[Petertherock]

My short list of places I am interested in is Lakeland and Vero Beach. I have heard good things about both places. Lakeland seems to be a little bit cheaper though.

[joe aloha]

For anyone who may be interested in learning about the cape coral area and fort myers I have some information.I agree with Siren Song 100% I got so fed up with the whiners and negativity on this thread so I thought I would do a little research on my own. I bristled at some malcontent who argued facts are facts and cannot be disputed. For those who want a balanced approach here it goes. The number one and two drawbacks about the southwest area is growing crime and property taxes. I researched 7 counties on the west side of Florida and found that Sarasota and north have low crime in most areas and their property taxes for homes priced between 199000 to 250000 run between 3500 to 5000 per year. These are figures I gleamed from the county commissioners office and sifted through the proposed 2007 budget for the county. I reviewed a web site news-press.com for the Cape Coral/Fort Myers area. In it it has recent crime statistics and it earmarks areas where the complaints originated all or most crimes were being committed in the built up north fort myers downtown area, the same applies for Cape Coral. I looked into real estate.com and got many listings that are outside these areas and are priced extremely well and virtually no crimes are reported in those areas. There have been several tax initatives on the books for the last 3 years as a response to growing property taxes throughout the state and as far as I can tell the new homestead tax reform gives you 25 to 50,000 dollar discounts on the market value of your home when assessing your home for property tax. Florida's unemployment rate is at about 6.5% which is slightly higher than my home state of Pennsylvania but it is in no way a "depressed area". Lee county for example which Fort Myers and Cape Coral fall into is only at about 3.5% unemployment. Florida had more people leave the state than move into it last year which was a first in quite a long time, however it still remains one of the top destinations for people who move out of their areas of origin. In response to the nay sayer that self righteously declared the facts are the facts I say these are the real facts as I understand them to be. As for me I am debating between Hawaii and Florida however it appears Florida is a good destination for a couple that would be termed an "empty nester" which we are except we will be bringing 2 adult children with us. People that have families and children that require constant entertainment it could be a challenge. But fun is what you make it I cannot imagine what people are doing in Maine right now.I really want to say goodbye to 50 years of freezing my butt off every December through April. For me the heat will be a welcome change although I may not say that in August of next year when I am in Florida but then Iwill go swimming in my built in swimming pool with a waterfall!

[theangryblonde]

Hiya Debbie...Have you looked at Deerfield Beach. There's some nice areas (as well as some not-so-nice, you need to check) and it's only a short drive from Boca. There's also Boynton Beach which is about a 30 minute drive.

As most have said, there's good and bad everywhere...unfortunately, there's a lot who like to focus on the negative, instead of the positive.

Good luck with your move!

The Angry Blonde
(I'm not really an angry person...moreso fed up with the nonsense going on in today's world)

Originally Posted by dlibby

We are thinking about Delray Beach just west of 95. Can anyone give some input in that area? My daughter will be going to college in Boca Raton but that is a little more expensive.
I like to be close to everything and want to make sure my daughter is safe driving to and from school. It will be myself my 92 year old mother and 19 year old daughter so conveinience and safety is key!!!!!!!! Also if you know anyone who is renting a nice three bedroom please reply with that info.

Thanks
Debbie

[Daytonadelphian]

I live in Palm Coast and it is very safe. I come from suburban Philadelphia where I can go back to the neighborhood and expect to see the same people year after year or know exactly where they went if they left because everybody's roots run deep in Philly. Florida is different from that because it attracts people from all walks of life from all over the world. People are always coming and going, you will never get away from that. You can rent a new house at a good price in PC, schools are good and there are parks and beaches. We are south of Jacksonville and St Augustine, north of Daytona and Orlando.

[sun45]

Anyone who listens to just a few is not doing their research. I love it here in Florida, i have no regrets from relocating to Hollywood. We have wonderful Neighbors. Never any Police cars or problems where i live. Hollywood Hills, Emerald Hills is a wonderful area. I did my research for two years before moving down. We had originally picked Boca but my Husband fell in love with our Hollywood Beach and he was right, he wanted to be close to that and we are, 3 miles. Within 1-2 miles we have Restaurants, Movie Theater, Shopping, Dentist, Hairstylists, Target, K-Mart, Fridays, Home Depot, you name it. I never drive far to be where i need to go. Groceries, Banks, Aventura Mall is awesome, Pembroke Lakes Mall, Broward Mall, Galleria Mall, etc. We have a kaleidoscope of Restaurants to pick from, on the Intracoastal, to Las Olas, everywhere. Every type of Cuisine. We have nice festivals on the Beach. It is a wonderful family oriented town with many activities to keep you busy, many festivals to visit during the Winter months. We have many Canadians who spend the Winters here. People from all over who come to escape the Winter blues if that is what you would rather do. We decided to move and not have two homes to maintain and i am very Happy we did.

You have to check it out for yourself if you are interested in moving to Florida. Do not take others opinions to heart as the final answer. Everyone has different opinions. My idea of a wonderful place to live is right where i am. There are many towns in Florida that has beautiful Neighborhoods, lots of activities, great weather. Especially during the Winter time. In South Florida most days you can wear shorts, take walks, have your windows open in the House as we have for the last 2-3 months and mine are open till whenever i decide to call it a night and go to bed. We have not had any problems with anyone since my husband and i moved here. We have not experienced any crime whatsoever. Not in our neighborhood nor anywhere we have visited.

