Desperately seeking ocean serenity (Sarasota, Port Charlotte: employment, housing, cost of living)

[kelz8]

My family and i are considering moving to Fl. We currently live in the midwest, which is horribly boring, and we all love the ocean, particularly the gulf coast side. We have been trying to find the perfect community that is close to the ocean, is small and quaint, preferrably less than 20,000 population, and still have access to the gorgeous white sandy beaches of the gulf. We do not want to fight crowds all year long. We want to be able to enjoy the serenity that the gulf offers. My children are also interested in scuba diving and snorkeling and my oldest fully plans on starting a career in the coast guard. Does any one have any suggestion for the perfect community? Thanks in advance~

[BlueWillowPlate]

You might want to look into Port St Joe.
If it is too small and "old school" (it might well be) you could look further west of PSJ at places such as Grayton Beach.
On the Atlantic side, I love where I am now, on Amelia Island.
There is plenty of serenity to be found--but you do need to be aware of cost of living, employment, schools etc.

[SoFLGal]

I would try North Port in SW Florida. It's a smaller town and about 25 minutes from the beaches. The housing prices are reasonable, unlike some small beach communities. The average age here is 38. I am very pleased with the schools as well. What is your line of employment?

[2peaches2oranges]

I would look at Englewood in Sarasota County/Charlotte County. Nice town, not too big, between larger towns of Venice & Port Charlotte. Safe, good schools, great beaches and the prices for beach front are low in Englewood Beach/Manasota Key... Shhhh... don't tell anyone else!

[2bohemians]

Originally Posted by kelz8

My family and i are considering moving to Fl. We currently live in the midwest, which is horribly boring, and we all love the ocean, particularly the gulf coast side. We have been trying to find the perfect community that is close to the ocean, is small and quaint, preferrably less than 20,000 population, and still have access to the gorgeous white sandy beaches of the gulf. We do not want to fight crowds all year long. We want to be able to enjoy the serenity that the gulf offers. My children are also interested in scuba diving and snorkeling and my oldest fully plans on starting a career in the coast guard. Does any one have any suggestion for the perfect community? Thanks in advance~

We would highly recommend Walton County in the Northwest Florida Panhandle. The population is probably somewhere around 40 - 50,000 at this point, however, it is a very large county and extends all the way north to the Alabama line, and many residents are not full-time residents. Okaloosa County, which is just west of us and includes Destin is far more crowded that Walton County. If you have never been to this part of Florida, we think you will love it .... our beaches and water have earned our region the name: The Emerald Coast. If you would like to see more about our beaches, check out this website: Beaches of South Walton.

In regard to your comments on the Coast Guard & Scuba Diving/Snorkeling, here are a couple of websites that might interest you:

PANAMA CITY BEACH COAST GUARD

SCUBA DIVING

If there are any other questions we can help with about our area, please feel free to ask and we will get you answers. Best of luck in finding that perfect place