What We Are Looking For (55, beach, weather, moving)

[LoveBoating]

Wife is 60 and I'm 59 and neither of us are ready to retire, BUT will be ready to move after this Oct when our Lease is up.
Left So Calif in 2002 and moved to CO/Parker area for 5 1/2 years. We loved it there until I had a hip replacement and rotor cup/shoulder surgeries (shoulder surgery was due to a fall in ice/snow). Even though we both had descent jobs, we just couldn't take another winter there (and the winters were affecting my hip/shoulder with too much pain). We thought about moving to FL, but decided on NC/Charlotte area instead. Sold house and left. Been here since last Oct.
('07) and the area just isn't as interesting to us as we thought it would be. Even the mild winter they have here still gave my hip/shoulder too much pain. Wife got a job here, but I still haven't yet. We have decided that NC just isn't our "cup of tea". We love boating and fishing and would love to either live close to a lake or the ocean. We don't even like Lake Norman or Wyle that much.
So, now we are "looking" again, but have only found the State of Florida to our liking. Don't think we can afford a 55+ community, but do want to live somewhere where we can meet people from our generation. Wife doesn't want to live on the West side of FL or way down south. Have been looking at both Jacksonville and Orlando, but just not sure yet. Will be going to Orlando in Aug.
All we know is that we are still going to work, live in a nice, safe area, want to meet people in our age bracket and buy a boat and have fun on a lake or on the ocean. Don't want to move back to So Calif, Nev., Ariz., NM, TX or some other States we have looked at.
Any suggestions?

[SANDYHAIR]

Well if your comming to Orando cheCK OUT

[SANDYHAIR]

oops ! lol Check out Winter Garden area thee's a new outside mall very nice I don't know your price range so I can only help so much good luck

[Sgoldie]

If you'r a boater you need to look at St Augustine, period.

[MotleyCrew]

Florida was our first pick a few years ago and we loved the Ocala area. Pulte has a new development there and the prices have dropped quite a bit. Del Webb also has a new 55+ development in Deland. That is a short drive to Disneyworld. I love Fl but the homeowners insurance keeps us away.

[Kurt]

We have talked before. I am a big fan of Toledo Bend Lake in Northwest Louisiana, but that might be a bit too isolated for you. So just go over to Sam Rayburn Lake in Texas--closer to some larger urban centers and in Texas--which has a certain cache all its own. No state income tax, there. Big Sam, as the lake is called, is very ocean-like and it is still relatively cheap. I would forget about the ocean--too pricey and the hurricanes. Google: Sam Rayburn Lake and check out the real estate ads. There is a guy there who just sent me a listing for a cute little place--very clean--near a great boat launch for 75K. You can get right on the water in a modest place for under 200K. The same goes for Toledo Bend. You can get in on the ground floor of development on Big Sam--but don't delay. Yes, it is hot and humid for part of the year--but the lake is big enough to give you a breeze if you are on it. The west end of the lake is close enough to Lufkin and Nacodoches which are growing urban centers with jobs.

[Bette]

St. Augustine
Vero Beach
Viera (spelling?)
Ponte Vedra - lots of condos there
Lakeland - inland

[driftwoodpoint]

I love Winter Garden also. Really nice historical downtown area that they have fixed up and it has charm. There is a wonderful bike trail that goes right through town.
We go down to that area in Jan/Feb. I guess we like living in the mid-west. Where we live the seasons are pretty balanced. We get out of the cold weather for a bit and then I'm good with it.
So many of the areas that have mild winters are so hot in the summers I can't stand it.

[sunsprit]

Check the threads on "The Villages".

Boating and other activity in the area. Jobs for those who want to work in many fields due to the retired community in the area.

[texdav]

Look at the panhandle of florida . It is very nice without the crazy life of southern florida.I have for years gone to florida for the month of October. I really like the destin area the last years.The only time it gets kind of crazy is in summer and spring break but where in florida doesn't it. During the winetr it is very nice and alot of older people live there then.