Where is a nice place to live with children near Ft. Pierce (Miami: houses)

[somwhere??]

We are researching the Ft. Pierce area and I have not been able to find much info on the area. I have seen posts about areas where there are alot of retirees and not many children around, so I guess I'm wondering where are the areas around here are that the familys with children live? and what kind of things are there to do?
We are currently living the a large city in the midwest and would love to move where it is warm year around but I have not seen many areas to look in.
Any suggestions??
Thanks

[ChristineNic]

With children, I would avoid living in Fort Pierce. Look into Vero Beach or Port St. Lucie.

[smitten]

Oh please, families with kids are all throughout the Treasure Coast. It's not just retirees here...that's a misconception also. All you have to do is look at I-95 during rush hour and you'll see it's parents going to work, not retirees! There is no reason to avoid Ft. Pierce if you have children, unless you choose to move into the middle of a ghetto, and what parent would? And guess what? PSL and Vero have ghettos, too. Look into places like Lakewood Park, Indian River Estates, White City, to name a few family-heavy subdivisions of Ft. Pierce.

You didn't say how old your kids are. What do they like to do? Here along the coast of course there's the beach, sun and sand, fishing, etc.. The western side of town is generally agricultural, with ranches and groves, horseback riding, more 4-H type activities. There's not a lot of organized stuff for kids, but that doesn't mean there's nothing to do. There is Major League Baseball's Knot Hole Gang...I think that's for kids under 14...and of course there are Scouts and the same organizations you probably have there. Good luck.

[somwhere??]

Thanks for the info! my kids are 9 and 7 and they do love the beach, I was just wondering what else there is to do around that area. They are heavy in sports here, so is there a certain place that would be good in that respect?
Another question I have is, does port st. Lucie have dining and shopping? nothing major just like a mall or simple places to eat with the family? I have tried researching the area and cannot find much info on what is in the city!
Thanks!

[newred5]

Yes Port St Lucie has shopping, Treasure Coast Mall which is actually in Jensen, many many stores and restaurants on the East side on US 1. I know that west pal has much more, not sure which stores, restaurants are there but someone on here will chime in with that info

[smitten]

Somwhere??,
Port St. Lucie (PSL) has plenty of shopping and grocery stores and for department stores close by there's the Treasure Coast Mall next door in Jensen Beach. There is absolutely no end to restaurants in the area, from fast food to pizza to family restaurants to BBQ to steakhouses to ethnic food. Of course there's plenty of fresh seafood. Prices range from cheap chains to mid-pricey $$$ independents. Nothing too fancy foo-foo here now.

The Treasure Coast (Stuart, PSL, Ft. Pierce and Vero) is not a rural area, but it's no Miami either. PSL is arguably one of the fastest (if not THE fastest) growing areas in the entire nation. Some might say that PSL is, in fact, OVER built, but that discussion is for a different time and thread. At one time, decades ago, it was a much quieter and more agricultural place around here, but those days are mostly gone. The point being anything a mid-sized city has to offer families of a retail or residential nature can be found within the Treasure Coast and even solely within PSL. Of course we have the added bonus of warm weather and ocean. I'm not sure what you're asking about "what else" there is for your kids to do. There are gymnastic clubs and karate clubs. There are the same school-related and extracurricular sports and activities (and probably more) available here as anywhere else. I say probably more because weather-wise they can spend more time outdoors comfortably year 'round. They can grow a garden. I see lots of organized soccer and baseball being played in the parks here by all ages 7-adult. Perhaps someone here with kids the same age as yours could chime in with more available activities. IMHO there is not one area along the Treasure Coast that is better than the others for those things, but possibly Vero Beach might have fewer members in organized clubs because their city population is smaller.

I believe there are 34 pages of threads about the area in this forum alone (plus don't forget the "general" Florida forum) and here is a link to the City-Data demographics on PSL: http://www.city-data.com/city/Port-S...e-Florida.html. Don't hesitate to ask questions if there's something you'd like to know about the area. But just remember that specific questions tend to get more responses than general questions. Good luck.

[FlaLadyB]

In addition to anyone else offering places for kids - here is just the City of PSL -- Port St. Lucie, Florida | Events calendar | City news | City Departments | Official Web site

there are also Things To Do in Florida September 2011- TreasureCoast.com
try meetups and type in what you are interested in Meetups near Port Saint Lucie, Florida - Meetup

beaches are free

leagues for baseball, soccer, even fencing...

[M.Russ]

Port St Lucie is Nice. I am near US1 and Prima Vista. Publix is close by. I also have a nice, brand new fitness center (Fit Image Fitness) within walking distance as well, where I can do my Zumba lol.