69-year-old mother looking for a place to retire...

Re St Pete.  Yes there are spectacularly beautiful beaches a stones throw away - but that's not what drew us there.  I am a city girl.   It was the vibrancy of the city, the culture and the fact that you could live in a charming, house on a quaint residential street and walk or drive 3 minutes to downtown.

Someone once described Florida to me as Gods waiting room.  St Pete didn't feel that way at all. 

cupoftea said:

South Carolina is quite different culturally and politically than New Jersey.  My brother and his family have lived there (in Myrtle Beach) for a number of years (after living in VA, NC, and OR).  Social circles tend to form around church communities and therefore if you are not a member of an organized religious institution it can be a little more challenging.  If your politics tend to the right, you will find many who share your views.  If not, you have to look a little harder.  It is certainly a beautiful state with a low cost of living in general but it is definitely a different "vibe" than SOMa.

I lived in Charleston for 10 years and loved it.  In my opinion,  Myrtle Beach is a bubble outside of South Carolina.  You can find anything in that state, depending on where you look.