Have New England friends and family who say that Florida is better than New England? Do you roll your eyes when they start gloating about their new life in the Sunshine State? Prepare yourself for the next time the conversation ventures down that road by reading these reasons why New England is better than Florida.
Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against Florida. In fact, I like a good trip to the Sunshine State, and there are so many transplanted New Englanders sporting their Patriots gear and Dunkin’ iced coffee that I feel right at home in New England’s honorary seventh state.
But I have to be honest: Despite all of the hype perpetuated by my dear friends and family who have moved hundreds of miles south of the Mason-Dixon line, I’m content with continuing to claim residency in New England.
I know my Florida family and friends may be reading this, thinking that I’ve completely lost my mind, as I think you’ve lost yours for packing up and moving to the South. Thing is, I hear so many people saying that they want to move to Florida or wish they were in Florida that I decided it was important to offer a different, pro-New England point of view. You may wonder why I’d choose New England over Florida – well, here are my reasons, in no particular order.
1. Snowstorms vs. hurricanes
Transplanted Floridians love to tell us how warm it is down there while we’re getting whacked with a good snowstorm. While we’re running to the market to get our bread and milk, they’re taking pictures of the thermometer near their pools and posting them on Facebook and captioning them with phrases like “It’s 80 degrees here!”
Thing is, I love a good snowstorm. I have a sliding door that goes to my back deck, and when it snows, I draw the curtain to the side, make a cup of tea, and watch it snow for hours. Sometimes, in the middle of the storm, I’ll go out into the backyard and just enjoy the unparalleled quiet that comes with snow.
Perhaps as I get older, I’ll feel differently about the magic that snow brings, but for now, I wouldn’t want to live without it.
What I can live without, though, is category 4 and 5 hurricanes. By the time hurricanes make it to New England, they’re usually weak. In Florida during a hurricane? You better board up your windows. Be prepared to evacuate. Oh, and your house may be flooded or knocked down by the wind. Florida’s geography is mostly flat, allowing it to be easily flooded by ocean water.
Flooding can happen anywhere, but do you remember the last time New England’s portion of I-95 was full of bumper-to-bumper traffic due to a hurricane evacuation? Neither do I.
2. Fall!
Florida’s fall is much different than New England’s fall. While Floridians are preparing for the hurricanes as I mentioned above, New Englanders are driving throughout the region on leaf-peeping expeditions while sipping apple cider. We don our sweatshirts to go apple picking and get lost in corn mazes. Can you do this in Florida? Perhaps. But picking apples in 80-90 degrees has a different feel than picking fruit in 50-60 degrees. For me, the cool temperatures that arrive with autumn is a welcome relief from the heat of summer.
See, I’ve always run warm. I’m that guy who never wears long-sleeve shirts and can stand wearing shorts outside until it drops below 50. I love summer, but after two months, I’m not exactly heartbroken to be able to experience cooler temps.
3. Our amusement parks are better.
Didn’t expect me to say that, did you? While I’m sure that a few readers are a bit taken aback by what may seem as my outlandish, controversial statement, yes, I do indeed believe that our amusement parks are better.
New England amusements parks are smaller, less crowded, and not as expensive to enter as the behemoth parks in Florida. (Orlando, I’m looking at you…). I prefer a leisurely day trip to Canobie Lake over a week-long expedition to an overcrowded park.
Heading to a Florida theme park is a commitment: You’re paying for flights, hotels, and food usually to see just one park. (Yes, Disney fans, there are parks within parks, I get that…) If you fly down to Florida just to go to a park, and do nothing else, can you really say that you went to Florida?
Not sure where the nearest New England amusement park is? Check out Visit New England.
4. Basements
The basement is a crucial location in the New England home. For some of us, we need it for practical reasons and use it to house our hot water tank and furnaces. For others, we’ve decided to finish the basement and add to the total living area of our homes. Others use their basements to amass personal belongings that may or may not be sold in the next yard sale.
But due to the high water level in Florida, basements are rare. If you’re used to having a basement and move to Florida, you may want to look for a place that has lots of closet space.
5. No alligators or crocodiles
That last time I went to Florida, a friend pointed out his front yard. Proudly, he told me, “Every day alligators pass my window on the way to the water!” I have no idea why he was so proud to tell me; honestly, I would be terrified if I were outside and saw an alligator sauntering towards me in my backyard. Perhaps I’ve grown too accustomed to our New England forests, where there’s a noticeable lack of dinosaur-like creatures that are ready to turn you into a snack.
