[CocoaGirl]

My husband has the opportunity to relocate for employment to either Ft. Lauderdale or Tampa. I would like to know which area has suburbs that are most condusive to a family with children - low crime, smaller "home town" feel, good schools, affordable housing (rent 3/2 for $1000/mo.), good commute time (30-45 minutes) to the city, etc.

We have family in both Port Orange. Is it better to be north of Ft. Lauderdale or east of Tampa?

We are from North East Ohio and are used to a small town environment (one high school only). We live about 45 miles south of Cleveland (nearest MAJOR metro area) where my husband commutes. I wouldn't LIVE in Cleveland but it is good to visit and work in.

Any input would be greatly appreciated as we need to make a decision pretty soon.

Thank you all!

Suzanne
CocoaGirl

[chocomom]

Originally Posted by CocoaGirl

My husband has the opportunity to relocate for employment to either Ft. Lauderdale or Tampa. I would like to know which area has suburbs that are most condusive to a family with children - low crime, smaller "home town" feel, good schools, affordable housing (rent 3/2 for $1000/mo.), good commute time (30-45 minutes) to the city, etc.

We have family in both Port Orange. Is it better to be north of Ft. Lauderdale or east of Tampa?

We are from North East Ohio and are used to a small town environment (one high school only). We live about 45 miles south of Cleveland (nearest MAJOR metro area) where my husband commutes. I wouldn't LIVE in Cleveland but it is good to visit and work in.

Any input would be greatly appreciated as we need to make a decision pretty soon.

Thank you all!

Suzanne
CocoaGirl

I can't speak for the rest of the state, but there is no decent area in Broward county (where Ft. Lauderdale is located) where you can rent a 3/2 for $1000. Heck, there aren't many less than decent areas you can get something for that price!! I pay $1200 (and that's pretty cheap) for a 2/2 1/2.

[milano]

When I see thread like yours, I am always impressed and confused, as how some people have the courage to bring a family down to SOUTH FLORIDA, of all the places...in florida, and with CHILDREN !!if that was not enough.
Look, FT.Lauderdale and Tampa are absolutely NO place for a family with children! A job is not a good reason to bring your family down in a place like that. Now, if for other resons you have to move to Fl, then you can consider many other places...It's a big State. But those places that you mantion are the cess-pool of the State, and children especially, don't deserve to grow-up in such enviroment! This is my honest opinion, however I do whish you the very best of luck!!

[RayC]

I do take issue with the less-than-Chamber of Commerce-like critique of the Tampa area. My wife and I have lived in this "cess pool" for 20 years and, in spite of local government, have watched it mature into a big small town, torn between contemporary growth and cutting the cord with "Old Florida". As with all rapid development, there are pains to go along with the pleasures. Roads and schools are filling up fast. The key to your happiness here will be your commute. Your drive time directly affects your quality of life. I cannot say its a total paradise, but you can still find sizable pockets of country tranquility just East of Tampa into Hillsborough County. Not to mention the beauty of our surrounding counties. Our Grandchildren attend "A" schools(and THEY can spell) and are involved with excellent local sports programs. I could go on. Suffice it to say, this area still has much to offer the Northern transplant, as we once were. Good luck

[Rebecca in Tampa]

Geez, some people should not live here. What keeps people here that hate it so much??? There must be some reason you stay! I am not trying to start a debate, but if you hate it that much move!

I live in tampa (happily) with 2 kids. My kids do go to Private school. But No it is not because I have heard awful things about public schools. I went to Private, my husband went to private. Therefore, we both feel more comfortable with the smaller school. I have friends with kids in Public school here and they do great.

SOooooo with that said. It is going to be a HUGE change, but my parents (who live about 3 hours south of Columbus in Ohio, come down here for 4 months out of the year and LOVE it.

It is not a big Cess pool as the poster has commented! I do think Tampa is a little more resonably priced than Ft. Lauderdale. However, for a 3 bedroom you are looking at 1200 a month for a decent one and as much as 1600 for a nice one.

