So I'm thinking about moving to Key West. People who are from there, or have visited, and like the area what can you tell me about it? What Kind of job opportunities are available, and what should I expect as far as cost of living goes? Also anything else you could tell me would be great.

2/28/2008 3:42:14 PM

Area is excellent but the job market centers around tourism.

2/28/2008 3:44:32 PM

key west is great. i drove all the way down the keys last year and a former teacher used to live there. the cost of living is supposedly really high. i agree that most everything is centered around tourism. you can walk everywhere, its only a few square miles across. it would probably be way cheaper to live in a nearby town, like somewhere between key west and big pine key. you cant beat the atmosphere in key west though.

2/28/2008 8:56:40 PM

His new album was really good. The others...not so much.

2/28/2008 8:58:52 PM

Some years ago, I was talking to the dean of our college and he was telling me about his daughter who lives in Key West. Apparantly, her and a friend would find a job, work two weeks for money, quit, and then party for two weeks, and repeat. I'm not sure how viable an option this is long term since the island is relatively small and employment opportunities are finite, however he indicatd that this was a realtivly common practice that islanders engage in.

2/28/2008 9:33:49 PM

^daddy is helping her out and probably praying this is just a phase

2/28/2008 10:26:02 PM

i have a plane ticket to redeem from my credit card points. i was thinking about going to key west for 3-4 days. is that long enough or should i stay longer?

2/29/2008 12:06:40 AM

I think 3-4 days in Key West is more than enough time to see everything on the island and do what you need to do as far as drinking. However, if you're into fishing or seeing other areas of the keys like islamorada or long key, you might want to spend a week there. The only place I would stay away from is Key Largo in the upper Keys, which absolutely sucks and is pretty much just a tourist trap.
BTW, Long Key state park is a great place to camp. Sites are right on the beach on the Atlantic side, although I think you do have to reserve a spot like on year in advance. It's probably the best place to bone fish in the keys and the bridge to the south is a great place to fish for tarpon at night.

2/29/2008 8:51:34 PM

My girlfriend lived there for about 1.5 years after graduation. She said it was nice at first, but gets old after a while. She was happy to move back to NC in the end.

2/29/2008 10:16:45 PM

A bartender I work with use to bartend down there and made around $80-$90K a year. Bad thing was that he spent most of it on his nights off.

If you want to wait tables or bartend, you can make pretty good bank down there. I'm sure there are other touristy jobs that would allow you to "get by".

3/1/2008 10:15:31 AM

thanks for all the good replies! keep em coming.

3/1/2008 10:22:52 AM

How bout a little help from you. What kind of job are you looking for, what are you willing to do, and/or what are you good at doing?

3/1/2008 10:29:48 AM

The gay population is enormously high. The water is contaminated. The cost of living is unbelievable because of the property values. I wouldn't move there its a more expensive Myrtle Beach full of redneck tourists that love drinking at bars.

It does have a classier population of boaters I guess but you have to deal with Fantasy Fest every year which all the locals seem to loathe.

[Edited on March 1, 2008 at 11:32 AM. Reason : a]

3/1/2008 11:31:53 AM

^^ I'm not sure, I don't have a trade really. I'm looking for something in the boating industry, entry-level, like washing boats, or something like that in the general labor area. my friend is down there now for a fishing tournament and is checking out some leads on jobs, and housing.

on a side note, what do yall think about buying a cabin boat and living in it at a marina? good/ bad idea?

3/1/2008 11:45:48 AM

There are other keys that are nice too. The cost of living in Florida is high and it's astronomical in key west. If you don't mind the flamboyant gay people, it would be a fun place to live for a little while.

3/1/2008 3:38:20 PM