Azores forum < moving to azores

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    My 2 cents

    posted by  David T in Azores forum 

    Maybe I can help with some of the questions.
    Just a little background of me.
    I was born here in Toronto and parents are from Terceira. They moved back home in ‘86. At the time I was still in my teens so I moved over as well and spent about 3.5yrs, then came back to Toronto for school. My parents still live there and I go back often. As I am this June.

    Now with the cost of flights that's really extreme. You may want to drive to Toronto which has a large Azorean community and have flights leaving almost daily during the summer. I'm booking a flight for $777cdn taxes in.
    I can't comment on hotel costs since I still at my parents place to stay at.

    When I was there in ‘86 it was a much much different place compared to now. Each visit over I’m amazed(and sadden too) at the progress. The islands are becoming more like North American’ish. Cell phones/multiple cars for each home, 400tv channels.... It's good and bad at the same time.
    After Portugal became part of the EU things changed greatly. Property values have gone thru the roof.

    Weather wise. You can't beat it. Summer temps are very comfortable 25C/77F on average and winter about 15C/59F.
    The whole time I lived there not once do I recall wanting a A/C, summer temperatures are just perfect. Now winter was a different story. Most homes don’t have central heating. Come to think, I don't think I have ever been in a house over there with central heating. The three years I was there my parents never did have a heater. We just dresses in layers.
    Yes, the winters are wet and so are they here just in the form of snow. The Azores do get some wild winds for left over hurricanes. But I never experienced anything extreme, I actually enjoyed the winters it gave me a reason to jump into a bed to stay warm and read a book by candle light due to a power outages. :)

    Now to say the people are cold or unwelcoming I think is a wrong statement. Maybe it's just me. Because of my background. But I have always found people more than welcoming to strangers or going out of their way. I do find a difference between people in a small village and those from the bigger cities. I think you will find that people would be warm to a new resident then not.

    You will have to take note that visiting one island is not going to work. Each island is totaling different

    So taking a trip and only visiting one island and making a judgment would be a mistake.
    There are many cons and pros to each island and that would all depend on what you are looking for, or wanting to do. As in relaxing and not working or planning to work.
    You can live in Sao Miguel With a few hundred thousand people or Flores with a few hundred people

    I hope this gives you some feedback. If not let me know and I will try to answer any questions you may have.

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