[MWOA]

Any feedback on this area would be appreciated.

[MWOA]

Flagler estates right outside of St.Augustine in St. Johns County.

[bambam92]

I live in Flagler Estates (we have a house).. I really like it, rural type setting, quiet pretty much, low to no traffic, 10 - 15 minutes from great shopping, fair prices for land/homes (which is hard to find anywhere in FL).

DO a google search for flagler Estates to see what you can come up with.

[macguy]

Originally Posted by bambam92

I live in Flagler Estates (we have a house).. I really like it, rural type setting, quiet pretty much, low to no traffic, 10 - 15 minutes from great shopping, fair prices for land/homes (which is hard to find anywhere in FL).

DO a google search for flagler Estates to see what you can come up with.

I read there were some major crime problems there. What I read scared me away from even considering it. People were having to form their own watch groups and you don't really have any police presence, plus biker and gang activity. Is any of this true?

[sunrico90]

Originally Posted by macguy

I read there were some major crime problems there. What I read scared me away from even considering it. People were having to form their own watch groups and you don't really have any police presence, plus biker and gang activity. Is any of this true?

I visit the area a few times a year and I don't see any problems. We have friends in the local area and they are not concerned. But if the community has the initiative to develop watch groups, better for them. This is an effort that pays large dividents and serves as a great tool to prevent the development of negatives drivers...

[bambam92]

It is OPEN RURAL. This just means it is Rural much like a Farm is Rural, or outside of any city is a Rural area.. Rural areas such as is ours are typically NOT the favorite hotspots of Gang Activity such as you see in a major Metropolitan area.

There is little for a Gang to be interested in here There are Break ins, but probably no more so than in a Farming community area, and I am sure it is much LESS than in any Metro Area.

This area IS GROWING however, and there WILL be more Police Presence in the area soon which of course will cut way down on Theft issues and break ins. Thieves in the area here actually take their lives in their own hands by stealing or breaking into ANY property out here as ALL residents here I KNOW own firearms and KNOW how to use them well enough.

Even my wife is DEADLY with my .44 Redhawk Mag.

Major thing here is that most all lots here are 1-1/2 acres in size (big lots) OR MORE. Miscreants wanting to break in and STEAL something KNOW how far away your neighbors are (may be some distance from you), they KNOW Police may take 30 minutes to get to the scene.

If moving here, Invest in a Burglar system which calls the Police (or neighbor) and also sounds a very Loud SIREN which can be heard easily. We have such a setup here and when it goes off you can hear it a mile away (literally).

I myself do NOT PAY any monthly fees for the service as we have it setup to call a Neighbor, and it sounds the Loud Siren (police siren) if someone were to break in.

It is too bad we have to PAY FOR CRIME (via locks on our doors, prisons, police, etc) but as long as their is Opportunity for Miscreants, there WILL be such crime.. Take away the opportunity is the best advice for City, or Country dwellers..

In other words, do NOT make your home an Inviting and EASY target and it will not be one

Cheers;
John (sys admin)
--

[mk1964]

We visited there and even though the land is cheap, and you could probably get in there with a new double wide for less then $110,000 it wasn't worth it for us.
First we were concerned that half of it is in Flagler County, the other in St. John's, and neither seem to be able to figure out who wants it. If you need help in way of emergency services, not just police, good luck.
There are a lot of posts about taking your own law enforcement into your own hands.....that sounds cool but it's really not when your family has a problem. Not everyone knows how to shoot and just the fact most here are recommending alarms, what does that tell you?
Finally, to get to any major shopping it's a haul.

[bambam92]

If you lived in North St. Augustine and wanted to go to Wal Mart (in St. Augustine) it would take you just as long to get there as it does from Flagler Estates.

My wife works in Jacksonville (50 miles away) as a Nurse. Other nurses who may live in Jacksonville (north or west side) take JUST as long to get to work as it takes my wife to get to work.

Taking the Law into ones own hands is NEVER a good idea as that is for Law Enforcement and Judges. Defending yourself is NOT taking the law into your own hands by any definition of the term.

It is in fact the responsibility of everyone to be aware of your surroundings and your right to defend yourself and yours. This has always been true anywhere.

Police are NOT there to defend you or your property (they always arrive AFTER the fact).. It is NOT their job to defend you or your property. It is there job to catch and arrest for trial.

If you live in a Metro area just about anywhere today, you have a boat load MORE things you have to watch out for and if you DO live in a metro area, you should certainly know what I am talking about.

As an ex Chicago, IL area resident, believe me - I KNOW all about this issue !

I know I would rather have the Right and the Tools available for me to defend myself and my property BEFORE, rather than have to resort solely on the AFTER the fact (which is what Police actually specialize in).

[fesweetpea]

Originally Posted by macguy

I read there were some major crime problems there. What I read scared me away from even considering it. People were having to form their own watch groups and you don't really have any police presence, plus biker and gang activity. Is any of this true?

NOT TRUE. I've lived out here for 10 years and we DO HAVE a police presence. Our crime rate is NO different from any other part of St. Johns County. Listening to rumors is part of the problem.

We are the fastest growing area in St Johns, but we are far from 'wild'. We are zoned OPEN RURAL which means you can farm on your land without constraints. We all have well water and septics, as do most rural parts of St Johns. We do have a good deal of PAVED roads.

We do have issues of MUDDERS and people who's kids have nothing better to do than tear up perfectly good roads with their ATV's and mud trucks, but one day they will 'grow up' and get a life and it will get better.

It's nice here, but if you're considering buying land, I suggest you do what we did years ago, come out after a good hard rain and find a place that is high and dry...there are MANY lots that DON'T flood out.

~fesweetpea