[DK715]

My family is currently residing in Palm Beach county and while we love Florida, want to get out of this South Florida "attitude" area. We are looking for a more wholesome envirnment to raise the family, preferable near the beach or some nice lakes.

Looking for any suggestions from our North Florida neighbors.......

Thanks in advance for any help

[pirate girl]

Flagler County- it's still small enough that you can feel a part of the overall community quickly- only 9 schools in the county- 2 hs, 2 middle, 5 elementary. It's large enough that you have some privacy but small enough that you will see people you know out and about very quickly.

It's on the coast so the beach is nearby. The westside of the county is definitely country living- similar to Loxahatchee about 15 years ago.

I transplanted from Palm Beach County in 1998 and have never regretted choosing to make this area my home.

Jobs are an issue in this area- the main industry has been construction and it has taken a beating lately. But if you're looking for that small town feel, it's here.

there is a website called Flagler Online with a local forum. Check it out.

[daytripper]

I'd look at Niceville, Fl. Clean, family oriented, close to all amenities. Good schools. No attitude here. Reasonable housing costs.

[ScrappyNana]

If I were looking to relocate in northwest florida (I already live here in Bay county), I would probably choose something near Crestview/Defuniak Springs. It's beautiful country over there and I think (but don't know) that the job situation over in Crestview gets better all the time.

[2bohemians]

We would have to agree with ScrappyNana & DayTripper -- anywhere from Crestview to Panama City --- lots of lakes, clean beautiful emerald green waters of the Gulf -- it's hard to say which of these communities would best suit your needs -- depends if you want to be on the beach, near the beach, on the bay, across the bay -- we recommend you at least come for a visit .. if you've never been here, it's hard to describe and definitely worth a visit... in regard to employment, it is tough to find decent paying jobs in our area -- most are tourism / service industry related and many of those are seasonal. Things are growing and changing everyday too though. Recently, at a sales meeting, our broker shared with us an estimate of future job growth in our area:

Destin Commons - 2,500
Grand Boulevard - 2,500
Pier Park - 8,000
BRAC - 12,000
New Airport - 7,000
West Bay - 7,000
Est. New Jobs = 39,000

[TriMT7]

A friend of mine recently moved to Crestview and loves it. It's close to Destin and those beautiful beaches!

[sunrico90]

Originally Posted by DK715

My family is currently residing in Palm Beach county and while we love Florida, want to get out of this South Florida "attitude" area. We are looking for a more wholesome envirnment to raise the family, preferable near the beach or some nice lakes.

Looking for any suggestions from our North Florida neighbors.......

Thanks in advance for any help

The areas that the fellow members posted are great choices. I will also include:

Gulf Breeze
Navarre
Fort Walton Beach
Shalimar

[hacholly]

I guess this would depend on how far north you want to go and what your looking for.