[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!

[HarryWho?]

Stuart or Palm City.

[OptimusPrime69]

Sarasota.
It seems perfect. Kids, sun , beach, fun, good schools, Let's have a Sarasota party!!!

[SoFLGal]

Originally Posted by OptimusPrime69

Sarasota.
It seems perfect. Kids, sun , beach, fun, good schools, Let's have a Sarasota party!!!

I second this recommendation. Definitely Sarasota- some of the best beaches, schools, neighborhoods, etc.

[Guitarguy73]

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!

Love it! I'm in the Philly burbs too and often think about moving to FL with the same requirements that you mention. I'd like to spend less to really notice the lower cost of living.

Good luck in the search!

[chopchop0]

St Johns county (Ponte Vedra/St Augustine), Brevard (Cocoa Beach/Melbourne) or Sarasota.... you've got beaches, nice areas and good schools.

[smarino]

The Everglades. If they can survive there, they can survive anywhere when they grow up.

Well, maybe not Detroit.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by chopchop0

St Johns County (Ponte Vedra/St Augustine), Brevard (Cocoa Beach/Melbourne) or Sarasota.... you've got beaches, nice areas and good schools.

Originally Posted by HarryWho?

Stuart or Palm City.

I agree with these options as you more or less have the definitive list of most family-friendly in terms of numbers of young families, good schools, affordability and things to do. I would most recommend St Johns County given it's very close proximity to Jacksonville's job market which is along with South Florida (Miami/Fort Lauderdale/West Palm Beach) the most thriving in the state, yet with a much lower cost of living. A darkhorse option could be Nassau County which is just north of Jacksonville and much less developed. The schools are quite good (ranked #11 out of 67 counties in Florida) and the commute a good bit easier to/from Jacksonville. Check out Fernandina Beach/Amelia Island and Yulee.

[Robyn55]

OP - what is your "dream house"? Depending on what it is - $1 million may not get you very far in any part of Florida you find attractive.

Note that there aren't many areas of Florida with real lakes (as opposed to man made retention ponds). And that water activities in these bodies of water can present health dangers:

Florida issues warning about rare, brain-eating amoeba - CNN.com

Also - many of these lakes can dry up during drought periods. Like the one we had in '98-99. E.g.,

A More Ancient World: The Fall and Rise of Lake Jackson

Have you looked at Florida river frontage? Like along the St. Johns River? There are other rivers in Florida. Some - like the Suwanee in the Manatee Springs Park area - very beautiful (Jimmy Buffett owned a house there). But they tend to be in more remote areas.

Also - people in my neck of the woods engage in some of the activities you're talking about on the intracoastal waterway (the ICW is usually less crowded here than it is in south Florida).

Finally - there's a possible wrinkle in your plans if you don't live directly on the water. Many/most HOAs in the price range you're considering won't allow you to keep a trailered boat on your property. Mine won't. So you have to dock/keep your boat off premises (we do have waterfront houses here - but they go for considerably more than $1 million - e.g. 100 HARBOURMASTER CT - Listing # 702007 - Jesse Killebrew). There are ICW homes in this area that aren't in HOAs (especially along Roscoe Blvd.). Where they don't have rules like this. But - again - you're talking well north of $1 million for those places. Robyn

[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.