[Where'sTheBeach?]

Woops! Didn't realize I was signed in as my husband when I responded above!

[daytonadewd]

I definately fit the same demographic you're looking for and moved to Daytona Beach. Daytona Beach died out and new people are moving into the historic downtown area to create a conscious community and Arts District. It's definately beginning here.

There are definately musicians, crunchy folk and plenty of health food stores. We don't have a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's yet, but we're supposed to get them soon. There are new coffee houses, yoga studios and body work places opening up downtown. People are moving here from the Keys, S. Beach, Portland OR, Vancouver BC and Cali. Daytona is an excellent spot for access to nature such as natural springs and parks nearby. I can pet manatees near my house. The city is great if you're an avid cyclist and the scenery and beach are spectacular. There is NO traffic gridlock, nor hardly any violent crime.

Here are some of threads which may be of interest:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/orlan...ml#post9821237
http://www.city-data.com/forum/florida/692618-best-place-live-music-musician-rock.html
http://www.city-data.com/forum/orlan...ona-beach.html
http://www.city-data.com/forum/flori...go-tubing.html

Your biggest issue will be to find employment as teachers. Most Florida county schools are facing cutbacks and layoffs. But Daytona also has a very low cost of living compared to a lot of other areas in Florida right now.

My favorite areas in Florida (aside from Daytona Beach) with a vibe (and still an appreciation for live music) are: St Augustine, Gainesville, DeLand, Thornton Park (in downtown Orlando) and Clearwater/St Pete beaches. People from South Florida and the Keys are fleeing (cashing out) as the yuppie fest is changing their consciousness.

Sarasota has great health food stores, suburban sprawl, yoga studios, seniors and a good school. Good luck on finding live music, unless you're a harpist or Jimmy Buffet cover band (it doesn't rock! ).

Remember, a lot of posters here are realtors or work for their Chamber, trying to salvage the "good ole days" of retirees relocating to Florida with real pensions to "sell" their areas. Guess they haven't heard yet that it's 2009, not 1991.

Good luck on your journey!

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by daytonadewd

I definately fit the same demographic you're looking for and moved to Daytona Beach. Daytona Beach died out and new people are moving into the historic downtown area to create a conscious community and Arts District. It's definately beginning here.

There are definately musicians, crunchy folk and plenty of health food stores. We don't have a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's yet, but we're supposed to get them soon. There are new coffee houses, yoga studios and body work places opening up downtown. People are moving here from the Keys, S. Beach, Portland OR, Vancouver BC and Cali. Daytona is an excellent spot for access to nature such as natural springs and parks nearby. I can pet manatees near my house. The city is great if you're an avid cyclist and the scenery and beach are spectacular. There is NO traffic gridlock, nor hardly any violent crime.

Here are some of threads which may be of interest:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/orlan...ml#post9821237
http://www.city-data.com/forum/florida/692618-best-place-live-music-musician-rock.html
http://www.city-data.com/forum/orlan...ona-beach.html
http://www.city-data.com/forum/flori...go-tubing.html

Your biggest issue will be to find employment as teachers. Most Florida county schools are facing cutbacks and layoffs. But Daytona also has a very low cost of living compared to a lot of other areas in Florida right now.

My favorite areas in Florida (aside from Daytona Beach) with a vibe (and still an appreciation for live music) are: St Augustine, Gainesville, DeLand, Thornton Park (in downtown Orlando) and Clearwater/St Pete beaches. People from South Florida and the Keys are fleeing (cashing out) as the yuppie fest is changing their consciousness.

Sarasota has great health food stores, suburban sprawl, yoga studios, seniors and a good school. Good luck on finding live music, unless you're a harpist or Jimmy Buffet cover band (it doesn't rock! ).

Remember, a lot of posters here are realtors or work for their Chamber, trying to salvage the "good ole days" of retirees relocating to Florida with real pensions to "sell" their areas. Guess they haven't heard yet that it's 2009, not 1991.

Good luck on your journey!

I love reading your posts- it's nice to hear that some good things are now happening in Daytona, I haven't visited the area for years. I always thought the area had potential so it's good to hear it is in transition.

I must however, correct you on Sarasota - this area has changed from a couple decades ago when it was all seniors. We have the largest "drum circle" around (on Siesta Key, our own "Margaritaville), lots of young professionals, an alternative healing school, some of the highest acclaimed small colleges in the country, thousands of artists who call this area home and the live music scene is alive and well. They even recently opened a coffee/house bar on Main st just for the younger set. This is, IMO, the best place on the Gulf Coast to live. I am neither a realtor, nor retiree, just a Florida native who has been all over and likes it here the most.

[Where'sTheBeach?]

Originally Posted by daytonadewd

I definately fit the same demographic you're looking for and moved to Daytona Beach. Daytona Beach died out and new people are moving into the historic downtown area to create a conscious community and Arts District. It's definately beginning here.

