[sassyfur98]

Hi,
We are thinking of moving to Crystal River, FL. from Southern Alabama.
We are looking for small town, quiet living. We want an area that isn't going to boom with construction and development.
Rents average $1,000/month here for 3-4 bedroom houses. How are the rents there? How are the schools? We will have kids in Elementary school and high school. Is it a safe town? Can my son ride his bike to a friends house without me having to worry about kidnapping or someone trying to sell him drugs? Are there "BAD" areas to stay away from? And if so, What/Where are these areas? How are the police? Are they fair and willing to serve? Or jerks that are on the take?
We appreciate all the information you can give us. We have looked up city data and profile, but we always like to get "A Local's" perception.

Thanks everyone,
Saundra

[daniellefort]

Crystal River is already over developed. The main road is Hwy 19 which is just a nightmare any time of day to drive on. I read in the paper more and more robberies, assaults and drug arrests are happening in that area and around it. I don't know much about the schools since I live in Inverness but in my opinion, Inverness is a more friendly family town. My daughter was in Elementary and now in middle school and i think the schools are great. Actually, the elementary and high school in Inverness are right next door to each other and the middle school is just 1 mile up the road so it's nice if you have kids in different grade levels having the schools so close to each other. There's more to do in Inverness with the lakes here for fishing, boating, etc. and not having to fight everyone at the boat ramps in Crystal River to get on the gulf. The inverness police department just recently took over Crystal River police department to save the residents money. They do very well in keeping things quiet and are quite easy to deal with. Taxes are higher in Crystal River as well. My boss lives out there and my husband works in Homosassa which is just south of Crystal River.

[sassyfur98]

Hi Daniellefort,
Thanks for the reply.
How big is Iverness? We want a small town, and read that Crystal River was only about 3K people.
We are trying to get away from development. Man, it seems if there is a tree left, cut it down and build more, while 1,000's of homes already sit up for sale, month after month, after month.
You said there was a lake in Iverness? We loved the thought of snorkeling with the manatee(sp?) We just don't want to be surrounded by tourists all year long. (sorry tourists) And fishing is my favorite thing to do!!
We were going to stay in Crystal Lake the first weekend of April, so we could check out the surrounding area.
How far is Iverness from Crystal River, and the coast?
Thanks for all of your help. We really appreciate it.
Saundra

[sassyfur98]

Oops, I meant Crystal River, not Crystal Lake...blonde here....LOL> (AND PROUD OF THAT DYE..HEHE)

[daniellefort]

The population in Inverness is about 7500. I'm suprised crytal river populatin is so low because it seems so much more hectic and busy out there compared to Inverness. Yes we have what is known as the 7 chain lake. I live across the street from Little Lake Henderson (hoping to sell soon because i'm moving back home to NH to be with my family) and the big lake that connects to it which is most noticable coming into town is Big Lake Henderson. They connect to the lakes in Hernando and so forth. We had 2 jet skis and used to go out all the time. In the summer it's busy with boaters, fishermen, jet skis and tubing but if you have a small boat and can get underneath the bridge that separates the 2 lakes, (or use the boat dock to the smaller lake) it's not busy at all. The city parks are all along the big lake side which is why that lake is a little more busy. People pull up and park on the side at the park. You really should check it out when your here. The lakes are right behind the big old historic building downtown. The good thing about Inverness is there's not much more room for development be it homes or businesses. It's not so crowded it's overwhelming but we have just enough choices for shopping, etc. Plus they just raised the impact fees for building a home to $15,000 (up from $8000 last year) so it's really slowed down as far as building. Crystal River and Homosassa are busy tourist areas. Most of the elder you'll find in these areas because there are several campgrounds they park their RV at. Of course in Homosassa there is the wildlife park and of course snorkeling with the manatees. The distance from Inverness to Crystal River is 20 minutes and it's an easy straight road drive. My husband works in Homosassa and like i said my boss lives in Crystal River. The only beach in the county is in Crystal River and it's called Fort Island Gulf Beach. I don't go there very often because they close it down alot for swimming due to septic and sewage run off all throughout the year and it's just not a very great place to swim. To sit on the beach is okay but the water isn't. Believe it or not, my favorite beach is Daytona 1 1/2 hours away. Otherwise you have to go south to Clearwater, St.Pete beach (there are a few little beaches along U.S. 19 going south here and there but nothing spectactular.

