[RVlover]

Originally Posted by beachmouse

I'll throw in a suggestion for Gulf Breeze just east of Pensacola- a very traditional little downtown area that's also about five miles from the even more traditional downtown Pensacola (Though they did just put a Publix and strip mall out by the high school) and you're in the attendance area for the well-regarded Gulf Breeze schools.

t

Its a cute little town alright, but, I dont think the OP would like the Route 98 heavy Tourist traffic from June to Sept.

[KoZmiC NinJa]

My wife is in the education system of a highly rated district
southerly of the northern areas. There a few reasons why the
education system is where it is. Parents would be item number
one and issue two would be good teachers, and there are quite
a few despite opinions to the contrary, are hampered by all
federal testing required for a school to keep its funding.
The NCLB has pretty much had the same effect as bookburning.
There is simply too much time devoted to making sure kids
pass this test. It keeps the motivated kids from learning more
and it intimidates the non-test taker type kids and they in-turn,
hate school. It a no-win situation that will never be rectified
until parents take more ownership in their kids upbringing,
that includes turning off the TV, taking the cell-fone away,
and telling the kid, "No, NO mall until your homeworks done !"
a few times a month, so realistically, this is the way its gonna
be for a long time.

To stay mildly on topic, my Wife and I are shunpike travelers and
enjoy seeking out little out-of-the way places anywhere we go.
We never get lost, only find new adventure
Theres lots of old Florida left in this huge state, you just have to
seek it out. Unfortunately, I think South Florida is done for, but
going north, outside of Orlando and up, and along the Western
shore there are some great places. If I was independently
wealthy I would move to Mt. Dora/Eustis in a second !
Even here in S' Fl, the Hobe Sound-Stuart area has some real
nice old Florida neighborhoods, but sadly they are being threatened
by that Future Groups push to change the zoning for FT. Laud
style mega-crush/ultra-high density housing.

Seek and ye shall find ! ITs here.......

Originally Posted by RVlover

If Parents would stop and take inventory, they sure as heck wouldnt want for their kids the '21st Century culture' immoral/hedonistic/narcissitic brainwashing that fuels America today.

''
'
I'm not sure this is germane to the topic at hand, RVLover.
Anyway, I spent 20 months in Port St Joe, which is between Apalachicola and Panama City.
In some ways, it was indeed like going back to the 1950's.
Some of the skills and qualities a young person needs to survive cannot be bought or sold.
Some of the values we instill are not going to be found in an institution of learning.
But some are.
Most young people today, just like you, know how to operate a computer.

REPLY: Today, youll get a modern learning cirriculum in any school across FLorida which will ready the Student for his life journey ; what you wont get in every school is the REAL picture of our decadent modern culture nor the teaching/wisdom to stay away from the destructive philosophies that are present which serve to destroy personal lives and will continue to do so.

[wacahootaman]

Lots of small towns with easy rides to Gainesville or Ocala for shopping etc.

Check out Micanopy, McIntosh, High Springs, Alachua, Newberry, Williston,Evinston.

This is a pasture in Evinston looking toward Orange Lake in the winter time:



This is the road going into the little town of Boardman.

[marlene in florida]

I live in a town of @400 in north florida called Ft. White which is in Columbia County. Lots of big oak trees with lots of moss, springs and rivers. Taxes and Utilites much lower.

[Trusses]

Originally Posted by wacahootaman

Lots of small towns with easy rides to Gainesville or Ocala for shopping etc.

Check out Micanopy, McIntosh, High Springs, Alachua, Newberry, Williston,Evinston.

This is a pasture in Evinston looking toward Orange Lake in the winter time:



This is the road going into the little town of Boardman.

That is awesome!

[Baja Boomer]

Originally Posted by RVlover

If Parents would stop and take inventory, they sure as heck wouldnt want for their kids the '21st Century culture' immoral/hedonistic/narcissitic brainwashing that fuels America today.

