[beachfamily1]

My family and I would like to move to a beach town (anywhere in the U.S.) that is family friendly and not a ghost town in the off season. We have 2 kids (4 & 18 months) and we are in our mid 30s.

We are moving from St. Louis, MO and would would like to rent a home for the next 2 years and plan to buy if we love it there.

Our wants look like this: (I know you can't have everything, but here's the list for a best case scenario.)

1. Safe town for my family including young children.
2. Live walking distance or on the beach
3. Small enough to have a sense of community (park, library, museum, etc)
4. Above average schools and/or support for kids' activities
5. Reasonable access to high speed internet (husand works from home).
6. 15 hours or less (driving) from St. Louis, MO (probably need to stick to the northwest area of Florida, but can live anywhere.
8. Decent cost of living—nice houses available for rent (under $3k month)
9. Aesthetic beauty (prefer old downtowns to strip malls & fast food restaurants). Non touristy feel.
10. Good doctors/hospitals -healthcare


Thanks!

[kshe95girl]

You might want to look over on the redneck riviera, anything on the Atlantic side is going to be too far to drive to STL, I'm in Ocala, and its an exhausting 14 hour drive from here.
Also, please be aware that jobs are scarcer than hens teeth here in Florida, the job market is much better in STL.
If I had it to do over again, I dont know if I would have moved here, to be perfectly honest.
The only place that arent going to have a touristy feel are going to be the small inland towns, you dont want to do that, trust me.
BTW, why do you want to move here, its not like a vacation all year round....

[beachfamily1]

Originally Posted by kshe95girl

You might want to look over on the redneck riviera, anything on the Atlantic side is going to be too far to drive to STL, I'm in Ocala, and its an exhausting 14 hour drive from here.
Also, please be aware that jobs are scarcer than hens teeth here in Florida, the job market is much better in STL.
If I had it to do over again, I dont know if I would have moved here, to be perfectly honest.
The only place that arent going to have a touristy feel are going to be the small inland towns, you dont want to do that, trust me.
BTW, why do you want to move here, its not like a vacation all year round....

We are not looking for jobs, my husband works online so employment opportunites are a non issue. We are just looking for a beach living for the next 2 years before our daughter starts school. We are mostly moving for the adventure. We love the outdoors and warm weather and want to learn to surf. We have never lived outside of St Louis and want to see what it would be like. We are not sure where we want to move (S. Carolina, Virginia, Alabama, etc) we are open to anything. We do not want to live inland but, it would be great to live within 20 minutes of a good inland community while we live on the beach.

[kshe95girl]

Originally Posted by beachfamily1

We are not looking for jobs, my husband works online so employment opportunites are a non issue. We are just looking for a beach living for the next 2 years before our daughter starts school. We are mostly moving for the adventure. We love the outdoors and warm weather and want to learn to surf. We have never lived outside of St Louis and want to see what it would be like. We are not sure where we want to move (S. Carolina, Virginia, Alabama, etc) we are open to anything. We do not want to live inland but, it would be great to live within 20 minutes of a good inland community while we live on the beach.

Glad to know you dont need employment, you wouldnt believe how many people move down here expecting to find work, and then are in trouble because its not here.
I have to be perfectly honest, the only surfing is on the Atlantic side, and even then, its not much, the Gulf is like a bathtub, no waves whatsoever.
The summers here can be pretty bad, think of downtown STL in August, and then imagine it lasting 6 months.
Its also very buggy, lots of mosquitoes, etc.
I'm not trying to discourage you, I'm trying to paint as realistic a picture here as possible.
There is not a great deal of culture here in the way of museums, galleries, etc...
The only town on the east coast I could possibly recommend that might fit your parameters would be Palm Coast.
Its not too far from St Augustine, which can be charming, and not to far from Ormond Beach, which is charming, too, as long as you stay away from Daytona.
Deland is inland a bit, but home to a very nice college, Stetson, has a charming downtown, sits on the St Johns River, and is about 20 miles away from the coast.
If I can think of anything else, I will post, but thats about it, hope I have been some small help.

[beachfamily1]

Thank you great information. I will do some more research on these cities.

[beachfamily1]

Anyone know anything about Surfside Beach, South Carolina?

[daytonadewd]

Generally speaking, most Midwestern folk are fond of the Gulf Coast from Tampa to Naples and flock there. This is important if you don't want to experience culture shock in moving where you can find people who think/view the world like you do now. Otherwise, you could end up in a new neighborhood entirely populated by people from let's say, NJ!

