[Winter_Sucks]

Hi everyone! I'm thinking about moving to Florida sometime in the future, probably not for another 2 to 3 years, but I feel like starting my research now. I'm married and my wife and I are both teachers. We're in our mid twenties and we are starting to think about having kids. We want a small town toward the Gulf side where we could buy a few acres and build a house. I noticed that Dade City might fit our needs. We don't really need bars and clubs because we are passed that stage in our lives, so we don't care too much about nightlife. Does anyone know what the schools around Dade City/Pasco county are like? I'm pretty much in the dark about what the area around Dade City is like, so any info would be helpful. We are planning on checking out the area within the year because my grandmother lives not too far away in Leesburg. Thank you all. God bless.

[Winter_Sucks]

Anyone have any knowledge about Zephyrhills?

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by Winter_Sucks

Hi everyone! I'm thinking about moving to Florida sometime in the future, probably not for another 2 to 3 years, but I feel like starting my research now. I'm married and my wife and I are both teachers. We're in our mid twenties and we are starting to think about having kids. We want a small town toward the Gulf side where we could buy a few acres and build a house. I noticed that Dade City might fit our needs. We don't really need bars and clubs because we are passed that stage in our lives, so we don't care too much about nightlife. Does anyone know what the schools around Dade City/Pasco county are like? I'm pretty much in the dark about what the area around Dade City is like, so any info would be helpful. We are planning on checking out the area within the year because my grandmother lives not too far away in Leesburg. Thank you all. God bless.

Hi - I lived in Dade City for about 10 years. It is a beautiful little town, with lush rolling hills, woods, lakes, and beautiful scenery. It looks more like the Carolinas than Florida. It has a charming little downtown and is a friendly city. It has all the basics you need, groceries, big box stores, etc. and yet not too far from Tampa (although the commute to Tampa is pretty bad). The prettiest areas are San Antonio, (to the south) Blanton (to the northwest) St. Joe (West) and down Fort King Road heading to Zephyrhills. I can't tell you about schools, sorry. Will you have jobs? That is a huge issue almost everywhere in Florida.

Don't move to Z-hills, I know it's only my opinion, but it's a town pretty much strictly for the elderly, and it is really, really dead. It does not have the beauty of Dade City, either - it's all flat with lots of ugly strip malls, just not much to recommend it.

Hope this helps!

[Nomadicus]

Dade City is more like old FL than a lot of places.

[Winter_Sucks]

Originally Posted by gypsychic

Hi - I lived in Dade City for about 10 years. It is a beautiful little town, with lush rolling hills, woods, lakes, and beautiful scenery. It looks more like the Carolinas than Florida. It has a charming little downtown and is a friendly city. It has all the basics you need, groceries, big box stores, etc. and yet not too far from Tampa (although the commute to Tampa is pretty bad). The prettiest areas are San Antonio, (to the south) Blanton (to the northwest) St. Joe (West) and down Fort King Road heading to Zephyrhills. I can't tell you about schools, sorry. Will you have jobs? That is a huge issue almost everywhere in Florida.

Don't move to Z-hills, I know it's only my opinion, but it's a town pretty much strictly for the elderly, and it is really, really dead. It does not have the beauty of Dade City, either - it's all flat with lots of ugly strip malls, just not much to recommend it.

Hope this helps!

Cool, thank you for your help. I'm checking out the town on google maps street view right now and I like what I see.

The only thing that scares me about Florida are the hurricanes. Does Dade City get hit often or as hard as the cities on the east coast?

[StreetSmarts]

Dade City is one of my fave cities in FL. Old FL for the very few natives still left in our state. Friendly, pretty, and a nice little town.

[Winter_Sucks]

Thank y'all for the responses. Keep them coming. I like the sound of Dade City being "old Florida."

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by Winter_Sucks

Cool, thank you for your help. I'm checking out the town on google maps street view right now and I like what I see.

The only thing that scares me about Florida are the hurricanes. Does Dade City get hit often or as hard as the cities on the east coast?

Hurricanes are a fact of life ANYWHERE in Florida. In 2004, we had 4 of them criss-cross the state, with a lot of damage in central Florida, including us. However, usually when hurricanes hit, they hit the coastal areas hardest, and diminish as they move over land. Also, a place like Dade City is on high ground, so if you are not near a lake or river, will probably not have flood issues, mostly wind. Bottom line, it will usually be safer living inland on high ground like Dade City.

