Bradenton is a medium-sized town, but like a lot of places in Florida, it’s been growing<\/a> by leaps and bounds. It has a similar feel to Sarasota, and it’s close to beautiful white-sand beaches. It’s also very much a boating community. Overall, it’s a nice town and a good place to raise a family<\/a>.<\/p>\n But there are downsides to living in Bradenton. Being so close to the Manatee River means seeing the effects of rising sea levels up close. The city’s roads are prone to sunny-day flooding<\/a>, which happens when rising sea levels and high tides push water up through storm drains, even on clear, sunny days.<\/p>\n Flooded streets in Bradenton, Florida.\u00a0<\/p>\n Courtesy of Lorraine English<\/p>\n When I first moved to Bradenton, the road near my home would flood only a couple of times a year. But over time, it happened more often. Starting about five or six years ago, it flooded nearly every day during the summer, and the water began creeping into people’s yards.<\/p>\n Over time, I also started noticing fiddler crabs in people’s yards. They’re tiny \u2014 about an inch long \u2014 and they burrow in the sand, leaving little holes behind. I remember thinking, “Oh my God, the ocean is starting to take this back.”<\/p>\n I didn’t want to endure another hurricane<\/p>\n Bradenton has become very unaffordable \u2014 and that’s happening all over Florida because of rising property taxes<\/a> and homeowners’ insurance costs.<\/p>\n Two years ago, my homeowners’ insurance with hurricane coverage \u2014 not including flood insurance, which is a separate policy \u2014 went up to $7,000 a year. On top of that, my property taxes were about $3,000 a year. Altogether, I was looking at around $10,000 a year just for insurance and taxes.<\/p>\n Even though I’m financially stable and technically could have afforded it, I didn’t want to keep paying those costs.<\/p>\n The destruction in English’s neighborhood following storms.\u00a0<\/p>\n Courtesy of Lorraine English<\/p>\n I started seriously thinking about leaving Bradenton \u2014 and Florida altogether \u2014 in August 2024, when Hurricane Debby hit. I was completely dumbfounded. My home wasn’t directly impacted, but I saw so many communities completely flooded.<\/p>\n That’s when I truly realized hurricanes in Florida<\/a>, and the impacts of climate change, are only going to keep getting worse \u2014 and they did.<\/p>\n In September, Hurricane Helene <\/a>brought a 7-foot storm surge into my neighborhood. Thankfully, my house didn’t flood, but in some cases, homes closer to the river saw as much as 7 feet of water. Afterward, a lot of my neighbors sold their homes as teardowns. Others decided to completely rehab their houses and stay, or eventually sold them.<\/p>\n The last storm I went through in Florida was Hurricane Milton. The worst damage to my home was to my pool cage. Milton took down one side of it, basically knocked it right down. I spent about $6,500 fixing it, and honestly, I consider myself very lucky.<\/p>\n Asheville, North Carolina was exactly what I was looking for<\/p>\n In 2023, I started looking at other parts of the United States where I might want to live \u2014 places with lower homeowners’ insurance and property tax costs. Asheville, North Carolina<\/a>, was one of those places.<\/p>\n Before moving, I put my home in Florida on the market. It was built in 1951 and was a ranch-style house with three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a garage. The property was really large, with a pool and three 150-year-old oak trees.<\/p>\n When I listed it, I got a contract pretty quickly and even had offers above my asking price. One offer was $25,000 over the list price, but I ended up taking the list price because it was a cash offer. At that point, I just wanted out of Florida<\/a>.<\/p>\n Asheville, North Carolina.\u00a0<\/p>\n Walter Bibikow\/Getty Images<\/p>\n In 2025, I moved to Asheville, and I absolutely love it here. It’s neither too big nor too small, which I really like. It’s also beautiful and surrounded by forests and mountains. I live about half a mile from the Blue Ridge Parkway<\/a>, so there are tons of trails nearby. There are so many songbirds and so much wildlife.<\/p>\n I live in a small community tucked into a wooded area. I bought a three-level condo here, which works out really well because my son lives with me<\/a> and works from home.<\/p>\n I told him, “I’m getting older, and one day you’re going to be my caregiver, so you might as well live with me.” The setup is great because he has his own space on the bottom floor, and I have mine upstairs.<\/p>\n I miss Florida, but I’m not moving back<\/p>\n Asheville does get its share of natural disasters<\/a>, too, but for me, the climate and the change of seasons make it worth it. The summers aren’t boiling hot, and the weather actually feels livable \u2014 especially after dealing with Florida’s relentless heat<\/a> and humidity.<\/p>\n I do miss Florida from time to time, especially my little home and neighborhood.<\/p>\n I had some really great friends in Bradenton, and it was such a nice place to be in the evenings. I could walk west along Riverview Boulevard and see the sunset, or sit under the oak trees in my backyard.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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