[ladylydia30]

Hi all,

Thinking of moving with hubby and two young kids from Mass. Our problem we are having right now is where in Florida??? We have a home run business that we can move anywhere, so that's not a factor. Our kids are one and five years old, so we would like to move somewhere with other kids in the area. My main concern is the weather. Most people say go to Orlando (but that gets some bad reviews), my husband seems keen on Jacksonville (but some say high crime) I'm afraid of the coastline due to the weather.

Where is the best place to live in Florida that is not or rarely effected by hurricanes???

Any info would be great.

Thanks,

Lydia

PS Moved to the states from Ireland 13 years ago. Lived mostly in Mass (spent 6 mths in New Hampshire bg mistake!) We really love America and we have worked very hard to be where we are today.

[sunrico90]

The best location to avoid to a certain degree hurricanes is the north central part of the state and they still get some of the force of a hurricane. If you are planning on moving to Florida hurricanes will affect the whole state.

I would say the Northwest an north central part of the state got excellent schools reviews and the crime in not that bad. Please remember that they are many excellent places in central and south Florida, our fellow forum members can tell you about it.

I live in the Northwest side of the state and is a great place. Housing is not that expensive, school are rated A+, jobs are available, and crime is a lot lower.
I would say that Fort Walton Beach, Navarre, Crestview, Pensacala and other towm/cities are small, but got a lot offer. Preview the counties (Santa Rosa, Escambia, Okallossa, and Walton) on the city-forum site. Check their chamber of commerce to see what they offer and they can also provide advice.

Hope this help and hope that your dreams become a reality in Florida.

[tallrick]

Hurricanes are surprisingly rare in Florida. You're much more likely to endure a water shortage. No part of the state is totally safe but if you are at least 100 miles from any coast and above 30 feet elevation you're reasonably safe. Just don't live in a mobile home, or an apartment/condo with a wood roof. There are a lot worse problems in Florida than hurricanes. If you live closer to the coast try and get a home with a poured concrete roof, and put up window protection. If you're not in the storm surge you will be well protected. I would take a hurricane over a tornado or earthquake any day.

[Need_affordable_home]

North Florida is considerabily less expensive than south. If you can live anywhere, theres several other good options. I am in the same boat, because of my home based business(online), I can live anywhere. Texas and Georgia have some sharp(as in nice) houses for under $200k, they would cost half million in my neck of the woods(south Florida) OH and WV have cheap houses in the towns and rural places.

[dizliz0925]

ladylydia30-
See my earlier post on subject 'What Is It Like To Live In Jacksonville?'

Jax crime is not really bad...yes there has been some bad publicity about the murder rate, but most of those have been due to drug related, or domestic violence issues,,,not too many people being killed by random strangers.

As far as Hurricane, Jacksonville is vitually the western most place along the east coast. There hasn't been a direct hit here since 1964 (Dora). However, we have had some close calls, and some strong tropical storms winds/cat 1 hurricane winds over the past few years. However, if you live ANYWHERE in FL, you will mostlike feel the effects of a hurricane (in 2004 , 4 of them criss-crossed the state)

check out map below some areas got hit 3 times (FYI, Jacksonville is just north of St. Johns County on the map, so we felt some winds from Charley, but to be honest, I've experienced summer thunderstorms worse than that)

Please let me know if you have any other questions....

[MrTudo]

Fla is awesome but getting more and more pricey in the nice areas. Since you didn't indicate the type of investment you are capable of making it's not possible to accurately point you in the right direction. However let me say that if you are in a position to invest half of what it costs in a typical suburb of Boston, NY, etc, you would find it akin to living in paradise in S Fla.

And by the way, MOST of Fla is rarely affected by hurricanes. The phenomenon which occured in 2004-5 is not the norm and after all was said and done, didn't create the type of panacea that's been talked about by a certain element who wouldn't find anything positive to write about in Heaven. Check the stats. So relax on that issue.

[MyHomeIsInOcala]

Gainesville to Ocala gets nothing more than some wind & rain with LOTS of Sunshine.

My only complaint is to High heat, home & insurance prices (I am a tightwad!!!!) Argggg!!! But don't mind me, I whine about cold too!

I am sure you would like the area. Also, Marion County has lower utility rates than some of the other central FL counties.

[trunciman]

I lived in Florida for 15 years. I recently moved due to increasing cost of insurance and property taxes. Both my kids went to Florida schools and got a terrible education. I believe the school system is rated 49th in the nation. Most areas are very crowded and traffic very very congested. I have lived in the Orlando area, Jacksonville and Pensacola and I would not recommend these areas. From Gainesville south you also have to contend with tourists and the senior citizens that flood in every November and stress the entire infrastructure. Summers are intolerable. The heat and humidity, especially in the panhandle are like nothing you have every felt. The hurricanes are just the icing on the cake. We must have experienced 8-10 tropical systems with the worst being Hurricane Ivan. It blew the roof off our house and flooded our place of business. It takes 6-12 months of solid work to recover from a major hurricane and you usually have to do the work yourself because the tradesman are overwhelmed. Before you do decide to move, please visit in August or September to fully experience the tropical heat.

[CURT]

Originally Posted by trunciman

I lived in Florida for 15 years. I recently moved due to increasing cost of insurance and property taxes. Both my kids went to Florida schools and got a terrible education. I believe the school system is rated 49th in the nation. Most areas are very crowded and traffic very very congested. I have lived in the Orlando area, Jacksonville and Pensacola and I would not recommend these areas. From Gainesville south you also have to contend with tourists and the senior citizens that flood in every November and stress the entire infrastructure. Summers are intolerable. The heat and humidity, especially in the panhandle are like nothing you have every felt. The hurricanes are just the icing on the cake. We must have experienced 8-10 tropical systems with the worst being Hurricane Ivan. It blew the roof off our house and flooded our place of business. It takes 6-12 months of solid work to recover from a major hurricane and you usually have to do the work yourself because the tradesman are overwhelmed. Before you do decide to move, please visit in August or September to fully experience the tropical heat.

florida is ranked 47 in the nation. it is very important to check county by county. there are alot of bad ones and many good ones. some countys rank in the top 3% in the nation.

[Christian11]

Originally Posted by tallrick

Hurricanes are surprisingly rare in Florida. You're much more likely to endure a water shortage. No part of the state is totally safe but if you are at least 100 miles from any coast and above 30 feet elevation you're reasonably safe. Just don't live in a mobile home, or an apartment/condo with a wood roof. There are a lot worse problems in Florida than hurricanes. I

I would take a hurricane over a tornado or earthquake any day.

Good ponint, TallRick. Hurricanes were bad in 2004 and 2005, but this year (2006) has been VERY good.

In Florida, you need to worry about crime, rising costs of living, staggering wages, and traffic.

Tornadoes are sooooooo scary man. I cannot even imagine how people live in KS and OK!!