[wendy]

I have lived in the Port Charlotte area for 21 years. I would be happy to answer any questions. Deep Creek is a nice area. They do have deed restrictions which some people like and others don't. Property values in this area have skyrocketed . Hurricane Charley seems to have caused some of this. I don't know, maybe a supply and demand thing. There seem to be plenty of properties available now as most of the hurricane damage has been cleaned up.

[robman]

Originally Posted by Michigan Girl

My husband and I are wanting to move back (we spent a year in Naples, to busy, to expensive) to Florida. We are looking for a small town, population between 12 to 20 thousand. Quaint, friendly, affordable, safe. We are in our 50's, active and will be looking for employment. Is there any such place or are we dreaming?

id try hobe sound about 25 minutes south of port st. lucie. its kind of caught between the stuart area and the palm beaches but is still a decent, safe(seems to be very "religious" lots of churches priv. schools etc.), and friendly community.

[wfgd192]

My wife and I have friends in Webster Fla. We lived in the Melbourne area years ago. Our house is on the market & we WERE going to move to Melbourne but housing has gone through the roof. We have friends in Webster and are thinking about moving to that area. My wife is a nurse and should not have a problem getting a job. We can't take the cold anymore here in Ohio. Any information about housing etc. in the Webster & surrounding area would be great. Thanks/

[Yaroslav]

Oh.. How I'd love to go there...
Just sleepin' and dreamin' about it

[slhalufska]

I've lived in Pt Charlotte since 1998. I held the same job up north (CT) for 17 yrs & down here I went through 4 in 5 yrs. Finally, I started my own catering business. The weather is really nice, rains pretty heavy in the summers - you definitely want to stay out of flood zones. Just before the big 4 hurricanes in 2004, property values started to increase. Since the canes, it's been ridiculous. We bought a 1500 sf 3/2/2 in a nice 25 yr old area in 2003 for 100,000. It's worth 210,000 now! Lots of retirees coming down here with cash from houses sold up north & paying top dollar. Some who have been here 20 yrs or more don't like the growth rate, the winters are very congested with many snowbirds. But it is very nice, everything is close by (Ft Myers or Sarasota). The airports are within 45 minutes, it's great if you live boating. But DON'T swim in your canal - there are gators, probably in every waterway in FL! We're getting a lot of things that attract middle-agers (40s & 50s) - nicer restaurants, entertainment other than Barry Manilow (sorry, Barry), free stuff, etc. & the weather is really nice! Good luck in your search.

[cakeprincess]

How about St. Augustine? They're really a nice place. It has a small historical town feel and low crime. House price usually begins with $190k. Beautiful river and beach.

[mrs1885]

I like Mount Dora and Dunnellon. I spent the day in Mt Dora and just loved the old homes and that big lake. So relaxing. It seemed to still be a small little laid back town, but had a sense of refinement.

I drove through Dunnellon (I think I am spelling it right) once and the homes were amazing. Very historic. Now - we were lost so I can 't tell you what area we were in or what the rest of the town is like, but where we were was great. They were having a town parade that day and everyone seemed to know everyone. Very quaint.

[wacahootaman]

The Gainesville/Ocala has its attractions.

Gainesville is the home of the Univ of Florida and has lots of medical jobs and some skilled tech jobs. Lots of cheap student labor to compete on the lower rungs though. The wage scale is pretty low overall unless you are in higher education or medical or some other skilled field.

But there are lots of things in Gainesville usually not found in a town that size. The University brings in a lot of first rate speakers, musicians, resturants and museums. Home games will pack the town with football fans. if the town is too hectic for ya lots of quaint small towns within commuting distance like Micanopy , Mcintosh, Archer, Keystone Heights, Alachua, High Springs, Hawthorne and Newberry offer a slower pace. And the countryside is different than most of Florida with lots of roll to the land and scenic country roads. Plenty of rivers and springs for outdoor recreation too.

Ocala is more blue collar with lots of light industry and major retirement communities near by. The country side is nice with lots of scenic horse farms and lots of rivers and springs in the Ocala National Forrest nearby.

[FlaMoose]

St Cloud is a wonderful small town city. It's just outside Orlando and in my opinion, the best place in Florida to live!

[Lory-DavieFL]

Originally Posted by Michigan Girl

My husband and I are wanting to move back (we spent a year in Naples, to busy, to expensive) to Florida. We are looking for a small town, population between 12 to 20 thousand. Quaint, friendly, affordable, safe. We are in our 50's, active and will be looking for employment. Is there any such place or are we dreaming?

I know this post is old, but I just have to comment about The Villages, FL for active people in their 50's. My father and step-mother moved there 4 years ago from south florida and have never been better in their lives!

Of course the population has grown tremendously, but they do not allow anyone under 50 (I think its 50) to live there and it is a whole community with shopping plazas, town square where everyone goes for happy hour, and most everyone has a golf cart and uses them to get anywhere they need to go.

I have visited and cant get over what a hip place for retirees to live and the fact that my father and his wife look and feel so young, even though they are getting older. They bowl, golf, belong to groups have more friends then ever and are approaching 70! They without a single doubt, made the best choice possible.

There are tons of job opportunities as well. Do a search for "The Villages Florida"