[backtofla]

let's be fair and not trash fla.

tn (knoxville and especially memphis --- one of the most dangerous places in the nation) and sc (sumter, myrtle bch., among a couple others) are not looking too good at times.

ppl can bash fla for the crime (it has like 17 m ppl) so there will be more crime than in kansas, but you have to look at things on a a per capita basis. traffic, hey... it's not much worse than parts of charlotte, greenville/spartanburg sc, and for sure, atlanta.

and the schools... not sure about tn (i doubt there much better personally) but i can't even begin to tell you how bad the sc school system is. if you combine the school system in sc with the crime and the culture, it isnt looking too good... not trying to **** anyone off, but let's keep things "fair and balanced."

another thing is that ppl are moving to fla b/c there are many desirable aspects to the state. it's still growing even w/ the hurricanes of the past few yrs. sc and tn population are not growing very fast. i can bet. and yeah that's a good thing, and a bad thing. on the good side you got: less ppl (which means less crime usually) and traffic, etc... on the bad side, if your state is losing ppl or not growing really, it affects the economy of the area and you wonder why ppl arent considering living there...


if you want a small population, no crime, no traffic, a job where you can make a lot of money, good schools, lots of things to do, perfect weather, great healthcare facilities, etc... then it's going to be hard to find.

[NYJV]

I think Florida is a beautiful place and of course I don't expect to find everything perfect I think that is kind of impossible but a good school and low crime I think is possible, so far I been looking at differentplaces and I am totally in love with Florida.

[backtofla]

in reference to seminole co., that's a great place to consider... all of it's schools were top 3% in the nation, plenty to do, new communities/established communities, jobs, everything... a good place to live in my opinion. like the other person said, parts of orange co are hectic, crowded and more crime. most crime probably happens late at night, so my own thought is to avoid those places real late at night, just like an other city... what's that saying about "nothing good is happening at 2 or 3am" or whatever.....

[backtofla]

nyjv, there are plenty of great place to live in fla!! i'm tired of the bashing!



but do hear this: i have had friends and their families that have moved to the mtns of nc (from fla) and i could name quite a few that have moved back... so just a thought. not every place is perfect is all i'm trying to say!

i dont want anybody mad at me... i just say what i think. i dont want to sound mean or too negative about other places... there are things to enjoy about fla, sc, tn, ny and all these places mentioned!!!

[momof2boys]

I have a question for you, backtofla,
we are in the process of selling our house and moving east (from Seattle), and are looking at E. Tenn, or Fort Mill in SC. But I keep coming back to the FLA board, trying to find a town with GOOD schools, low crime (of course), and a house around $150-160k ($170 tops). Every time I find a nice town with good school scores, we cant afford it. Or if we do find an affordable house, the school scores are horrible!It's frustrating, because I really would love to consider FL. (My bro-in-law lives in Apopka). Any ideas? I have to have good schools for my boys, and my husband is a little freaked out by hurricanes (ok, a lot). Any suggestions?

[Dee2e]

Originally Posted by summergal

I think Judes is referring to home insurance.

I'm near Orlando, my house is worth $380000 and I pay $908 Homeowners and $407 Flood. I live on a lake so I need the flood policy. The homeowners includes hurricane damages with a 2% deductible. I don't think that's too bad at all, either.

[Dee2e]

Originally Posted by momof2boys

I have a question for you, backtofla,
we are in the process of selling our house and moving east (from Seattle), and are looking at E. Tenn, or Fort Mill in SC. But I keep coming back to the FLA board, trying to find a town with GOOD schools, low crime (of course), and a house around $150-160k ($170 tops). Every time I find a nice town with good school scores, we cant afford it. Or if we do find an affordable house, the school scores are horrible!It's frustrating, because I really would love to consider FL. (My bro-in-law lives in Apopka). Any ideas? I have to have good schools for my boys, and my husband is a little freaked out by hurricanes (ok, a lot). Any suggestions?

I just saw a great 3/2 home Lake Mary, which has A schools for just $229900. I was shocked to find such a home in Lake Mary. I found another in Chuluota, also A schools, for $209000, brand new. You just have to look for them.

However, in your price range, for an A school district, you'll get a condo or a very small home, if you can find one.

Hurricanes can be a problem and no one can control that. However, if you keep your house to code and you live inland, you should be fine.

[backtofla]

it's tough to find --- no getting around that. i am from s fla, and you are looking for something in the 160k's, so we can go ahead and exclude s fla. in the middle of the state (further from possible hurricane damage, although it still can occur... i was in hurricane charley in winter springs and we got some damage, but it really wasnt too bad). and on the subject of hurricanes, i think (according to the news) that fla is going to get less of the hurricane activity, as they will be more likely in the coast of nc and northeastern coast. i believe this is due to the warming of the ocean water/global warming/possible other factors. the only acception (which stinks b/c most of my family is in the area) is the eastern part of south fla). that area is still in the "high probability" or whatever they call it, area of a hurricane

time will tell, but the homes (especially the newer ones) are unbelievably strong, and many have minimal damage. maybe a pool screen is damaged, stuff like that... but structurally, especially the newer houses are built well.

there are many small towns that are still affordable, pretty much anything coastal is not in the price range you are looking for.

and let's not forget about northern fla... still considered the "real fla" or "old fla" by some ppl. lots of natives there, large cities (mainly jax'ville) and many small towns (too many to mention). and i would think that some of these smaller towns more inland have affordable housing... another thing about northern fla is the seasonal change and the more laid back lifestyle that many transplants may be accustomed to. it all depends on what you enjoy doing.

for my wife and i, we like the beach more than the mtns, warm weather over cold, diverse ppl compared to (where i live) which is mostly country folks. (not too much in common with them, hard to make friends, kind of an outsider, etc...) and we just like the things that fla has to offer more than nc. we have been here for a while, so we have a good feel for both places. we know there is more crime in fla (there's like 17 million ppl there) than in nc/tn area. i bet fla also has more ppl than both states combined, so if you were to add up all the crime in nc with the tn crime, there may not be too much of a difference.

i live in wester nc, so if you have any questions about eastern tn, i'd be happy to give you my thoughts. i will be truthful and as unbiased as i can be. hope this helps. bye.

[backtofla]

"But I keep coming back to the FLA board, trying to find a town with GOOD schools, low crime (of course), and a house around $150-160k ($170 tops)."

the "psloldtimer" person on here may be able to help you find a place... he posts here quite a bit, and will hopefully post soon...

[momof2boys]

Thank you so much for the info, that is the one thing I wonder about, is fitting in, we're not so much "country" folk, I originally came from So. Calif, so I think I'd have more in common with FL. We were actually looking at the Sevierville area of E. Tn, but we're just not sure. (It's VERY country there!). I don't need to be on the coast of Florida, inland is just fine. It's just hard to find the right town! Maybe "psoldtimer" can help?