[countrygirl513]

thanks i will be sure to check that out! weather seems nice the keys is ALWAYS hot hot hot even in the winter it like 75 with the occasional 60's if were lucky i have been around water all my life and dont get me wrong i love it but i think im ready for a change more on the country lots of land atmosphere. but who knows i might miss the water too much if im not around it :/
this is so hard to think about and moving i feel so lost i have never moved from home!!! but i really appreciate all your help

[AustinTraveler]

Make sure you check out PJC's Milton campus. Not sure what you'll be studying but if you can attend classes in Milton you can live in Jay, Chumuckla or the Garcon Point/Avalon area. You will need to make sure you are high and dry in the Garcon Point/Avalon area as it's close to water. But, that might be the perfect place for you coming from the Keys. All the areas I listed are country areas but at least close to PJC's Milton campus. There really aren't any country "towns" close to Pensacola, at least not what you might be thinking of as a town. The country areas of NW Florida are basically farm land and pine trees with long distances between shopping, etc. I can't really think of a place that is an actual town.

Your boyfriend might look into a program at PJC too if he wants to do something different from landscaping. PJC has great vocational programs as well as AA/AS degree programs.

Best of luck to you both!!

[lokahi]

If you're looking to be in the country, Milton or Pace are also good places to live. Plus, there's a beautiful state recreation area called the Blackwater River - it's awesome and is so much fun. You can tube or canoe down the river and you can camp along it too...

[HowDeDo]

Originally Posted by lokahi

If you're looking to be in the country, Milton or Pace are also good places to live. Plus, there's a beautiful state recreation area called the Blackwater River - it's awesome and is so much fun. You can tube or canoe down the river and you can camp along it too...

Do you know if alligators or poisnous snakes can be found at Blackwater State Forest or anywhere along the Blackwater River ? Have you heard of any being found ? Im moving to that area soon and I want to take up Kayaking . Thanks.

[AustinTraveler]

No need to worry about gators or snakes. Honestly, I have been canoeing on Blackwater, Coldwater, and all the other rivers many times and I have never seen a gator. I have definitely seen water moccasins but they are pretty much interested in getting the heck away from you. People have been playing on the rivers for years without incident...definitely put it out of your mind.

[HowDeDo]

Originally Posted by AustinTraveler

No need to worry about gators or snakes. Honestly, I have been canoeing on Blackwater, Coldwater, and all the other rivers many times and I have never seen a gator. I have definitely seen water moccasins but they are pretty much interested in getting the heck away from you. People have been playing on the rivers for years without incident...definitely put it out of your mind.

Thanks ! Im feeling better already .

[Flexbaud]

I have lived in Pensacola my entire life and I can't see myself moving anywhere else. My biggest reasons are because I have lived here my entire life so I know the area very well and just about seen and done everything the area has to offer. I also have a lot of family here and this is "home" by all of my family, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. I have a lot of memories and history here.

Pensacola is a very beautiful city... in the right areas. A lot of Pensacola is also run down as well and/or is high crime. Areas to avoid: Brownsville, Mayfair, Montclair, Myteral Grove, Pen Haven, Parts of Warrington.

I'm not sure what my area is called, but I'm right off Gulf Beach Hwy and near the back gate of NAS and I really like it here. My neighborhood is pretty decent and it's very quite. I am 10 minutes from Perdido Beach. I really like my area. My grandparents live in Bellview and that's where I grew up and that's also a decent area to live. I have a aunt that lives in Gulf Breeze and it's about as good as it gets here but the cost of living is very high there. It's mostly lawyers and such that live there. I have an uncle that lives in East Hill and it's a nice area but he did say some sections of it is going downhill.

I had a ex that lived in the Milton/Pace area so I spent a lot of time out there and it's a nice area, low crime, cheap houses. However, it's a bit too far out for me (It took my ex an hour one way to get to PJC main campus from Milton) it's also very rural. The area my ex lived, there was no cable, no DSL, and there was no cellular coverage as well. We tried Sprint, T-Mobile, Cingular (now AT&T) and Alltel and it was non-existent out there. The land line was very unable and often went out for days on end. Like I said, Milton is very rural so if you want country living, that's the place for you :-)

My biggest complaint of Pensacola is the jobs. Jobs are very limited here and the ones that do exist are very low paying (think $9 an hour) Most of the jobs here are call center, retail, hotels, resturents, and military contracts.

