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Hi, We're planning to relocate to Ponte Vedra Beach, FL next year. We are undecided on which neighborhood to move into.
Can anyone tell me which neighborhoods are more family friendly? I hav two boys, 8 and 6 and want to be in a neighborhood with lots of kids. I'm also interested in gated communities with club house facilities but not sure how expensive the fees are? Any idea? Any suggestions on neighborhoods would be appreciated. We want a safe, friendly neighborhood with a lot of kids, dog parks, a great pool, and family-oriented activities as well as easy access to the beach and great schools!
Thanks for your help!
I would recommend Nocatee which is in Ponte Vedra. If you want a gated community then the Coastal Oaks by Toll Brothers in Nocatee is a good bet. There are other new gated communities in St Johns county but Nocatee is the furthest along with most amenities already in place. We have looked at every one in the past few months. Just a small point, Nocatee is in Ponte Vedra not Ponte Vedra Beach. Ponte Vedra Beach is mostly built up and prices are for a community like you are describing would be significantly higher. The 4 gated communities with your wishes would be March Landings, Sawgrass Country Club, Sawgrass TPC and The Plantation where most of the homes are older. It depends on what you are looking for and your budget. Good luck.
I'm sticking to info on PVB because that's where I live and know most about. Having said that, we ruled out Nocatee from the get go because we didn't want to live in a master planned community that's growing with no end in sight (plus CDD on top of HOA/property taxes). I know several families that are trying to sell their 3-4 year old homes in Nocatee and are not getting any bites despite competitive pricing and several price reductions. With new homes going up everyday, it's tough for these "older" homes in Nocatee to compete and appeal to those seeking new construction. We live in a 20 yr old development and homes are selling extremely fast this spring. Our next door neighbor's house was on the market for a week before it went under contract and the house across the street sold the day it listed...
It would help us to know what your price point is. PVB is a bit complicated to say the least with so many different developments, varying HOA fees, initiation fee (Plantation $40k) etc.. In addition to Thundarr's suggestions, there are smaller gated communities like Plantation Oaks ($700k+, $142/mth HOA), Payasada Estates ($700k+, $125/mth HOA), Montura ($600k+, $167/mth HOA).
As for what I know:
Sawgrass CC: Families with kids are few and far between in this community. HOA is $124/month. We (wife and 2 yr old) lived with my in-laws for a few months in Sawgrass back in 2015 and had no interest in buying there. Don't get me wrong, it's a very nice development but residents are mostly older and kids were playing by themselves for the most part in the $800k+neighborhoods. Condos & town houses can range from $200k to $1.8M. Single family homes tend to range $500k - $2M.
Azalea Point (across from Sawgrass CC): More kids in that neighborhood for sure. Gated, pools, tennis courts etc. $138/month HOA, $400K to $600k. We spent a lot of time looking in here but couldn't find the right home at the time.
Marsh Landing: I'll defer to those that live there. Very nice development for sure.
Plantation: $40k initiation fee, $1,100 - $1,200/month HOA = you get a golf course and beach club (next to Mickler's) and PSA cops letting you out on to the very busy Palm Valley Rd. in the morning. Beautiful development. Homes range $500k to $2M.
Beach Access: Only public beach with parking is Mickler's Beach and parking is hard to come by during the busy season. If public beach is not your cup of tea, there are 4 beach clubs you can join. Sawgrass (cheapest member initiation for beach access is $13k -associate member- with $350/mth dues; full country club member fee is $25k), Cabana - associated with the Marriott ($7k initiation, dues are less than $300/mth I believe), Lodge & Club (~$13k + dues) and Ponte Vedra Inn and Club ($23-$25k initiation + monthly dues).
Schools: Ocean Palms and PV/PV Rawlings (K-5). Both excellent schools ranked 6th and 12th respectively out of 1,800+ elementary schools in Florida. Landrum Middle School (6-8): ranked 7th out of 500+ in Florida. PVHS 40th out of 440+.
Definitely use the search function in this forum to really dig down. That's what I did prior to moving here and it was extremely helpful. Also, I highly recommend renting first before buying. Luckily we were able to visit PVB a number of times before making the move and also had the luxury of living with relatives. We definitely would have rented had that not been the case. Best of luck with your move!
Last edited by Ivan Putski; 03-08-2017 at 08:03 AM..
Sawmill Lakes is a nice large neighborhood with a lot of families. If amenities and putting your kids fun level is at the highest on your list, then I would surely have nocatee on your short list. As Ivan pointed out it is technically called Ponte Vedra which I guess is because they couldn't decide to call it St Augustine North or something else catchy. It's about 3-5 miles further from the beach.
Wow! Thank you so much for all the info. I really appreciate it. I have been searching for HOA Fees and Initation fees to join the country clubs. So the price points are defintely helpful.
A little background - I'm from VA and my husband is from ND. We have been living in Hong Kong for 10 years and are looking to move back to the states in the next year. Our price point is 800K max and we are kinda looking for lower price point homes, that we can cut the inside and make it ours. I want to join a country club, we are members of one in HK and I enjoy it. I play tennis and my husband golfs when he can. My kids (age 8 and 6) also play tennis and I like the amentiies. At the moment I like The Plantation because of the beach club. I read somwhere it was 40K to join and you get $20K back when you sell? On one of the forums someone said it was expensive but compare it to living in another community and add up each one's HOA fee plus the fee to join another club and see where it comes out..
