Ugly Florida Town Contest? I nominate Ocala... (Miami, Orlando: rental, crime)

[mystree]

I myself didn't care for ocala,it didnt have that "florida" feel,but then again we just drove through it. I prefer the west coast,florida gets prettier and prettier the farther down you go from tampa on down can't be beat. We have vacationed in naples the past 3 years and I think it is gorgeous but no way could afford it. I'm not so sure us run of the mill working stiffs would fit in anyway so I think that remains just a vacation spot for us . But then again if you live in the prettiest of places as time goes on I'm sure it just gets ordinary.

[lulu]

Hey Daedalo....

When you have a chance tell us how Fernandina Beach is... I hear it's beautiful. There's a husband/wife team of eye doc's (that came out in the paper) that fell in love w/the place & are selling their home & practice in the grove due to the high ins. costs.

Those "feels" are so important before deciding on a place to live in Florida & it all depends what "Florida feel' we are looking for. There are high end tropical feels, regular beach areas, touristy areas, partying areas, family type neighborhoods, ghetto'ish areas (where any one particular group/or groups might congregate), diverse racial areas, retiree areas & the ole' Florida ruraly places like places have in central Fl. Miami did have lots of ranches/horses & lots of open spaces a while back, even w/Hialeah, South Miami and Kendall still a couple of horse feed stores somehow survive to this day - they seem to me like a relic of the past. I go to the one on Kendall on 117th ave sometimes but never see any horses tied up anymore. I just go to get pet supplies...they have viral vaccines and certain meds. one can't get at regular pet stores. One might see a rare occassion of someone riding a horse around there, but it's a rarity. It wasn't all this developed all the time, nor this city like everywhere & had sort of an Ocala feel in some places. I remember looking down Miller and Sunset and just seeing acreage's of Mango's and avocados... pine trees & tall sawgrass everywhere, & people riding horses in literally "horse country" which today is still named that, but now it's full of homes & condos, instead.
Florida is so different everywhere...and can have even inside differences even within a specific city. It's all a matter of driving & searching and finding our individual utopia's.

[daedalo]

Its true, S. Florida has more suburban sprawl than the rest of FL. But there are some very good smaller towns in SoFla where they cleaned up and or restored the downtown. I like what they did with Delray Beach. On a larger scale, and with megabucks, Boca.

[daedalo]

[quote=lulu;66471]Hey Daedalo....

When you have a chance tell us how Fernandina Beach is... I hear it's beautiful. There's a husband/wife team of eye doc's (that came out in the paper) that fell in love w/the place & are selling their home & practice in the grove due to the high ins. costs.

Lulu,

FB is absolutely the best small town in Florida. An old Florida seatown restored to the 9's. Newer areas tastefully done. It is on Amelia Island. Bring $ because the property values are high. But frankly if you can afford something in the 400-500k range, Amelia Island has a great lifestyle. The NYTimes has been raving about FB in their travel section for years. I love going for coffee on Centre Street. You can sit outside on a shady sidewalk, and chit chat with everyone, real small town feel at a slow pace. If the $ are a problem, you can move to the Yulee area, just off-island, and still have all of this.

In addition to this are the close natural wilderness areas: Talbot Islands to the south, Cumberland Island National Wilderness Seashore Park to the north, and the vast Okefenokee Swamp to the east.

East Nassau County is growing too fast however but being an unpopulated area there is an opportunity to make a contribution. I am part of a group working to establish a counnty wide trail and bikeway system, I'm also in a new group to support construction of a library for the Yulee area. Anyone moving here really has an opportunity to make sure it remains a very nice place for years to come.

[lulu]

Sounds really nice... I've always heard the area is gorgeous.

[RAINBOWWAVES]

Port Saint Lucie, Jenson Beach, Stuart and Hobe Sound are gorgeous and clean towns.

[Tinman313]

Palm Bay Florida was just nominated for the best " Meth Labs" in the state out ranks Miami now!!.........This is offical by law enforcement........

[simplistic007]

Does anyone like Florida? Or is it like the worse state to live in?
Any input is greatly appreciated. I am on my way there.

[CURT]

Originally Posted by simplistic007

Does anyone like Florida? Or is it like the worse state to live in?
Any input is greatly appreciated. I am on my way there.

I love it!!!! has everything i want to make me happy.

[elfyum]

FLORIDA ROCKS!!! And I have to disagree milano- South Florida is BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!! Every night on my way home I stare over at the beautiful Miami skyline. (Sometimes I even blow it a kiss! Shhh don't tell anyone! )
By the way, I can glance like this because I'm driving home at 2AM! Yes I have the traffic beat! HA! I was the ONLY one on 95 for about, oh, 5 exits or so. I was like, "Hey I could do zig zags across the lanes if i want!" (No I didn't do that! But I didn't use my blinker to switch lanes! ) Ahhhh! The joys of working at night! I could go on & on, but I love Dade!!! It's 80 degrees here now at 11pm! Yeah yeah!!!