[kiddo2174]

Hi,

We are starting to research the possibility of moving to Florida within the next year or so but aren't sure where to begin our search.

A recent job offer requires us to be within 2-3 hrs of Jacksonville and/or Tallahassee. (I realize this is a broad area...)

We'd prefer to be on the West Coast, 20 mins from beach or so...
We have a 5 yr old so we'd like a city/town that has a good school system, family life, safe, etc.

We just have no idea where we should start our search. East Coast is not off limits but so far when we've vacationed in FL we've preferred the Gulf Coast.

We have jobs lined up so that's not a concern at the moment but more where to look for family oriented places.

Any help is appreciated!!

Thank you

[kyle19125]

Destin has great schools and is well known as a "family town".

Welcome to the City of Destin!
GreatSchools.org Search: destin

[deckardc]

Define "family oriented". This means many things to many people.

Any place east of the Port St. Joe area isn't going to have much in the way of beaches. Between Apalachicola and the north Clearwater area, the so called Big Bend area of Florida, doesn't have beaches but mud and mangrove flats. So if beaches are important you probably want to be on the panhandle.

Nothing on the panhandle is within 2-3 hours of Jacksonville. 5 hours is more like it.
Tallahassee is about 2 hours from Panama City. 3 hours or so from Navarre, Fort Walton Beach, and Destin.

The best school districts on the panhandle are going to be Okaloosa County and Santa Rosa County. Escambia County is where Pensacola is located and is one of the worst districts in the state. Navarre (Santa Rosa Co.) is mostly middle to upper middle class and is a very quiet area with nice beaches but there isn't much to do there. Most of the residents are Air Force personnel and retirees. From Navarre, you are about a 30 minute drive (with good traffic) to Fort Walton Beach or Pensacola.

Fort Walton Beach and Destin are in Okaloosa County. Destin is the more upscale area of the two and has more shopping and recreation amenities. Personally, I think the schools are better in Destin even though they are in the same district as Ft. Walton. Ft. Walton Beach (FWB) is not a bad place but has much older housing and not much in the way of recreation. It is mostly Air Force families and Air Force support personnel.

Panama City Beach is about an hour drive from Destin and is more of a resort area. It caters to tourists and has a lot of touristy attractions like go-karts, mini-golf, a Ripley's Believe It or Not, etc. It is a popular spring break destination for college kids and can be down right seedy for 6-8 weeks of the year. It is one of those places that is fun to visit but you probably don't want to live there.

The crime rate on the panhandle is low in general. Depending on where you are moving from, you might find it to be very small and insular here. All of the towns here are small towns compared to places like Jacksonville, Orlando, and Tampa. For that reason, many people like to raise families here. If you really feel the urge to visit the big city, New Orleans is about 3-4 hours, Jacksonville is about 5 hours, Atlanta is about 6 hours, and Orlando is about 8 hours.

[yamahastar]

Tallahassee is nice and not that far from the beach. The closer you are to the coast, either coast, the higher your home owner's insurance and the likelihood you will have to run from storms.