Today, youll get a modern learning cirriculum in any school across FLorida which will ready the Student for his life journey ; what you wont get in every school is the REAL picture of our decadent modern culture nor the teaching/wisdom to stay away from the destructive philosophies that are present which serve to destroy personal lives and will continue to do so.

"We live in a decaying age. Young people no longer respect their parents. They are rude and impatient. They frequently inhabit taverns and have no self control."
--Inscription, 6000 year-old Egyptian tomb (Quoted in R. Buckminster Fuller's "I Seem to be a Verb".)

"When I was young, we were taught to be discreet and respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly disrespectful and impatient of restraint".
--Hesiod, 8th century BC

"What is happening to our young people? They disrespect their elders, they disobey their parents. They ignore the law. They riot in the streets inflamed with wild notions. Their morals are decaying. What is to become of them?"
--Plato, 4th Century BC

"The young people of today think of nothing but themselves. They have no reverence for parents or old age. They are impatient of all restraint... As for the girls, they are forward, immodest and unladylike in speech, behavior and dress."
--Attributed to Peter the Hermit, AD 12743

In the 1800s, hordes of teens and pre-teens ran wild in American city streets, dodging authorities, "gnawing away at the foundations of society", as a commentator put it. In 1850, New York City recorded more than 200 gang wars fought largely by adolescent boys.
--Quoted in Barry Glassner's The Culture of Fear, p75.

In 1898, newspapers in England warned of the menace of "hooligans" and of a "dramatic increase in disorderly behaviour". The Times reported "organised terrorism in the streets". In every decade of the 20th century there were similar media panics.
--From Laurie Taylor's article, Looking with a historical eye, published in the 1995 Channel Four booklet, Battered Britain.

"Juvenile delinquency has increased at an alarming rate and is eating at the heart of America."
--US juvenile court judge, 1946, quoted in Barry Glassner's The Culture of Fear, p75.

And so on up to today. It seems that the youth of the world have been going to hell in a handbasket for at least 8,000 years.

You know what the scariest part of reaching middle age was for me? The realization that the kids we went to high school with were running things in the world.

[Baja Boomer]

Originally Posted by Trusses

I agree, except for Clermont, which I think has changed a bit. Remember a year or two ago when that guy from NJ who was a criminal (his name was like Giovanni or something weird like that) moved there and shot 2 people (a drug dealing) and then there was another shooting in one weekend in Clermont? It was bizzarre - it was like 3 people murdered in one weekend in Clermont and that is usaually more than one whole year's total.

Just curious-- what's weird about the name Giovanni?

[Trusses]

Giovanni is a give away that he wasn't from Clermont. They had to look hard to find him as he was a criminal with a long rap sheet in NJ. I think it's a weird name. I'm old school FL cracker.

[hiknapster]

Originally Posted by labmom1

Thanks - I had forgotten about some of these and will check them out. I went to school at U of M and even since the late 80's I don't recognize most of my old stomping ground.

Now I'll throw out another question - in some of these places are there good private schools in the area?? From what I know about the public school systems in FL - we would probably go the private (hopefully non-religious) route.

I don't think you really want old Florida. Apparently, I am much older than you because I remember that to be pre-Disney, when not many people had air conditioning and private school was for the uber-rich. Everglades City is old Florida and may it forever be, but it is not what you are looking for.

[daytonadewd]

Originally Posted by labmom1

Thanks - I had forgotten about some of these and will check them out. I went to school at U of M and even since the late 80's I don't recognize most of my old stomping ground.

Now I'll throw out another question - in some of these places are there good private schools in the area?? From what I know about the public school systems in FL - we would probably go the private (hopefully non-religious) route.

Daytona Beach is limited to Catholic Schools in the old sections. They've closed most of the downtown public schools and bus kids way out to the burbs.

The following areas have "Old Florida" charm and good public school options: You could always live in downtown Sarasota and send kids to Pine View in Osprey or downtown Ocala has magnet schools. You could live outside Gainesville (like Miconopy) and request a variance to take your kids into town. Gainesville also has some private schools too like montessori, etc. Ditto St. Augustine and Thornton Park in downtown Orlando.