[travelinghome]

Hi, I'm originally from South Florida and I love Florida as far as the weather but I'd like to get away from the congestion and extremely terrible driving in South Florida. I was drawn to looking at Santa Rosa and Okaloosa counties due to the good school reviews. I only have a baby right now; but even though it's not an immediate priority, I feel that a good school community will also contribute to a good and positive family environment. We are looking for a low crime area with family things to do. We don't mind driving a bit for activities (max about 45 mins.). We won't buy immediately until we get a better feel for the area. We are both down for small town country type feelings. I have read that Valparaiso and Niceville are noisy from the jets and if that is so, then I may have to rule them out. I would prefer to be a max of 45 minutes from the beach but ideally closer. I'm not sure how far for example Crestview actually is from the beach. We will be going to the area to check it out in the near future. I was really hoping to get some help before then to help to guide us. I was also looking at Navarre, Pace, Mary Esther, and Wright. I'd rather live where there's less crime and be able to drive to the bigger cities for activities and shopping.

I am also very into Attachment Parenting. I breastfeed my baby. Though I don't openly do so in public, some areas are generally more accepting of this than others. I was wondering if anybody has any feedback on this.

From reading some of the other posts, I also just wanted to ask if anybody feels that there's strong racism or prejudice towards Asians. I am White and my husband is Asian and our daughter is of course mixed.

Also, aside from spin-offs from hurricanes, are there generally tornado worries in these areas?

Thanks for any input!!

[travelinghome]

Hi again. Also, does anybody know if there are festivals or similar type events and if there are farmers' markets to get fresh/organic produce? I was also wondering if living in any of these areas is not a good idea if we aren't military. We are huge supporters though...I greatly admire anybody giving service. I am new to the forum thing; but I tried to give as much info as I could like suggested. Thanks again for any input at all.

[RVlover]

Living in a town by the Emerald Coast like Navarre, Fort Walton, Destin, etc... is going to cost you alot for housing/Apartment. Plus, it gets congested in the Tourist Season which is from June thru August . Niceville and Val P. , are nice towns, more affordable, and only 20 minutes to the beaches. Val P. has an ongoing lawsuit with Eglin Air Force Base due to noise . Either town has a smaller town feel to it. But if you want still cheaper housing, more small town feel, and 45 min. to the beaches...then id strongly recommend Baker, Holt, Milton, or Pace --- all right off of I-10 but quiet towns and low crime. More major towns to them would be Pensacola and Crestview. Military Families are very common in all of the towns ive listed above . I see nor hear of any racial prejudice toward blacks , asians, etc... In fact, the Panhandle is just an ideal area for raising a family because it is a strong Christian area and values, morals, and ethics...are part of the culture. Many of the Churches do things together and youll have quite a variety to choose from. I live in Holt myself out in the woods...and have lived here for only 5 months thus far. I love the area and if you want more activity , the beaches, nice restaurants, water sports, etc...is just 45 minutes south and simple to get to. The winters up here are much cooler than southern Florida which im sure you will find a very refreshing change ---- Average in the middle of winter run 40-45 f. at night, and 65-70 f. during the day. You get ALOT more value for your money in homes in the towns mentioned off of I-10 plus youre somewhat buffered from Hurricanes. I think youll like being 'a Panhandler' !

[beachmouse]

Asian spouses and Asian-white and Asian-black couples are very common here, though the usual formula is Thai, Filipino, or Korean woman met Air Force dude posted over there and romance ensued. An Asian male would probably be assumed to be doing some sort of high tech work on base, and there are worse ways to be stereotyped than that.

In terms of crime, the most common one in these parts (south Okaloosa/Santa Rosa) is 'items stolen from unlocked vehicle'. You generally have to be looking for trouble in order to find violent crime in these parts. The thing with the Wright area is that it can go from middle class to somewhat sketchy from street to street in places. If you're looking in the north FWB area, I'd stick with the Kenwood and Longwood/Poquito Bayou areas and the Shalimar area because they're the most consistently nice. Don't rule out the eastern fringes of Niceville and through the Bluewater Bay area- the jet noise reports I've seen say that noise for the areas east of about Redwood Ave won't be much different than present, and there are some very nice areas through there. Plus, you're in the desirable attendance areas for Plew & Bluewater Elementaries, Ruckel Middle and Niceville High when the kids get older.

Not a ton of farmer's markets in the area- agriculture in these parts tends to be timber, cotton, and peanuts. You can find some local stuff with a bit of hunting and gathering, and For the Health of It in Blue Mountain Beach is a neat little store, if a bit of a hike from FWB. There's also Ever'man grocery co-op in Pensacola. From what I've heard the local Publixes tend to be better than the general Publixes (not Greenwise or Latin) in SE Florida, and you can get a fair amount of organics there.

I'm not up on the ins and outs of the local attachment parenting scene, but it's no big deal to see babies being worn in slings. (and I think most people would rather see that than dodge SUV-sized strollers in narrow store aisles)

[travelinghome]

RVlover & beachmouse, than you so much for taking the time to give us some helpful insight. We really appreciate it!!

[travelinghome]

by the way, I would still really appreciate any input anybody else might care to share

[RVlover]

'Also, does anybody know if there are festivals or similar type events and if there are farmers' markets to get fresh/organic produce?'

REPLY: Forgot to answer these for you . I saw a road sign on the northside of Crestview today that displayed the days and times for Farmers Market Day. , so yes..they have it. As for festivals and events...theres ALOT around , mostly in Destin and Fort Walton areas. These two towns are big on live outside music events and i went to quite a few this summer. In Niceville, the rage is The Mullet Festival in October -- a VERY large event with sometimes 30-40 k. people over the entire time. Big name Entertainers have played there including Kenny Rogers. Its held outside at a big Park. Crestview has a few events thruout the summer downtown . Navarre has its Thursday evening live Music on the Beach series, Pensacola Beach live music on Tuesday evenings, Destin Harborwalk live music series on Saturday evenings . Niceville has Turkey Creek which is a spring-fed Creek where people love to Tube down with a few get off raft points along the way for sunbathing/picnicing. MANY well kept Parks and Trails to explore. A few big Festivals for kids including The Billy Bowlegs Festival in Fort Walton where kids get dressed up as Pirates and fight the Towns Officials (or something like that !) . Of course, there are TONS of water sports/water parks to do along the Coast and restaurants galore all down the coast . It is a seafood lovers paradise . Good Steak places too. Youll have plenty to explore and get acquainted with. Lots of young families strolling about . If your husband fishes...he can catch some of the BIGGEST fish ever ; earlier this year, a Guy off of Destin Harbor caught a 742 lb. Blue Marlin and it took him 8 hours to reel it in --- enough fish there to feed the town for a month.

[beachmouse]

You're also in the Mardi Gras belt, and unlike New Orleans, the parades in these parts tend to be very family-friendly. They've also got a charming informality about who marches in them. As long as you're willing to throw beads, you're in,and it's amusing to see the Klingons, the local indian tribe, and the Sons of the Confederacy follow each other down the parade route.