[floridaboy92]

Like some of the other posters on here have mentioned, consider going above Gainesville for now. South Florida is almost completely built out and pushing against the Everglades.

So now development has made its way to Central Florida. The I-4 Corridor is next to boom (heck, it already is booming) from Tampa to Orlando to Daytona..all of that I reckon will be built out in the next 20 years.

I made a visit to Micanopy last year when I lived in Florida and it was a nice town but nowhere near any beaches. Also check out Cedar Key..and possibly Crystal River, Inverness.

I, like you, despise crowds and tons of people living on top of one another. When I first moved to Orlando in 2011, it was okay, but as the years went on it got way overcrowded and development was out of control. It's sad. Florida is a beautiful place, but too many people want to live there and form their own culture and mentality.

Is your family in North Florida by any chance? Have you looked into Savannah, Georgia? It's a beautiful town next to the water with lots of history and a plethora of activities. Beautiful, mild weather and only two hours from Jacksonville.

[floridaboy92]

Originally Posted by smarino

My experience w/ the panhandle resulted in mostly rednecks and racists, not Southern charm and friendliness. If you really want to go there and not worry about development, Panama City might fit the bill. It's not a particularly friendly town and there is little interesting going on, so I cannot see people moving there in large numbers to develop anything.

Jacksonville may be what you're looking for? I think the idea of the small Southern town w/ polite, friendly people is an obsolete notion. Those places seem to be small minded and insular, and not places I would wish to live in. This nation has become so polarized that you either get liberal cities w/ lots of people moving there (or what passes for liberal down here), or you get Republican enclaves that few people wish to move to. I cannot think of one conservative and Republican city that is rapidly developing.

Naples, FL, Fort Myers, FL, St. Petersburg, FL, Oklahoma City, OK, Colorado Springs, CO, Fort Worth, TX, Gilbert, AZ, Jacksonville, FL, Spokane WA just to name a few.

[floridaboy92]

Oh and Chattanooga, TN

[chopchop0]

Originally Posted by floridaboy92

Naples, FL, Fort Myers, FL, St. Petersburg, FL, Oklahoma City, OK, Colorado Springs, CO, Fort Worth, TX, Gilbert, AZ, Jacksonville, FL, Spokane WA just to name a few.

Space coast is booming and went red in the last election

[DanielAvery]

Is your family in North Florida by any chance? Have you looked into Savannah, Georgia? It's a beautiful town next to the water with lots of history and a plethora of activities. Beautiful, mild weather and only two hours from Jacksonville.

ehhhh, I dunno...I left Savannah after 40 years due to the rampant crime and ineffectual city/county government. A great tourist destination, since the police patrol touristy areas quite well, but life in many parts of the city resembles a shooting gallery. I would think twice about Savannah not only because of the crime factor, but it's not exactly a slow-growth/quiet town, either. The port is expanding by leaps and bounds.

Originally Posted by smarino
My experience w/ the panhandle resulted in mostly rednecks and racists, not Southern charm and friendliness.
[snip] ....I think the idea of the small Southern town w/ polite, friendly people is an obsolete notion. Those places seem to be small minded and insular, and not places I would wish to live in.

There's an old saying: "your mileage may vary." Close-mindedness and intolerance can exist where you least expect.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by justin230

I've been researching areas to live in Florida, since I got family here. Believe me, I'd rather live in Georgia or Alabama. I do not like all the development in Central Florida, so I've been looking at areas in both the Panhandle & the nature coast from Levy County on north. If I do move to one of these areas, will the area keep their small town charm & southern culture I like, or will it turn into another central Florida with it's fast paced culture, wall to wall concrete, big crowds, & bad traffic?

I think you're painting with too broad a brushstroke. There are many areas of the state that are't overdeveloped or headed there anytime soon that also happen to be coastal. Also for small town charm/southern culture there are places that would fulfill that too. Fernandina Beach would lead the pack in my opinion, followed by St Augustine Beach and Apalachicola.

[Ignatius J. Reilly]

Originally Posted by smarino

My experience w/ the panhandle resulted in mostly rednecks and racists, not Southern charm and friendliness. If you really want to go there and not worry about development, Panama City might fit the bill. It's not a particularly friendly town and there is little interesting going on, so I cannot see people moving there in large numbers to develop anything.

