[Sheepie2000]

I would say Palm Coast because I love it here, but it doesn't have a mall or a lot of night life. It gets a bad rap (undeservedly) on this board though. It's between Daytona Beach and St Augustine. Beautiful, quiet, friendly, mostly safe place with good schools.

[redraven_y2k]

Originally Posted by Sheepie2000

I would say Palm Coast because I love it here, but it doesn't have a mall or a lot of night life. It gets a bad rap (undeservedly) on this board though. It's between Daytona Beach and St Augustine. Beautiful, quiet, friendly, mostly safe place with good schools.

Yes it does get a bad rap but the downside to Palm Coast for me is lack of malls and nightlife. I need that since I am pushing 39 in a few more months and would like to go out with my husband or with friends to be active.

I am moving from Virginia because of lack of social scene just in the 6 years of being here my family have gained from 25 to 100lbs because there is nothing to do here beside do drugs, get drunk( I do not do any of this), work, sleep and eat. I need some place that offers festivals more than once a year, Yoga or spin classes with out driving an hour to get there. I am not dead yet so, I really need to be active I can sleep when I am dead.

I would like to live some place where I can shop until 10 or 11 p.m on the weekends besides giving Sam Walton my money.
I guess I long for city living like in Baltimore but when I am tired I can come home to peace and quite.

I don't care too much for small town neighborhoods because they often are mistrustful of newcomers and pointing out faults when you don't share the same ideals that they do. Often times you are never really made to feel you belong.
Case in point I live in a subdivision of about 120 houses in my block there are about 16 houses out of those sixteen only 1 of my neighbors even speak to me or my family. Every year I have a cookout and invite all my neighbors personally they don't ever attend. I mean really they turn down free food.
I asked my 1 neighbor who came why do they treat us like this and was told because most of them have lived here since 1945 when this area was built and do not like the fact that my family now live in their dead friend's home and not because I'm a bad neighbor or anything like that.
So you see it is this kind of foolishness that makes me leary about smalls towns.

[Nebat]

Originally Posted by redraven_y2k

Yes it does get a bad rap but the downside to Palm Coast for me is lack of malls and nightlife. I need that since I am pushing 39 in a few more months and would like to go out with my husband or with friends to be active.

I am moving from Virginia because of lack of social scene just in the 6 years of being here my family have gained from 25 to 100lbs because there is nothing to do here beside do drugs, get drunk( I do not do any of this), work, sleep and eat. I need some place that offers festivals more than once a year, Yoga or spin classes with out driving an hour to get there. I am not dead yet so, I really need to be active I can sleep when I am dead.

You live in Petersburg, duh! BTW isn't Petersburg mostly black? I find it hard to believe you would feel racially profiled or anything. Why not move closer to Richmond or even into the city instead of moving such a long distance? Or Hampton Roads sounds like another option maybe. If you've gained weight from a lack of options, that's your fault, just go to one of the many local parks and get out of the house. Go walking or running, explore some neighborhoods. With your kind of attitude I'm not surprised many people don't want to socialize with you. But if Florida is in your heart, the Tampa area sounds like a good area for you. My dad lives there and it seems to have most of what you seek. The Pinellas side seems to shut down pretty early, can't say for the Hillsborough side though. Good luck with your journey.

[redraven_y2k]

Originally Posted by Nebat

You live in Petersburg, duh! BTW isn't Petersburg mostly black? I find it hard to believe you would feel racially profiled or anything. Why not move closer to Richmond or even into the city instead of moving such a long distance? Or Hampton Roads sounds like another option maybe. If you've gained weight from a lack of options, that's your fault, just go to one of the many local parks and get out of the house. Go walking or running, explore some neighborhoods. With your kind of attitude I'm not surprised many people don't want to socialize with you. But if Florida is in your heart, the Tampa area sounds like a good area for you. My dad lives there and it seems to have most of what you seek. The Pinellas side seems to shut down pretty early, can't say for the Hillsborough side though. Good luck with your journey.

Moderator cut: Flaming
Everywhere I have gone and have visited I make friends because of the way I am. I have always had neighborhood cookouts and block parties for my neighbors, family, friends and neighborhood kids.

Since I started my house search I have made alot of friends and they have email me everyday to see how I am doing and many have even offered to help me move to their neighborhood when I am ready.

I care about everything and everyone. No matter where I am I open my mouth and greet you even if I don't like you or you have wronged me.

I ask how are you because I really care and not because it is just something to say.
If I see you laying in the street hurt I will stop and offer my help; most of my neighbors will not they go in their house and close the door because it is not their problem. So how does that make me a bad person because I care.

I live in Petersburg but I am not from Petersburg there is a big difference.

If you read my op like everyone else did you would know I am thinking about moving to a place that I know nothing about! Only a fool would be stupid enough to move to a place blindly; when I moved to Petersburg I was just that a blind fool.