Sarasota (keys), Satellite Beach, Cocoa Beach, Flagler Beach, Ft Myers Beach and New Smyrna Beach are where I recommend you may find happiness.

Good Luck!

[SoFLGal]

You might want to try Anna Maria Island or Siesta Key. Siesta Key Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world with it's power white sand, which is nearly 100% quartz. I know some people would disagree but I'd much rather have powder white sand in the winter than powder white snow. No matter where you are in Florida you're never more than 2 hours or so from the beach.

I love all the sunshine, warmth and bright sunny days. You know that the local paper used to give out free papers if the sun didn't shine. They didn't have to give out too many.

Florida is full of tropical foliage and is a great place for gardeners, year round. People can also enjoy outdoor sports all year long-hiking, biking, walking, kayaking, golfing, etc We have the huge Legacy Trail for walking and biking.

In southern Sarasota county there's Warm Mineral Springs and Little Salt Spring. Warm Mineral Springs is one of the oldest tourist attractions in FL and people come from all over the world to visit.

This area has a wonderful art community with Towles Court Artist Colony, the many art galleries around, every town has a local art center, there are art festivals going on almost weekly, Ringling School of Art & Design and many resources for artists.

For all you sports enthusiast Sarasota has Ed Smith Stadium: Ed Smith Stadium - Baltimore Orioles Spring Training and Charlotte Sports Park: Charlotte Sports Park - Tampa Bay Rays Spring Training

There are many cultural activities, festivals and music events in the area. Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Asolo Theater, The Sarasota Opera, Concerts, Ringling Museum (which I believe is free on Monday's), Golden Apple Dinner Theater, Circus Sarasota, Sarasota Ballet are some of the many venues and events. Siesta Key and Nokomis Beach both have drum circles on various nights in the evening. Sarasota county has free summer concerts in the park.

Punta Gorda has the Florida Airshow where the Blue Angles fly. The Hibiscus Festival, The Redfish Fish Tournament many craft shows. Every city has their own farmer's market.

Punta Gorda Farmers Market: http://www.puntagordashopping.com/farmersmarket.html
Sarasota Farmers Market: http://www.sarasotafarmersmarket.org/
Siesta Key Farmers Market: http://www.siestafarmersmarket.com/
Venice Farmers Market: http://venicefloridafarmersmarket.com/

Boca Grande has the world's richest Tarpon Tournament every year. With so much water everywhere there are tons of activities related. There are lots of fishing guides, kayak tours, etc

Here are some of the many festivals in the area:
JAN Southwest Florida Heritage Festival
JAN Sullivan Street Craft Festival
JAN Sarasota Native American Festival
JAN Manatee County Fair
JAN-FEB Sarasota Jazz Festival
FEB Kids Art Festival at Woodmere Park, Venice
FEB Annual Sarasota Festival of the Arts
FEB Annual Wine & Jazz Festival in Punta Gorda
FEB Bradenton Beer Festival
MAR Sarasota Fair
MAR Sarasota Folk Festival in Osprey
MAR Sarasota Shamrock Festival
MAR Peace River Celtic Festival
MAR Spring Fine Arts Festival in Englewood
MAR Peace River Seafood Festival and Redfish Tournament
MAR Englewood Music Festival
MAR Englewood Fine Arts Festival
MAR Manatee Heritage Days
MAR Florida International Air Show
MAR & DEC Anna Maria Islands Art League Winterfest & Springfest
APR Sarasota Film Festival (http://www.sarasotafilmfestival.com/2010/ - broken link)
APR Annual Siesta Fiesta
APR Charlotte Harbor Kayak & Wildlife Festival
APR Venice Shark Tooth Festival
APR Charlotte County Nautical Flea Market and Seafood Festival
APR DeSoto Heritage Festival Seafood Fest in Bradenton
APR Florida Heritage Festival and Riverfest in Bradenton
APR The Kayak and Outdoor Festival
APR-MAY Sarasota Wine Festival
MAY Giving Hunger the Blues in Southside Village
JUNE International Theater Festival In Venice
JUNE Hibiscus Festival In Punta Gorda
JUNE Boca Grande Tarpon Tournament
JUNE-JULY Sarasota Offshore Grand Prix
JULY Fourth of July Freedom Swim in Festival in Punta Gorda
JULY Wildlife Awareness Festival
SEPT Englewood Pioneer Days
OCT Sarasota Blues Festival
OCT Sarasota Chalk Festival
OCT Hunsader Farms Pumpkin Festival
NOV Sarasota Medieval Fair
NOV Annual Downtown Venice Art Festival
NOV Festival Of Trees in Punta Gorda
NOV Family Music Fest in Osprey
Annual St. Armand's Art Festival Something nearly every month

There are many other festivals and fairs just a short drive away.

