[lillybudge]

Our family is looking to relocate to FL...preferably not South FL. The more I read on the forums, the more confused I get! My husband and I have been talking and looking for several years about this.... Now we are getting ready to take the plunge and put our house on the market.

We have two middle school age kids, so good schools are a must. Second on list is safety / crime statistics. A very close third is a sense of community with some natural beauty. I need trees and nature! Originally from Boston, we moved north to escape the concrete and congestion. We need to be able to sit on the back deck and sip coffee without neighbors breathing down our necks

So far, we've been focusing on the Oviedo and Chuluota areas, but I'm not sure our price range of 300K will suffice.... We've visited the towns a few times, but haven't actually been shown houses. It's been tough to get the vibe of these areas too. We'd like to be within an hour commute of a metropolitan area just in case our current employment changes (as we'd probably have better opportunity), but a move is not dependent on finding new jobs from the start.

Hoping for some hidden gem input and recommendations... I know that I could research the area I live now for hours on the internet and still wouldn't get a true sense of the towns. To me, the real scoop comes from the locals.

Help please!!!

[StreetSmarts]

Oviedo is your best bet for sure.

The vibe is pretty typical suburban life. More sense of community in Oviedo than any other parts of the metro area though. People (many) have lived here a long time whereas much of FL in general is very "here one minute, gone the next." A lot of turnover and very transient. I dislike that as well. Safety and schools are good in Oviedo, which is why its one of the more desirable areas for sure. Other areas to consider would be Winter Springs.

[lillybudge]

Thank you!! It sounds like we are looking in the right place

Definitely want to plant our roots wherever we land, so that is great to hear other people do the same! This is why it's so stressful; wherever we go, we intend to STAY and want so bad to make the right choice.

[Fl1150]

Oviedo and so are some of the neighboring communities are nice as well such as Longwood, Sanford and Winter Springs very stable family friendly areas.

[RSWATTY]

You might get more bang for your buck (and even better schools), if you check out Northern St. Johns County, specifically, St. Johns (32259) and Nocatee. It may be hard to find something in Nocatee under 300k, but the St. Johns area should have housing in the mid to high 200s, with the best public schools in the state and lots of neighborhoods that border wetland preserves with nature and privacy.

These areas are 30 minutes from Jacksonville, and less than 30 minutes from St. Augustine, which is a beautiful, historic city.