[Sarahop]

Hello.

My husband and I are looking to move to Florida next year. I will be able to work from a home office so we can be flexible on location. We currently live in a small town where we can leave the doors open so to me safety and schools are the top priority. We are open to different locations, and I'm wondering if there are any particular cities/towns that would be good for us.

The things we would like are:
1) Great public schools.
2) Within an hour to a city w/ international airport.
3) Within 30 minutes to a beach.
4) We'd like a home in a quiet neighborhood with sidewalks and community pool.
5) We'd like to be in a laid back, family friendly area that has cute shops and restaurants.

Anyone have any suggestions on where to focus? Or even better, where to avoid?

Thanks!

[cfbs2691]

This exact question has been asked at least 789,238 times.
Do a thread search.
Best of luck!

[Sarahop]

Thanks for the help. Really appreciate it.

[kyle19125]

Originally Posted by Sarahop

Hello.

My husband and I are looking to move to Florida next year. I will be able to work from a home office so we can be flexible on location. We currently live in a small town where we can leave the doors open so to me safety and schools are the top priority. We are open to different locations, and I'm wondering if there are any particular cities/towns that would be good for us.

The things we would like are:
1) Great public schools.
2) Within an hour to a city w/ international airport.
3) Within 30 minutes to a beach.
4) We'd like a home in a quiet neighborhood with sidewalks and community pool.
5) We'd like to be in a laid back, family friendly area that has cute shops and restaurants.

Anyone have any suggestions on where to focus? Or even better, where to avoid?

Thanks!

Check out Palm Harbor, it fits your criteria perfectly.

[Sarahop]

Thank you very much. I will certainly check that out.

[UKWildcat1981]

Weston Florida if you can afford meets every thing on your wish list

[bmw335xi]

Palm Beach Gardens (West Palm Beach)
Weston (Fort Lauderdale)
Boca Raton (in between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale)

[jambo101]

Dunedin will check all your boxes.
https://www.google.ca/#safe=active&g...unedin+florida

[8to32characters]

Originally Posted by Sarahop

Hello.

My husband and I are looking to move to Florida next year. I will be able to work from a home office so we can be flexible on location. We currently live in a small town where we can leave the doors open so to me safety and schools are the top priority. We are open to different locations, and I'm wondering if there are any particular cities/towns that would be good for us.

The things we would like are:
1) Great public schools.
2) Within an hour to a city w/ international airport.
3) Within 30 minutes to a beach.
4) We'd like a home in a quiet neighborhood with sidewalks and community pool.
5) We'd like to be in a laid back, family friendly area that has cute shops and restaurants.

Anyone have any suggestions on where to focus? Or even better, where to avoid?

Thanks!

Well, forget being able to leave your doors open in Florida. The state has some of the highest overall violent and property crime rates of any state in the country, and most locals would think of you as crazy for doing so.

Also, humidity and rain are major issues in Florida. Depending on where you live in Florida, the humidity can last upwards to 11 months/year and the torrential daily rainstorms, 8-9 months of the year. And when it rains, lots of pests (e.g., lizards, insects, etc.) seem to make their way into your home.

Oh, yeah -- no screen or "storm doors" in Florida, either. Screen doors aren't really that popular in warmer areas of the country, but this is especially pronounced in Florida.

In my experience, community pools seem to more popular in Texas and in the Midwest than in Florida, where it's more common to find subdivision homes with private pools. I think this is due to a couple of different reasons.

First of all, pool season is significantly longer in much Florida than in most areas of the country. In South Florida in particular, pool season is nearly 12 months long. So, it makes more sense to have one in your backyard, assuming you're going to use it frequently, which you probably will. Just keep in mind, however, that the novelty of having pool wears off after a while, especially when you factor in the maintenance costs, safety issues, kids having less time to use it as they get older, etc.

