Small town feeling

[ja1myn]

Originally Posted by mbromlow

Hi,
We are a young family (23 yo parents w/ 2 year old daughter) who are wanting to relocate to florida sometime in a 2 year period (my husband has another two years on his marine contract, so not before then) and we are looking for a good area to be pointed toward. Its mostly me wanting to try it out (childhood dream to live somewhere warm and sunny). We are wanting a small town feel, Im not a fan of big developments compared to an old house with "character and charm". Id prefer my kids to be outside playing with the neighboorhood kids and to have neighborhood get togethers. That being said we also like to live within thirty minutes of a good local beach (thinking ormond by the sea feel no daytona beach but on the gulf side), thirty minutes to a bigger city where I can shop, go to movies, festivals, etc. I dont mind a mixture of older/retirees but Id like some younger people too. Id be looking to rent first until I can check out the area and buy a house eventually. Im not looking for big beachside house, more like decent sized for a family of 5 or so and >150k. I will eventually be looking to become a full time flight instructor and am willing to commute 30 or so minutes for a job. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Based on this post and the information you've stated, I don't really know if Florida's right for your family. I think you would prefer somewhere like North Carolina instead. Where are you moving from?

Sarasota and the surrounding areas have a larger majority of elderly people. I was just there in October for a week for business and I saw very few young people...I mean very few. If you want your child to have the ability to play with other children in the neighborhood, I know that Raleigh and Chapel Hill, NC are good for those looking for that sort of thing.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by ja1myn

Based on this post and the information you've stated, I don't really know if Florida's right for your family. I think you would prefer somewhere like North Carolina instead. Where are you moving from?

Sarasota and the surrounding areas have a larger majority of elderly people. I was just there in October for a week for business and I saw very few young people...I mean very few. If you want your child to have the ability to play with other children in the neighborhood, I know that Raleigh and Chapel Hill, NC are good for those looking for that sort of thing.

You are giving advice based on being here for a "week for business?" It is total BS that there are no young people here. We have three colleges on the north trail filled with young people and the best school system in Florida. Hopefully no one takes you seriously.

[mbromlow]

I'm looking into other places as well. I'm really just in the research part of this. I know there are a lot of older people but reading this forum I see there are a lot of areas with families. I just have ro see if there is one that right for me. BTW I'm coming from Kansas.

[justNancy]

Originally Posted by gypsychic

You are giving advice based on being here for a "week for business?" It is total BS that there are no young people here. We have three colleges on the north trail filled with young people and the best school system in Florida. Hopefully no one takes you seriously.

Although any area of Florida can be called a retirement spot, it's true that SWFL and the Suncoast attract a lot of retirees. However, I also agree that there are plenty of young people around too. Even when I lived in Charlotte County, I'd turn on the local cable station where they post meetings, jobs, activities, etc. There were lots of swimming activities for K-12 students and other activities listed at various centers like the Tringali Center in Englewood. I doubt if they have a "playground" there for the over 65 crowd. Although who knows? Maybe some of us seniors like to swing! Some activities include:

Basketball
Gymnasium
Hockey (In-Line)
Playground
Recreation Building
Tennis Courts
Volleyball Courts

I just noticed that Charlotte now has its own forum. Hmm. Anyway, I'm in Englewood off 776 (Sarasota County) and spend the majority of my time in Venice or Englewood. Yes, the average age is 60-something, but there are still many young people who live here.