There are definately musicians, crunchy folk and plenty of health food stores. We don't have a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's yet, but we're supposed to get them soon. There are new coffee houses, yoga studios and body work places opening up downtown. People are moving here from the Keys, S. Beach, Portland OR, Vancouver BC and Cali. Daytona is an excellent spot for access to nature such as natural springs and parks nearby. I can pet manatees near my house. The city is great if you're an avid cyclist and the scenery and beach are spectacular. There is NO traffic gridlock, nor hardly any violent crime.

Here are some of threads which may be of interest:
http://www.city-data.com/forum/orlan...ml#post9821237
http://www.city-data.com/forum/florida/692618-best-place-live-music-musician-rock.html
http://www.city-data.com/forum/orlan...ona-beach.html
http://www.city-data.com/forum/flori...go-tubing.html

Your biggest issue will be to find employment as teachers. Most Florida county schools are facing cutbacks and layoffs. But Daytona also has a very low cost of living compared to a lot of other areas in Florida right now.

My favorite areas in Florida (aside from Daytona Beach) with a vibe (and still an appreciation for live music) are: St Augustine, Gainesville, DeLand, Thornton Park (in downtown Orlando) and Clearwater/St Pete beaches. People from South Florida and the Keys are fleeing (cashing out) as the yuppie fest is changing their consciousness.

Sarasota has great health food stores, suburban sprawl, yoga studios, seniors and a good school. Good luck on finding live music, unless you're a harpist or Jimmy Buffet cover band (it doesn't rock! ).

Remember, a lot of posters here are realtors or work for their Chamber, trying to salvage the "good ole days" of retirees relocating to Florida with real pensions to "sell" their areas. Guess they haven't heard yet that it's 2009, not 1991.

Good luck on your journey!

Thanks! Sounds like a promising place to live, and thanks for the insight that Sarasota "doesn't rock." We will definately look into Daytona Beach.
I'm so jealous that you can pet manatees! I can only pet the stray cats near my apartment...

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by Where'sTheBeach?

Thanks! Sounds like a promising place to live, and thanks for the insight that Sarasota "doesn't rock." We will definately look into Daytona Beach.
I'm so jealous that you can pet manatees! I can only pet the stray cats near my apartment...

Please see my post above - you really must visit each area for YOURSELF to see what appeals to you. Sarasota does rock - we recently had the first vinyl festival on the Gulf Coast of Florida. You can't go by comments of a poster who doesn't live here, maybe hasn't even visited in decades.

[daytonadewd]

Originally Posted by Where'sTheBeach?

Thanks! Sounds like a promising place to live, and thanks for the insight that Sarasota "doesn't rock." We will definately look into Daytona Beach.
I'm so jealous that you can pet manatees! I can only pet the stray cats near my apartment...

Here's some additional food for thought:

How Florida voted in the 2008 elections (which I'm not interested in arguing about). The point is that it is a "snapshot" in time for 2008 political perspectives in the state (of which you might have identified with at that time also). The RED counties show who carried Obama and might be of interest to understand perspectives in the state.

Here is a link for this map shown. If you pan over each county, you can get specific results. (Note Sarasota County is BLUE and Volusia County/Daytona Beach is RED! )
2008 Presidential General Election Results - Florida

Also, here are links for musicians in the Daytona Beach area:
AFM 389 Local - Home
backpassmag.com August 2009
daytona beach musicians classifieds - craigslist
orlando musicians classifieds - craigslist
Volusia Gig

[verobeach]

How an area voted in the last election does not make a significant argument for what crunchy girl is looking for. Minorities and poorer people tend to vote democrat, this does not mean they are artistic and into health food. My suggestion... look into any area with a large college or university. On Daytona... we were there two years ago. We drove up for lunch and wouldn't even stop to pee. It's not an attractive place to spend any amount of time, let alone live there.

[gypsychic]

Sarasota was a dead tie at 50/50 in the voting. Honestly, that does not mean a thing.

Once again, we are all only giving our perspectives. Most of us love where live, so we are enthusiastic about promoting it. It does not matter to me where anyone moves to, I am only trying to give my best opinion based on the little knowledge we get from people wanting advice. Individuals still need to visit the various areas and see if the vibes feel right to them. There are places in Florida and elsewhere in the country that I can barely stand to pass through, let alone visit or live. We are all different.

Anyway, to the OP, here's to hoping you find your place. There are probably many places in Florida where you can be happy and find your niche. I found mine, and I'm never leaving! Unless I decide to. lol

[LinaJo76]

Sarasota is great.

But check out the Daytona area. There's lots of musicians and rock bands. And yes, the Yoga too. I've gone there about 6 times, since 1999, and just loved it there. I can listen to great rock bands and do my early morning Yoga too. I'm planning on moving there sometime next year (hopefully this time for sure).

[blacksmith76]

I'm with PirateClosingon40, I think you should check out Palm Beach County. My wife and I moved here from Denver and couldn't be happier. It's such a laid back lifestyle, at least out here in Loxahatchee. We haven't been able to get out much yet, but Lake Worth is definitely on the radar when we finally have time for some nightlife. I saw that they have a kava bar there, too. There are a bunch of kava bars in SE Florida, and they seem to attract the kind of crowd you're looking for, so you might want to check one out. The weather is really nice down here - the summer seabreezes are so nice.