[sophiesmom12092017]

What's the good the bad and the ugly? I have a good job in Nashville in Insurance, doubtful they will let me work remote, but maybe. I'd be ok for 4-5 months until I found a job. I know it would be less money. Help me here please. Husband wants to move. He is retired. I've fought him on this for 2 years and now have conceded.


What cities have the best job market in the panhandle?


appreciate any help.

[kyle19125]

If finding suitable employment is more a concern I would recommend the Pensacola-Ft Walton Beach-Destin area which is not only larger but has a more diverse job market, along with a lower unemployment rate (3.2% in Pensacola) versus 4.5% in Panama City.

[beachmouse]

Pensacola has a huge Navy Federal Credit Union complex that seems to frequently be hiring, and you would likely have some transferrable job skills for a position there. And also has many other financial firms with a good presence.

Panama City is largely tourism and service industry and you're definitely going to take a pay hit and probably have additional issues as an older worker when the high paying service industry jobs often want attractive under-30s. Ft. Walton Beach has a good number of white collar jobs, but you have to have connections, often military, to really get them.

I'd say go down and have a look at different parts of Pensacola and see if it would work for you.

[TD*]

Tallahassee has the best employment prospects, and is a much superior city than anything else west of it.

[AR1234]

I'm about to move to PC as well, but from Oklahoma. All of these threads about the city are super disheartening. Let me know if you find anything else out.

[grad_student200]

Originally Posted by sophiesmom12092017

What's the good the bad and the ugly? I have a good job in Nashville in Insurance, doubtful they will let me work remote, but maybe. I'd be ok for 4-5 months until I found a job. I know it would be less money. Help me here please. Husband wants to move. He is retired. I've fought him on this for 2 years and now have conceded.


What cities have the best job market in the panhandle?


appreciate any help.

I worked in Panama City and it is rather small for a job market. Many of the graduates from FSU at Panama City chose to leave. A lot of them went out-of-state. If they stayed in-state, they usually went to one of the larger metro areas: Atlanta, Orlando, Jacksonville, etc. Some just got on I-10 and moved to the west.

For a job market near (1) a beach and (2) a southern "Bible Belt" type of culture, Pensacola would be a better choice. Tallahassee has more jobs but is inland (which is good during hurricane season).

It sounds like you are a southern person who would like the FL Panhandle. It is indeed part of the "Deep South" - the land of SEC football, Publix, Chick-fil-A and Paramore.

[tricon7]

If you already have a job in Panama City before you come, and you know what your salary will be and are ok with it, then PC is a nice place. I used to live there. If you want bigger industries, go to a metro area somewhere. I wouldn't expect lots of high-paying tech or manufacturing jobs in any mid-sized city - not just Panama City.



Here you have the beach side of the bay bridge, and then the main city part on the other side. All the "happening" stuff is on the beach side, of course, whereas the Panama City side is similar to most other southern mid-sized cities. It has an international airport now, so that helps. It all depends on what you like/want to do. Anything outdoors - The beach has the most sugar-white sand you'll ever see, and the water is crystal clear, though the surf isn't as much as on the east coast. Diving, fishing, and boating stores everywhere. There's plenty of fun activities/attractions off Thomas Drive and Front Beach Road, and lots of great seafood restaurants (I recommend Scampi's). I've seen many posters labeling everyone in the city redneck, and this is nothing short of prejudice and bigotry. You'll find most people overly friendly there and will go out of there way to be helpful.


I found a nice-paying job there online and hope to start in a few weeks. I've been in the Tampa Bay area for a few years and will not miss its high traffic and congestion - at all. PC has all the advantages of living on the Florida coast without all the hustle-bustle of a more congested city. Sure, it gets colder in the winter there, but I kind of miss the seasons and being able to use a fireplace more than two days a year.

[astynx]

I am being recruited by a company to relocate to Panama City and going over the pro and con. I am moving from SoCal wanting to get away from the crowds and over priced everything. Is this a good place to raise a family and how is the job market in case I want to change later.
1) How is the school system?
2) crime rate?
3) House price?
4) Rental market? (looking to buy rentals)
5) Big companies in the area?
6) Weather?

[redroker77]

Originally Posted by astynx

I am being recruited by a company to relocate to Panama City and going over the pro and con. I am moving from SoCal wanting to get away from the crowds and over priced everything. Is this a good place to raise a family and how is the job market in case I want to change later.
1) How is the school system?
2) crime rate?
3) House price?
4) Rental market? (looking to buy rentals)
5) Big companies in the area?
6) Weather?

I moved to Panama City from SoCal. I see this question was asked a week before the hurricane. If this is still a valid request, feel free to say so and I will respond accordingly.

[bmw335xi]

No cities in the panhandle have good jobs, it’s the redneck riveria. Why not go somewhere like Tampa, Sarasota?