[milano]

I need to get out of south Florida!! I am looking for a place where people still say hello to each others, traffic is normal , homes are not half a million$$, and you can acctually find a job in the hospitality industry. Olso, we have a small child, and I am tired to see only "70 year old people!! any serious suggestion out there will be appreciated.

[Racelady88]

I bolted from West Central Florida last year. I landed in Aiken, SC.

It is beautiful here. You can buy a new home from $110,000 (3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms). It is going to be 99 actual degrees today, but the humidity will not hit 40%. I actually drive with my windows open.

The people here are very friendly. It is culturally diverse. Augusta, GA is only 20 minutes away.

[moderator CUT]

[bamboosmom]

Hi why not try the west coast of Florida?
Charlotte County is growing with lots of young couples and young children and the homes are still cheaper than the surrounding areas and the east coast of Florida. The schools are all and I mean all A schools. Every school received an A here.
Deep Creek elementary is the best elementary school in the county.

[loves_sunshine]

I live in Clearwater, which is very nice, crowded, but nice. It is also convenient to get to the cities of St. Petersburg and Tampa if you want more of city atmosphere and to work if you need to commute. The other areas that are "small" around here are Largo, Pinellas Park.

[Jammie]

Milano, we're looking for a lot of the same things you're looking for. We live in the upper midwest and we do have all the things you mentioned, but we have so much cold and snow in the winter. We're planning on checking out Marion and Lake counties in Oct. We're hoping that the Ocala/Silver Springs area is exactly what we're looking for. We've heard only good things about that area and the prices seem somewhat reasonable there. We hope that the area has younger families with children cause we love watching little ones play in the park and chatting with them. But we're middle aged and we hope there are people there who are a bit on the old side, too.

Evey, so many people have said that Aiken is a very nice area. I'm glad to hear you like it there. We went to Myrtle Beach last Sept. and the people were so friendly there. The only problem is I have some sort of allergy to something that's grown in that area. It ended up being so bad I had to spend a whole day of our vacation in bed.

[sami]

Hey, Pinellas County is nice in places (includes Clearwater), but this area does not have a small town feel. Northern Pinellas County has smaller towns.... You may want to research more up north Florida with a more "southern" feel.....Hey do research...IF you want to stay in Florida, your kind of place exists and those places are usually cheaper than the cities and their suburbs.

[AbbySFL7]

I've lived in South Florida my whole life and both my parents were born and raised here. I completely understand wanting to get away. I feel like I'm going insane. I hate it here. People are horribly rude, traffic is disgusting, English is the second language (I honestly don't mind that so much), and road construction is constant. I've been through six flat tires in the past 2 years driving over stray screws or road debris. I'm moving out of here in two years and I am not coming back.

There are some nice towns in Florida, though. I have family in Micanopy, which is outside of Gainesville and that's about as sleepy as it gets. Also, Jasper and Winter Haven are good for the friendly small town thing. But I have family in Georgia and I visit whenever I can. Georgia is like heaven compared to South Florida. If I can't get to Georgia then I'm moving up North. I don't care what people say about New England, because I'll tell you what: If there was an award for the rudest, most hell-like region in the nation, South Florida would take home the gold.

[Jammie]

Abby, what area of Ga. are you relocating to?

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by AbbySFL7

English is the second language (I honestly don't mind that so much)

Then why did you bring it up?

[2bohemians]

Originally Posted by milano

I need to get out of south Florida!! I am looking for a place where people still say hello to each others, traffic is normal , homes are not half a million$$, and you can acctually find a job in the hospitality industry. Olso, we have a small child, and I am tired to see only "70 year old people!! any serious suggestion out there will be appreciated.

Check out the Northwest Florida Panhandle ..... and the Beaches of South Walton. We've got small, peaceful, beautiful coastal towns with emerald blue green clean water and white sandy beaches. Housing prices can be expensive but lots of people are super motivated in this economy and there are many options in rentals and sales of property. The hospitality industry is the main source of employment along our beaches. You may want to check out these websites to see what kind of hospitality employment is available - they are some of the big resorts located along Scenic 30A.

Rosemary Beach, Florida

Watersound

Seaside

Watercolor

Sandestin

Traffic is pretty mellow on our end of the beach but can be heavy in places like Destin to the west and Panama City Beach to the east. This traffic is mostly in spring & summer and on rainy days.