Yes, I have to agree with the comments about Dade City being "old Florida". It is a "tree city", and it has many huge, beautiful old moss-draped oak trees. When people come up I-75 from points to the south and get off that first exit heading toward San Antonion/Dade City - that first big hill takes your breath away - that is where the small St. Leo University is, on top of that hill, and overlooking beautiful Clear Lake. Keep going on that road (Highway 52) and the swing to the left on Blanton Road (passing Pasco Hernando Community College) and you will really see some gorgeous scenery - really high hills (for Florida), sweet smelling orange groves, a Christmas Tree farm, and just awesome nature in general. If you are the type of people who are more homebodies and love nature at it's finest, this place is for you.

Be sure to drive all over the countryside when you visit, you won't believe your eyes. This is not the typical "beachy palm-tree" look that most people think of when they think of Florida. This is the "other" Florida, just as beautiful, and in some ways better.

Here is a neat website I found one time that gives links to interesting things around the area:

Community Links

[Winter_Sucks]

Originally Posted by gypsychic

Hurricanes are a fact of life ANYWHERE in Florida. In 2004, we had 4 of them criss-cross the state, with a lot of damage in central Florida, including us. However, usually when hurricanes hit, they hit the coastal areas hardest, and diminish as they move over land. Also, a place like Dade City is on high ground, so if you are not near a lake or river, will probably not have flood issues, mostly wind. Bottom line, it will usually be safer living inland on high ground like Dade City.

Yes, I have to agree with the comments about Dade City being "old Florida". It is a "tree city", and it has many huge, beautiful old moss-draped oak trees. When people come up I-75 from points to the south and get off that first exit heading toward San Antonion/Dade City - that first big hill takes your breath away - that is where the small St. Leo University is, on top of that hill, and overlooking beautiful Clear Lake. Keep going on that road (Highway 52) and the swing to the left on Blanton Road (passing Pasco Hernando Community College) and you will really see some gorgeous scenery - really high hills (for Florida), sweet smelling orange groves, a Christmas Tree farm, and just awesome nature in general. If you are the type of people who are more homebodies and love nature at it's finest, this place is for you.

Be sure to drive all over the countryside when you visit, you won't believe your eyes. This is not the typical "beachy palm-tree" look that most people think of when they think of Florida. This is the "other" Florida, just as beautiful, and in some ways better.

Here is a neat website I found one time that gives links to interesting things around the area:

Community Links

Yeah, I understand that hurricanes are part of the deal when moving to Florida. We will just have to take all of the precausions and be prepared for the worst.

We are totally the homebody type of people. We used to be wild college kids, but now we just have a quiet meal and go for walks on the weekend with our dog. We are also nature lovers. This city is sounding like a place we would like.

That's it, next time we visit grandma we are checking out Pasco county. Thank you for your knowledge about Dade City.

God bless you.

[StreetSmarts]

Originally Posted by gypsychic

Hurricanes are a fact of life ANYWHERE in Florida. In 2004, we had 4 of them criss-cross the state, with a lot of damage in central Florida, including us. However, usually when hurricanes hit, they hit the coastal areas hardest, and diminish as they move over land. Also, a place like Dade City is on high ground, so if you are not near a lake or river, will probably not have flood issues, mostly wind. Bottom line, it will usually be safer living inland on high ground like Dade City.

Yes, I have to agree with the comments about Dade City being "old Florida". It is a "tree city", and it has many huge, beautiful old moss-draped oak trees. When people come up I-75 from points to the south and get off that first exit heading toward San Antonion/Dade City - that first big hill takes your breath away - that is where the small St. Leo University is, on top of that hill, and overlooking beautiful Clear Lake. Keep going on that road (Highway 52) and the swing to the left on Blanton Road (passing Pasco Hernando Community College) and you will really see some gorgeous scenery - really high hills (for Florida), sweet smelling orange groves, a Christmas Tree farm, and just awesome nature in general. If you are the type of people who are more homebodies and love nature at it's finest, this place is for you.

Be sure to drive all over the countryside when you visit, you won't believe your eyes. This is not the typical "beachy palm-tree" look that most people think of when they think of Florida. This is the "other" Florida, just as beautiful, and in some ways better.

Here is a neat website I found one time that gives links to interesting things around the area:

Community Links

Yup, it kind of reminds me of driving on I-26.