[Where to move?]

Hi my husband & I are considering a move to Florida. We have 3 kids, ages 12, 6 & 4. Schools are very important to us, as they a to so many people. We are from New York, born and raised, but we feel like its time for a change. It is soooo expensive to live here. We love New York, we just want something different for ours kids. A slower pace and a little less expensive. We visit Florida often, love the weather -we've even visited in August and the people have been great. We love the look and feel of Florida too. My husband would hopefully be able to transfer, we would have to work that out before the move and I work in the restaurant/bar industry. We like the Orlando area, we are open to other areas too though, just want to get some info on schools, and just everyday life. Any info would be great Thanks so much!

[kyle19125]

If schools are important to you I would focus there first, as schools here vary in quality considerably.

Everyone usually lands on Orlando first as a place to move because everyone loves Mickey, but I would encourage you to investigate other areas as well. Amusement parks rarely play into the lives of locals so bear that in mind when making your decision.

One of the nice things potentially about living in Florida is easy access to the beaches, something that Orlando (in the center of the state) does not offer. The schools in the Orlando area are largely not among the best, and the quality districts (Lake Mary, Oviedo, Lake Howell and Winter Park) are well removed from the areas of Orlando you're probably accustomed to.

I'd advise also checking out the Tampa/St Pete area (Westchase, Palm Harbor, East Lake Woodlands/Oldsmar), the Space Coast area east of Orlando ( Viera, Indialantic, Melbourne Beach, Cocoa Beach, Satellite Beach) or the area just south of Jacksonville (Ponte Vedra, Ponte Vedra Beach, Nocatee and Julington Creek).

Good luck!

The Viera Lifestyle
Satellite Beach, Florida - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Indialantic, Florida - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://www.melbournebeachfl.org/Pages/index
Cocoa Beach, Florida - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Julington Creek (http://www.julingtoncreek.com/ - broken link)
Home - Nocatee
Palm Harbor, Florida - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Westchase, Florida - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
City of Oldsmar, FL - Links for Visitors

[alfbroker]

Great post, honesty from a FL resident not looking to make lots of cash off your move to FL. I'd like to add it's hard to go wrong school and safety-wise Punta Gorda north to Sarasota on the SWFL coast. Prices range from still dirt cheap in Port Charlotte (but boring) to Sarasota (art, culture, education best beach in US) a little pricy but it will be much higher in 3-5 years. Venice is about midway and beautiful. Employment could be a challenge though.

[Where to move?]

Thank you both so much, we will check into those places too! Every bit of info helps, we are hoping to move in just over a year, our oldest son is graduating next spring, we want him to finish here. Also, when does the school year begin/end? We go to just after labor day until middle/end of June.

[Sweetbottoms]

Originally Posted by alfbroker

Great post, honesty from a FL resident not looking to make lots of cash off your move to FL. I'd like to add it's hard to go wrong school and safety-wise Punta Gorda north to Sarasota on the SWFL coast. Prices range from still dirt cheap in Port Charlotte (but boring) to Sarasota (art, culture, education best beach in US) a little pricy but it will be much higher in 3-5 years. Venice is about midway and beautiful. Employment could be a challenge though.

I love the SWFL area you can try Estero and Naples also

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by Where to move?

Thank you both so much, we will check into those places too! Every bit of info helps, we are hoping to move in just over a year, our oldest son is graduating next spring, we want him to finish here. Also, when does the school year begin/end? We go to just after labor day until middle/end of June.

We're typically a bit earlier here, beginning in the third/fourth week of August and ending the first week or so of June.

[Where to move?]

Ok great, thanks. I was hoping to plan another trip down when your schools were in session so we can see them, maybe we can get there again before my kids go back in Septmber I really appreciate all the info