[oceandreams94]

I do have a question? Did I hear on this forum something about a drive by shooting in Palm Coast, in section B?? Isnt that where all the kids are? Does anyone know if this is true, and what was the reason? Was it gang related?

This is the main thing that bothers me, we dont mind the quiet but I dont want to move to a gang infested area or where there are drive-bys??!!

[ssg II]

Yes, it's true. It was on Boston Lane. There's a crime-watch section on the forums at www.PalmCoast.biz if you want to read about it.

[pirate girl]

it was actually determined to be some kind of retaliation for an arguement and not a true drive by shooting. The area in which that happened is a small neighborhood near the home depot- not the large "B" section where the schools are located.

It was an isolated incident, absolutely not a common occurence.

[oceandreams94]

I am still wondering if Palm Coast is a Dangerous place to live??? I thought there was nothing there? Quiet????

[RedWingsFan]

Originally Posted by sunshinegirl

What in the HELL are you talking about? Are you working for the Chamber of Commerce?

The local "landmark" was in Beverly Beach, not Palm Coast. And a "dirt road community of lake front homes?" Would that be Mondex? (Ditch-front lots for double-wides.)
This is a well-written advertisment disguised as a post.

Exactly, thank you! This is not a resident that just so happens to be giving their opinion. This is obviously someone with an interest in pushing the place (a realtor, Chamber of Commerce, etc.).

[RedWingsFan]

Originally Posted by oceandreams94

I am still wondering if Palm Coast is a Dangerous place to live??? I thought there was nothing there? Quiet????

I do hear of quite a bit of crime there. While there's not a lot there many people are still moving there for the cheaper housing. So you get together a lot of people that can't afford to live in other cities and there's not crime. Maybe they are mad that they can't afford the housing prices in other cities?

[ssg II]

Originally Posted by pirate girl

And in almost 40 years Palm Coast has changed significantly.

I KNOW!!! I'VE WITNESSED IT!!!! I GREW UP HERE. I LIVE IN FLAGLER COUNTY.

[RedWingsFan]

Considering what is in Palm Coast right now (which in my book is pretty close to nothing) I can't imagine what it was like 40 years ago. I'm picturing a dirt road, no stores, very very few homes and people living there...really nothing there but trees and swamp land. Am I right? What could have possibly been there 40 years ago??? Because if it was there then it should be there now or they closed it all up and moved it elsewhere....?

[ssg II]

Originally Posted by RedWingsFan

Considering what is in Palm Coast right now (which in my book is pretty close to nothing) I can't imagine what it was like 40 years ago. I'm picturing a dirt road, no stores, very very few homes and people living there...really nothing there but trees and swamp land. Am I right? What could have possibly been there 40 years ago??? Because if it was there then it should be there now or they closed it all up and moved it elsewhere....?

Like much of Florida, it was swamp, which they filled, & scrub, which they dozed. Some of the streets were paved decades before they built houses on them and they look it!

[Samrai309]

Its a novel
Get a drink first LOL

To anyone considering Palm Coast and to the few posters who mentioned renting...give it a shot to see if you like it.

Like others on the thread here, I too made frequent stops when my parents stopped to look around on our trip to disney world growing up. My father and grandfather also came down here a lot when things were less developed and cheaper and bought property and then sold. My grandfather had dabbled with the land stuff for years up and down the east coast. Back then it was all speculation but never flipping. There was not much profit involved. A friend of my fathers is a retired FDNY firefighter. He is in real estate so he gives us the low down on the area from time to time. He has been down here over 20 yrd. All in all, the housing slump resulted in a surplus of housing that explains most of the empty houses. There are probably other circumstances too but I cant speak to that. Anyway, I have been down here since 2004. I was struggling to keep afloat on Long Island and figured a change of pace and a chance at owning a home was worth the trip down. My parents had been down here so I gave it a shot. I lived with them while I built a house. I got in just in time b/c I would not have been able to afford the house and land and stuff if I waited. Anyway, enough life story. I have not had any crime incidents in my area. Heard about stuff here and there but compared to what I read in the papers back home, seems to be more wannabes and bored kid stuff. I hear there is a gang presence but I am not sure if it is neighboring Bunnell, or small pockets of people with affiliations to any organizations. I cannot speak to that. Its all heresay. There are some issues with fighting in some middle schools but I have a ton of bus stops on my block and never had an issue. My neighbor had a kid steal a pack of cigarettes off his back table but he lives on a corner house and his backyard and sitting area is right there. I am not condoning it. I would have broken the kid's hand if I caught him LOL. But the kid apparently has a history of being a pain in the ass and the cops knew who it was when my neighbor filed a complaint. I also had a guy on a sport bike crash into my mailbox. We won't get into that. But he was definitely under the influence of something at some point that nite and it was not alcohol. State police came and took report and cited him. Nothing else really. I keep to myself and neighbors are friendly but not overbearing. I teach high school in St. Augustine at a catholic school and I drive a school bus from Palm Coast to the high school I teach at. It is a very good gig. THe kids I teach that live in Palm Coast that ride the bus live in P, W, R, and B sections mainly with a few sprinkled in the F. Some are born and raised. Some are transplants like myself from NY, Brooklyn, Long Island, NJ and MA.

Lets see...let me comment on some stuff I read....

Schools
First off they just built a school in the R section on Rymfire Dr. I think it is elementary but I am not sure.

Two elementary schools I know of: Old Kings elementary and Wadsworth elementary. There is also a catholic elementary school at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church. I do not know anything about them.

