Florida Man jokes and presidential election blaming aside, there is a lot to like about Florida. It has warm, sunny weather almost year-round. It has a variety of biomes to enjoy, including the everglades and miles and miles of white sand beaches. There are rural areas and big cities here, and the state’s lack of income tax is a big draw for many. On top of that, you have world-class amusement parks and cruise lines in your backyard. Of course, Florida is a huge state. If you want to move to a city (generally recommended, as moving to a small town makes it harder to locate housing and find work), what is the best fit for you?

Best for Foodies and Perpetual Tourists – Orlando

    In a study conducted by WalletHub in 2016, Orlando was named not just the best city in Florida to eat out, but the best in the entire country, beating out Portland and San Francisco. In Orlando you can find world-class Italian, Chinese, Cuban, Mexican, Japanese, and French cuisine, as well as dozens of restaurants that specialize in classic American dishes. There are some great neighborhoods for exploring these restaurants, including Thornton Park and the Milk District. Of course, Orlando is even more famous for the huge variety of amusement parks located nearby. Disney dominates these offerings, and you could spend a month just exploring Walt Disney World’s multiple huge areas, including The Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Universal Studios is almost as vast, and has a tremendous amount of rides and cool areas to explore, and Seaworld Orlando is a perennial favorite, especially on those particularly hot summer days when you don’t mind being splashed. For more offbeat options, check out Leogland, Gatorland, or Fun Spot America. Despite all of this, most of Orlando is reasonably priced, and the biggest drawback is putting up with Florida heat without having easy access to the beaches (be prepared to drive an hour each way to the coast). 

Best for Beach Lovers and Partiers – Miami

    Miami is the second largest city (only Jacksonville is larger) and a great place for those who love that big city feel. Miami has a capable mass transit system, a beautiful skyline, is a tour destination for big bands and major museum expositions, and four professional sports teams. It has many great beach options that are beautiful nearly year-round, and has a tremendous number of bars, dance clubs, and restaurants for outgoing people who love nightlife. Some of the best places to check out are South Beach, Little Havana, and Wynwood. These are some of the classic party neighborhoods, but Little Havana is an up-and-coming area that young people are moving to, prompting new bars and restaurants to open up. Miami can be an expensive place to live, so pick your neighborhood carefully if you want a balance between a cool atmosphere and an affordable rent. In addition to the still-affordable Little Haiti, you may want to check out 

Best for Penny Pinchers – Tallahassee

    Tallahassee is the cheapest big city in Florida, even cheaper than Jacksonville. The average rent for a one bedroom apartment outside the city center is around $900, and you can find them for under $750 without too much difficulty. For $850 a month you can have you pick of nicer neighborhoods and even the downtown area (though the downtown isn’t as walkable or as cute as you might ideally want). You can also buy a house here pretty easily, with the average sale price coming in around $184,000, and there are many modest homes on the market for between $90,000 and $120,000 that are attractive and in good condition. Tallahassee has a college town feel, being home to both Florida State University and Florida A&M University, and is the most educated city in Florida. Unfortunately, Tallahassee does have some problems with both violent crime and property crime, which is not uncommon for a city this affordable. 

Best for Retirees – Port St. Lucie

    With one of the oldest average populations of any big city in Florida, Port St. Lucie caters to older residents with a robust healthcare system, safe and walkable neighborhoods, and lots of dining and entertainment options that aren’t just oriented towards families with young children and hard-partying 20-somethings. Port St. Lucie has a slightly awkward name and may be less well known that some of the other cities on this list, but with a population of 200,000 and growing, it offers residents all the amenities one would expect of a big city. It also offers some nice attractions, like First Data Field (MLB spring training!), several nice beaches and a beautiful botanical garden. Of course, you are just a short drive from Miami if you want more options. 

Best for Young Professionals – Tampa Bay Area

    Tampa Bay is a large metropolitan area, of which Tampa is the largest city. St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Brandon, Spring Hill, and Lakeland combine with it to form the 18th largest metro area in the US, with a total metro population of over 3 million and growing. There are lots of career opportunities here in healthcare, education, information technology, and legal and business services. Combine these career opportunities with an affordable housing and rental market and a population almost five years younger than Miami and you have a great region for many young professionals. As a bonus, there are many school options for families with young children, including private academies and several well rated public school districts (but not all schools are doing well here; do your homework in this region).