[wizrap]

Originally Posted by LFJourney

I'm grateful for you taking the time to set me straight. I've heard that others seem to like Lakeland as much as you so that obviously says something, and you always make me think twice. I agree with you that I really need to go there to see it for myself before making judgments.

A few weeks ago I spent a ridiculous amount of time and searched high and low to find what seemed to be the most reliable health ranking report for Florida. Most sites were very inconsistent, which made me skeptical anyway, but I found this one to be the best. Here's the link for Polk, but you can change it to whatever county or even state.

https://www.countyhealthrankings.org...polk?year=2022

However, I totally admit that this information can be skewed big time if you look at the county in it's entirety. The reason I say that is because it shows Sarasota County as #7 healthiest in the state. I rolled my eyes when I first saw this, mainly because of what I've witnessed mainly in Venice but even in Sarasota! I said to a friend recently that I wish I could find something like this but city/town specific because that could make a huge difference.

Happy Thanksgiving, and I hope you're feeling better and on your way to recovery after being in the hospital.

You mentioned that St. John’s County is on your radar. Did you use your link to check out its health rating? Number 1 in the state!

I’m not surprised with branches of MD Anderson, Cleveland and Mayo Clinics, UF Health and Baptist health all in its in backyard.

[LFJourney]

Originally Posted by wizrap

You mentioned that St. John’s County is on your radar. Did you use your link to check out its health rating? Number 1 in the state!

I’m not surprised with branches of MD Anderson, Cleveland and Mayo Clinics, UF Health and Baptist health all in its in backyard.

Thanks for asking and for your feedback. Yes, I did, and that's the main reason that St. Johns County is on my radar. I actually found this link originally not by searching Polk but trying to find out where the healthiest city/town is in Florida so I can move there! And I wasn't surprised that Seminole County where I used to live is the third healthiest county in the state. I need to be around healthy people again like where I used to live, and St. Johns came up as a peer county to Seminole when I was looking at comparisons and stuff.

[HarryWhom]

I would suggest Vero Beach but you seem to want more going on so how about Port St. Lucie?

[gypsychic]

OP, the last bit of advice I would give to you is this: You have received several suggestions based on what we here think you might like, but at this point I feel that you may be almost immobilized about making a "wrong" decision. The one thing you know is that you have to change your situation, that is a given. I would make a list of some of these suggestions and plan to visit WITH AN OPEN MIND. Do NOT go by "statistics" you see on some chart of such, these things are often skewed. Sometimes people will think a place is paradise based on what they have read or been told (like you did when you first moved) only to find out it doesn't suit them at all. Also, many of these suggestions here are on the coast, but thought you wanted to be central? Make a list of your priorities (healthy, upscale, etc) and visit some of these places and see how many boxes they tick for you. Sooner or later you will need to make a decision and go with it; so hopefully you give yourself enough time to feel fairly confident on your choice.

With that said, good luck, and Happy Thanksgiving!

[LFJourney]

Originally Posted by HarryWhom

I would suggest Vero Beach but you seem to want more going on so how about Port St. Lucie?

Thanks for the suggestion. I don't know anything about Port St. Lucie so I'll check it out.

[LFJourney]

Originally Posted by gypsychic

OP, the last bit of advice I would give to you is this: You have received several suggestions based on what we here think you might like, but at this point I feel that you may be almost immobilized about making a "wrong" decision. The one thing you know is that you have to change your situation, that is a given. I would make a list of some of these suggestions and plan to visit WITH AN OPEN MIND. Do NOT go by "statistics" you see on some chart of such, these things are often skewed. Sometimes people will think a place is paradise based on what they have read or been told (like you did when you first moved) only to find out it doesn't suit them at all. Also, many of these suggestions here are on the coast, but thought you wanted to be central? Make a list of your priorities (healthy, upscale, etc) and visit some of these places and see how many boxes they tick for you. Sooner or later you will need to make a decision and go with it; so hopefully you give yourself enough time to feel fairly confident on your choice.

