Ponte Vedra Beach - Subdivisions with Kids (Miami, Plantation: for sale, real estate)

[tackup3]

Hi, we're moving to Ponte Vedra Beach either this June or next (from Chicago area).

Now, we are just trying to settle on the subdivision. We're open to any of them, Plantation, Sawgrass, Marsh Landing, etc. Even Nocatee, although it's not my personal favorite. Money is not the primary issue.

Does anyone here have any insight on neighborhoods where there might be a lot of kids?

In particular, middle school aged, my son will be in 6th grade.

Thank you!

[JessicaJax]

If you're looking for a neighborhood that's swarming with kids and the house without kids is the exception, you need to go to Nocatee.

But these days there ARE lots of kids in Ponte Vedra Beach (east of the intracoastal). Generally, the less expensive neighborhoods will have more kids (especially young kids) than the expensive neighborhoods -- just as I'm sure is true most places.

Any of the neighborhoods you mention will have kids in them.

The neighborhoods I think of as having the most kids are: Sawmill Lakes, Odoms Mill, and Cypress Creek (in Sawgrass TPC).

Plantation used to be mostly retired people, but now it has enough kids that the elementary school bus that lets off in the neighborhood is probably 2/3rds filled by just kids in the neighborhood (and that doesn't include the kids who are driven to school). Sawgrass County Club doesn't seem to have a lot of kids, but the TPC side has lots. Marsh Landing has a lot of kids -- again, depending on where in the neighborhood you look.

Ponte Vedra High School is an entire high school filled with kids who live in the 32082 zip code, so I promise you'll find other kids no matter where you choose!

[Gromicide]

Yeah I would say if priority #1 is making your kids happy then Nocatee. If a master planned community isn't your thing, ponte vedra beach has several nice communities with lots of kids as the OP listed above.

[AnnieCt]

There are also smaller neighborhoods with children that have no HOAs. We live east of A1A in a great neighborhood. There are two homes for sale here.

[tackup3]

Hi, thanks for your answer, much appreciated. Confirms what I suspected. We really like the atmosphere at Plantation (I know, the HOA...) but lower prices in Nocatee are attractive also. We are doing this for the kids...we live in a subdivision here now and my kids are super social.

What is wrong with Nocatee? A lot of people seem to say negative things about it. But it looks OK to me.

[tackup3]

Thank you for the reply, we are going to rent a house for 1 year, so we can get to know the place before buying.

[Gromicide]

Originally Posted by tackup3

Hi, thanks for your answer, much appreciated. Confirms what I suspected. We really like the atmosphere at Plantation (I know, the HOA...) but lower prices in Nocatee are attractive also. We are doing this for the kids...we live in a subdivision here now and my kids are super social.

What is wrong with Nocatee? A lot of people seem to say negative things about it. But it looks OK to me.

Nocatee is the 3rd fastest growing community in the US. People that say something is wrong with it have the argument that for the money you can get (insert something cool here). If you go west of Nocatee it means you can get a larger lot, maybe a pool, more house etc. If you go east it means you can be closer to the beach but getting an older smaller house that might need some work. Something that might be rare in any of the surrounding area is actual floridians. 8 out of 10 people around Nocatee came form somewhere other than Florida. I will say in Nocatee, the prices of house range from low 300's to low 1 million. If my budget is anywhere in the mid to upper range I would go east to Ponte Vedra beach. If your budget is in the 300-500K range and your kids are priority #1, I would choose Nocatee.

[JessicaJax]

Originally Posted by tackup3

What is wrong with Nocatee? A lot of people seem to say negative things about it. But it looks OK to me.

Nothing is wrong with Nocatee! It's growing rapidly, and most people I know who live there love it. The amenities are gorgeous -- my kids love the splash park! But I will say that I don't know very many, if any, people who moved to Nocatee from somewhere else around town. Most people who live there moved from out of state.