I’ll take the deer and the cranky turkey invasion over alligators and crocodiles, thank you very much. Just this point alone is enough to prove to some that New England is better than Florida.
5. You can really enjoy hot chocolate in New England.
Again, yes, I know there’s hot chocolate in Florida. Any self-respecting New England snowbird transplant wouldn’t be able to live too far from a Dunkin’ Donuts, which includes hot chocolate on its menu.
But having a hot chocolate when it’s 70 degrees outside just doesn’t do the trick for me. Hot chocolate is best enjoyed and appreciated after you’ve been out in the cold. In fact, the colder it is, the better the hot chocolate tastes. Can you image wandering through a LaSalette Shrine-style Christmas display while carrying a large hot chocolate when it’s 80 degrees out? Sure, the sights would still be spectacular, but there would be something lacking from the holiday ambiance.
6. The food
Nowhere else does New England clam chowder better than, well, New England. Order clam cakes with a bowl of chowder on the side for a quintessential New England snack. We also have Ben and Jerry’s, of course, along with our infamous Boston cream pie and donuts. Maine is home to the mouth-watering whoopie pie – just don’t tell Pennsylvania; they think these desserts started there. Also, in early spring we harvest maple syrup in Northern New England.
7. Mountains
If you thought that Kansas was the flattest state in the country, you’re in for a surprise. The University of Kansas, trying to set the record straight, took a look at the US geography data and declared that Florida is the flattest state in the country.
The highest point in Florida is Britton Hill, which is 345 feet tall. The highest in New England is Mount Washington at over 6,200 feet. (Side note – Benny and I really should climb up it.)
Up here, we have the White Mountains, the Blue Hills, the Green Mountains, the Berkshires, and the mountains in Maine. These mountains offer a variety of recreational activities, such as hiking, skiing, snowboarding, taking an alpine slide down one of the sides, and simply enjoying the views from the summit.
7. Our Revolution History
One word sums it all up: Revolution! The reason why we don’t have a monarchy is due mostly to the events that took place in New England. The Gaspee Affair, The Boston Tea Party, The Boston Massacre, and the Battle of Lexington and Concord, aka the Shot Heard ‘Round the World, just to name a few, all played a vital role in securing our freedom.
Even after almost two and a half centuries, we’re proud of our role in the Revolution. A trip to Boston’s Freedom Trail will certainly help prove that. Even our football team is called the Patriots, and we have minutemen firing muskets at every home game.
This isn’t to say, of course, that the remaining colonies didn’t contribute to our independence or the present-day states don’t have their areas of historic significance. Of course they did. But New England definitely led the way.
I know if I moved to Florida, which didn’t become a state until 1845, I’d find the lack of Revolution historic markers bizarre.
What reasons did I miss? Do you agree or disagree and why? Let me know in the comment section below.
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Hey Bob, I really enjoyed reading through your list! I completely agree with you on all of them… here in CT we have a ton of people who move to Florida, or visit Florida for vacation then come wintertime it’s nonstop yapping about how much they wish they were there instead, haha. I had no idea about the basement scarcity down there, very interesting! I would add that it’s nice not having sweltering heat in the spring & summer, (although our summers can definitely get quite hot, but not as hot!). I feel like our craft brewery and vineyard scene is a lot better up here. Snow days are always fun, though who knows what the future holds for those now that virtual learning has become the norm. Another perk to living up here is the proximity to major cities along the BosWash megalopolis, whereas down in Florida you can drive for hours and hours before hitting a major city, let alone leave the state. Can’t really think of anything else that wouldn’t just be a subcategory of what you’ve already covered! Thanks for putting it together. Cheers!
Hi Josh, I’m glad you enjoyed reading the post. I wrote it as a tongue-and-cheek type of post…like you, I hear a lot of people who move to FL constantly talk about how wonderful life is there. I have nothing against the state, but as you mentioned, we have a lot up here too. Take care, and the next time we have a snowstorm, take pictures of you and yours having a great time in snow and show your FL friends/family what they’re missing out on. 🙂
So true. I would love for an excuse to leave Florida for almost any place else- and I live on the water, near downtown and close to everything. It’s the sameness day in and day out that is dreary…Especially when w have travelled frequently to New England. So much in close proximity…
I’m glad you liked reading the post! 🙂 You’re welcome in New England anytime.
I live in Tampa, grew up in Palm Beach County and every chance I get I LEAVE. We have always loved New England and toured extensively before picking colleges. We travel mostly in the Fall, but also love Winter, because Florida is hot, hot and muggy, and then nice for 2 months in March and April.