Need help, relocating to vero beach/sebastian (Fellsmere, St. Lucie: apartments, rentals)

[nycpl]

Hello All,
I've been reading all the forums of people moving and receiving great advice, now im hoping to receive the same thing. i just want to say this place is an amazing reference and blessing for some people trying to make a new life somewhere.
My wife and i are moving to either vero beach or sebastian sometime between July 15th and September 1st. we currently live in upstate ny and are attracted to the area due to the sun, warmth (im from st croix usvi) and small town atmosphere similar to what we have in our tiny town here. We know it will be different culture and lots of seniors, but want to live in the sun. I have been to the port st lucie area once a fe years ago, but due to financial constraints we will not be able to visit before we move down. we know there's a chance of hating the first place we move and having to move again.
My main questions are this:
We are a young professional couple that loves being able to walk our two dogs around our city, on the sidewalk, not on 50 mph highways. is vero beach or sebastian a walkable area? we love walking through residential neighborhoods in the evening. Can i walk my dogs on the beach in the non swimming areas?
Does anyone know of any housing communities that are dog friendly? We can afford up to $1000 per month and hope to rent a house. must have backyard, privacy and be spacious. i have medium size dogs, 55 and 75 lbs. theyre fat and short, mastiff lab mixes, they do not look like muscular pitbulls on steroids! would vero or sebastian be better for dogs?
My biggest question though is... WHAT AREAS DO I WANT TO AVOID LIVING IN?!!!? i do not want to live anywhere it is not safe to walk in the evening and be outside around my house.
any help/advice is seriously appreciated, we will be relying on this info for our decision making. i hope this post is in the right place, if not let me know if i can move it. My doggies appreciate the help also, they love walking and wont give it up!

[JenaS62]

I live in Vero so I can only speak for Vero. There are a ton of great neighborhoods all over Vero that are safe and dog friendly. I would avoid anything north of route 60 and west of 58th Ave. You should spend some time driving around the area. There are plenty of older established neighborhoods (16th street to 4th street between 27th ave and 58th ave) that I think you would love and will feel safe in. I will tell you though that Indian River County does not have any dog beaches. You will have to drive south to St. Lucie county to find those. Best of luck to you.

[nycpl]

Yay someone finally replied! Thx for the neighborhood information that helps so much to narrow down houses to look @. We will not be able to visit first to drive around but we know the chance we take of getting stuck somewhere for a year.
So I've heard many beaches outside of city limits are fairly empty morning and evening especially, I can't walk my dogs on them away from people and clean up after them? Or did u mean dog beaches like dog parks off leash? If not we will go where we need to or find alternatives. Our dogs and us just want sunshine, we will find safe water somewhere!
Do u happen to know of n e specific dog friendly neighborhoods or communities? Or a good realtor who handles apartments?
I really appreciate u takings the time to reply. I hope to run into u sometime in vero, b there in 45 days!!!! Thx again, n e info u come across u think can hlp me u can pm me

[GMarcan920]

Depending on what type of housing you are looking for, I'd try looking for a long term rental in Barefoot Bay, Sebastian FL. Large manufactured home complex (10,000+ folks), lots of amenities (3 swimming pools, golf course, many groups and clubs) very nice people. It's across Rte 1 from the Indian River (intercoastal); however, it's a bit of a drive to an ocean beach

[carodox]

Hi, I live in Vero and I'm not sure what is wrong with north of 60 or west of 58th Street. there are many great communities in those areas. Most of Vero is quite safe. Your dogs would probably be considered "large" in many communities. Many condos do not allow dogs, or only allow 1, so you are probably going to be looking for a house rental. Sebastian is its own little town and is more countrified, fewer city amenities but it has some charm. If you are a rugged outdoor person and like more open space, you might try it or Fellsmere (west of Sebastian). As to Vero neighborhoods, really, I like so many of them, you can hardly go wrong. I like being close to shopping, movie theaters, restaurants, library. As to a good realtor for rentals, use the internet, realtor.com, trulia, and the newspaper. There is no one good agency for rentals in your price range. drive around,sometimes you will see a sign outside a house and that is the only listing. Good luck.

[staywarm2]

I'm not familiar with Vero Beach, other than heresay, but I'm wondering why a young couple would want to move to a town with lots of seniors. Wouldn't somewhere less sedate be more fun? Won't you miss being with people your own age?

I would think you would have nothing in common with the people an think the reverse would be true.

[michellemac1]

I guess you are not familiar with Vero Beach because there are plenty of young people who live here and Love it!!!! but the beaches are not dog friendly