Two middle schools:Indian Trails and Buddy Taylor. Buddy Taylor is right next to Wadsworth Elementary. Indian trails is a bit north. It is also a newer school. I have a friend who teaches at Indian trails and a colleague whose husband teaches there. I was there once. It is a nice school. They like working there. I hear Buddy Taylor has discipline problems and fighting. I hear this from my neighbor whose child goes there and from a colleague whose neighbor is an administrator there. Once again this is what I hear.

Two High schools: Flagler Palm Coast (FPC) and Matanzas Woods. Matanzas is the newer of the two. I heard it is better than FPC but that may be b/c it is newer and they have less students as they phase grade levels in. It looks like a prison IMO. FPC is older and has a lot more kids. I do not know how the zoning for the school works but you are zoned for one or the other. I could be wrong but I think Palm Coast Parkway is the demarcation line. That would mean that if you live in the W, R, P and whatever else sections ar south, you go to FPC. If you live in the B, L, F, C or whatever else is North, you go to Matanzas. I am not sure though.

Movie theater
From what I hear, the Palm Coast movie theater is a sh**hole. The kids tell me they reuse plastic cups LOL

Sick if they do but could be kid talk too. They say they get checked for bringing food, snacks and stuff in and all. Basically none of the kids I talked to go there. They go to the Regal cinema in Ormond Beach. There is also a small theater in St. Augustine. I have never been to any movie theaters down here. On demand and blockbuster are my choices if I need to see a movie.

Shopping
Well they are currently building the Town Center. It is located at the end of Belle Terre Pkwy and State rd 100. Some have written that it is not a town center really. Well, there are plans to to put in a ton of stuff. In fact Palm Coast has plans to do a lot. But its slow. For now, there is a real nice Publix anchoring a string of little stores. It opened in november. THey built it pretty quick. Also a quiznos, ups store, liquor store, party store, tax place, tanning place i think. I hear Super Target is going in. No clue on what the time table is. I read someone on here say by xmas. That would be great but as far as I know, aside from land being cleared, nothing has been dug out and no structures have been put up. There is also a bank going in right now in front of publix. I never heard of this bank. It is not a major chain.

Other than that, the other side of town has Walmart, Winn dixie, bealls, walgreens, gas stations, banks, fast food places, home depot, restaurants. SuperWalmart is supposedly moving. Sams CLub is supposedly going in. Near there is something being built called Cobblestone Shopping Center. Lowes, Petsmart, Belks and Bed Bath and Beyond have been mentioned. There is a big Cobblestone center in St. Augustine. There is also something called CityWalk that has been under construction since I got here. No clue what that is. European village has upscale shops, restuarants and general fancy pants type places. I have never bothered to go there. My parents have tried an italian place, ice cream place and maybe something else. I heard it is not doing very well.

Airport
I recently got engaged and my fiancee is still back on Long Island so I fly quite a bit. I really want to like Daytona beach airport. It is convenient. I used to fly Delta from there all the time. Then they went into bankruptcy protection, raised prices and become not worth it. I started driving to Orlando and getting cheaper flights. The drive to Orlando is TERRIBLE. I HATE IT. However, it was actually cheaper for me to rent a car at daytona airport and drive to orlando and then take the rental car shuttle for free to the terminal. Seems like it would be a pain in the ass but I have discovered all these little tricks and it was smooth as silk and wound up being cheaper than a tank of gas for my car. Then Airtran came in to Daytona and forced delta, the major carrier there to lower. Problem is, all carriers with the exception of Continental, connect in Atlanta. NOT CONVENIENT FOR ME. Continental operates one or two flights out fo there daily but they go to Newark. I now drive to Jacksonville. I fly Jet blue. Southwest and Airtran are there also. In my opinion, it is still cheaper and more convenient to do that even with the hour drive and gas price fluctuations. Gas is cheaper in certain areas of Jacksonville. I get a nonstop flight into JFK for between 59-64 dollars each way on jet blue if u plan right. And contrary to all the negative press they got a while back, they are IMO the best airline to fly. I have been delayed here and there but customer was always the #1 priority in my experience. Parking at Jax airport is 4 dollars a day in the economy lot with a free shuttle. Very convenient in my opinion and worth the trip. I take early flights and have no trouble with the drive. Uneventful trip if ya know wht i mean.

I have not had a need to really drive to go shopping but I am a 29 year old guy. What do I really need. There is a Best buy, Barnes and nobles, and the Volusia mall for the major stores, along with everything else at the Daytona exit. For a more upscale mall, there is th Avenues mall in Jacksonville but I have never been there. There is also a huge Towncenter up in Jacksonville with a Costco and Cheesecake factory and all these stores in the area. I go there from time to time but I was also taking a college class up there. It is near the University of North Florida. I am not into clubs but for those that are, Daytona is the nearest spot for that lifestyle. There are no sidewalks in some areas so it is a bit tough to ride a bike around if you are a kid although I do see them riding. I hear it from my students in St. Augustine though too. "Ther is nothing to do." I said the same thing growing up on Long Island at times. I think it depends on your interests. All kids will do the same things at some point in their life. High school kids will drive around in the car bored and go hang out somewhre. Thats where they get into trouble and do stupid things. But it depends on interests and what may or may not be offered where you are looking to live. Everyone has their opinion and sees it differently. I merely wanted to try to answer a few questions I saw keep popping up. If you are unsure, then renting truely is the best option.

Just my two cents from what I have heard and seen.

Joe