[lastmfirst]

um, there really isn't a downtown Palatka- is this a joke?
Why would you move to Palatka- you are born there, that's it.

[wacahootaman]

Palatka has grown a little in the last 10 years but nothing like the
St Augustine county, St Johns County on the other side of the St Johns river.

There are lots of major developments planned for St Johns County including the Hastings area not far from Palatka. Hastings for years was nothing but a potato farming area. In fact the Hastings High School football team was called the Hastings Spudsters for years. Now some major upscale developments are in the works for that area. St Augustine and St Johns County are booming with lots of growth seen in the future.

Palatka is growing mostly on the western side along the Gainesville highway. I think there are some shopping centers with some big box stores in that area. The paper mill is Northwest of town along Rice Creek. It is not nearly as stinky as it used to be.

I donno about any apartments in town. There used to be some near the junior college west of town. Angels Drive in on the main drag is one of the oldest diners in the country if you are in to that.

Lots of beautiful old homes along the river and toward Ravine Gardens. When I lived in Palatka there were some good deals renting these old homes. But that was in 1965 when there wernt hardly any apartments anywhere. The St Johns River is a major draw for anyone who likes to fish. Welaka south of town on the river is a fishing resort.Ravine Gardens is nice. Quite unusual for Florida to see a ravine like that.

Lots of nice sand bottom lakes in western Putnman county. Lots of cheap land out that way but beware of getting to far back in the sticks on a unmaintained road unless you dont mind the drive down the sandy bumpy road.

[crowsflyover]

PALATKA IS A GREAT PLACE I BOUGHT A GREAT HOUSE THERE 6 MONTHS AGO,AND WHEN RENOVATIONS ARE COMPLETE WILL FORMALLY MOVE IN,tHE NEIGHBORS ARE FANTASTIC,EVERYTHING,IS CLOSE ,ITS VERY PRETTY ON THE RIVERFRONT,AND HAS "IM FINALLY HOME" FEEL TO EVERYTHING,IM SO SICK OF PEOPLE BASHING PALATKA,,I TRULY LOVE THE DOWN HOME ATMOSPHERE,THERES GREAT FISHING FROM THE DOCKS,ITS A GREAT PLACE TO RAISE KIDS,HOME PRICES ARE FANTASTIC

[riveree]

Originally Posted by Cougar31

Hello Everybody,
I am in search of an apt in the Palatka area(Putnam county). No more than 20 minutes drive from Palatka downtown.
Any input is greatlty appreciated.
regards.

Do you have to move there? Seriously - is it for a job or something?

You're not getting much detailed feedback on Palatka because there's not much to it. Yeah, they have a Walmart now.

If you were really into small town living, I suppose it would fit the bill. There is a little strip of a town center, and there are actually some nice-looking older homes along the river, but I would never suggest for anyone to move there because it's going to be "the next big thing", I'm pretty sure it's not.

I'm not aware of any apartment buildings with rentals (I've never seen any), so you'd probably be trying to rent from an individual (a small home or a trailer). You could try Craiglist, though you may have to put an ad in yourself.

My advice would be, if you must be in this area, rent in St. Augustine and commute to Palatka (maybe 30 minutes?). Even in St. Augustine, you may find it doesn't have everything you need, but at least if you are living there you can drive to Jacksonville (appx 1 hour).

Best of luck .

[NSX1990]

Palatka made me want to cry when I was there visiting a friend. There is NOTHING there: it's only good if you like recreational farming or horse raising, or if you have a huge desire to work at a paper mill. The whole area is depressing, smells like sulfur half the time, and full of simple folk (which can be good or bad).

I feel especially bad for the young people there- escape as soon as possible or you'll end up working at Sonny's BBQ. The hangout spot of choice: Wal-Mart. I'm not even kidding- the middle schoolers were romping through the aisles and the teenagers were camped out in their pickups in the parking lot. A bunch of girls tried to pick up a few guys in our group (fresh faces!).

At least the housing is cheap- my friend owns a 4000 sqft house on 13 acres on a lake, and the whole thing is worth at most $800,000. Amazing.