I have to decide between Cocoa Beach area and Key West. Help! (Gainesville: renting)

[oglebee02]

Hi, military family here. We need to decide between the Cocoa Beach area and Key West. We were stationed in Key West several years ago BEFORE we had children and we loved it. We will have a preschooler and a kindergardener this time, and will be there for 2 years.

The schools are very important to us. I know that the Canaveral area has excellent schools. Key West does not (and I feel that I can say that because I worked in the public schools and was shocked). My husband is Catholic and we would consider sending our kindergardener to St. Mary's in Key West. I haven't been able to find any info (online) about a good preschool in Key West...

I'm not concerned with the housing issue in Key West--we'd live on base. I actually liked it last time. Hard to pass up a waterfront shack with our own pier. We would either be renting or buying a house in the Canaveral area.

I really need some opininons comparing the two locations. I've never even been to the Canaveral area, but it does seem nice. Someone suggested Suntree or Viera as far as good family life. My concern with that is that it's inland and I might feel landlocked. (I lived in Gainesville for a year and HATED it...landlocked and no breeze.)

Please reply if you can, with anything about schools (preschools too), recommended neighborhoods, and anything else you can think of that a Mom needs to know.

Thank you very much for your time.