[beachmouse]

If y'all had read the original post, the poster is in an Air Force family so Tallahassee isn't much of an option.

With that parameter, I'd say that Eglin AFB, Hurlburt Field, Patrick AFB or MacDill AFB are all in more family friendly areas than Tyndall/PCB.

[grapico]

Originally Posted by beachmouse

If y'all had read the original post, the poster is in an Air Force family so Tallahassee isn't much of an option.

With that parameter, I'd say that Eglin AFB, Hurlburt Field, Patrick AFB or MacDill AFB are all in more family friendly areas than Tyndall/PCB.

Not sure what stage he is at, Tallahassee has General Dynamics and Elbit so it isn't that far off the charts.

[drfranklin]

I considered a job in Panama City (but ended up with a better opportunity in Greenville, SC).

Here's an older thread with some useful info on Panama City:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/flori...ald-coast.html

[grapico]

Originally Posted by drfranklin

I considered a job in Panama City (but ended up with a better opportunity in Greenville, SC).

Here's an older thread with some useful info on Panama City:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/flori...ald-coast.html

haha nice...

just read the following quote... it is SPOT ON!!!! (I was born in Panama City btw so not trying to bash, just giving people the real deal information...)

Pros and cons for Panama City:
Pros

The beaches are gorgeous, especially St. Andrews State Park.
You will see dolphins almost every time you cross the Hathaway bridge.
It's kind of cool to be pelted with seabreeze while loading groceries into your car.
There is no shortage of activities for the kids like mini-golf, a pirate ship, and go-karts. One mini-golf place even has a huge maze.
There are some really nice parks like St. Andrews and the excellent Frank Brown on the beach. There are some decent public piers for fishing too.
On the beach, Santa drives up and down the residential streets on a firetruck and throws candy to the kids on Christmas Eve (my girls LOVED this).
During the winter, the beach is a ghost town. It is almost like having your own private beach.
It's cheaper to live here than most beach front areas in the state.

Cons

The Smurfitt-Stone cardboard plant that covers the area with a foul stench from dusk to dawn.
Overall, the area is about 20 years behind.
The schools are lousy.
Taxes are high.
Insurance is higher.
It is seriously lacking in anything that would pass as culturally enriching.
It is pretty isolated.
The quality of housing is poor.
It is primarily geared for tourists.
The cost of living is high for what you get.
The beach front is rapidly being turned into one big wall of condos.
A lot of the residents are very narrow minded.
The nearest quality shopping is 50 miles west in Destin (unless you like Sears).

[beachmouse]

Panama City has improved in the year and a half since that thread (though I'm still glad to be in the Ft. Walton Beach area instead of there). The Pier Park 'lifestyle center' has some good options- Border's, Ron Jon's Surf, a Nike Outlet store, Dillard's, a Super Target, a bunch of smaller mall stores, and a large restaurant area that's a mix of national chains and local joints. Some better single family home construction to go along with the condo boom, and you can find something at a much more reasonable price these days.

I think it's actually going to be a fairly nice place 10-20 years from now, but at current time, it's still very much a work in progress.

[grapico]

Originally Posted by beachmouse

Panama City has improved in the year and a half since that thread (though I'm still glad to be in the Ft. Walton Beach area instead of there). The Pier Park 'lifestyle center' has some good options- Border's, Ron Jon's Surf, a Nike Outlet store, Dillard's, a Super Target, a bunch of smaller mall stores, and a large restaurant area that's a mix of national chains and local joints. Some better single family home construction to go along with the condo boom, and you can find something at a much more reasonable price these days.

I think it's actually going to be a fairly nice place 10-20 years from now, but at current time, it's still very much a work in progress.

PC could be beautiful if they kick out all the spring break crowd stuff, build that international airport, and bring in some more industry.

[FallDreamer]

Although Pier park is nice, it does not compare to the many financial, real estate, educational, and spring break issues still at hand. If you only like the beach and pier park, then it is best that you only come here on vacation. Like many other people, I believe that living here and visiting here are completely different experiences. The schools, spring break, neighborhoods, and narrow mindedness make me want to head for the hills. I obviously did not know what I was getting into when I moved here.

[Airchauffeur]

Most all the beach towns, while once were pretty, are infested with the 'anything goes' mentality from the wild bunches they attract. The only coastal towns that I've found to be tolerable are St. Augustine and Wilmington, N.C. The others will be plagued with over the top boom boxes, loud cursing, fights & crime. That's where our country has sunk to, the anything goes mentality. Whenever you have to deal with ,"we have to go to school so we have to party first' mentality, your dealing with people who think innuendo is an Italian suppository. Ill-suited parents that won't instill discipline or bounderies is a huge part of this crap.

[xinerevelle]

To the OP: I have a 2 1/2 year old and a 5 month old. I am part of two MOPS groups on the beach (there are 4 or 5 more in town), two playgroups, take my kids to storytime at the local library every week, and go to local parks, Pump It Up, and the skating arena for "toddler skate" every week. There are lots of activities for those kids. The playgroup that meets mainly in town is run through meetup.com and has many military families who participate.

Also, if your child will be 4 before the start of the next school year, Florida has universal pre-k, where the state pays for half-day pre-k for your child! Mostly this is run by the public schools, but there are lots of private centers that offer the program, too. They all must use approved curriculum and have certified teachers.

Many of the elementary schools here are pretty good, getting an "A" rating each year. This may not matter if you don't think you'll be here very long.

If you continue to decide to homeschool there are many homeschool groups here, but most are church-affiliated. Even though this is Florida, it's more like we're "lower Alabama" when it comes to being in "The South", if you know what I mean.

If you do come here, I would try to move as far from the base as you can (Lynn Haven or PCB are good places to go), since it's a little lower class overall around the base (there are pockets of nice areas... but you have to look). Most of the "fun" stuff is located on the beach... and if you're going to live in Florida, why not live just a few minutes from the Gulf?! From the East End of the beach it's about 30 minutes to TAFB. From the West End, about 45-50 minutes.

[north_is_best]

I did not like panama city. Its pretty isolated and boring with little diversity. The beach is the only option for entertainment.