With that said, good luck, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanks for your words of wisdom and thoughtful advice. While it's true that I like being more inland, I'm okay with being somewhat near the coast if I otherwise found the perfect area for me. For example, I seriously considered Viera, which is on the Space Coast in Brevard but is considered more inland versus being right on or too close to the water so I was fine with that. There were a lot of things that I really liked about it, but I crossed it off my list for a few reasons after I visited there. My priorities are definitely that I need to live in a healthy environment that's more upscale, clean and maintained. Hopefully I'll find my happiness like you have...and soon! Thanks again.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by LFJourney

Thanks for your words of wisdom and thoughtful advice. While it's true that I like being more inland, I'm okay with being somewhat near the coast if I otherwise found the perfect area for me. For example, I seriously considered Viera, which is on the Space Coast in Brevard but is considered more inland versus being right on or too close to the water so I was fine with that. There were a lot of things that I really liked about it, but I crossed it off my list for a few reasons after I visited there. My priorities are definitely that I need to live in a healthy environment that's more upscale, clean and maintained. Hopefully I'll find my happiness like you have...and soon! Thanks again.

Well, I just had one more idea that I don't think has been mentioned; but since you mentioned Viera which is a master planned community..... have you ever considered Lakewood Ranch in eastern Manatee/Sarasota? It is like it's own city and completely upscale. Plus you have all the upscale shopping/dining on University Parkway (plus the new mall there) Based on what you are looking for, it might be the ticket (unless you have already looked and ruled it out) I have friends of all ages that live in that area and they love it. Has it's own Main Street, great shopping/dining, schools medical, etc.

https://lakewoodranch.com/?gclid=Cjw...BoCl3gQAvD_BwE

[LFJourney]

Originally Posted by gypsychic

Well, I just had one more idea that I don't think has been mentioned; but since you mentioned Viera which is a master planned community..... have you ever considered Lakewood Ranch in eastern Manatee/Sarasota? It is like it's own city and completely upscale. Plus you have all the upscale shopping/dining on University Parkway (plus the new mall there) Based on what you are looking for, it might be the ticket (unless you have already looked and ruled it out) I have friends of all ages that live in that area and they love it. Has it's own Main Street, great shopping/dining, schools medical, etc.

https://lakewoodranch.com/?gclid=Cjw...BoCl3gQAvD_BwE

You're so nice. Thank you for helping me. I'm familiar with Lakewood Ranch. While it's a nice community, I never really considered it only because it's a little too close to where I grew up.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by LFJourney

You're so nice. Thank you for helping me. I'm familiar with Lakewood Ranch. While it's a nice community, I never really considered it only because it's a little too close to where I grew up.

Well, it was worth a shot! I hope you will keep us all updated about what you choose, we will all be curious (nosy, lol)

[rroes56]

Originally Posted by LFJourney

Thanks so much for pointing out that Viera lacks nearby quality medical care, which I wasn't aware of. I didn't have the time to explore this when I visited for a few days, but I guess now I need to cross Viera off my list because this is very important to me. I haven't been happy at all with the medical care in Venice, or the lack of it. Is Nocatee considered Northern St. Johns County? Do you (or anyone) know the best place to live in St. Johns County that's a really nice area but isn't a few miles from the beach like Nocatee (I prefer to be more inland)? A few sites indicated that St. Johns is the healthiest county in Florida, which makes it very appealing to me. I wish I could find a reliable site for this information because several lists I looked at were very inconsistent. I also saw Sarasota County on some lists, which tells me these lists can't be trusted. I just want and need to live in an area again where there are walking/biking trails and where most of the residents have healthy behaviors.

LFJourney
Thanks for your post. All your concerns are our concerns as we are trying to return to FL after being gone 20+ years. We sold our home in the Tampa area and all of FL has changed greatly since leaving in '01, imo. We thought in April '22 after traveling all over FL we had found our retirement spot.....Vero Beach! Now, not so sure! (airport traffic and closeness to beach, hurricanes, and all of the expenses that go along with hurricanes) I am desperately wanting to find out how things will change in the RE mkt after the 1st of next year and waiting to see what the changes will be in Property insurance after Ian/Nicole. We've been in OKC area for the past 4+ years and the insurance here is ridiculous!!!! You are a person with very similar desires for a FL location from what I am reading and I will be looking forward to see where you pick! I hope you find your new home soon!