[Mish1103]

Hello,
Thinking of relocating to Florida from PA in the next year or two. We are in our mid-40's. Was pretty sure we liked the West coast but more and more people are telling me East coast is better. Ugh....

So, I'm sure it's been posted here 1,000,000,000,000 times but here we go, looking for:

-Safe, clean, quiet neighborhood
-Home Budget $300,000 - $400,000
-2,500 sq ft house (give or take)
-Houses somewhat spread apart 1/3 or 1/5 acre possible?
-House 0-5 years old, or close to that
-Good high school (have two teen girls)
-Job possibilities
-15 - 30 minutes from beach
-No cold at all!
-Low crime
-Love outdoor activities, beach, sun, nature
-Close to shopping, malls, restaurants


Can anyone suggest such area's? Thanks so much!

[tonyff67]

That house and lot size, in your price range? Forget South east florida

Two teenage daughters? Forget anything on the west coast, south of Sarasota. Your daughters will hate you. Anything other than Tampa Bay and Maybe Sarasota, on the west coast, is OLD. Your daughters will be bored beyond belief. Actually, if You're under 100, you'll be bored too.

Your biggest problem is that you don't want Cold. If you want nice winter weather you have to stay south of Lake Okeechobee.
If warm is a must you'll have to change your housing standard or give up your daughters happiness

[unquiltom]

Originally Posted by Mish1103

-Safe, clean, quiet neighborhood
-Home Budget $300,000 - $400,000
-2,500 sq ft house (give or take)
-Houses somewhat spread apart 1/3 or 1/5 acre possible?
-House 0-5 years old, or close to that
-Good high school (have two teen girls)
-Job possibilities
-15 - 30 minutes from beach
-No cold at all!
-Low crime
-Love outdoor activities, beach, sun, nature
-Close to shopping, malls, restaurants

This is one of those "pick 3" situations. You're not gonna get everything on that list in Florida. Pick the 3 most important ones to you and you'll probably find someplace that fits those 3, you'll have to hope to get maybe 1 or 2 of the other 9 requirements of your wish list at that place.

[Mish1103]

tonyff67 & unquiltom, Thank you for the replies! It really helps!! So on the West Sarasota or Tampa area? Are there parts of Sarasota that are younger than others?

Top 3 requirements:
-Safe area & family freindly
-Hot most of the year (I don't mind mild winters, but hubby doesn't even want frost, no cold)
-Must be able to find work. I work at a University (doing purchasing/finance/payroll and hubby is a carpenter) where should we look if we'd like to continue working in those areas?

Absolutely DO NOT want my daughters to hate us...might consider waiting until they graduate from HS, but that is another 4 years...

Thanks all!

[Mish1103]

Also...would Love to be 20 minutes or so from a beach

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by Mish1103

tonyff67 & unquiltom, Thank you for the replies! It really helps!! So on the West Sarasota or Tampa area? Are there parts of Sarasota that are younger than others?

Top 3 requirements:
-Safe area & family freindly
-Hot most of the year (I don't mind mild winters, but hubby doesn't even want frost, no cold)
-Must be able to find work. I work at a University (doing purchasing/finance/payroll and hubby is a carpenter) where should we look if we'd like to continue working in those areas?

Absolutely DO NOT want my daughters to hate us...might consider waiting until they graduate from HS, but that is another 4 years...

Thanks all!

Broward County and Palm Beach County would be your best options utilizing those criteria. Look at places like Cooper City, Davie, Pembroke Pines, Weston, Coral Springs, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Wellington and Palm Beach Gardens.

[tonyff67]

I live on Treasure Island, just west of St Pete. I lived in the SOHO area of Tampa for 15 years.
I don't know much about Sarasota, but hear good things about it from friends.
Hillsborough county(Tampa) is fairly young. I believe the median age is 34.
Pinellas is a bit older. Median age is around 45. St pete is a younger area of Pinellas and has an awesome downtown, as well as being close to the beaches.
Tampa has several cool areas, but Down town isn't really one of them, at least not yet.
Tampa has SOHO/Hyde Park, Ybor city, and the Westshore area. The Westchase area is very nice, though it's more of a suburban area.

Be warned though, it does get cold here. We get a freeze every few years and get into the 30's at night 1 or 2 times every year. Our highs are often in the 60's and sometimes the 50's. That may sound ok, but when we get those tempatures our winds are usually 20-30 mph, making it quite uncomfortable.

[TestEngr]

West Melbourne, we sold our 3900 sq foot house with heated pool/spa, on lake for low end of your budget. No crime, good schools, would be fairly rare event to frost.

Port Orange, similar to above but it might frost on some occasions but not that common.

[Fl1150]

Safety Harbor, Palm Harbor, Satellite Beach, Viera, Rockledge are nice options. Also their is wide range of ages living in Sarasota and down the west coast so don't believe everything someone posts because they are bias. I never prefer a location over another just for stupid reasons.

[bigh110]

Its never been colder than 41 degrees in Key West no frost there!!