Florda and New Jersey

a re-run post.
Snow birds are what we call New Jerseyans who have homes in both NJ and Florida. They winter in Florida and summer in New Jersey.
 The states are very similar as you will see.
Click the photos to see full sized.

Both states have pine barrens 

Millions of acres in fact.. the rest of both states is farms and a few cities thrown in for good measure, though NJ's cities are really New York City and Philadelphia since we are much tinier than Florida.

  Here are the pine barrens in Florida. It is identical to NJ with the same plants  and sugar sand.

photo from Florida web site

Here they are in New Jersey... same sand, same plants:pine, holly, cedar, swamp maples etc.
Either photo can be said to be in Florida or NJ... Georgia lowlands and Carolina lowlands as well for that matter.

photo from nj web site

 Both states have cedar water creeks and rivers which are crystal clear.

 We both have cedar water, that is creeks and lakes stained tea-colored from cedar trees that grow wild amongst the pine trees and hollys. The bottoms of these shallow creeks are white sand and the water is crystal clear.

 Here is the cedar creek right across from me...It and its tributaries crisscross throughout the pine barrens and some are rivers as well.

photo credit unknown

Here is a cedar creek in Florida...
same identical look.

  Here is a photo of the creek by me taken this past autumn:

my own photo

 Bothd have salt marshes

 Florida's salt marshes...

from Pinterest

New Jersey Salt Marsh

My own photo

Both States are peninsulas and have good beaches.

But.....NJ beaches are found in the top 10 beaches in the USA every single year!
New Smyrna beach in Florida has the deadliest shark attacks each year.

 Florida beach on the Atlantic Side:

internet photo of Florida beach

 New Jersey beaches on the Atlantic:

Island Beach, part of my town .. NJ Parks photo

Both states demand bare feet in the sand, summer or winter!   

 New Jersey calls for pink polish:

When in Florida you must opt for red!

What are the differences/disadvantages:

New Jersey White Winters.

If you hate the cold, stay in Florida for the winter! You won't see the white stuff falling.

If you love the idea of a white Christmas and chestnuts roasting on an open fire.. come to New Jersey.
As an extra bonus you will get blazing autumn colors as well.

Which state if more expensive to live in?  New Jersey by far!

While Florida is cheaper to live in with lower taxes and home prices, there are some distinct disadvantages.

For example,  Florida has  humid hot weather for a far longer period of time, worse hurricanes because of higher ocean water temperatures, sink holes, and unlikable, nasty , pushy neighbors.

 Pushy, nosy, Florida style neighbor demanding lunch




New Jersey neighbors also come for lunch by they are by far more loyal,  friendly,and wash their hands before eating.They will also give you a wag of the tail and a kiss if you are lucky.

internet photo

Both New Jersey and northern and central Florida are sub tropical climates with humid, hot summers.
Southern Florida, from Vero Beach and Lake Okeechobee down, is  a tropical climate