[HarryWho?]

I agree Sarasota is worthy of consideration, but I have to say that Stuart/Palm City is safer, cheaper, and smaller than Sarasota, and Martin county is very wary of development. The schools in Palm city are rated higher. If you're living outside Philly, you'll run into plenty of others from that whole area. There's an easily discernible east coast vibe,while the gulf side is more mid-western,either of which could be good or bad in your opinion. Then of course there's the ocean and sunrises vs. the gulf and sunsets. You really should expect to explore both coasts. One more plus for the east coast is that the beaches are easily accessible, free, and with ample free parking.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by CEckles

Thanks for all the replies!! Seems like I should definitely look into Sarasota... As far as Jacksonville area... I don't think that we want to live that far North. Probably Orlando area or more southern. Nobody mentioned Orlando area (Windermere, Winter Park, Lake Mary is where we were thinking) Any hold backs I should know about?

Congestion, sprawl, higher cost of living versus average salary, crime issue in many areas, very difficult job market in terms of well-paying jobs.

Orlando is the lowest paying metro area in the country - Orlando Sentinel

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

Congestion, sprawl, higher cost of living versus average salary, crime issue in many areas, very difficult job market in terms of well-paying jobs.

Orlando is the lowest paying metro area in the country - Orlando Sentinel

There are decent areas in Orlando, but obviously no beaches

[Papillons2]

Originally Posted by HarryWho?

I agree Sarasota is worthy of consideration, but I have to say that Stuart/Palm City is safer, cheaper, and smaller than Sarasota, and Martin county is very wary of development. The schools in Palm city are rated higher. If you're living outside Philly, you'll run into plenty of others from that whole area. There's an easily discernible east coast vibe,while the gulf side is more mid-western,either of which could be good or bad in your opinion. Then of course there's the ocean and sunrises vs. the gulf and sunsets. You really should expect to explore both coasts. One more plus for the east coast is that the beaches are easily accessible, free, and with ample free parking.

I'll give Stuart/Palm City another "yes" vote. It's a nice small-town atmosphere with very good schools, a surprisingly lively downtown arts and cultural scene, and abundant watersports opportunities not only with the beaches, but also with the St. Lucie and Indian Rivers. Martin County opened a state-of-the-art watersports park in Stuart a few years ago that has several pools, waterslides, etc., and it's been a hit with families. As Harry noted, Martin County keeps the brakes on development and folks there really emphasize environmental stewardship, so I don't see that small-town atmosphere changing anytime soon. Palm City in particular is about as safe as it gets in southeast Florida.

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by CEckles

Thanks for all the replies!! Seems like I should definitely look into Sarasota... As far as Jacksonville area... I don't think that we want to live that far North. Probably Orlando area or more southern. Nobody mentioned Orlando area (Windermere, Winter Park, Lake Mary is where we were thinking) Any hold backs I should know about?

Robyn55 - We may not be able to get our 'dream house' but I guess I don't want to feel like I settled... Would like 4500+ sqft, nice pool/outdoor area.. nice upgrades, etc. Doesn't have to be waterfront... I don't think that docking our boat somewhere would bother us. More importantly want it to be a nice area & location with safety & good schools... a family oriented community.

I mentioned in another thread that about 25% of the kids in Windermere attend private schools. Don't know if that's because the families have money - the schools aren't great - or a combination of the 2 things.

FWIW - everyone here seems to be looking for "good schools". Without specifying what "good schools" are. I think for many of you from up north - "good" is kind of code for "white non-Hispanic". Orange County is 22% black - and 28% Hispanic. So I suspect the schools there aren't good by your standards. Note that when I lived in Miami - most of my friends sent their kids to private schools. Even here in SJC - most of my neighbors send their kids to private schools. The schools in Florida aren't that great IMO. And - if I had kids here - I'd probably send them to private schools too. Robyn

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by HarryWho?

I agree Sarasota is worthy of consideration, but I have to say that Stuart/Palm City is safer, cheaper, and smaller than Sarasota, and Martin county is very wary of development...

What does that mean operationally? Boca Raton had the first anti-growth ordinance in the state - and it was ruled unconstitutional. Your best chances of avoiding growth in Florida IMO are moving to a place that is "built out" - or a place where fewer people care to live. Robyn

[CEckles]

Robyn - Thanks for the input! Do a lot of the elementary school kids in Windermere go to private school? I wouldn't mind paying for private high school, but thinking about putting 4 kids through private from K-12 is overwhelming!

