[FedUpInFtMyers]

My thought is where does one work when living in St. Augustine, if employment cannot be found in St. Augustine? Do you have to commute back and forth from Jacksonville every day? At least up in Pinellas County, you can work in St. Pete, Largo, Clearwater, or as far as New Port Richey, if necessary. Also if necessary, you can go over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge to Bradenton and even as far as Sarasota, or go the other way over a bridge into Tampa. Having work, being able to leave a not-so-good job after actually being able to find another job to replace it, or just having some choices for employment is a HUGE quality-of-life consideration. Also, you can get a nice home in St. Pete for under $200K. You may also go to the Pinellas Property Appraiser's website and do a tax estimation for a property if you are concerned about taxes. In any event, as far as taxes go, please be sure to not be concerned with what the current owner is paying (because it will jump up when the property is transferred to you). I am seeing some very misleading ads and information sheets out there everywhere that are giving an amount for property taxes on them; HOWEVER, they are telling you what THEY are paying - - not what you will pay. Good luck!

dagator - I'm with you on all that you said. Please don't ever leave St. Pete for another city like we did. We thought everywhere in FL would be like St. Pete, and it just isn't. You really are living in paradise.

[gypsychic]

fedupinftmyers brings up a good point about employment which I forgot to cover in my post. I have always adored St. Augustine, but I saw many years ago that it would NOT be a place to find employment unless one wants to be in the hospitality industry. This is a VERY small town, and tourism is the main industry. You would probably have to commute to Jacksonville for employment. Now if you are retired, or income isn't an issue, you might love it here, it is charming.

I find St. Pete much more vibrant, you will have many more choices for every aspect of your life. I guess I have to vote St. Pete, here.

[songgirl]

I agree with the above posters regarding employment in St. Augustine. There are very few high paying jobs downtown. My husband drives to Jacksonville daily.

Also, the schools in the newer areas of town are great, but not so great in the downtown area. We live near the World Golf Village because of the schools, but it takes me about 25 mins. to get downtown with all it's appeal and charm.

The beaches are beautiful. Parking is not a problem at all since you can drive on the beaches here. But the water is cold in the winter and you really can't enjoy it until about May.

We love living here, but you have to be willing to travel for work and shopping. The area is very spread out and diversified. Don't just judge St. Augustine by the downtown area. Check out the outlying areas and even Jacksonville since if you move here you will be driving in these areas a lot.

Best of Luck!

[jsimms3]

Already, talking commute, would one want to sit in pure traffic on one of the bay bridges connecting Tampa where most of the jobs are and St. Pete (seems like Pinellas county crosses the two bridges at the same time each morning and afternoon) or hop on 95 where while the distance might be greater, the time it would take to commute would be less? Besides St. Johns county south of Duval (the county that St. Augustine is in) is experiencing huge growth and adding its own jobs.

St. Pete is more vibrant, but not for young people. Neither is St. Augustine for that matter, but commute wise, unless you find a job in St. Pete, the commute in St. Augustine WILL be better because of far less traffic.

[songgirl]

I don't know anything about St. Pete and the traffic there. I can tell you ,however, that due to the rapid growth in St. Johns County, there are some major problems. It takes my husband 30 minutes just to get to 95 from our neighborhood in the morning! Then a 30 mile drive from there.

They are expanding the roads in this area, but they build houses here a lot faster than they build roads. Count on at least an hour commute to Jacksonville during rush hours. Is The commute from St. Pete to Tampa that long?

As far as jobs go, hopefully St. Johns County is able to draw in some big business in the near future. There is certainly enough land available and the low risk of hurricanes makes this area more desirable for industry than much of Florida. RingPower moved it's headquarters here a few years ago, but otherwise the economic growth has been slow.

This is definately an up and coming area, but for now the lack of infrastructure is inconvenient to say the least. Like I said, be prepared to put some miles on your car if you come here!

[bluejetski]

I'm investigating St. Pet to move also. I have some questions.
What areas are good for singles to live-safety wise?
I have a collie. What about dogs on beach early morning, after dinner?
How is the medical facilities? Do the hospitals combine regular with homeopathy? People's attitudes--friendly, superficial, trusting?
What do you do during hurricanes? Is the any large churches 3500+ non-denominational? The culture diversity? Gators?? Is there parks where I could let my dog run? How about soccer fields?

[Suncoaster]

FedUpInFtMyers,

Well first I had to wipe away a couple of tears after what you said in the last 2 lines of your post. That was so sad - isn't there any way you could return here? And I'm sad because as much as I love St. Pete, it's still not certain we'll be able to stay - but everything you and Dagator said is 100% true.

My husband and I have lived in St. Pete for about 30 years. We lived in Broward also a long time ago and loved it as well, but it's very different now from what it had been.

We've also visited St. Augustine - so many times that the cafe that we went to knew exactly what I liked. My MIL also lived down here in Pinellas, thought it would be better to live near St. Aug and moved there, looking for culture and plenty to do.... she returned to Pinellas very soon.