[Floridamom1970]

I am in Dunnellon, in Marion County.Part of Dunnelllon is in Citrus County. I spend a lot of my time in Crystal River as my autistic homeschooled child goes to therapy there and loves it. I really prefer Citrus to Marion County anyway. we go to the movies and parks there, shop ect. There is even a flea market there that is open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Great for me as i am a flea market/thrift shop/yard sale junkie who works 12 hour shifts every weekend so I can be with my daughter during the week.There are also GREAT thrift stores in Crystal River. If either Crystal River or Inverness had a Books -A-Million and a Target I would nprobably never need to shop in Ocala ever again.Ocala is the county seat of Marion County.

My husband and I want to move to Oklahoma, but if I were going to be stuck in Florida for the next few years I would rather be stuck in either Inverness or Crystal River. The beach there is not too bad if you just want a fast dip in the water to cool off a bit. That is if they are open. Here in Dunnellon we have Rainbow Springs, which is open for swimming too. While the traffic on Nineteen can get petty bad, it is still much better on either 19 or Florida Ave or Highway 44, which runs between Crystal River and Inverness. than in Ocala on SR.200.

Crystal River is about 15-20 minutes from Inverness, on a fair traffic day.

[kingsbayfisherman]

Must object to a few of the earlier comments. The police in Crystal River have not been taken over by the Inverness police. A few years ago Inverness decided to disband its own police force and accept coverage by the County Sherif.
This appeared to be successful so this year Crystal River did the same.
Crystal River has Kings Bay, it is a huge fresh water lake fed by water from the springs from the aquifer so is the same temperature all year round. Hence in the winter it has the largest herd of manatee in the world (around 400).
A few remain all year round.
Crystal River is more dynamic than Inverness which is the county town at present though the county commissioners are considering moving the county seat.
The lakes are great but in a drought like this year they are so low that the ramps do not stretch to the water.
This never happens in Crystal River because the water although tidal is not affected by drought.
We are English people who live in Crystal River for 6 months of the year and it is the most beautiful place we have evr been.

[manateelover]

I live in the city of Crystal River, one of the benefits of living here is the beauty of the Nature Coast. We are still a small town, but it does not feel like it due to the numbers traveling US 19 which bisect the city. The Sheriff is now our police force, we do pay extra for extra service, rahter than accepting the level given to the County residents. Its an election year for the Sheriff, so far its working well, we shall see after November. Naturally you will pay more taxes in the city vs the county, but I fell its worth it. We have city water and sewer, and lots of lighting, city parks, etc. The city council has shown much improvement lately, due to the progressive thinking taking place, while balancing the potential impending growth. We are flush with nature lovers here, who do not want to see our town destroyed by development. If you love nature you will love it here. It is safe, lots of folks don't lock their doors (not recommended!), but there is a drug area adjacent, which the Sheriff is doing a great job cleaning up. Right now rents are fairly reasonable. I would suggest subscribing to the Citrus County Chronicle to get a feel of the place before making a decision. What is your plan for working? I am told many folks just move to FL without a plan, and cannot find a job when they arrive. Our major employer is the power plant, grocers, hospitals, hospitality, and of course there are some government jobs. Lots of retirees here, not a huge variety to do, but people who volunteer and have common interests find friends and activities to keep them busy.

[tresjolie3]

Visited Crystal River last week - absolutely gorgeous - lots of natural beauty but also a lot of tourism & large diving center which makes it much busier & more traffic than you would expect from a 3,000 person community.
The upside - we were able to find a restaurant that was open at 9:00 p.m.
Some people live "in the country" away from rt. 19 where it is quiet.

[daniellefort]

Originally Posted by tresjolie3

Visited Crystal River last week - absolutely gorgeous - lots of natural beauty but also a lot of tourism & large diving center which makes it much busier & more traffic than you would expect from a 3,000 person community.
The upside - we were able to find a restaurant that was open at 9:00 p.m.
Some people live "in the country" away from rt. 19 where it is quiet.

That's why people go to Crystal River because it's the tourist town of the entire county. To see Manatees and diving are 2 of the most popular touristy attractions. There is a lot of county living just outside of Crystal River. Hwy 19 is a nightmare all the time. It's one of the most dangerous roads around. It is a great place to live around here.