[evlicious]

So I know that your sick of buffalo... i lived in syracuse when i decided to make my move to florida...As i have 2 kids, i stayed for 10 years, then moved to ga for 7 months guess what i'm back in florida.. Except i tried a different area this time. I must say depending on the job market you are looking for, jobs are pretty scarce here unless your in the medical field. So definitly do your research on work first and what you need. The schools no matter WHAT part of florida are horrible even the private schools just overrated. But on the other hand if you can't take the weather any more and need a change then go for it. I moved to Port St Lucie.Its def, a growing area...Word of advice do not buy right now!!! or even next year...I owned 2 homes in Fl boohoo for me and the market. Plus i would rent just in case you decide you dont like it your not stuck with a house...For this area you can rent a 3-4 bedroom ranging from 900-1300 depending on what you want most of the homes are brand new.. what i pay now is less than any mortgage i ever had. I finally realized i could keep moving for good schools but they dont exist. So if your kids are good then thats all you have to worry about. They will choose the right kids to hang out with. My area is very family oriented i must say kids are playing everyday. My cousin just moved here from NJ and her 9 year old son made more friends already then a few years in jersey. He's even in the cub scouts. I took up fishing which is great for the whole family and cheap!!! Just please please do the research for all areas. if you need any info i will gladly give you some. Good Luck!!!

[firemed]

Originally Posted by scott7876

I'll be moving down to Fort Myers in a couple of weeks from Long Island, NY. My advice to you would be to go down and visit for a while if you can, and by all means rent for a while before buying a house. Also, make sure you have a job or solid job prospects before moving, this goes without saying no matter where you move.

Take much of what you read here with a grain of salt. Many would have you believe you will be killed the minute you set foot in the area. There are good areas and bad areas in any place you go. You have to look and see for yourself, maybe you will like what you see!

Good Luck!

Scott

This is just a little salt put out by the City of Cape Coral. Now it is the City so its a little sugarcoated on the facts but its real. The City won't post alot of the stuff but just take a look.
City of Cape Coral (broken link)

[sg928]

Originally Posted by 121804

Yeah, travelled through Buffalo many a times. When I was in college, played at lacrosse game at University of Buffalo...it was interesting... Notoriously known for bad winters & its economy is suffering as are most of the major cities on the Great Lakes.

Do you have a job lined up in SW FL? Not trying to pry into your personal life, but this particular part of FL has little to no real ecomony. It is solely based on retail & the fastly fading construction business.

There are better, safer, friendlier (ESPECIALLY in terms of children) communities in Florida....it's called north Florida..not central or South Florida.

You will find cheap real estate in 75% of this state right now.

Suggest looking in northern FL. Better schools, better environment, nicer pace of living. It's prettier up there, also.

I have never felt so guilty raising my 2yr old here than this past summer. Weeks at a time of telling him we cannot go out & play b/c of the heat. No kids for playgroups. There is a YMCA in Port Charlotte, but it is expensive. No community pools in Punta Gorda. Nothing community oriented for kids that is practical. Great if one has a pool in their backyard, but I want my child to have friends & interact with other kids his age. Not here. It's not found. Trust me. I've been living it.

If you HAVE to move here to this area & cannot imagine your family anywhere else, I'd say the lesser of the evils for where you are looking at is Port Charlotte. It's a lot like Buffalo minus the snow....bars, chain restaurants, one mall, WalMart, and shady characters walking & driving around.

The homes are cheap here for a REAL good reason; not b/c so many people want to move here. Do your kids like sidewalks? Hopefully not. There are none here. Make sure to check for septic tanks/well water. A lot of the homes in North Port are on septic & well.

VISIT for sure prior to moving.

Good luck. I am not trying to disway you from FL, just the cities you mentioned. We are in our 30s. I feel like I have aged 50 years living here & not for good reasons. I could never imagine my child going to school here & living here. It's not fair to him. If it was just my husband & I, fine...but when KIDS are involved....stay away.

Best of luck. Look in north Florida. Keep researching & asking questions.

Thanks. I'll do that.

[sg928]

I appreciate hearing the good and the bad. I'm sure the people from NYS can appreciate the feeling that.. "I HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!!". And my husband feels the same way. Not to bag on Buffalo some more, but.. We were rate the 3rd worst city in the WHOLE country for doing business. New Orleans rated better than us and they were, and still are destroyed. Again, I HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!! We are not sold on a specific area in FL, but we are familiar with Sarasota. And when we visit, we feel like we are home. We are planning on renting for at least the first year and I am in the medical field so I'm not worried there. What areas in Northern Florida are good? And what makes them good? I want a middle class area, not to stuffy, and just live life. We do want to be close to the ocean, not farther than an hours drive.

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by sg928

What areas in Northern Florida are good? And what makes them good? I want a middle class area, not to stuffy, and just live life. We do want to be close to the ocean, not farther than an hours drive.

Florida is a big state, you actually have a lot of options in northern ,central and even south Florida. I have only been to Buffalo twice, but I think I know exactly what you are saying about Buffalo. It looks like the kind of place that you can't wait to leave, but never forget. I am going to try to factor in economic interests with all of these.

In North Florida, you have a lot of the Jacksonville area to look at, although I am not sure about specifics. St. Johns County has a particularly good reputation for schools.

In Central Florida, middle class areas that aren't too stuffy with good school districts include Oviedo, Lake Mary, and Winter Springs in Seminole County. Some find these communities a tad bland, but you have great schools, friendly people, and safe neighborhoods in these communities and you are about 45 minutes from the beach. I did live in Orlando for several years. Tampa has some spots too, but once again, not sure on specifics.

In South Florida, the Davie and Cooper City areas in southwestern Broward County are solid middle class areas about 15-20 minutes to the water that maintain a safe school system and safe neighborhoods. Coral Springs is also a place to look into, which was named the 10th safest city in the United States in 2006. Wellington in Palm Beach County also has potential.

There are a LOT more areas than that,plus I have heard great things about the panhandle (never been there) but this is just something to get started on. I do hope you have at least 300 thousand to start on for a single family home, or about 250k for a townhome in Central/South Florida though.

[sg928]

Thank you for the lead

[compelled to reply]

Originally Posted by sg928

Thank you for the lead

Feel free to ask about specifics of the Orlando and SE Florida communities.

[121804]

There are separate forums near the top of the page for Tampa & Jax that I bet can answer your questions well. I've also heard very good things about St. Augustine; just not sure about the school system there.

Best of luck.

[Tarastomsgirl]

Originally Posted by 121804

And there is nothing in the cities you mentioned.

What I said was honest...I cringe when I hear a young family wants to move here. There is no perfect city or perfect place...but there are FAR better places than the areas you are looking to move to in FL if you are a young family.

Isn't that the truth. I cringe also.. The palm trees and beaches certainly don't make up for the true crabby, rude, nasty people! Naples was unbearable after 24 years forget it I was ready to pull out my hair.. I sold almost everything I owned! Hell I sold my car for $500 to the first person I could. I could have sold it for much more but i didn't care and it was one of the last things holding me back from being able to get out. I moved 2 days after I dumped the car. I've now got 2 family members moving out of Port Charolette and Naples to up north. The went back after visiting and were soo depressed and said they could really tell the difference in the lack of friendliness and overall community feel.. Its just a sad place to grow up SWFL that is.. this coming from someone who did.... I'd def go North Fla if you're desperate to move to that state.. otherwise, don't go there at all.

[GR82BAGATOR]

Hi and I am from North Central Fla and would suggest you look in this area. It is a much better area to raise children. Check out Ocala...that's Marion County and I think you'll be pleased! Good Luck!