[bigalbinks21]

My husband are talking of moving down to Florida from Ohio. We are both tired of the weather, we really hate the cold and snow. He has a few cousins that live in Shalimar, Niceville and Crestview. We were thinking of Fort Walton beach area and maybe Destin. We would move this summer and our kids will be 10, 8, 5, and 4. What are the areas that are the safest and with the best schools. Where we live now is a small rural town (about 2500 people) We don't mind moving to a bigger city but I just want to feel my kids are safe and are getting a great education. Also, how are jobs down there? Right now my husband sells Volvo, Bmw's and vw so if he had to still sell cars he would like a good imports dealership. Are there many dealerships down there. He also would like to teach at a college. Are there many colleges down there. Sorry for this being so long just want to know as much as I can before we finally take the leap that we have been talking about for 11 years. lol Oh and any recommendations on good apartments that we could rent for the first year, it would give us more time to find a house. But would like the apartments in the same school district so they don't have to change again. Thanks in advance!!

[beachmouse]

Schools districts are by county down here, and while all the schools in Okaloosa County are seen as decent by Florida standards, the east side of Niceville and Destin are seen as the best of the group, with Niceville High as one of the best non-specialty high schools in the state. Very little violent crime in the area unless you're actively looking for trouble, but property crime does happen, mostly to people who don't keep homes and vehicles properly locked.

For an area with a large transient population because of the military, there are fewer large apartment complexes than you'd expect, and a single family home or townhouse rental might be a better option. A good number of rentals show up on the local Realtors' web site here:

EmeraldCoastHomesOnline.com

This can actually be a bit of an expensive area for housing by Florida standards, especially if you're thinking of buying. The Air Force owns about 95% of the county south of I-10 (ie. the part of the county where a lot of people want to live) and the land in civilian/private hands is largely built out at this point, so the lack of supply drives prices upward.

Jobs forecast is better than a lot of the state, about 7.5% unemployment, but it's a very hourglassy labor market- lots of jobs in the services & tourism industry; lots of high tech jobs (the military does a lot of weapons development down here) but it's common for a really mediocre entry level white collar job posting to draw 100+ applicants. I'm not sure of the local car sales job opportunities.

The three medium-to-large colleges in the area are Northwest Florida State College, which is only hiring adjuncts and people with very specific skill sets right know (don't suppose he's a certified radiography instructor?) University of West Florida (currently cutting the number of programs they offer locally) and Troy State (tends to rely heavily on adjuncts instead of full timers). There are a number of other schools with a small local presence that typically involves teaching graduate level engineering classes.

Special Summer 2011 disclaimer: starting the first week in May, the Army is moving 200 families a week into the area as part of a Special Forces Group bed down. If you're also looking for housing at this time, it could get hard to find something you like for a reasonable price, even though a lot of those people are probably going to end up near Crestview in the end.

[Memphis1979]

I'd say Niceville would be the most family friendly place around. There are places in FWB that are ok, but you've got to be really familiar with the area.

Don't count on moving, then finding a job.

Any move to this area must go

1. Find job
2. Find a place to live
3. Hopefully the place where you decide to live won't cost you 6 dollars in toll everyday to get to work.

Schools are really good in Okaloosa county, you really can't go to wrong with any schools in the area.

[Joy333]

I don't live there but many visits and I would choose Niceville!!!!! Best of luck, I sure hate to go thru another winter myself.

[On-da-Beach]

Ohio winters are the reason I moved to Florida...

and never regretted it once!

[BriTnay92]

Destin has a lot of tourism and more jobs Fort Walton is more city.. i would choose Shalimar its out side of Fort Walton it is more of a family community.

[jendea]

Destin is, in our experience, more "upscale" than Fort Walton, but it's a lot busier in the summer too. The main highway that runs through Destin (98) becomes clogged during spring break and at certain times of the summer. However, Destin middle school is supposed to be wonderful and has a nice theater and music program.

We live in Niceville (Plew school district) and have been happy with the elementary school and friendly community since we moved here 3 years ago. Comparing Fort Walton, Destin and Niceville, I would definitely recommend Niceville to anyone moving with a family. We don't have the "hot spot" bars, tourist traffic and vacation businesses that Destin or Fort Walton have. This means we also don't have some of the conveniences. However, we are so close to Destin (just over the Mid-Bay Bridge) that it hasn't been an issue for us.
Blue Water often has rentals of patio homes and condos, although we had to go through a realtor to find something good and also reasonably priced.

The job market, like in most places right now, is pretty bad. Northwest Florida State College is located here in north Niceville, but I'm not sure how often they hire.
The biggest employer in the area is the military, although Destin and Fort Walton obviously both have tourist industries.
Feel free to send me a message if you want more info.

[jghorton]

We (retired) have just moved to the Destin area and are seriously asking the same question -- We are interested in Condo living, but, not a 'condo-hotel'; -- We want a family-oriented area with less tourist/other traffic than Hwy 98 Destin; ---We are willing to pay a fair price for an upscale property, but, do not want to overpay for someone else's rental-management income and HOA fees; We want a stable, residential area with real people who live here as their primary residence

[beachmouse]

Come north of the bay. Something like 95% of the homes up here are occupied year round. The Sunset Beach neighborhood of Bluewater is a little more seasonal than most neighborhoods in the development, but has the kind of upscale condos I think you're looking for.

[jghorton]

Originally Posted by beachmouse

Come north of the bay. Something like 95% of the homes up here are occupied year round. The Sunset Beach neighborhood of Bluewater is a little more seasonal than most neighborhoods in the development, but has the kind of upscale condos I think you're looking for.

Are you referring to Niceville or Shalimar or ???
We would like to stay on the water -- and reasonably close to the Santa Rosa Beach area. --- What is the mid-bay bridge toll for regular trips.