I want to live in a gated community. I feel for some reason they are safer? I worry about safety with moving back home. Hong Kong is very safe, and I want that comfort, even knowing that things happen that are outside our control.
I defintley want a neighborhood with lots of kids as well. School is my #1. Looking all over Florida, St. Johns county is rated #1. The education here in Hk is amazing and I want my kids to have the best education they can within the public school system. I have been told that Florida's education system doesn't hold a candle to other states? Any opinion on this? For this reason, I looked for the #1 in Florida and St. John's came up. I plan on visiting this summer when we are back on Holiday, to make sure I like it.
Information on each neighborhood is helpful. I just want to narrow down my search. I think renting would be the best idea as well, but at the same time, I want to make the transition smooth for my kids.
Thank you again for all your adive and information. I will continue to gather information to make my decision easier.
If we move to the east coast, I like PVB and if we choose to move to the west coast, we are looking at Scottsdale in Arizona. I prefer the ocean and humidity. So I'm hoping I fall in love when I visit.
Is there a difference in Ponte Verdra Beach and Ponte Vedra? Is one more inland then the other?
Is the area heavy on tourists in the summer?
What are things you don't like about the area?
another question.. is it easy to make friends? Are people generally nice and friendly? I don't want to move to a area where people have been friends for 10 years and don't like newcomers.
another question.. is it easy to make friends? Are people generally nice and friendly? I don't want to move to a area where people have been friends for 10 years and don't like newcomers.
Thanks again!
From my experience, most people are recent transplants to the area and looking to make friends themselves. My neighbor is from NJ, the family across the street moved from Delaware few years ago, another from Michigan 4 years ago, etc. etc. Friends we've made in the past few years are recent transplants from DC, NY, CT, Brazil etc. and none of them have been here longer than 2 years. You shouldn't have any problems making friends.
Typically if you see "Ponte Vedra" that means it's inland and "Ponte Vedra Beach" means it's east of the intracoastal waterway. PVB is a popular area where you will find lots of transplants. I wouldn't say that you need a gated community as it is very safe. Some of the older neighborhoods in PVB around Ponte Vedra Inn and Club (which may be out of your price range) are not gated and are extremely expensive.
I know some people who have kids who live(d) in Marsh Landing and like it. One said the house he bought came with a membership to the Lodge and Club. He's not a golfer, so this was good for him. The other person I know has kids and enjoys it a lot, but it may also be to the top of your price range.
The main downside of the inland part of PV is that the HOA/CDD fees are much higher because they are still being developed. The traffic is also likely to be horrific as many people say it is pretty bad now. Most of the neighborhoods referenced by Ivan Putski are a bit closer to town and have closer access to JTB, while Nocatee is a bit of a hike. The school situation is also in flux while PVB proper has well defined districts and it's either going to be PVPV/Ocean Palms for elementary, Landrum for middle, and PV for high school. For those in Nocatee, it is still unclear what schools will be built and where the children will be going.
In terms of the Plantation fees. There is a builder that is building in Plantation and also up in Ponte Vedra Lakes, which is a less desirable area. The homes are of comparable size, but the price of the Plantation home is MUCH cheaper (as in more than $100-150K cheaper). The fees for the membership don't make up the difference, so if that is something that interests you, then Plantation may be worth it. I have been in the beach club and it is extremely nice.
The area has more tourists and snowbirds in the winter, the summers are very hot and humid so it is the low season.
If you like gated communities already and country club type places, you will fit right in.
Thank y'all for the info. I plan to spend a few weeks here in the area this summer. After looking at prices of homes and HOA/club membership fees. It might be better to buy a home and join a club that we like. My husband has said $1200 a month is ridiculous and he won't do it (The Plantation) ha! But I told him when I looked at homes in other areas, Marsh Landing and Sawgrass the country club fees are almost the same when you add in the HOA fees.
In my research it said there are 6 clubs that offer beach access. Sawgrass cc, Serenata Beach club, Ponte Verda Inn & Club, Cabana Beach Club, and the Plantation. Are all these Clubs in residential communities?
There are 4 golf and tennis clubs - Sawgrass Cc, Ponte Verda Inn & Club, The Plantation and Marsh Landing. I have contacted the clubs for membership info.
I am reading mixed reviews on how many families and kids are in Sawgrass and Marsh Landing... I am looking for a neighborhood with parks, kids playground, etc. of these two is Marsh Landong more kid friendly? Is one better or prettier then the other? One closer to the ocean?
I'm really not interested in Nocatee at all. Hearing about no end in site and the fact there are so many homes being bull. I don't want don't want that.
If I don't need a gates community due to the safeness of the area, do you have any recommendations for neighborhoods that are not gated that have lots of kids, that I should look into? If you could have kids and could live in any of these neighborhoods where would you recommend.
Sawgrass CC and TPC Sawgrass? Are these 2 different clubs?
Thank you! Thank you! For all the help.
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So I'm hoping I fall in love when I visit. 
