[tidew27]

Really appreciate input on these locations: FT Walton Beach and Tampa. I have an opportunity to move to either one from the North. I do like a smaller city and get overwhelmed in a big city , but also want my kids to have opportunities and do not want to be limited. I am grew up and work in a military community and like towns that have a strong military presence. I like the panhandle, but find the Redneck Riviera term off-putting and wonder how Redneck it really is there. Any insights are welcome. TY!

[FL_Expert]

I’m guessing you’d work at MacDill in Tampa?

[beachmouse]

Ft. Walton Beach is a good five year PCS but over time its relative isolation- nearest ‘big city’ is New Orleans, which is about a four hour drive- does eventually start to seem limiting.

How would you feel about Matt Gaetz being your Congressman over the next ten years? Those kinds of politics really do bleed over into everyday life a lot more than they used to around here.

Okaloosa Schools actually do offer a bunch of neat stuff for a middle-sized school district and can provide a lot of academic/athletic/other activity options. The down side is that if your kids get serious, you will spend a lot of time on I-10/I-75 headed to games or tournaments or such.

[FL_Expert]

A few things to consider:

Tampa and Ft Walton Beach are very different. The people are different, the climate is different, the beaches and water look different… It’s like they’re in two different states. In fact, going from Tampa, Atlanta and Ft Walton Beach are roughly the same distance.

Ft Walton Beach is more traditionally southern and gets a lot of tourists. There’s not a lot more to do there than the beach. My understanding is it’s relatively cheaper up there.

Tampa is obviously way burger with way more to do. The demographic is more Midwestern with a strong Hispanic influence. If you’re working in MacDill, you’d be in an expensive area which is adjacent to a very expensive area. Odds are you’d have a long commute to somewhere that’s a reasonable value.

I’d be torn on what to do. Tampa is much better in most ways, but the positioning of MacDill makes it a hard decision since you’ll probably be in for a long commute.

[beachmouse]

Originally Posted by FL_Expert

Ft Walton Beach is more traditionally southern and gets a lot of tourists. There’s not a lot more to do there than the beach. My understanding is it’s relatively cheaper up there.

The FWB area is not particularly cheap if you want to be within a half hour of both beach and base job.

Eglin AFB owns almost all of land south of I-10 where people actually want to live. The privately held land in south Okaloosa is about 97% built out at this point, south Walton County is largely dominated by expensive second/vacation home, and the south Santa Rosa County options can make for a miserable commute in from Navarre or points west if you’re talking Eglin for a job. (IMO, Hurlburt is significantly more doable from Navarre)

[AngelaRetired]

Hi tidew27:

Any updates for us?

Angela