Key West...good place to live?

[soothsayer1234]

Originally Posted by momof2dfw

The Keys are a fun place to visit or have a summer place but that is it.

1. There is one beach in Key West, Smathers Beach. As someone has already said, the "beaches" are not great as there are not any. Well, some manmade beaches at some resorts but that is it.

2. Hot and HUMID. I'm a native Texan and live in Dallas and people complain about our heat and humidity, even people that have never been here. We have nothing on the humidity in Key West. OMG!!! One day I had on a pair of lightweight, light colored linen shorts, supposed to be cool and "breathe", yeah right. Even they stuck to me and I had to ditch the underclothes as even they were sticking to me so bad it was unbearable. Even a swimsuit (for us ladies, men have it better w/ the trunks) is sweaty and hot.

3. Traffic. Yep, on Key West that is. And I would HATE to have to be in the traffic t evacuate, yuck. They make the road one way on both sides when need be. On Key West itself there is a lot of traffic and parking issues. The other islands are not as bad but Key West is THE tourist destination. Sidewalks can even be packed especially when the cruise ships dock.

4. Price of Real Estate. OMG!!! We looked as we do want to find something somewhere that we could buy. On Duck Key we looked at several as they were on an intercoastal waterway so not as much of a "direct hit" if there was a hurricane but still some damage if not total loss. Not ocean view and a house that would need some major renovations was right at $1M.

5. Want to buy one of those good lots w/ a beat up old mobile home on it and replace it? Forget it. They have been banned. The ones that are in the Keys now have been grandfathered and no new mobiles are allowed. Pick up a real estate magezine that advertises properties for sale and you will see they are full of properties for sale w/ old mobiles that have already been approved for a rebuild for a "stick built" house.

6. I'll have to agree w/ Mr. Turdo, the need for medical care as one ages has got to be important. If I need to get to a hospital asap I don't want it to be by air. BTW, I've always wondered, why is it as people age and need more medical care, why do they move farther away from it? LOL!!!!

7. There are some nicer islands to live on besides Key West that are less crowded but you will have to travel to another island for supplies. Duck Key is nice but the closest real store is on Marathon. I'd even settle for Marathon over Key West.

If your wanting a "true" beach, look elsewhere. The Keys are not going to have a "beach" that you may be accostumed to. Oh, I like how they have the fishing line recycle/disposal boxes for the fishermen. It is a pretty area w/ lots of great fishing and diving and a great place to visit.

Marathon is the closest thing to a "normal" city in the keys......very good
place, and not crazy expensive either

[soothsayer1234]

Originally Posted by macguy

Like a lot of things, Key West falls into the category of "If you have to ask the price, you can't afford it". There are a lot of wealthy people in this country who can afford the keys, it is not for struggling working people.

This is the wisest thing anyone has ever said about Key West. Indeed, think of it in the same way you would think of living in St. Martaan, the Virgin Islands, or Puerto Rico even.......just a place for those with a bunch of bucks to buy a second home and hang out in, or for cruise ship folks to oogle for a night, or for tourists to oogle for a week. Anyone else can figure on working for cheap in the service industry, and lasting maybe a year or so before they get tired of mixing drinks for rich folks, semi-retirees, and foreigners...

[kwmom]

I've lived in Key West for years, and this is not a beach town. If you have a boat, you can take it to some small islands nearby with quiet little beaches. It is however (despite what many have said) a nice place to live. I agree with many, it is not cheap, though the property values have dropped considerably. It's a buyers market right now. Traffic is not so bad if you're not in the tourist areas. My evacuations have been some of my fastest drives out of the keys. Most locals disregard the order to evacuate, the tourists are evacuated a day or two before, and there's only a handful of cars coming in, so I've driven out of the Keys quickly for a couple of hurricanes (I have small children, and parents further north in Florida, so I heed the evacuation orders). Come on vacation, and if you like it, check on the feasability of a move.

[maggsgsr]

Key West is a little weird... But the Keys are Beautiful... They are islands coral hence the reason there are few beaches.... But if you go a half hour up from Key West to Bahia Honda State park... On the North side you have beautiful all natural small white sandy beaches with crystal clear caribean like water.. You can walk out a mile and snorkle right from the beach... On the other end you can rent Kayaks and paddle out to the little island there... And you can go on the boat ride out to the reef....


These are pics of the Kayaking beach... Not as nice as the north side @ sandspur...