share though. Stupid people seem to run rampant in the South. I travel nationwide for my job as an auditor, so I'm not so closed-minded to think in stereotypes but people down here, in general, (not all), move at a pace as if they have no concept of time. Nobody seems to be in a hurry and the general lifestyle is just slow. Drives me nuts...hate it!

PM me for more details and what kind of housing you're looking for.

 

[K-Dawg]

What he said.

 

[SHOtime2511]

i was being sarcastic,i love it here....

 

[JRA2000TL]

Ha ha...I wasn't being sarcastic though! FL is great, better than AL but too damn hot. If the weather in FL was 75 year-round then yeah it'd be the perfect place.

 

[Jonny Cash]

The heat is nothing. i dont even have A/C. I work outside in Miami in the summer. Whoever says its too hot is a pansy.

The heat is by far worse than the cold.

eh.. Spend a good few weeks up north when its teens in the day and single digits at night, windchill below 0, then come talk to me. Last year I paid 500$ in oil bills every month in a half. I had steam furnaces, a fireplace, brand new Anderson windows... This year, oil costs almost a dollar per gallon more.

Id have to agree about the people though. Freakin degenerates for the most part.

 

[Jonny Cash]

On a side note:

Broward and Dade may get SNOW in the next couple days. Tonight it goes down to 40.

 

[SuperchargedSHOguy]

On a side note:

Broward and Dade may get SNOW in the next couple days. Tonight it goes down to 40.

Brevard should get flurries early morning!!! :woohoo:

 

[JRA2000TL]

The heat is nothing. i dont even have A/C. I work outside in Miami in the summer. Whoever says its too hot is a pansy.



eh.. Spend a good few weeks up north when its teens in the day and single digits at night, windchill below 0, then come talk to me. Last year I paid 500$ in oil bills every month in a half. I had steam furnaces, a fireplace, brand new Anderson windows... This year, oil costs almost a dollar per gallon more.

Id have to agree about the people though. Freakin degenerates for the most part.

Been there in the single digits and 19 below wind chill. Chicago is windy as **** and it gets damn cold, so cold it hurts your skin to even be outside. My solution was a long wool coat, scarf and gloves. The snow and severe cold can be a PITA but the 30 second walk to the mailbox in 95 degree heat with 100% humidity really kills me alot worse. You can get warm in the cold but you can't do much in the heat to cool off except drink water or get in the a/c.

 

[Storm-Chaser]

You guys don't know hot. If I move it will be from about three-and-a-half hours north, where we had a 17 out of 21 day stretch above 100° F in July and the average high temperature for the month was 99+° F ! So no whining about 85° weather with a seabreeze.

I recall the blizzard of '77 here in Indiana, and remember -20° F with a -60° F wind chill. Back then three of us in my neighborhood use to pull this deal where I would ask to spend the night at one friend's house, he would ask to spend the night at another friend's house, and the other friend would ask to spend the night at my house. In reality it was an excuse to go out running around all night partying.

Of course, the night of the blizzard I left to meet-up with the everyone, and they all bailed. So I had the bright idea to rough it by myself. I spent the entire night in my '69 Mustang fastback with the heater on high, freezing my ass-off. Ah, the crazy things you do in high school to have fun . . . .

Right now I'm back in Indiana - the high yesterday was 15° F, the low Tuesday night 4° F - winds of 15-to-30 mpg, with gusts in excess of 40 mph.

And I agree, you can always dress well enough to stay warm went it's cold, but there's nothing you can do (outside) when it's hot !

Yeah, when it's cold like this, the inside of your nose freezes-up when you breath, but the snow makes it all worthwhile !


Hurricanes, been there done that. I was on Dauphin Island for Hurricane Danny, when they received 43 INCHES of rain in 24 HOURS ! Been through a few others, but not a major Hurricane.


Hey Shotime2511 - you forgot the near-dead fossil-heads that wander the state, about two city blocks behind the car they're driving!

Oh, and you guys think Alabama and Florida have the corner on bass-ackwards and stupid rednecks?

Hah !


Here's something that will make you laugh.

Everytime [you] drive I-65 through Mobile to where it T's into I-10, there are two signs mounted side-by-side:

"I-10 Florida" with a left arrow
​

and

"I-10 Mississippi" with a right arrow
​

I've always wanted to get up there and place a third sign above the other two:

"Duh !"
​

As I originally posted, I know the area quite well. At one point I was making the run between New Orleans and Pensacola at least once-a-day. I can't even begin to estimate the number of trips I've made across the I-10 bridges across Mobile Bay and Escambia Bay, or the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. It's in the hundreds (thousands for Lake Pontchartrain).

I found out yesterday that the initial screening interview will be in Daphne on the 9th, so I'll be in Mobile mid-week next week (Tues/Wed).

Ideally, I'd like to rent a small house with a garage so I have somewhere to work on the SHO and tools.

 

[Jonny Cash]

You can get warm in the cold but you can't do much in the heat to cool off except drink water or get in the a/c.

Heating costs alot more than cooling, bottom line for me. Plus, women dont run around half ***** in the cold.

And not to mention. Working on cars in the cold blows big nuts. All you need here is an enclosed carport and your straight.

 

[Storm-Chaser]

Ding - Ding . . . .

Round Two (stupid, degenerate, rednecks)

Florida 1 - Alabama 0 (round two called as a draw)

 

[JRA2000TL]

Storm-Chaser, What year SHO do you have? It'll be nice to have a SHO enthusiast around my area. I live in Mobile and my g/f lives in Daphne so I'll be in the neighborhood so to speak.