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Old 09-20-2017, 07:27 AM
 
2 posts, read 1,505 times
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I'm 55 and retired. I've lived in St Louis most of my life but want to find a condo/house in Florida to start retirement life. I have heard good things about most areas of Jacksonville as far as affordability. My main concern is living in a safe area with access to Dr's, grocery, shopping. Does anyone have information about safe communities (or zip codes) for a single woman, not looking for a date, to live quietly with easy access to amenities listed above?
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Old 09-20-2017, 09:47 AM
 
Location: Flahrida
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My PT is of a similar age and situation and lives in Neptune Beach and loves it.
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Old 09-20-2017, 10:35 AM
 
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You might check out Ponte Vedra Beach too, it's a very nice area with some affordable condominium options.
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Old 09-20-2017, 04:07 PM
 
Location: Taipei
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There are many areas in Jax that have those basic things. You may want to add a bit more detail and also post in the Jacksonville forum.
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Old 10-17-2017, 07:03 PM
 
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I've never lived in Jacksonville, but I hear traffic can be a nightmare. I'm from St. Louis myself. I live in SWFL and down here especially during season traffic is worse I think than in many of the suburbs in St. Louis. I lived in South County and Lindbergh, Lemay, never has the heavy traffic like 41 here in Charlotte County has. Even Telegraph at peak times of the day isn't quite as bad.

Sure if there is ice traffic is slow, but otherwise I don't find St. Louis traffic to be that bad except the usual places like 270 or 44 at Rush hour. Overall the metro area is very easy to navigate and get places.

I would go south of Jacksonville like Ormond Beach.

If you live in way north FL the weather will be a lot different than Orlando on south. You get a lot of mornings in the 30s with a few 20s mixed in. Pan Handle can get cold in the winter.

You can also try places like Pasco County that is the county north of Tampa as well or even Southwest FL. Southwest FL will be more expensive though for housing, more so than St. Louis. Especially Sarasota, Naples. Doctors I'm not sure about.

Big cities like Jacksonville shopping shouldn't be an issue at all. Just like St. Louis. Malls all over. Where I live we have the Port Charlotte mall which is a dump. I have to drive all the way to Estero or up to Sarasota for decent shopping which sucks.

Overall if you're moving to FL do a lot of research. Your car and home owners insurance will be more than it is in Missouri as well as the property taxes depending on county.

The downside is depending on where you live in FL, you will have to drive a long ways for shopping and such like I have to due to my location. I'm used to St. Louis where everything was within 20 minutes from my house.

Personally, if you're looking for warmer weather I would move further south in the state. Living in St. Louis for me for example and moving to the Pan Handle of FL would be silly imo because in the winter lots of days with lows in the 20s and highs only around 50. I'd just stick it out in Stl with the cold and a few snow days mixed in. Not that much colder.

Jacksonville is a bit warmer since it's close to the ocean.
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Old 10-17-2017, 07:26 PM
 
Location: Ormond Beach, FL
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Snowbird for a season and check out the areas of Florida that interests you. Florida is diverse and you may find you love being near the ocean or discover you like our winter gardening seasons. What you do to fill your days may be as important as the distance to a shopping center or night life.
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Old 10-17-2017, 07:41 PM
 
18,172 posts, read 16,324,110 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by benniek View Post
I'm 55 and retired. I've lived in St Louis most of my life but want to find a condo/house in Florida to start retirement life. I have heard good things about most areas of Jacksonville as far as affordability. My main concern is living in a safe area with access to Dr's, grocery, shopping. Does anyone have information about safe communities (or zip codes) for a single woman, not looking for a date, to live quietly with easy access to amenities listed above?
Need a bit more info. Do you want to be close to the beach or other activities like Orlando has, or hiking trails, lakes, etc. Do you want a more laid back life or an active one, flower shows or concerts. What is your budget? There are so many choices even near Jacksonville that more info can help make suggestions.
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Old 10-19-2017, 01:28 PM
 
5,687 posts, read 7,150,460 times
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Originally Posted by expatCA View Post
Need a bit more info. Do you want to be close to the beach or other activities like Orlando has, or hiking trails, lakes, etc. Do you want a more laid back life or an active one, flower shows or concerts. What is your budget? There are so many choices even near Jacksonville that more info can help make suggestions.
If I was a single, older lady, I wouldn't touch the Orlando area with a ten foot banana. Ponte Vedra sounds nice, though. So does Ormond.
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Old 10-20-2017, 12:21 PM
 
18,172 posts, read 16,324,110 times
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Originally Posted by kmarc View Post
If I was a single, older lady, I wouldn't touch the Orlando area with a ten foot banana. Ponte Vedra sounds nice, though. So does Ormond.
Depends on the other things as well, though visiting Orlando was really the question, not living there. Close to the I-4 makes that easier.

I would not live in Orlando either.
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Old 10-20-2017, 09:40 PM
 
5,687 posts, read 7,150,460 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by expatCA View Post
Depends on the other things as well, though visiting Orlando was really the question, not living there. Close to the I-4 makes that easier.

I would not live in Orlando either.
We lived in the Orlando area for about two months, one of the worst experiences of my life. Went screaming outta there.
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