Richmond is no better the government is so twisted they can not stop fighting among themselves long enough to address real problems like missing tax payer's dollars and why citizens had to be evacuate from their homes in the Battery Park, Brookfield Gardens and Southern Barton Heights areas when millions of dollars were spent 3 years ago to fix drainage problem.

As for Hampton roads area unless you are sitting on at least $100,000 a year or Section 8 it is not worth it.

To address your remark about weight gain you do not know me or my family so who are you to judge?

In my area when I first moved here it was mostly white we had a nice big park with swings, basketball court etc but when the city along with HUD used the power of subsidies ( section 8) to forcibly change the neighborhood; our nice suburban neighborhood park became a breeding ground for drugs to be sold there and thanks to ample evidence of gang activity (it was so bad that the cops would not show up until daylight) the city removed everything put up no trespassing signs and most of the white families moved to Colonial Height and Prince George the remaining older whites like my neighbors are left mad, bitter and blaming all blacks for the condition of our area.

This is the same story all across this so called city; there is one nice big park downtown but no one goes there because in order to park you need a special permit saying you live on the surrounding streets because it is a historical area.

It is not just my neighborhood it is the whole city do you know why Petersburg is mostly black?

It is because when it got to be so bad all the white folks started building up a new area 3 miles away in Colonial Heights or as black folk in Petersburg call it Colonial Whites 89.08% White, 6.27% Black and white folks started calling Petersburg the S**t bowl 78.97% African American,18.52% White.

You can see and feel the difference over there, the prices are higher and the government official (police) do not play when you are black and from Petersburg because of all the mess that is in Petersburg.

Before you ask how do they know where you are from because every county has it's own sticker that you must display on your windshield or get a $150 fine.

They can not stop you from going there but they can sure make you wish you did not have to.

I know all of this to be true because the man I purchased this house from was a white retired Colonel in the Army who told me the official and unofficial history of Petersburg and Colonial Heights.

He was born and raised in Petersburg and he purchased this house before the first brick was layed in 1945 and I was the first black person in 60 years to ever set foot in this house as the owner and not a maid or butler. He did not just tell me but he showed me the newspaper clipping he saved in his scrap book to get his point across. It was all there in black and white so to speak and when he left guess where he moved to C.H.

See if I had found this site before I could have been well informed and I would have never moved here to this God awful place.

[Minier]

I have raised my children to give everyone a chance because there is good and bad in all of us. So I am happy to say they judge you on who you are as a person and not what your race you are. In my family my dad is AA and Irish and my mom is AA and native American. So, in my extended family we have a lot of different races family reunions and holidays are educational and fun.

Yes, it's clear how enlightened your family is by your "too many Latins and such" comment ... what the heck is a "Latin"?

And, yes, I understand the language concerns, but it's one thing to say: "not Miami because my Spanish is not great and I feel I would miss out" and a VERY different thing to say "not Miami because there are too many Latins."

Are there "too many" blacks in Harlem? See? Doesn't sound nice.

[lisashearer]

Originally Posted by redraven_y2k

Greetings all,
My husband and I are relocating our family to Florida and we need some help on what part to move to.

We are AA family consisting of us (43 and 38)and our 3 kids a girl 7 and 2 boys 17 and 19. We are looking for an area that is diverse, active, and friendly.

What I mean is we don't want to worry about cross burnings, child molesters, people standing on the corner trying to sell you drugs or robbing you or your house, basically no "ghetto or poor trailer park areas". Trust me between Baltimore,MD and Petersburg, VA I done seen it all and don't want to see it again.

Where is a good place that has nice beaches, schools, actives for the kids, malls and some kind of nightlife that will stay open late and is not a strip club hubby likes them but I hate strip clubs.

My hubby and I have been looking at some really nice houses online at Craigslist around Tampa bay area like New port Richey, Port Richey, and Holiday but after reading some post here I am scared real scared .
So, any area will be worth a look I was looking at Daytona Beach and Ft Myers too. Please don't say Miami I can't afford to move there and too many Latins and such there. I don't want to lose out because I can't speak anything but english.

Jobs are not a problem my husband is a otr driver and my oldest works for Walmart. I go to college so we are ok money wise. But we are not rich my husband said for me to find a house that is no more than $900 mo with 3br 2 ba so it is all on me so if I mess up I will be the bad guy.

I lived in Pensacola (Escambia)over 20 years ago but I was a Navy kid so we did not stay long but we stayed long enough for hurricane season so I am not afraid.

Any advice you give I will take it to heart when making a choice on where to look.
Thank you,
Mrs. H

I would look at st. augustine instead of daytona area but if you would consider east coast, I would highly reccommend Jupiter, junobeach, palmbeachgardens for families. All have great schools and wonderful beaches and plenty of nitelife 15 minutes away by car. Tampa is ok but like all cities they have typical Florida issues, drugs, gangs and crime. Look at small towns not cities. Careful because Florida has some bad areas w/ very bad schools and if you make the wrong choice it can be a miserable place to deal w/.