Secondly, Florida is a very transient state, so most communities across the state tend to be very shallow-rooted. Because of this constant flux, people aren't very welcoming or neighborly, and very few people have a community-oriented focus. In turn, it's not commonplace for neighbors to seldom, if ever, interact with each other, and most people seem to prefer it this way -- very different from the Midwest and other parts of the South.

Finally, there's a disproportionate number of sexual predators in Florida, so I wouldn't advise bringing your children to any community pool in Florida. Most parents in Florida will probably agree with you on that one.

Public schools are really hit-or-miss in Florida, too. Since most suburban communities in Florida have a very generic, cookie-cutter feeling (not many communities with a "cute" downtown area without it looking somewhat contrived) and most communities are within a 1-hr. drive to an international airport and a 30-minute drive to the beach, you should probably investigate school quality first and foremost. That, in addition to availability of jobs for your husband (assuming he needs to work and doesn't work from a home office as well) should be the factors that determine where you concentrate your relocation search.

Be aware, however, that "good" public schools by Northeast or West Coast standards come with a hefty price in Florida -- you either pay for private school, or you move into an area with high housing costs and property taxes. Small towns in Florida aren't going to, by default, have good schools like in, say, New England. Definitely food for thought, depending on your housing budget and annual household income, the latter of which will probably decrease if you move to Florida (assuming your husband will need a job).

[Fl1150]

Originally Posted by 8to32characters

Well, forget being able to leave your doors open in Florida. The state has some of the highest overall violent and property crime rates of any state in the country, and most locals would think of you as crazy for doing so.

Also, humidity and rain are major issues in Florida. Depending on where you live in Florida, the humidity can last upwards to 11 months/year and the torrential daily rainstorms, 8-9 months of the year. And when it rains, lots of pests (e.g., lizards, insects, etc.) seem to make their way into your home.

Oh, yeah -- no screen or "storm doors" in Florida, either. Screen doors aren't really that popular in warmer areas of the country, but this is especially pronounced in Florida.

In my experience, community pools seem to more popular in Texas and in the Midwest than in Florida, where it's more common to find subdivision homes with private pools. I think this is due to a couple of different reasons.

First of all, pool season is significantly longer in much Florida than in most areas of the country. In South Florida in particular, pool season is nearly 12 months long. So, it makes more sense to have one in your backyard, assuming you're going to use it frequently, which you probably will. Just keep in mind, however, that the novelty of having pool wears off after a while, especially when you factor in the maintenance costs, safety issues, kids having less time to use it as they get older, etc.

Secondly, Florida is a very transient state, so most communities across the state tend to be very shallow-rooted. Because of this constant flux, people aren't very welcoming or neighborly, and very few people have a community-oriented focus. In turn, it's not commonplace for neighbors to seldom, if ever, interact with each other, and most people seem to prefer it this way -- very different from the Midwest and other parts of the South.

Finally, there's a disproportionate number of sexual predators in Florida, so I wouldn't advise bringing your children to any community pool in Florida. Most parents in Florida will probably agree with you on that one.

Public schools are really hit-or-miss in Florida, too. Since most suburban communities in Florida have a very generic, cookie-cutter feeling (not many communities with a "cute" downtown area without it looking somewhat contrived) and most communities are within a 1-hr. drive to an international airport and a 30-minute drive to the beach, you should probably investigate school quality first and foremost. That, in addition to availability of jobs for your husband (assuming he needs to work and doesn't work from a home office as well) should be the factors that determine where you concentrate your relocation search.

Be aware, however, that "good" public schools by Northeast or West Coast standards come with a hefty price in Florida -- you either pay for private school, or you move into an area with high housing costs and property taxes. Small towns in Florida aren't going to, by default, have good schools like in, say, New England. Definitely food for thought, depending on your housing budget and annual household income, the latter of which will probably decrease if you move to Florida (assuming your husband will need a job).

Here you go again preaching to the choir Save it for someone who cares because I can see you don't really like Florida which makes your post bias.