Palatka (Jacksonville, Gainesville, Palm Coast: transplants, rentals, condos)

[bowlingmanager]

I am contemplating accepting a position in Palatka. I have two children (14 and 12) so of course schools are important and money will be tight. I was wondering if anyone can give me information on surrounding areas, living conditions, work and schools. I am originally from NY and currently living in NC and I need as much help from everyone as I can get. Thanks in advance.

[riveree]

Palatka is a very small town/city, it's also a fairly poor city.

I'm not sure what you mean by surrounding areas ? St. Augustine isn't far, Gainesville is not too far either, but the immediate surroundings of Palatka is mostly rural and farming land - you have towns like "Spuds" surrounding Palatka .

Work, if you were to decide to leave the job you're relocating for, can be hard to find in such a small city (there's some manufacturing and I think there's a new call center there ?). If you couldn't find work in Palatka, you might luck out and find work in Gainesville or St. Augustine, but there's a good chance you'd be looking at commuting to Jacksonville and that is a long haul from Palatka .

You should visit and see the city. It is what it is, nothing changes too much in Palatka. Some people love it that way, and it is quiet, that's for sure .

[Dusty Rhodes]

as is the case with many small towns in the south (although, some people in the south don't consider Florida to be a part of it) if you go to the drugstore and buy a box of band-aids, the topic of conversation for the next week will be - which of your children skined their knee, cut their finger, amputated a fingernail badly, got stuck by "name a type" of thorn, got a blister doing yard work or got burned just seeing if that eye on the stove was really hot.

[SlickP]

Orginally from NY to Palatka, that would be a shock for you.... If you are willing to commute (45 minutes or so) with no traffic, I would recommend living near St. Augustine or Northern St. Johns County.

[joninclay]

Putnam County schools are not very good, and crime there is higher than you'd expect to see in a rural county. A friend of mine is a deputy there, and he lives in Clay County so as not to expose his family to the crime and schools of Putnam.

Working there may be just fine, but living there is a different story.

[apanda]

Originally Posted by joninclay

Putnam County schools are not very good, and crime there is higher than you'd expect to see in a rural county. A friend of mine is a deputy there, and he lives in Clay County so as not to expose his family to the crime and schools of Putnam.

Working there may be just fine, but living there is a different story.

I agree. You should probably live outside of the county with your 2 kids.

[SouthFloridaNative]

Originally Posted by SlickP

Orginally from NY to Palatka, that would be a shock for you.... If you are willing to commute (45 minutes or so) with no traffic, I would recommend living near St. Augustine or Northern St. Johns County.

Yes, St. Augustine would be good. There's alot of other transplanted New Yorkers. Also..you might like Palm Coast. Seems to be all New York or New Jersey transplants. Palatka is rural, small town. Your kids would learn to hunt and fish in Palatka.

[bowlingmanager]

Thank you everyone for the answers. Riveree - what I meant about surrounding areas is I don't want a long commute, the wife and I only own one car, but from what I read about Palatka, living in town was not too much of an option for me. Is there anything a little closer than a 45 minute + commute that would have my kids safe and in a good school system?

[riveree]

Originally Posted by bowlingmanager

Thank you everyone for the answers. Riveree - what I meant about surrounding areas is I don't want a long commute, the wife and I only own one car, but from what I read about Palatka, living in town was not too much of an option for me. Is there anything a little closer than a 45 minute + commute that would have my kids safe and in a good school system?

Not really. As pointed out in the posts above, you'd have to travel out of Palatka and through the rural areas before you'd reach another city of any substantial size, the closest 2 being St. Augustine and Gainesville.

Living in the southern part of St. John's county (St. Augustine) might be the best compromise. Your commute would be longer, but you'd probably be more satisfied with where you live. Look to living off of Route 206 in St. Augustine and your commute won't be too bad. When you come down to scout out rentals, ask your realtor to show you "The Shores" where you can find condos and homes for rent in various price points and you'd have easy access to Route 206 ("The South" is another one).

[joninclay]

Originally Posted by bowlingmanager

Is there anything a little closer than a 45 minute + commute that would have my kids safe and in a good school system?

Yes. I'd look at Green Cove Springs in Clay County. It's a straight shot up Hwy 17 from Palatka, and it takes about 30-35 minutes to get there.