[Rabflmom]

Originally Posted by Sunny-Days-in-Florida

Many Gulf Side beaches such as Siesta, Clearwater, Ft Desoto and many others win best beach awards year after year.

Nobody saying they aren't beautiful and that some get a lot of tourists and win tourist votes. To each their own. BTW We think they are pretty too, just wouldn't choose to live there. No reason to cut down any beach in Florida is what we are saying. They are all beautiful in their own way.

Your pictures show lots of people on a beach, but that makes it harder to enjoy it unless you are a tourist and don't go there everyday. CB and other beaches do get tourists like that, but we don't have to be stuck in the crowds here on the East Coast because there are more accesses and you can find lots of beaches with fewer or no people so you don't have to stake out a spot walking over people. That is part of the beauty here. The beaches are on the island and you can drive to spots tourists won't go to unless a local takes them there for the most part.

Also our waves are a little better so gives you a chance to surf, boogey board, etc. a lot more often than the west coast....not everyone wants calm beaches that are there to look at, some people want beaches we can play in waves on , too. The OP is looking to live in a beach town so giving alternative type beaches may help.

[1insider]

Originally Posted by Sunny-Days-in-Florida

Clearwater Beach.

Notice, crowded and not empty like Cocoa above.

Looks wonderful for those who like that sort of thing. Not a hooker in sight.

Cocoa isn't on the ocean, by the way.

[blueherons]

By far the West Coast has prettier beaches.

I live in Fort Lauderdale, just moved over from Sarasota. I love Fort Lauderdale but may retire to Sarasota.

My husband prefers the beaches of the east coast. The boating and diving over here is much better.

[Sunny-Days-in-Florida]

Originally Posted by 1insider

Looks wonderful for those who like that sort of thing. Not a hooker in sight.

Cocoa isn't on the ocean, by the way.

LOL

Why are you following my post?

Cocoa Beach is the subject, not Cocoa itself.

And have you ever actually been in COCOA BEACH and or DAYTONA BEACH?

If you have then surely would have seen the hookers in plain site strolling along Daytona Beach infront of the hotels at night or the ones who seem to always be hanging out by the shelter house at Cocoa Beach.

Guess you might have just drove by and did not notice them.

So you dont like crowded beaches and people around?

Sad that some wont go out in front of other people in a swim suit.

We happen to love crowded beaches ourselves and love being around people.

By the way, we have been to and collected sand and shells from every beach that has access to it from the Florida/Georgia border down to Key West and back up to Pensacola so there is NO BEACH we have not been to in Florida.

[Rabflmom]

Originally Posted by Sunny-Days-in-Florida

LOL

Why are you following my post?

Cocoa Beach is the subject, not Cocoa itself.

And have you ever actually been in COCOA BEACH and or DAYTONA BEACH?

If you have then surely would have seen the hookers in plain site strolling along Daytona Beach infront of the hotels at night or the ones who seem to always be hanging out by the shelter house at Cocoa Beach.

Guess you might have just drove by and did not notice them.

So you dont like crowded beaches and people around?

Sad that some wont go out in front of other people in a swim suit.

We happen to love crowded beaches ourselves and love being around people.

By the way, we have been to and collected sand and shells from every beach that has access to it from the Florida/Georgia border down to Key West and back up to Pensacola so there is NO BEACH we have not been to in Florida.

Wow, that is quite a accomplishment. How many accesses to the beach have you visited in Brevard County? I can't say I have been here for almost 40 years and have not been to the beach at all of them. Never made it to the nude beach sand. <g>

[Ken E]

Originally Posted by Sunny-Days-in-Florida

Clearwater Beach.

Notice, crowded and not empty like Cocoa above.

To be totally honest with ya, that picture of Cocoa seems a whole lot more appealing than Clearwater. When we first moved down we used to hit Clearwater quite often. There is no easy way in or out of there and on those perfect beach days everyone seems to have the same idea and the roads were a mess. After three or four years when the novelty wore off we didnt go to the beach at all. The pool actually got a lot of use from March to Nov. There were a couple spots on the Hernando County coastline where i could walk through the woods with a beach chair, sit and watch the sunset, not a soul around, that was nice!