Your best bet might be to rent a house. There are very little apartment complexes left. (a lot have converted to condo's) So you might find more variety and better prices in a rental house. (especially since there are so many turning to that since they can't sell)

I am totally pleased with living here. I am from Michigan but like I said my parents live in a VERY small town in Ohio and are not overwhelmed w/ the crime and such like it is being protrayed. Yes, it will be a little more than your use to in small town, but I don't think you will hate it.

Rebecca

[SunnyDog]

I grew up in South Florida, it was terrible. 52 weeks a year of t-shirts+shorts, fishing, weekends playing on the beach, playing outside year round, attending Dolphin games + the Miami Grand Prix. Went to the horrid public schools, my best friend got so tramautized by growing up here that he became an electrical engineer for a Fortune 100 company, another friend became a Microbiologist. Have I fed the troll enough?

Rents here are alot more than $1000/mo for a 3 bedroom, $1000/mo. will get you a nice 1 bedroom only. And Ft. Lauderdale is the center of America's 6th largest metro area, so not much small town feel anywhere near it. But I've been to Cleveland in the winter, and I'd pay whatever I could muster to move here before winter sets in.

[calculus]

Yes Sunnydog that is the point. The time you speak about was some years ago. Most of Florida was better years ago. No one cares about 10 years ago. They want to know about now. Oh yea and gas was 89 cents when you went to high school too, right.

[CocoaGirl]

Wow! Thank you to everyone for your input. I appreciate the openess from everyone. It is good to know there are actually folks living in Florida who LIKE it or even LOVE it!

We have family in Jacksonville (Arlington area) and in Port Orange. The Jax area is very congested as the roads have not kept up with the influx of new business and residents. But we have traffic here in the Cleveland area as well. The family in Port Orange absolutely LOVES it! They've lived all over the world with their jobs and they want to make Florida their PERMANANT home.

My husband's whole family lives in the Jacksonville/Ponte Vedra area and we would like our children to be able to see their grandparents more often. Driving several hours to Jax or Port Orange from within FL would be much better than driving 16-20 hours! And flying is just not always convenient.

Yeah, our family who are "Floridians" are well-educated, have decent jobs, and are happy, well-adjusted people. Perhaps happiness lies within the individual no matter where they live!

Thanks again to everyone. I do appreciate your input!

Suzanne

[SunnyDog]

Originally Posted by Byebyeflorida

Yes Sunnydog that is the point. The time you speak about was some years ago. Most of Florida was better years ago. No one cares about 10 years ago. They want to know about now. Oh yea and gas was 89 cents when you went to high school too, right.

My advice is for NOW. 10 years ago, unemployment here was around 8% in Miami. Now it's around 4%. Guess you don't have to work for a living? Just because you couldn't hack it out down here doesn't mean you got to be rude. Enjoy freezing your a$$ off elsewhere.

[MortonR]

I think Rebecca and the others talking about Tampa (positively) are pretty much spot-on. While there are good and bad things about a city of this size, now is a good time to come into the area if you're planning on moving. The real estate market has pretty much tanked, and nothing is moving, so it's a buyer's market. Apartments are rapidly going condo in most areas, so it's tough to find a decent apartment.

I live east of Tampa in a middle/upper middle class area (Valrico) and while no place is perfect, this isn't bad at all. Probably the biggest problem we see since moving here in the mid-90s from the upper Midwest is the growth. The county hasn't made adequate plans to control or deal with it, so some areas are growing well beyond the means of the infrastructure needed to support them.

The FishHawk area is a perfect example, where thousands of homes were built in a short time, but the roads are far from adequate to handle the traffic. Due to increases in materials costs, the likelihood of any improvements being made in the immediate future are slim. The worst part of all this is that they have approved another development in the same area with over 3,000 (more) homes!

Otherwise, the area in general is nice, crime is low, but things like auto and home insurance are pretty high. Think about summer roughly 8-9 months a year - if you don't like hot and humid, don't move. The "winter" months are the one thing that are really pleasurable, as temperatures are very mild and humidity is much lower. As a Midwesterner, I get a kick seeing everyone out with parkas and gloves when it drops into the low 50s.

I am planning on leaving in a few years, but that's more due to a desire to live where there are four seasons again rather than dissatisfaction with the area.

RM