[Loefflerja]

Hello!
My husband and I are planning a move to Florida next summer. We are looking for some advice on where we should be looking. We are a big family with 8 kids. We are white but five of our children are adopted and Black. We want a town where both Black and White people live and intermingle and neighborhoods that aren't so segregated by race. We are looking for a relatively liberal area that is diverse with decent schools, safe neighborhoods, and affordable. We would like to be within 30 mins of nice beaches and also commutting distance to a bigger city due to my husbands career. Any suggestions?

[logybogy]

Jacksonville sounds like a good choice. Very large black population so your family situation will not be unusual at all. Lots of jobs. Diverse economy and most importantly for Florida, very reasonable housing costs.

I would avoid South Florida like the plague even though that is considered the most liberal part of Florida because of the housing costs. With that large a family, it will simply be unaffordable unless both of you can pull six figures in income.

[CrowGirl]

Originally Posted by Loefflerja

Hello!
My husband and I are planning a move to Florida next summer. We are looking for some advice on where we should be looking. We are a big family with 8 kids. We are white but five of our children are adopted and Black. We want a town where both Black and White people live and intermingle and neighborhoods that aren't so segregated by race. We are looking for a relatively liberal area that is diverse with decent schools, safe neighborhoods, and affordable. We would like to be within 30 mins of nice beaches and also commutting distance to a bigger city due to my husbands career. Any suggestions?

Bless you! I've wnot been uop to taking on any (my own or otherwise) so I wish you all the best!

There are probably better states for you than Florida, ones that might be more accepting. Is there a reason why you've focused on Florida in particular? Having said that, I agree with the previous poster. JAcksonville would be my first thought. I've not lived there, but my impression has been good and I've applied for jobs there in the past for that reason. Best of luck!

[chopchop0]

Central Florida would be ok. Brevard or Orlando. Tampa would work too. Other than Jax, probably a good idea to avoid north fl/panhandle. South fl is liberal enough but absurdly expensive

[Loefflerja]

We love the warm weather and beaches of course. I am from California and my husband is from Indiana. We have been in Indiana the last five years and we are just wanting something different for our family. I would love to find a place where my husband and I will be happy staying even in retirement. We feel it is better to move there now because our kids are young and can adjust and make friends. We want to make this our LAST move and where we put down roots. We originally found our town in Indiana diverse but have come to realize that it is very segregated. Plus, I can not even imagine living here (the winters!) the rest of my life into old age. Some of our children may need ongoing independent living assistance on some level from us into adulthood so I don't want us to get stuck here or have to uproot them when they get older. I am not familiar with Jacksonville but I am going to start looking there. Thank you!

[Loefflerja]

Originally Posted by logybogy

Jacksonville sounds like a good choice. Very large black population so your family situation will not be unusual at all. Lots of jobs. Diverse economy and most importantly for Florida, very reasonable housing costs.

I would avoid South Florida like the plague even though that is considered the most liberal part of Florida because of the housing costs. With that large a family, it will simply be unaffordable unless both of you can pull six figures in income.

Thank you! I am looking into Jacksonville!

[markjames68]

Do you have work lined up? Otherwise you sound a lot like this -


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ad5paRXNWVg

[Loefflerja]

Lol! I realize that's totally how I sound.

Both my husband and I have college degrees and (from what I see) there are plenty of jobs in our fields as long and we are within commuting distance to a major city.

Because of our family make up and experiences in the past, we know we want to find a specific location in florida first before pursuing jobs. The move is planned for next year, so we are still doing the research.

[logybogy]

My suggestion is to apply for jobs in Florida, go down for interviews, and then scout the locations to see if it is the best fit. There's a lot of diversity in Jacksonville jobs.

Here's a link to the top employers in the area.

Jacksonville's top employers | Jax Daily Record | Financial News & Daily Record - Jacksonville, Florida

[aridon]

S Florida (west palm and south) or Jacksonville

I'd apply for jobs in both areas and see what the salary ranges are for what you get then compare to cost of living while visiting both areas to make a final determination.

Good luck.