I've lived in the Jax area for 13 years and my husband's family is from here, so I'm friends with many people who grew up in Jax/PVB. If people decide to live in St. Johns County, most of them choose to live in PVB, even if that means an older, smaller house in need of renovation. If they can't afford that, they move west of 95.

For me personally, we moved from Jax to PVB 5 years ago. At the time, Nocatee had the Publix and very little besides that. It was (and is) also a much further drive from things -- and I was already not in love with the idea of adding 10 to 15 minutes to my commutes to things. Nocatee would have added at least another 10 minutes, if not more.

Now, some of those factors are changing. Nocatee now has several restaurants and is getting more. And the completion of 9B makes it a lot easier to get to the Town Center from there than it used to be.

I agree with the assessment above. If you're looking in the $300,000 to $500,000 range, Nocatee may be the perfect choice for you. If you're looking over that range, I'd at least consider PVB.

Renting for a year would be great! It's a big area to get to know without living here. I would just encourage you to consider the school zoning situation before you choose where to rent. And don't trust salespeople to know what neighborhoods will be zoned where. Go directly to the St. Johns County school district website. Once your kids have started at a school, it would be much easier to buy a house zoned for the same school.

[tackup3]

Originally Posted by Gromicide

Nocatee is the 3rd fastest growing community in the US. People that say something is wrong with it have the argument that for the money you can get (insert something cool here). If you go west of Nocatee it means you can get a larger lot, maybe a pool, more house etc. If you go east it means you can be closer to the beach but getting an older smaller house that might need some work. Something that might be rare in any of the surrounding area is actual floridians. 8 out of 10 people around Nocatee came form somewhere other than Florida. I will say in Nocatee, the prices of house range from low 300's to low 1 million. If my budget is anywhere in the mid to upper range I would go east to Ponte Vedra beach. If your budget is in the 300-500K range and your kids are priority #1, I would choose Nocatee.

Good information, thank you. The more I hear, the more I think renting is the answer for the first year before committing to buying. We did that here, and it paid off, there are subtle differences you need boots on the ground to understand. I actually prefer to rent, but that's another debate.

[tackup3]

Originally Posted by JessicaJax

Nothing is wrong with Nocatee! It's growing rapidly, and most people I know who live there love it. The amenities are gorgeous -- my kids love the splash park! But I will say that I don't know very many, if any, people who moved to Nocatee from somewhere else around town. Most people who live there moved from out of state.

I've lived in the Jax area for 13 years and my husband's family is from here, so I'm friends with many people who grew up in Jax/PVB. If people decide to live in St. Johns County, most of them choose to live in PVB, even if that means an older, smaller house in need of renovation. If they can't afford that, they move west of 95.

For me personally, we moved from Jax to PVB 5 years ago. At the time, Nocatee had the Publix and very little besides that. It was (and is) also a much further drive from things -- and I was already not in love with the idea of adding 10 to 15 minutes to my commutes to things. Nocatee would have added at least another 10 minutes, if not more.

Now, some of those factors are changing. Nocatee now has several restaurants and is getting more. And the completion of 9B makes it a lot easier to get to the Town Center from there than it used to be.

I agree with the assessment above. If you're looking in the $300,000 to $500,000 range, Nocatee may be the perfect choice for you. If you're looking over that range, I'd at least consider PVB.

Renting for a year would be great! It's a big area to get to know without living here. I would just encourage you to consider the school zoning situation before you choose where to rent. And don't trust salespeople to know what neighborhoods will be zoned where. Go directly to the St. Johns County school district website. Once your kids have started at a school, it would be much easier to buy a house zoned for the same school.

Thanks for taking the time to answer, it is appreciated.

We like Landrum/PV High, and will stick with that. There are some nice rental homes in Sawgrass or Plantation..Marsh Landing, our budget is 4K/Month, so we'll probably do that for a year or two, and by that time we'll know what is going on. Also, I feel like real estate may be peaked at the moment, and would like to see if bargains appear. I lived in Miami and West Palm Beach for 8 years, so I'm familiar with Florida life.