[beachmouse]

One a really good day with light traffic, you're looking at 45 minutes from the south side of Crestview to the Destin Commons mall/Crystal Beach area. If you need to go anywhere on US 98 in Destin, plan on a solid hour, especially in the summer when the traffic gets congested or during commuting hours.

Also, assume it will be five degrees hotter in summer and five degrees colder in winter than you would be closer to the coast because you lose much of the moderating effects of the Gulf.

[jjtempo]

I lived in Crestview about 2ys. ago It is not a bad town at all, home prices are much better on the North end of the county that South, but if you find yourself always coming to the South end of the county, you might find it better paying a little more and moving to the South end.

[co-boy]

My parents currently live in Crestview. My step-dad is in the Air Force and is stationed in Pensacola. They, like many, made the mistake of moving to Crestview. The truth is that Crestview is full of nothing but Moderator cut: Please define yourself in wholesome terms The quality of live there is dismal at best. They've been counting the days until they can leave from the second week they were there. I've visited a few times over the last few years and the town seems like there is something wrong with the whole gene pool.

[2goldens]

Let's discuss in wholeheartedly terms. Please define what you mean instead of slangs. If you do not like something or some place; please state the reason why. Don't just type up words without fully explaining yourself. People perceive things differently. OK?

[calyoung2000]

I currently live in Crestview and we've lived here for seven years. My husband is retired Air Force and we chose to retire here after his transfer in 2002. We absolutely love it here. We had lived outside of Washington D.C. prior to here and hated it. We were looking for a small town atmosphere close to beaches with great schools for the kids. I work at Antioch Elementary School here in town, which has been an A+ school for nine years! There are four other elementary schools, two middle, and one high school. My son graduated from Crestview High and we had no complaints. I had heard about Niceville High being a great school until I talked to several teenagers that went there and they told me the drug use was worse than in Crestview. Our county schools are number one in the state of Florida. Yes, the shopping stinks; we have a Walmart, Lowe's, Staples, Hibbett's, Big Lots, Publix, and WinnDixie. There are several restaurant chains. Crestview now has the highest population in the county, surpassing Fort Walton Beach just recently. The Green Berets are transferring here in the spring, bringing several thousand people and jobs with it. Crestview is expected to become more shopper friendly in the coming years. The drive to Destin is approximately 30 minutes; FWB is 25 minutes. There are plenty of beautiful houses available and it's a buyers market right now, so you can $180,000 for a 2000 sq. ft house. The beaches are beautiful and there is plenty to do within a thirty minute drive. If you want more house for your money, Crestview is the place to be. Believe me, I've heard Crestview called everything from the Redneck Riviera, to Crestucky, and yes, there are rural folks here, but with Eglin AFB and Duke Field right down the road, the majority of the people that live here are military or retired military, and for the most part people are very friendly. Good luck with your search!

[RVlover]

Crestview is where i live . Been here for about 4 months now. I find it a very friendly town , a town that is in current expansion, it offers enough variety in restaurants , cant speak on the school system as i dont have kids, cant speak on the jobs as im retired , Id call it a strong family area, convenient to major roads , same for beaches (about 40 min) , somewhat buffered for incoming hurricanes, nice Parks, a clean looking town, law enforcement awareness, I find it to be a very law abiding area , excellent choice of many churches, and of course ... a strong christian culture . Id personally like to see a couple more Department Stores move in , as well as a Home DePot, and a couple more Coffee Shops --- Starbucks kind of has it all to themselves. Havent seen any Gangs, Undesirables , Punks ... personally. There always seems to be a HitchHiker located at I-10 and Route 85 on the eastbound on-ramp trying to get to Tallahassee (and beyond)...but the Police are quick to politely encourage them to move on . Id suggest you come for a visit and stay at least a few days so you can form a more subjective accurate analysis.