Oscar Scherer State Park in Osprey has canoing, camping, hiking, birding, swimming. Myakkahatchee State Park in North Port has trails where you can bring your horses, you can hike along the trails. Myakka River State Park in Sarasota has tons of great FL wildlife, the Myakka Canopy Walk, which is a bridge that is suspended 25 feet off the ground. It extends 85 feet through the canopy and Myakka also has 38 miles of hiking trails. Manatee County has Little Manatee River State Park which runs right along the river. It has camping, hiking, canoing, etc. Don Pedro State Park you can only get to by boat and is like a private beach. I happened to have the great pleasure of living right beside it as a kid. Venice has Brohard Park (http://www.venicegov.com/Park_links/brohard.htm - broken link), one of the only dog friendly beaches around. Venice is also home to Woodmere Park a 36 acre park where you can let your pooch run and play under the big oak trees. These areas are a haven for photographers, bird watching and outdoor enthusiasts. Sarasota county has more than 200 parks, 109 athletic fields and 16 recreation and community centers.

Sarasota Parks: Parks and Recreation
Manatee County Parks: Manatee County Parks and Recreation - Manatee Chamber of Commerce
Charlotte County Parks: Community Services

Also for all the photographers and gardens, Selby Gardens is a must see. It has over 20,000 plants and displays and was named one of America's Top Ten Botanical Gardens.

The Sarasota area is also very kid friendly. We have GWIZ a science museum that caters to kids. The Children's Garden, a whimsical outdoor play area for children. Then there's Jungle Gardens, which is one of the oldest attractions in FL and has flamingo feeding, bird shows, alligators and many other various animals. Spanish Point is a historical site where they have Indian mounds, early pioneer homes and a lots of summer activities for kids. There are YMCA's in every city from Bradenton to Port Charlotte. Sarasota has Mote Marine Aquarium, which gives a wonderful look at the native sea life. They also to a great job with rehabilitating injured animals and returning them back to the gulf. Bradenton has the South FL Museum, Bishop Planetarium and the Parker Aquarium. Stop by and say "hi" to SW FL's very own manatee, Snooty. The Big Cat Habitat in Sarasota is a wonderful place to visit and see the amazing job Rosaire's do with the animals.

Many restaurants offer waterfront dining all the way down the coast. Speaking of restaurants, this area has lots and lots of wonderful, restaurants for any taste. Many mom and pop restaurants. You could spend a whole day out on St Armand's Circle shopping, browsing and stopping in at Kilwin's for some great ice cream. St Armand's has more than 130 shops, restaurants and galleries.

Here are a few of my favorite restaurants in the area:
Pho Cali
Euphemia Haye
Ophelia's on the Bay
Capt Brian's
Two Senoritas
Columbia
Crab & Fin
Yoder's
Casey Key Fish House
Bijou Café
Joto's Japanese Steakhouse
Blasé Café
Pacific Rim
Mar Vista
Sign of the Mermaid
El Toro Bravo
Lazy Lobster
Ceviche
Mattison's

And I have to add Sweet Tomatoes (for the kids) and Ophelia's (http://local.yahoo.com/info-14608433-ophelia-s-pasta-house-nokomis - broken link) (special doggie dining on the porch).

Downtown Sarasota is another all day event with the many eclectic shops and quaint restaurants. There are also some great consignment & antique shops if you make your way downtown. If you're looking to snag a bargain you can try the Red Barn Flea Market in Bradenton, The Sun Flea Market in Port Charlotte or The Dome in Englewood.

Sarasota and Charlotte counties have some of the best schools in the state and also have Pine View School for the gifted, which is one of the top in the nation.

Good luck with your search

[rpmx1000]

New Smyrna Beach has the surfing and pretty decent schools. Port Orange is right next to it but it's a couple of miles to the beach. The beach has great refreshing, pounding waves to stay cool on those hot days! Port Orange is full of 30 something families with great schools and one of the best public high schools in the country. Very safe and family oriented. Atlantic side is the best. I'm from the midwest and we prefer it over the quiet murky gulf waters.

[beachfamily1]

Thank you so much for all the wonderful information!