Housing honestly isn't cheap here unless you consider a 1 bedroom apartment for $600 a month cheap and a older house in a questionable area for $800 a month decent. If you do buy a home, insurance will eat you alive if they even cover you at all. My aunt pays $1800 a year, and my grandparents and uncle don't have insurance at all as the companies dropped them.

I own a home and paid $55,000 for it a year ago. It's 3 bedroom, 2 bath and built in 2000. It's 1300 SQ Feet and I am a few blocks from a bayou with a boatdock and fishing peir. My neighborhood also had a storage area for RV's and such and also a community center with a swimming pool. My HOA fee is $13 a month or so for these. With insurance, my morgage is $600 a month. Electric is $200 a month. Try affording that on a $9 an hour job.

It's tough to make a living in Pensacola, but it is a nice place to live so long as you live in a decent area.

[HowDeDo]

Originally Posted by Flexbaud

I have lived in Pensacola my entire life and I can't see myself moving anywhere else. My biggest reasons are because I have lived here my entire life so I know the area very well and just about seen and done everything the area has to offer. I also have a lot of family here and this is "home" by all of my family, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. I have a lot of memories and history here.

Pensacola is a very beautiful city... in the right areas. A lot of Pensacola is also run down as well and/or is high crime. Areas to avoid: Brownsville, Mayfair, Montclair, Myteral Grove, Pen Haven, Parts of Warrington.

I'm not sure what my area is called, but I'm right off Gulf Beach Hwy and near the back gate of NAS and I really like it here. My neighborhood is pretty decent and it's very quite. I am 10 minutes from Perdido Beach. I really like my area. My grandparents live in Bellview and that's where I grew up and that's also a decent area to live. I have a aunt that lives in Gulf Breeze and it's about as good as it gets here but the cost of living is very high there. It's mostly lawyers and such that live there. I have an uncle that lives in East Hill and it's a nice area but he did say some sections of it is going downhill.

I had a ex that lived in the Milton/Pace area so I spent a lot of time out there and it's a nice area, low crime, cheap houses. However, it's a bit too far out for me (It took my ex an hour one way to get to PJC main campus from Milton) it's also very rural. The area my ex lived, there was no cable, no DSL, and there was no cellular coverage as well. We tried Sprint, T-Mobile, Cingular (now AT&T) and Alltel and it was non-existent out there. The land line was very unable and often went out for days on end. Like I said, Milton is very rural so if you want country living, that's the place for you :-)

My biggest complaint of Pensacola is the jobs. Jobs are very limited here and the ones that do exist are very low paying (think $9 an hour) Most of the jobs here are call center, retail, hotels, resturents, and military contracts.

Housing honestly isn't cheap here unless you consider a 1 bedroom apartment for $600 a month cheap and a older house in a questionable area for $800 a month decent. If you do buy a home, insurance will eat you alive if they even cover you at all. My aunt pays $1800 a year, and my grandparents and uncle don't have insurance at all as the companies dropped them.

I own a home and paid $55,000 for it a year ago. It's 3 bedroom, 2 bath and built in 2000. It's 1300 SQ Feet and I am a few blocks from a bayou with a boatdock and fishing peir. My neighborhood also had a storage area for RV's and such and also a community center with a swimming pool. My HOA fee is $13 a month or so for these. With insurance, my morgage is $600 a month. Electric is $200 a month. Try affording that on a $9 an hour job.

It's tough to make a living in Pensacola, but it is a nice place to live so long as you live in a decent area.

Thanks for the rundown on Pensacola area . I liked the city and the area alot. When you say jobs are scarce, doesnt it largely depend on how much education, experience, Field one is in ? For instance, whats it like for Computer Programmers, HVAC Tradesmen, Civil or Mechanical Engineers, etc...that require a degree or substantial training ? Do you include these folks in your summary , or, are you referring to basically unskilled jobs ? Curious. Further, whats it like during Tourist season ? Is it painfully overcrowded around Pensacola area , or, are the Tourists flocking more toward the Destin/Panama City areas ? Also, can you comment on Snowbirds with RV's....are they abundant around Pensacola or further out ? Lastly, why wouldnt you consider moving to more popular Florida areas like Ft. Lauderdale/Miami/Tampa out of curiousity ? I am glad to hear how content you are by the way since im moving to either Milton area or Crestview area . Is your opinion of Crestview high ? Thanks for your help.