[tonyff67]

Originally Posted by Ken E

To be totally honest with ya, that picture of Cocoa seems a whole lot more appealing than Clearwater. When we first moved down we used to hit Clearwater quite often. There is no easy way in or out of there and on those perfect beach days everyone seems to have the same idea and the roads were a mess. After three or four years when the novelty wore off we didnt go to the beach at all. The pool actually got a lot of use from March to Nov. There were a couple spots on the Hernando County coastline where i could walk through the woods with a beach chair, sit and watch the sunset, not a soul around, that was nice!

Totally agree! Clearwater is a pain in the butt to get in and out of. The nice thing is, every beach south of there is just a beautiful, quieter and much easier to get in and out of.

[boston904]

Originally Posted by Rabflmom

Give me a break. Sure there are quiet white sand beaches on the West Coast . Lots of people love them to look at, walk on, sun bathe on, or just stand in. My kids loved the water there before they were 5. After that they thought they were sort of boring unless there were waves from a tropical storm or hurricane in the Gulf. East coast beaches are lots of fun and I think just as pretty with the same colors except for our cool shelly sand that brings in lots of big turtles to watch during the season.

For a 30 something who wants small town living I recommend the beaches of Brevard County. There is something for all ages here and it is close to so many other places to do things away from the beach.
You really won't find any more addicts/hookers/slums than in any other area of Florida except for maybe the Villages which is about 100% over 65 and a golf cart town. Average age here is going up though as us baby boomers age(when I moved here it was low 30s), but is still in the low forties because of lots of kids. We have East Florida State, Florida Tech, and branches of UCF so there are college age. Downtown Melbourne is main nightlife for younger crowd. Lots of festivals geared for everyone. High tech industry here so not all tourist related industry. Even though there is a half million people living here and thousands of tourists(including residents of central Florida who come over every weekend) you can find almost deserted beaches to spend the day on. We are still a pretty laid back area and still have the beach attitude.

Touche nicely done

[Ilona2014]

Originally Posted by blueherons

By far the West Coast has prettier beaches.

I live in Fort Lauderdale, just moved over from Sarasota. I love Fort Lauderdale but may retire to Sarasota.

My husband prefers the beaches of the east coast. The boating and diving over here is much better.

Hello there!

I am selling my house in US Midwest and moving to sunny Florida hopefully by the end of the summer!

I can't decide between Sarasota, Naples or Fort Lauderdale!

I am originally from Europe who was brought to US many years ago by American husband. We are divorced for few years now. Kids in college.

So, I am 50, single, Registered Nurse, looking for a warmer weather state. Will rent a condo at first, then later will decide to buy something.

I like walkable downtown with shops, cafes, art galleries, Euro feel, close to ocean, I like playhouses, live theater, jazz concerts, to browse bookstore, hope to meet some cool partner to enjoy some time together but if not, to enjoy my time myself.

In Fort Lauderdale there is a hospital within a hospital system I used to work for, by Las Olas. I could look for a position there, and I would be hired if they have a position. It is a smaller hospital.

I like that Fort Lauderdale has vibrant urban feel and tropical feel, and upscale but don't like traffic, freeways, crime, high-rises. I like typical Florida townhomes with large private patios, common pool. It would be nice to have golf courses near and/or gym when my boys fly over. I have three sons, great boys.

I like that Naples is upscale and classy. Expansive, tho..

I drove through Sarasota once and don't remember much, just that islands were beautiful.

I looked Sarasota condos and townhomes for sale/rent and they looked run down compare to Naples. In Fort Lauderdale there is not much in my price range but who knows.

What are your thoughts about Naples vs Sarasota vs Fort Lauderdale?

[RMD3819]

What is your housing budget?

How long ago did you work in FTL?