Information on Dade City and surroundings (Lakeland, Sarasota: house, neighborhood, buy)

[lanb]

Hi,

I came across this forum when researching Dade City, FL after reading about it in "where to retire" magazine.


I am currently in the PNW and looking to retire in a place with the following
criteria (don't we all )
1) No snow and never less than 32F
2) Preferably mild weather (as in, can live without a/c ala PNW)
3) Low cost of living/housing
4) Tax friendly (all kinds of taxes)
5) Trees/Green area
6) Small towns/cities are fine (No need for theater/opera etc.)

So, does Dade city fit the bill ? How humid does it get there ?
What about the sinkholes ?

What do u guys think ?
If it fits the bill, what are some good areas in Dade city ?

Also open to other areas with the criteria above. Thanks in advance.

P.S - Originally posted in retirement forum and reposted here to get some local opinions

[On-da-Beach]

Dade City is pretty nice and does fit the bill except there are some days that it does get below freezing. It doesn't last long but it does happen.

I liked the monthly car show in town.

Nice small town atmosphere...

[JimCali]

Dade City does get hot and humid in the summer. I think you'll need the A/C then. Other than what On-da-Beach said about the the temperature (going below freezing) I think you'd like the town.

[Keeper]

Dade City is a great little town. Lots of antique stores and local restaurants. I have several friends who moved there when they retired.

The one thing in your list is not using A/C going to happen anywhere in FL or even in the SE.
There is no way you can do without A/C in summer which lasts a lot longer (April-Nov) than in PNW. Temps rarely hit 90+ in PNW and that is a norm during summer and that does not include feel like temp.

My DIL from Seattle came to FL for a visit and found it hard to deal with the heat during the summer. They now only visit during the winter

Come down for a visit to see how you handle the heat

[gypsychic]

Hi - I see you saw my reply to you in the other forum. Anyway, the heat/humidity is the biggie for you, you will have to see if you can take it. Yes, this is the WORST time of year, and it lasts until about November, although it does start cooling off in that area earlier than more southern parts of florida. As I said in my other post, you will need air conditioning AT LEAST 4 months of the year. From about November - April, weather is gorgeous, humidity fairly low and temps in the 60's -70's, lows in the 30's - 40's.

The nicest parts of the greater Dade City area are San Antonio, St. Leo, Darby, St. Joe, Blanton, Trilby, and the area just to the west of town. Worst areas are to the north and east; however if you go FAR enough north (about 10 miles) you will be in Ridge Manor and near the Withlacoochee National Forest which is nice. The river is up there as well. Naturally, the most scenic areas will be the most expensive. I don't know what your budget is or how you are looking to live, but the downtown area is convenient and as far as I know, reasonable.

Another thing, Dade City sits at what is a high elevation for Florida - about 175 ft above sea level, which will sound silly to people from other parts of the country until you realize that coastal cities are only a few feet above sea level - my house is only 9' above sea level on the Sarasota coast. The higher elevation allows some homes to have basements, something almost unheard of in Florida, although they are still few and far between. The dirt here is also different - there is a lot of clay mixed with the soil. You will see virtually NO palm trees, rather it has the type landscape you might see in Tennessee of the Carolinas with mixed hardwoods, pines, dogwood, redbud along with many camellias, azaleas, magnolias - it is just breathtaking in the spring. Overall it can be a great place to live for someone looking for a bit of a "country" lifestyle and who does not need to have a lot "city stuff" right nearby.

Hope this helps!

[lanb]

Thanks for all the information. So, it looks like A/C is definitely a must here.
I can probably live with that than deal with snow

Need to check out the humidity a bit further.

BTW, i was looking at land sold recently and came across this
11849 Orange Ct, Dade City, FL 33525 - Zillow

It is to the east of pasco, so i am not sure of the neighborhood but the price
is quite attractive. Is that a normal price range ?

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by lanb

Thanks for all the information. So, it looks like A/C is definitely a must here.
I can probably live with that than deal with snow

Need to check out the humidity a bit further.

BTW, i was looking at land sold recently and came across this
11849 Orange Ct, Dade City, FL 33525 - Zillow

It is to the east of pasco, so i am not sure of the neighborhood but the price
is quite attractive. Is that a normal price range ?

You mean for a lot? It's hard to say, because it depends on size and where it is. A lot of land has restricted use now compared to how it was 10 or 20 years ago. Best thing is to come and check it out, have a good realtor in the area show you around. But overall you could probably get a good buy to the east, kind of in the area between Dade City and Lakeland - very rural feel, but reasonably close to amenities you need for daily living.

[lanb]

Yeah for the lot. I also started looking at lots in the Ridge Manor area.

Pretty good prices with the caveat that they are yet to be developed.

[On-da-Beach]

find out what the impact fees are before you commit!