[Floridabound09]

I suggest you make a list of the areas, visit those areas and spend a day. We did, we spent 2 weeks with our top 10 towns and eliminated them by spending time in the town.

Also, take the good with the bad, some posters will try to discoruage you from moving to Florida.

I can tell you tons of success stories of people who have moved to Florida with 200.00 and a junker car and have done extremely well. Met 3 of those type people in our recent visit. And they are told me do not believe the hard to find job theory, one lady told me she turned down more jobs then she could work for decent wages.

Florida is not as bad as many make it out, if it was they wouldn't be living there !!

Sure there are certain areas to avoid, we have them here in Ohio too.

Waldo, well, we have spent some time in Waldo at the Antique Mall and Flea Market, we are antique crazy people ! Personally I wouldnt live there, but there are many small towns in that area I would.

Someone suggested Micanopy, it is an absolutely beautiful small town.

There is a place for you, a new home, all you need is to think positive and do your research, after all, for us if we do not like it we can always move....

Goodluck!

We like the central western gulf side ourselves.

[dannl]

Originally Posted by macguy

I think you should do a little more research. Check out the crime numbers. Wow, they are about the same as Miami.

It sounds to me like you are trying to purchase a home with owner finacing in the Waldo area.
The sounds more like an add.

[CHanson]

Betty:

Bradford County is nice! I am biased, I have lived in the county seat - Starke - for 30 years.

Judge for yourself. A little reading material about Bradford County.
Bradford County, Florida - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As far as the towns in the county...I would have to say Hampton is rural, VERY RURAL, with very rural people if you get my drift. Lawtey is okay (speed trap, it is known for...but honestly the section they call a TRAP is 45 mph, which was a gradual slow down from the 60-65 normal 302 traffic). Brooker on the other hand is small town...no town... it only has like 350 people living there. Brooker, Florida - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

No offense to the people that live in Waldo, but I wouldn't consider living there if it was the last place on earth...just because in my eyes...it is run-down. All it has are a few gas stations, hardware store, dollar store, Hardees, Wendys, the Waldo Flea Market, one (maybe two) antique place, a school, what looks like (from the road) bad apartment complex.

I can give you information on Starke, but it seems like it is a little too big for what you are trying to find...for that matter, Keystone Heights is pretty nice too.

[hunnja]

I lived between Gainesville and Waldo for 13 years. Waldo is very small and very rural. Housing overall is probably cheaper in that part of Alachua County. Closest shopping is either 15 minutes north in Starke or 20 minutes south to Gainesville. If you're looking for an area that still has a vital downtown and that small town feel to it, check out Alachua. Housing is somewhat higher here than in Waldo, but some deals can still be found. There are many churches to choose from. Downtown has been revitalized in the last 15 years with shops and 6 restaurants. There are also 2 large gracery stores close to downtown as well as Sonics, and 2 fast food restaurants. It is also about 2 miles from I-75 (exit 399) which also has many restaurants to choose from. I haved lived in Alachua for 16 years and prefer it to the Waldo area. Quality of life here is better.

[msjane]

Hi Betty ... don't know if this is too late to help, but I have lived in Belleview for the past 10 years, and it's no longer the bargain it once was. Marion County, in general, has gotten fairly expensive thanks to the tremendous growth ... lots of people moving in from south Florida (like me! I'm from the Sarasota area, and I know Arcadia ... ah, the Tree of Knowledge!). We paid $69,000 for our mobile home in a nice senior park two years ago ... and now they're going for $100,000 or more. You used to be able to find affordable mobiles in the Forest, but I suspect they've gone up, too ... just like everything else.

[Gainesvillemom]

Waldo is south of Starke, Florida and North of Gainesville, Florida on US HWY 301.

As mentioned in other posts, it is very rural. I have lived in this area for quite a while and I do not believe that Waldo has a grocery store unless it is a mom & pop store.

The benefits of Waldo:

1) Less than 10 miles away in Starke is a Super Walmart and a Winn Dixie.

2) Waldo does have plenty of gas stations, a Wendy's, a Hardee's, and one or two restaurants. I believe one of them is a Mexican restaurant.

What are you looking for in a church? I know there is a First Baptist in Waldo, and I am sure there are others. With Starke and Gainesville being less than 30 minutes away, you have a wide range of churches to go to.

You are welcome to email me if you think of other questions.

I personally would not live in Waldo. It is too bare for me, though I do like the country. I lived in Keystone Heights, Florida, for over five years. You might look into that town also. It is only five miles wide and has a Hitchcocks Grocery Store, a Food Lion, and a great little downtown area to walk through, along with parks, churches, and almost-no-water lakes...lol.

Hope this was beneficial.

[tractteamjax]

If you have ever been to Florida, then you have been told to watch it around certain areas. Some are more infamous than others. Most notable is a city north of Gainesville and south of Lake City called Waldo.It is hard to miss. Yes, you can drive too fast and pass right by without noticing, but rarely will this be possible. For you see Waldo is a speed trap……Yet, not your ordinary speed trap…WHY? Because several miles, before you reach Waldo, there is a huge billboard that clearly states: Warning: Waldo SPEED TRAP. If this weren’t enough, just around the city limits there are white speed limit signs superimposed on larger bright yellow signs that signify the rapid reduction in speed allowed. From 65 to 55 to 45 to 35…within several hundred yards of each other. SCENARIO #1: You are doing 65mph still, or 49, or even 37 miles per hour while in this town, and you are pulled over and the police officer gives you a ticket. They say, “You are speeding, here’s your ticket, pay your fine”. Do you have anything that you can say in your defense? More than likely NO. O.K. let’s try somethingSCENARIO #2: Let’s take down all of the signs from the billboard to the 55mph, 45mph, and the 35mph. NO SIGNS!…Now you are driving the same way. So when the police officer pulls you over and says “You are speeding, here’s your ticket, pay your fine”. What!!!? Wouldn’t that make you outraged that they could give you a ticket, yet you never knew what Waldo’s legal speed limit was?What’s the point?Let me ask you, have you ever had anyone say to you, “You’re a sinner, you need to accept Jesus, or you are going to hell!”? Doesn’t that sound judgmental? I mean, who are they to say who goes to hell and who doesn’t? Exactly the point.Where are the SIGNS?Have you ever heard of the Ten Commandments? The Bible says that God wrote them with His Own Finger. That is how you can know if you broke His law…not just what a person thinks.Shall we? PLEASE No Speeding through this section. There will be a test.Have you ever told a lie? Have you ever stolen anything in your life? Have you ever lusted after someone? Premarital sex? Have you ever used God’s name as a curse word? Have you ever created a god to suit yourself? (I believe…) Have you dishonored/disobeyed your parents at anytime in your life? Have you always set aside 1 day a week to honor God? If you answered yes to all or any of these questions…you have violated God’s laws. On Judgment Day…when you stand before God. If God judges you based on the 10 Commandments would you be innocent or guilty? If you are honest with yourself, you know you’d be guilty and go to hell.So what can you say for yourself?…Nothing.Sin is transgression of the law. But God is rich in Mercy in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.Repent (turn away from sin), trust in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation…DRIVE SAFELY: FOR DIRECTIONS: read the Bible and obey what you read. God will sustain you and keep you in this life and the one to come.