[Norwegianfamily]

Thank you for a very informative website, although the information-flow is a bit massive for our needs...

We are considering moving to Florida for a short period of time, 6 months, from January 2007 to June. We have two wonderful kids, 4 months and just turned two years.

We have been on vacation in Florida (Fort Lauderdale) a couple of times previously, but that was before we had our kids. Now we are looking for an area that fits our family needs and not the least; this time we are staying for 6 months, not only a couple of weeks on vacation.

Our main priorities:

Why are we travelling to the US/Florida: half a year of a mild "vacation", where we will work a little over the Internet, but mainly learning English better and not the least getting to know some nice Americans.

Type of residence: Rented house, 2-4000USD per month.

Type of area: close to the beach is a plus, but more important is it that the area if family friendly and SAFE.

As specific as possible is really appreciated, and please let us know if you need additional information to help us out.

Thanks!

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by Norwegianfamily

Thank you for a very informative website, although the information-flow is a bit massive for our needs...

We are considering moving to Florida for a short period of time, 6 months, from January 2007 to June. We have two wonderful kids, 4 months and just turned two years.

We have been on vacation in Florida (Fort Lauderdale) a couple of times previously, but that was before we had our kids. Now we are looking for an area that fits our family needs and not the least; this time we are staying for 6 months, not only a couple of weeks on vacation.

Our main priorities:

Why are we travelling to the US/Florida: half a year of a mild "vacation", where we will work a little over the Internet, but mainly learning English better and not the least getting to know some nice Americans.

Type of residence: Rented house, 2-4000USD per month.

Type of area: close to the beach is a plus, but more important is it that the area if family friendly and SAFE.

As specific as possible is really appreciated, and please let us know if you need additional information to help us out.

Thanks!

If you liked Fort Lauderdale, you could look into the areas outside of Fort Lauderdale that are family friendly and about as secure as it gets in America, like Weston and Coral Springs. These areas are very family friendly and among the safest in the state of Florida, and bring you a half an hour to the beach. Finding a home in your price range will be NO problem, but plan on pushing it on the higher side. Weston is probably ideal, as it is very low on the congestion, has a resort-y feeling (it was built as a resort community originally), and is very, very, VERY safe.

The Tampa area also presents a couple of possibilities, but I don't know many specifics.

Boca Raton is family friendly, and pretty safe, and you will be able to live close to the water there as well. Good bet. Palm Beach Gardens also has what you are looking for, as does Jupiter. Weston gets the edge on safeness, but those communities have more to do and/or are closer to the water, but are still secure by most standards!

Naples is absolutely gorgeous, but most certainly not family friendly. Fort Myers and Sarasota have a lot of crime issues. Jacksonville has some great places, but is not as tropical. Honestly, for what you are looking for(and your price range, wow!),those communities South Florida will be your ideal choice

[2peaches2oranges]

I disagree with the Sarasota crime issue mentioned above. I think Naples and Sarasota are good choices for a 6 month stay during season. I would also look at nice island areas like Siesta Key, Anna Maria Island, Boca Grande and Sanibel Island. These all have internet access, are close to the beaches, shopping and you can find nice people anywhere. Those are safe towns and you will see families on bikes, boats, walking and on the beaches! Have a great time next year! Sounds like fun!

[Cougar31]

Florida is very "different" from Norway. I have visited Oslo many times, it is a very safe place compare to florida. Just be aware of it.
My personal pic will be Vero Beach: about 1 & 1/2 hour north of West Palm Beach, small town, very low crime. check it out on google maps.
If you like Oslo, you will like Vero Beach.
Good luck.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by Cougar31

Florida is very "different" from Norway. I have visited Oslo many times, it is a very safe place compare to florida. Just be aware of it.
My personal pic will be Vero Beach: about 1 & 1/2 hour north of West Palm Beach, small town, very low crime. check it out on google maps.
If you like Oslo, you will like Vero Beach.
Good luck.

Weston will probably be more secure (its the safest in the state), but Vero is really pretty and a place they should look into that is good for families.

Now that I come to think of it, SANIBEL IS THE PLACE!!!!!!!!Go Sanibel! That really feels like an exotic vacation. Weston feels like a planned resort with not much to do in the town itself. It's no comparison, I can't believe I even recommended it with so many beautiful places to visit on the gulf. Sanibel is just awesome, as is Anna Maria and Siesta Key. Also, in North Fla, Amelia Island is beautiful on the atlantic. I would really only recomend Weston if you are looking for a relaxing, tropical destination that is close to all that SOUTH Florida has to offer, but you want to come home to a really safe and secure place. She has already been to FTL though, so she ought to try something different.

[Norwegianfamily]

Thank you so much for your help this far! Now we are going to find more information concerning your suggestions, especially Sanibel and Vero Beach seems nice.

Cougar31: Oslo is our hometown

I´m sure we´ll soon have some more questions

[Norwegianfamily]

Hello again... We have started searching for houses to rent in Sanibel and Vero Beach, but Sanibel had none available on Rent.com. The same was the case with Vero Beach, although it was some available in the nearby area (Jensen Beach). Perhaps the number of available places will increase as January come closer?

[jhlcomp]

I have to agree with Fort Lauderdale. I live in Weston, but if you want to experience the tropical aspects of Florida I would look closer at the west coast of Florida. The beaches are far and away nicer than the east coast. From Marco Island north you will have white sand - see sites below.

Best Beaches on the Southwest Coast of Florida
Best Florida Beaches
Best Florida Beaches for Families, Romance, Relaxation and close to Golf Courses

Also -
Florida Tourism - Florida Vacation Reviews - Florida Vacations - TripAdvisor
Even though you are not coming for a vacation, trip advisor does have some excellent information.

Regarding family friendly - I really can not speak to that. There are a lot of rentals on the west coast. Please note that you will be living here during part of the high season and prices will also reflect that.

Please PM me if you would like additional information.

[2peaches2oranges]

Try this Craigslist ft myers / SW florida vacation rentals classifieds - craigslist for Sanibel Island/Boca Grande/Naples

Try this Craiglist sarasota-bradenton vacation rentals classifieds - craigslist for Anna Maria Island, Longboat Key and Sarasota.

When dealing with Craigslist, do not randomly send money. Look up tax records, make sure you are dealing with the owners or their management company!

Happy Vacation Rental Hunting!

[urbandeco]

Yeah, I would recommend looking on craigslist.com. I believe there are many websites also dealing with florida tourist rentals for Europeans. A lot of British and German tourists rent longer term homes and villas in Florida. I would also recommend either Naples (upscale town) Sanibel (Island, nice town, quiet) or one of my favorites-Sarasota(lots to do, beautiful beaches)