Sounds like I need to look into the Stuart/Palm City area too.

Thanks!

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by CEckles

Robyn - Thanks for the input! Do a lot of the elementary school kids in Windermere go to private school? I wouldn't mind paying for private high school, but thinking about putting 4 kids through private from K-12 is overwhelming!

Sounds like I need to look into the Stuart/Palm City area too.

Thanks!

I don't live in Windermere - and don't have kids. I'm just looking at the gross statistics. FWIW - adjoining Isleworth has even more kids in private schools - 50%. Some people we know live in Stuart. They're our age - retired - and live there mostly because it's a relatively low priced spread place in SE Florida for waterfront houses with good ocean access for boating/fishing. Other than that - I don't see the attraction. E.g., it's 30 miles away from Palm Beach Gardens (the closest nice mall IMO). 90 minutes ---> 2 hours to take a trip to a nice mall? Thanks but no thanks.

If the cost of sending kids to private school is overwhelming to you - perhaps you ought to reconsider your overall budget/priorities. Our new across the street neighbor is a very young doctor (we're older than his parents!). He paid about $625k for his house. Has 2 kids (about 5 and 1 now) - and I suspect he will eventually wind up with 3 . His older child started Bolles pre-K this year (Bolles is the best private school in this metro area). And he will probably wind up sending all of his kids through Bolles. Just like our across the street neighbors before him. (OTOH - the across the street before that neighbors before that sent their kids to schools other than Bolles - they were Catholic and sent their kids to the best private Catholic schools in town).

Having lived in Florida for 40+ years now - and having traveled from one end of the state to the other both for business and pleasure many many times - I don't think there's any substitute for getting in a car - hitting the road - and poking around the areas you think you might possibly be interested in. Robyn

[HarryWho?]

Originally Posted by Robyn55

What does that mean operationally? Boca Raton had the first anti-growth ordinance in the state - and it was ruled unconstitutional. Your best chances of avoiding growth in Florida IMO are moving to a place that is "built out" - or a place where fewer people care to live. Robyn

"Operationally" it probably means little, but in practice, it must mean something. One has to look no further than the differences between St. Lucie and Martin counties over the last decade. I imagine zoning and "green space" play a role. Not to mention price.

Single-family new house construction building permits: Martin County

2000: 1026 buildings, average cost: $223,300
2001: 947 buildings, average cost: $251,400
2002: 1440 buildings, average cost: $219,400
2003: 1390 buildings, average cost: $240,000
2004: 1243 buildings, average cost: $226,700
2005: 1120 buildings, average cost: $249,100
2006: 936 buildings, average cost: $288,700
2007: 318 buildings, average cost: $425,900
2008: 174 buildings, average cost: $565,100
2009: 106 buildings, average cost: $473,100


Single-family new house construction building permits: St. Lucie County

2000: 1719 buildings, average cost: $102,800
2001: 2146 buildings, average cost: $108,000
2002: 3304 buildings, average cost: $108,100
2003: 6805 buildings, average cost: $106,700
2004: 7613 buildings, average cost: $119,800
2005: 7992 buildings, average cost: $138,500
2006: 4636 buildings, average cost: $131,400
2007: 1690 buildings, average cost: $165,600
2008: 684 buildings, average cost: $143,100
2009: 254 buildings, average cost: $98,300

[lil_fox13]

Originally Posted by CEckles

We live outside of Philadelphia and are seriously considering a move to FL. We are sick of the winters and are looking for a different lifestyle. We originally thought that we liked Orlando, but wanted to make sure I wasn't overlooking any other great places anywhere else in FL. My husband works from home, so location is not an issue. We will be looking for a home in the 1,000,000 range. That being said I don't want to be in an extremely expensive area (read: Jupiter) where a million dollars doesn't get us close to our 'dream' home. We have 4 kids ages 7 & under.

Things we are looking for:
Safe, safe, safe community
Best schools possible
Family oriented town
Fun, modern community with good restaurants, shopping, etc.... or those things nearby (We like Windermere...realize there isn't great shopping 'in' Windermere but there is close by)
Lake community or nearby lake for waterskiing, wakeboarding, tubing
Fairly close to a beach (under 1.5 hours)

Thanks so much for your help!

Safety harbor, FL