We live in a nice, quiet neighborhood off of Sheridan St. We have a wonderful Beach and TY Park to walk, ride bikes, jog, skate, whatever your heart desires and enjoy. There are many things to do here year round.

We have Delray Beach which is nice, Las Olas, Ft. Lauderdale, Boca Raton. Coral Springs, Plantation, Davie and if you want to be futher north, check out Lake Mary, Flager Beach, New Smyrna Beach, Gainesville and for the Gulf, Naples, there are lots of towns in Florida, on the Coast, Inland, Gulf or Atlantic, doesn't take long to get from one side to the other in South Florida. It depends on what you are looking for, where it is best for you.

I would avoid Orlando, Miramar, some parts of Miami, other parts are gorgeous, just check it out at different times of day, time of year etc. Miami Springs is high Crime. Some parts of Ft. Lauderdale, Tamarac, Lauderhill have high Crime. I believe Delray and Boca Raton are both seeing higher crime lately but normally very nice towns. They may have stopped it, you will need to check on that. Avoid West Palm Beach. High Crime.

I called the Police Dept and checked with them about the Crime rates, where i was planning on buying and was told by them that it was a nice Family oriented area with Low Crime. No problems. Nothing is perfect, you have to use Common Sense no matter where you live. Things happen today that never happened before. No where can you live where something cannot happen, nothing is completely 100% sure but i can only tell you we have not experienced any problems nor our Neighbors nor my Friends, not with Vandalism, Theft, Break ins, absolutely nothing. Very Peaceful and quiet Town. Working class Neighborhoods.

People are getting ready for work the next day and they are in bed early. Alot earlier than me lol. Most Businesses are closed by 11pm. If you want a quiet town Hollywood, in Emerald Hills, Hollywood Hills can't be beat and lots of other areas are the same way. If you want Excitement all hours of the night, then i would pick Miami, Miami Beach, Ft. Lauderdale for South Florida.

We found what we were looking for and purchased our Home in '04. I went to School here, Elementary, High School many years ago and returned after my Husband retired. With the SOH that we have with our Property Taxes, after one year, with the Homestead Exemption, i am paying less than i would in my own Hometown. They are working on changes to the Property Taxes and possibly raising the Sales taxes as some other towns are in our Country to alleviate Property Taxes. If it passes, the Property Taxes should lower more.

Come to Florida and check it out for yourself. Now is the time to buy if you are interested, there are many good buys now to pick from. I wish i had lots of money to purchase Property, prices will never be lower than they are now and will be this year and possibly next year. Now is the time to pick up some Bargains before Investors come in again to buy up all the property. I would rather have People who live here year round because it is safer if the Homes are filled year round as ours are. We have very few in our Neighborhood that are Snowbirds, most live here permanently. That is why we experience low Crime, the Neighbors are here, working, going to School, running Businesses. Not running back and forth leaving the home without Residents. When you have lots of Properties that are empty because of living elsewhere primarily, you are going to have more Crime. A higher crime rate. I was told our Neighborhood used to be that way and for a while they had several breakins, there were many who lived here during the Winter only. Now just the opposite, 90% are here year round. Much better to deter crime. Most cannot afford to take care of multiple homes and do it well, as you will see from the many Properties that have been Foreclosed on throughout Florida.

Good luck to those who are considering the Move, just take your time and do your Research. If you do that, you will not be sorry later!!

[sherry07]

can someone tell me a nice town that is safe near dunnellon? my friend wan me to move by her, and i would like to, but the number of sex offenders, and the crime statistics are crazy ................does anyone know of a nice town? or is marion county higher crime rate?

[compelled to reply]

sun45, are you sure you checked with your police department about Emerald Hills? That area is having serious issues with home invasions and armed robberies. It's a beautiful area but that area has had on/off problems with armed robbery and rampant property crime for years. Like you said no area is perfect but Emerald/Hollywood Hills has had some real issues, although mostly close to the main streets. Of course not all neighborhoods have been effected but you do have to be selective, the safer areas are further east or west.

[elemental]

Originally Posted by verobeach

Safety is overrated. If you want to live someplace totally safe, were people look and think like yourself, then plan to be bored. Or move to the Midwest. If you want to live somewhere where there are lots of good restaurants, a mall within a reasonable distance, and shops, then remember that these places are built on the backs of immigrants and minimum wage earners. Along with a low income fringe comes a certain amount of crime. You can't have it all. There are no exciting, fun places in America that don't have crime.

You are absolutely correct. People forget that where wealth concentrates, low income labor is needed to meet the needs of those who have, but do not like to pay. The laborers only dream of having what you do, so they take liberties with your stuff or your family- not a good situation. Be vigilant, diligent and don't flaunt what you have to minimize the risk being targeted. No one can stop random acts. Being tight with your neighbors helps too. When everyone is watching, its harder for the schemers to hit.

[Wilshire81182]

I live in Orlando and the crime is not that high here. It is a gross exaggeration and it is really aggravating because it is very untrue. Rumors like that have an impact on our economy. Crime here, like everywhere else is concentrated on certain parts of town, and there are several safe areas in the metropolitan area. The less urban the area the safer in general, and that is typically true everywhere in the country. Cities attract all types of people into a concentrated area. Anyway, to tell someone to avoid Orlando but not Miami or Ft Lauderdale is a extreme oversight and miscalculation.

[TKramar]

FamilyWatchdog.com

No place in America is "safe".