Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Florida
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 05-18-2008, 12:48 PM
 
Location: Georgia
33 posts, read 137,937 times
Reputation: 40

Advertisements

I'm not a FL expert, but visit there often. My (limited) recommendations:

Small town, with beach: Fernandina Beach / Amelia Island (NE Florida). Jacksonville is nearby if you feel need to visit a mall or a "metro" area. Easy beach access, and very near Georgia (where I live). Some small communities nearby where you can live more cheaply.

College town, rated great place to live, but not on the coast: Gainesville, FL.

Quaint/Historic town: St. Augustine is lovely... but housing is not too cheap, and job market can be spotty. Visit before you decide if it is for you. If money were no object, I'd probably be there now. Vilano Beach is close by (5 miles) and may also be worth a look.

Panhandle: Destin area (or west of Destin) is still nice, but expensive. Smaller areas like Port St. Joe and Mexico beach are current real estate hot spots, or so real estate friends tell me. I'd stay away from Panama City Beach (too many condos... in front of condos...blocking beach views) unless you want to live in a suburb. And Spring Break time sucks if you are over 30.

Orlando: Too much Mickey. No beach. Too many tourists. No thanks.

Daytona Beach: Good beach access, shopping, NASCAR. Real estate has skyrocketed, but still worth a visit, as prices may have dropped in current economy. Not sure how crime situation is, but lots of nice homes here, and St. Augustine is close enough if you get bored.


--Just my opinions... but I'm a visitor, not a native.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 05-19-2008, 03:11 AM
 
Location: Ocala, Florida
11 posts, read 49,920 times
Reputation: 10
Have you considered Ocala, Florida? We are centrally located within 1 hour of beaches
Disney and other attractions. There are rolling hills, gorgeous horse farms and the price of homes here are very reasonable. We have a quite a few retirement commuities with all kinds of amenities. Ocala s still a small town but the shopping is decent and we do have a cultural museum and theatre groups so we are not too small. Mod deleted...

Last edited by sunrico90; 05-19-2008 at 09:48 PM.. Reason: Don't ask...
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 05-28-2008, 12:16 PM
 
4 posts, read 10,627 times
Reputation: 10
Try Lakeland, FL .. it's in the middle of both Orlando and Tampa .. within an hour to beaches and the Disney area... it's a city without being a big city .. Less taxes too.

Mod Deleted

Last edited by sunrico90; 05-28-2008 at 03:19 PM.. Reason: advertising or soliciting is not allowed
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-28-2011, 09:32 PM
 
1 posts, read 2,096 times
Reputation: 12
Naples, Florida is where you want to live. From what you tell me, money wont be an issue (until you have kids):P but Naples is on the west side of florida on the gulf of mexico. Very rich beach side, not the cheapest, but more inland there are decent homes. Naples is more of a dream place but if you have the money go for it. I prefer living in Daytona Beach where i currently am. Its probably one of the areas in all of Florida where the residents are extremely polite, and that has a small, yet amazing pier area with a lot of arcades and restaurants and bright colors. A lot of activities year round happen in Daytona, as well as its famous beach. As far is crimes, 2008 was its worst year in quite a while. But in 2009 the police chief retired and was replaced by a hard-boiled veteran who doesn't take any crap from the ghettos. I remember him driving around my neighborhood along the beach going from door to door giving out his personal cell phone number, and told us that if we ever call 911 and no one shows up within 5 minutes, he will personally take care of the situation. I really have to say that i walk in the streets at night and i feel really safe! I can always give you some great neighborhoods to check if your interested! Good luck
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 10-29-2011, 02:50 AM
 
35,309 posts, read 52,305,052 times
Reputation: 30999
As the topic is 3 years old i wonder if our OP ever found his slot in paradise..
In fact the op's last topic seems to have abandoned the Florida idea altogether
//www.city-data.com/forum/india...-there-do.html
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-31-2011, 05:06 AM
 
Location: Avon Park Florida
7 posts, read 14,080 times
Reputation: 16
You are looking for Avon Park, Fl. Good place for families. Beaches are 1-2 hours away, theme parks are approx 1 away. Good schools and pretty safe area. We live in Avon Park Lakes and the neighborhood is great. There are kids out here and there is Lake Olivia just down the street with a sidewalk surrounding it. The kids swim, fish, and everyone walks around the lake. The yards are bigger out here so there is privacy and yet shopping is nearby. We have South Fl Community College nearby that offers much to the community for all ages. We have our home for sale so we can move near our grandchild. It will be sad to leave such a nice community.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Florida

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top