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Old 12-30-2009, 09:10 PM
 
Location: Foothills of the Appalachians
440 posts, read 2,426,085 times
Reputation: 186

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Quote:
Originally Posted by lionesschanel View Post
Thank you everyone for your input, much appreciated! I'm from a big city but I don't enjoy it anymore and I've lived here for 30 years so it's time to do move to what I love.. a small beach community. My question is this Santa Rosa beach and Navarre smaller than Destin? Do they have less tourist traffic than Destin? Happy New Year in advance!
It's not that Destin is big by any stretch of the imagination -- but it has more to do ... meaning malls, chain restaurants, big box stores like Home Depot, Wal Mart, Bed Bath & Beyond, Barnes & Noble ... and then it also has entertainment like a water park, go cart race track, mini golf ... then it has all the high rise condo rental buildings ... because of all of these reasons, you see an increase in traffic in Destin during peak times ... mainly spring break & summer. It is during that time of the year that many of us locals avoid Destin until we have to go there ... traffic can be thick ... especially if it rains ... when it rains, people tend to shop rather than go to the beach. Since there is only one main road that runs along the coast, it's difficult to avoid the seasonal traffic in Destin.

We live in Santa Rosa Beach along the Scenic 30A ... it's definitely smaller than Destin ... our stretch of beach is made up of several coastal communities and state parks along the way. The traffic is definitely less. This time of the year is really quiet. The last years have seen an increase in people as more and more folks find out about us ... but for the time being we are definitely less populated than Destin.

Can't speak for Navarre in the traffic sense. But it too is definitely smaller than Destin.
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Old 12-30-2009, 11:07 PM
 
Location: Niceville, FL
13,258 posts, read 22,831,016 times
Reputation: 16416
Navarre is effectively a newer bedroom community for Pensacola and Hurlburt AFB. It's been a big deal that the area has gotten a Walmart and a Publix in recent years. I'd put the traffic (general commuter, not tourist) on US 98 in Santa Rosa County as worse than in Destin because it's year-round while Destin's real traffic problem is only really afternoons from about April through August.

Santa Rosa Beach is really a catch-all postal service term for about everything between the outlet mall/Sandestin development and somewhere just east of Seaside where the zip code flips over to Panama City Beach- everything from a giant gold course community to a number of old small beach areas.
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Old 01-01-2010, 07:21 PM
 
Location: Fort Myers-Naples-Marco Island, FL
160 posts, read 498,792 times
Reputation: 111
It depends what point in your life you are at and what your interests include. For young people seeking nightlife and a faster-paced city the Tampa Bay Area would be the best on the West Coast. If you're middle-aged and looking for a beautiful yet quiet place to settle down Naples is a good choice in my opinon. For those who want to live in an untouched island paradise Sanibel/Captiva is hard to beat.
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Old 01-01-2010, 11:07 PM
 
Location: Houston, TX
4,678 posts, read 9,889,641 times
Reputation: 1960
Houston, TX
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Old 01-06-2010, 11:15 PM
 
19 posts, read 69,401 times
Reputation: 20
Thank you everyone for your comments, much appreciated. Is there a significant community of 20-35 single people in Miramar Beach?
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Old 01-07-2010, 05:30 AM
 
Location: Palm Island and North Port
7,511 posts, read 22,916,680 times
Reputation: 2878
Quote:
Originally Posted by Guardian of The Gulf View Post
It depends what point in your life you are at and what your interests include. For young people seeking nightlife and a faster-paced city the Tampa Bay Area would be the best on the West Coast. If you're middle-aged and looking for a beautiful yet quiet place to settle down Naples is a good choice in my opinon. For those who want to live in an untouched island paradise Sanibel/Captiva is hard to beat.
It doesn't look like she's quite the age of the Naples crowd. Naples and Venice have one of the highest average age groups in the state, which is 69 & 61 years old.
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Old 01-07-2010, 10:52 AM
 
Location: Murrayville, Georgia
3,464 posts, read 1,896,742 times
Reputation: 5669
Quote:
Originally Posted by lionesschanel View Post
Hi everyone!
I'll be moving to Florida but I haven't decided where exactly, Destin seems to be my first choice but I'm still unsure. I'm 30, single, racially mixed (I don't know if that matters) and I'm self-employed. Money really isn't an issue. I know I DEFINITELY want to live on the Gulf side and I want to live in a small beach community (these are musts). Now my question is (given the above) where would you move in Florida? Look forward to hearing all your imputs. Feel free to ask any questions too!
Thank you all!!!

SIESTA KEY....

Nuff Said...

Enjoy..
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Old 01-07-2010, 05:09 PM
 
Location: Palm Island and North Port
7,511 posts, read 22,916,680 times
Reputation: 2878
Quote:
Originally Posted by 419gottaminute View Post
SIESTA KEY....

Nuff Said...

Enjoy..
Agreed on this one! If money isn't an issue than I'd go with Siesta Key.
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Old 01-08-2010, 01:58 PM
 
Location: Winchester, MA
1 posts, read 2,348 times
Reputation: 11
Looks like I'm jumping into this thread about a week too late, but have appreciated reading all your posts. We are also considering the panhandle - right now, the Navarre area looks worthy of serious consideration, but we are still exploring all options. The big difference is that we would be moving from the Boston area. Our kids are grown and on their own, so the education system is not a problem. We are not quite retirement age yet, just looking to escape these dreadful winters, although I understand it has been very cold in Florida lately as well.

Thanks for asking the question lionesschannel - best of luck with your search!
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Old 01-12-2010, 02:21 PM
 
19 posts, read 69,401 times
Reputation: 20
Thank you everyone. I did look into Siesta Key and Sanibel but I don't want to spend alot of money to rent or buy a home. I would like to have the option to buy a small beach home at some point later on. I'm not rich but I am successful/hard working. I think the Destin/Miramar Beach area is definitely more for me. I was looking at Daytona beach but I don't get a good vibe from it (for me to live there), hard to explain. I'm going to be happy with SIMPLY living near the beach to be honest and in a small beach community.


Thanks so much!!
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