[LondonLass]

Hi I am a 29 year old mother hoping to relocate from London with my two daughters to Florida. I have no idea where to start looking as the Florida state is larger then the whole of the UK. I am looking for a better quality of life where my children can spend more time enjoying all that the great outdoors has to offer instead of being cooped up watching T.V all the time,(UK weather is predictable, rain rain and more rain) Schools are a priority for myself as well as my children. I am studying to be a nurse and my children are currently in private education so I would ideally be looking to continue their education in a good private school. I would also like to be within a 20 min drive from a beach (if that is at all possible) and I have up to about $750,000 to spend on a property as the pound is so strong, and the price of property in London is ludicrous but, if your selling and relocating its all good. The one thing I am concerned about is all the talk about crime rates in the US. How bad is the crime, what areas do I avoid?
I would really like some input as to where the best place are on the florida coast for a young family who are used to all the hustle and bustle of London living, yet would thoughly enjoy playing tennis and swimming outdoors and trying many more activities in the sun.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by LondonLass

I would really like some input as to where the best place are on the florida coast for a young family who are used to all the hustle and bustle of London living, yet would thoughly enjoy playing tennis and swimming outdoors and trying many more activities in the sun.

It's going to be very difficult to find anything even close to the hustle and bustle of London in Florida, I'm afraid . New York or Chicago would be much better choices in that regard, but then you're back to the cold and damp weather.

You might want to start by reading through some of the subforum pages - Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa and Miami - get a feel for what these cities are like. If you want hustle and bustle even on a small scale, you're going to need to stick to the larger Florida cities .

Florida is going to be a big change - on every level - from London. I've spent time in London, Dublin, Cork, Paris, etc. and if I was living in any of those cities now, I would stay - I would not move to America. You have a much better quality of life on every level in Europe than we have here in America.

[TriMT7]

Gosh, $750k will allow you to live anywhere you want in Florida, and comfortably.

Unfortunately, "hustle and bustle" and "good schools" don't tend to go hand in hand.

Tampa might be the safest "big city" in Florida. Orlando is only about an hour away. Absolutely no idea about the city though!


How "close" exactly do you want to be to hustle? I know some great safe smaller cities with good schools, excellent housing, abundant recreation and shopping..... but they're 45mins to an hour to Fort Lauderdale and Miami, where the action (good and bad) is.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by TriMT7

Tampa might be the safest "big city" in Florida.

Actually Jacksonville is.10th safest "big city" in the U.S. And as a metro area, Fort Lauderdale is, home to the 10th safest overall city in the U.S (Coral Springs).

I think they should look into Martin County.

[Karry]

Hi London Lass......
If I had that kind of money for housing I would take a look at Surfside Fl.. It's north of Miami and near Bal Harbour. I have friends who live in Surfside, and yes it's posh with nice schools. People are friendly.

Karry

[Karry]

You mentioned that your children attended private schools in England. There is one that I would really choose if settling in Surfside and that would be Miami Country Day School. miamicountryday.org

[ssg II]

What you're used to as the h & b of London does not exist in Florida.
If I were you, I'd check out St. Augustine. For 750, you could afford a great home downtown! Brick streets, shops, restaurants... And the beach is very close. From what I hear, great schools as well.

Cheers!

[5FLgirls]

Hi London Lass:

You're going to be trading rain for humidity. Are you prepared for that? Although I absolutely love Florida, I always found that my kids would complain that it was too hot outside to play when we lived there. As for h & b of London -- the closest you're going to get is probably Miami. Towns like West Palm Beach, Ft. Lauderdale are a slower pace than Miami. Jacksonville, Tallahasee, Gainesville and northern FL are my fave choices weather wise because they get the seasons and they're not solely hot and hotter (but you're not going to get big city feel from them). When you narrow it down, PLEASE visit. Remember that August and September are the hottest months in Florida!

[LondonLass]

Yes I am used to city living but its not how I would like to continue living, I loved the laid back vibe of Florida and just want to bring my children up in a safe environment where the schools and weather are excellent, I have had many response's and am still confused, someone said North Florida someone else said N. Carolina but that is a state I never considered b4 any ideas? Thanks for the responses so far......it all helps eventually

[Roadrunner69]

LondonLass would you marry me, oh sorry I couldn't resist that. Florida education is not the best I would help my kids with their homework, stuff they were doing as a junior I was doing as a freshmen in New York so I'd say private school would be a must. Studing to be a nurse that is the preferred profession here in southwest Fl, but I'm not sure of the pay scale. Either way that profession is always looking for help so you could live just about anywhere you want in the United States. Also remember Florida has to deal with the hurricane season and you never know....