[lesdear]

We are a family with one son who will start school in a year so we want good schools. Also, we will be renting a condo for the first year to be sure it is a lifestyle we like. We will be moving from orange beach alabama- a small gulf coast island with a great school, just ready to get out of house- husband works away for extended periods and i do not want to deal with lawn care and hurricane prep (and hurr. cleanup). So it is looking like a condo is the way to go for now. We are considering Pensacola Beach, Sandestin, and Orange Beach. While renting, amenities are very important- like a pool and a dock (we boat a lot, do not want to be directly on the gulf), and a bay/soundview. My son and I spend a lot of time at home, and I prefer not to get in the car to go to a pool or get in the boat. All 3 have great elementary schools, all 3 are tourist destinations, all 3 have the same cost of living. Anyone with full time living experience in pensacola Beach or sandestin? any advice or recs?

[AustinTraveler]

Originally Posted by lesdear

We are a family with one son who will start school in a year so we want good schools. Also, we will be renting a condo for the first year to be sure it is a lifestyle we like. We will be moving from orange beach alabama- a small gulf coast island with a great school, just ready to get out of house- husband works away for extended periods and i do not want to deal with lawn care and hurricane prep (and hurr. cleanup). So it is looking like a condo is the way to go for now. We are considering Pensacola Beach, Sandestin, and Orange Beach. All 3 have great elementary schools, all 3 are tourist destinations, all 3 are have the same cost of living. anyone with full time living experience in pensacola Beach or sandestin? any advice or recs?

You can't get away from hurricane preparation or aftermath at any of the places you have listed. But, leaving that out of the equation, the elementary school (and that's all there is) on Pensacola Beach is really great. After elementary school, your kids will go to school in Gulf Breeze. Honestly, if you want less of a chance to get wiped out by a hurricane, look into Gulf Breeze instead of the barrier island. Particularly, look into the City of Gulf Breeze where your kids can actually walk to school. Very family friendly.

[beachmouse]

I'd be a little nervous about Pensacola Beach full time because of the heavy, heavy damage it got from Ivan. IIRC, it was a long time before the National Guard let even residents back on Santa Rosa Island after the storm. The rules tend to be a little different for a barrier island than they do for the mainland.

I'd second the vote for looking into Gulf Breeze proper. You can probably find a good number of neighborhoods there where the HOA will take care of lawn issues. Also very good schools from K to 12.