Jacksonville may be what you're looking for? I think the idea of the small Southern town w/ polite, friendly people is an obsolete notion. Those places seem to be small minded and insular, and not places I would wish to live in. This nation has become so polarized that you either get liberal cities w/ lots of people moving there (or what passes for liberal down here), or you get Republican enclaves that few people wish to move to. I cannot think of one conservative and Republican city that is rapidly developing.

I can tell simply from reading your post that you are a veritable Duke of Windsor. Please return to the Panhandle where your intellect and sophistication will illuminate the darkest swamp waters.

[justin230]

Originally Posted by floridaboy92

Like some of the other posters on here have mentioned, consider going above Gainesville for now. South Florida is almost completely built out and pushing against the Everglades.

So now development has made its way to Central Florida. The I-4 Corridor is next to boom (heck, it already is booming) from Tampa to Orlando to Daytona..all of that I reckon will be built out in the next 20 years.

I made a visit to Micanopy last year when I lived in Florida and it was a nice town but nowhere near any beaches. Also check out Cedar Key..and possibly Crystal River, Inverness.

I, like you, despise crowds and tons of people living on top of one another. When I first moved to Orlando in 2011, it was okay, but as the years went on it got way overcrowded and development was out of control. It's sad. Florida is a beautiful place, but too many people want to live there and form their own culture and mentality.

Is your family in North Florida by any chance? Have you looked into Savannah, Georgia? It's a beautiful town next to the water with lots of history and a plethora of activities. Beautiful, mild weather and only two hours from Jacksonville.

Family still live in central Florida. They don't mind the development like I do. I don't like being surrounded by endless concrete, & I like my neighbors to be way down yonder. There's still areas of North Florida that are still good, but will I be wasting my money. With my luck I'll move there, and developers will trash the area, and it will start getting crowded.

[jwolfer]

Originally Posted by justin230

Family still live in central Florida. They don't mind the development like I do. I don't like being surrounded by endless concrete, & I like my neighbors to be way down yonder. There's still areas of North Florida that are still good, but will I be wasting my money. With my luck I'll move there, and developers will trash the area, and it will start getting crowded.

If you find an area of North Florida with lots of preservation land, National Forests, State Parks etc that will not get too developed.

Consider Baker County(Macclenny) just west of Jacksonville. Officially part of Jacksonville Metro area but much of the County is Osceola National Forest, Bethea State Forest, Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge and other preservation land. It remains very small town and rural. And Okefenokee is the one of the least densely populated areas on the eastern seaboard. If your look at maps there is not even any roads there, that will never be developed

You would still be close enough to Jacksonville for job and easy commute. Its on i-10, 2 hours to Orlando/Central Florida.

If you want more rural Franklin County( Apalachicola) is 90% preserved, but not much work unless you are entrepreneurial, work for the government or work from home. Its right on the Gulf Coast, so hurricanes are a concern. Very Isolated its a good hour and a half drive on 2 lane US98 to get to Tallahassee

SW of Tallahassee is Liberty County( Bristol) smallest population of all 67 counties in Florida and it will stay that way sinc emost of the county is Apalachicola NF. I met a few people who commute into Tallahassee for work from Hosford, when I was working in Tallahassee for a few weeks. Be forewarned (or pleasantly surprised depending on your view point) it has the highest percentage of Mormons outside the Moridor( Utah, Idaho, Arizona)

If you look at the Preservation lands they is a concerted effort to connect undeveloped lands with greenways... get a Florida Atlas and Gazetteer to see all the preserved lands, whether it be Federal, State, County Governments, Water Management Districts or the Military... When you live in an urban area its surprising to see how much is undeveloped and not too far from cities.


Remember if you move to a small town with no connections it can be difficult to find your place as an "outsider"; but if you are not condescending and dont treat them like they are slow because of the way they talk etc you will be somewhat of a celebrity in town.

[logybogy]

The big question is do you need a job?

If yes, you need to be somewhat close to a major employment center in a county with at least a couple hundred thousand people. That doesn't mean you can't have live a rural lifestyle. Lots of people work in Gainesville and live in the more rural areas within 30-45 minutes (Newberry, High Springs, Alachua, Micanopy, Williston, Bronson).

If you want insurance against developers, buy acreage. You mentioned Levy County. You can buy a home on 20 acres for under $200k there. If you aren't picky and are fine with a mobile home, that could be closer to $125k and still be within 45 minutes of employment centers and medical in Gainesville.