There's just so much to do here! No matter what you like - culture, parks, festivals, a thriving educational community, beaches. And the point about being able to change jobs if you don't like the one you have - this is a very important advantage. Many hospitals and clinics here, and a lot of interest in wellness.

Yes, there are downsides. I don't know what the crime consists of up in St. Johns County, but like any big city, the Tampa Bay area has its problems. If you like the variety and choices a bigger city offers, that's the price you pay.

Weather? In my op, I find the summers in St. Pete steamy & uncomfortable, but St. Aug. felt worse. And in the winters, St. Aug. was downright cold. OTOH, St. Augustine is thought to be less likely to be hit by a hurricane, and since those are getting more frequent and more intense, this has got to be a serious consideration. St. Petersburg hasn't been hit by a major hurricane since 1921 (if then), but if it does....... I can't begin to imagine the nightmare. Not so bad in Tampa. The problem in St. Pete is that our county is on a peninsula - and there is limited access out. Unfortunately, our insurance rates reflect this - don't know how St. Aug. fares with rates.

Traffic. Bad in both places. I personally think the traffic is worse in St. Augustine - this is fairly recent. Drivers up there used to be more courteous, but lately, not so much. I think it's because of all the expensive housing going up in St. Aug. Also, narrower streets that don't seem adequate.

So ultimately, each place has its advantages and of the criteria you're looking at, it depends how they rank in importance. But for my husband and me, we'd pick St. Pete in a heartbeat - which we did.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by NP2B

My husband and I are considering a relocation to FL in the next year or 2 and are in the info gathering stage. The 2 places that seem to be fitting our criteria are St. Pete and St. Augustine. (I don't have a thing for saints, it just ended up that way)

Anyway, I'm wondering if anyone has any input on which is better for
Schools
Crime
Affordable homes
Culture (Arts, museums, symphony, etc.)
Healthcare/Hospitals (I'm an RN studying to be an NP)
Proximity and quality of public beaches
Community activities (concerts in the park, neighborhood-i-ness)
Hurricaine likelihood
Weather in general
Property taxes/insurance rates

Thanks a bunch in advance for your input!

St. Augustine without a doubt .


Schools: Very good, above average for Florida, I'd say.

Crime: Not an issue - some crime, but nothing beyond what is to be expected anywhere.

Affordable homes: Homes are quite reasonable compared to much of the US and you can find homes in various price points depending on your wants/needs (still, I would not say it's cheap - family homes can easily run into the $300k+ range).

Culture: For a small city, there is tons of culture - there is a lot to do here.

Healthcare: Flagler Hospital is quite good and you can also draw on Jacksonville's hospitals, and if need be, Gainesville.

Beaches: Some of the best I've seen in Florida . Clean, beautiful and natural.

Community activity: Lots. Always a festival going on.

Hurricane likelihood: Quite low - one of the least likely areas in Florida for a direct hit......but hurricane force winds can do damage.

Weather in General: Beautiful!

Property Taxes: An issue everywhere in Florida....not much different here. A little lower maybe, but not by a whole lot.

I'm partial to St. Augustine, having regulary visited since the 70's/80's and having lived there since the 90's (now in Jacksonville). St. Aug has incredible history and charm in large doses - not many other small cities can compare (and I've travelled more than the average American).

St. Pete looked nice when I last visited, but more run down and dirty than St. Augustine - it just didn't have the life or the vibrancy that St. Augustine has.

The only caveat I would have is the job situation. If you are looking for full-time employment, you will most likely have to commute to Jacksonville and it can be a haul. If full-time employment is part of the equation, I highly recommend living in Jacksonville and spending weekend time in St. Augustine - you won't miss a thing .

[Floridabound09]

This would be a toss up according to your criteria, but for me St Augustine is out if you want to live in warm weather, as FS stated, St Aug can get cold.

St Pete has more to offer and the best beaches in the US right there within a short drive, I would say St Pete but in a smaller town toward Dunedin/Tarpon.

I like St Aug allot for its charm, St Pete for everything else, but the cities are so far apart to even compare.

You will have to decide based on what you personally like in a town and what it has to offer you. And they both have allot to give.

If you dont mind the cold spell, then St Aug would be cheaper to live in. If you want to be warm year around and enjoy beaches, St Pete.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by Floridabound09

If you dont mind the cold spell, then St Aug would be cheaper to live in. If you want to be warm year around and enjoy beaches, St Pete.

St. Augustine is not cold .

Actually, St. Augustine and St. Pete are in the same basic hardiness zones (same climate).

I live in Jacksonville now, and lived in St. Augustine for a few years as well - you can get through the winters here by layering...truly, the "winter" is a little nip in the air, some cold wind and sometimes a little frost on the lawn - it's over in 3 months and then you work your way towards summer again for the rest of the year.

I imagine St. Pete would be cheaper to live in based on what I've seen of it. St. Augustine, and the NE Florida coast in general, has become quite expensive just in the last 4 or 5 years - NE FL is not the bargain it was just a short time ago. An earlier poster here mentioned $200k for a nice house in St. Pete. A nice house in St. Augustine is going to run you closer to $300k unless it's a fixer-upper or way out at the fringes of the county line.