[pmc36]

Will be moving to South Florida from Northern Virginia and I am interested in areas for middle upper class young professionals. Low crime rate, lots to do, near the beach or bay. Any suggestions on which areas are good?

[OoAllyoO]

Hmm, how about Plantation? I remember going their and I was like "wow, I wish I lived here". Haha. Its on the southern east coast of florida. My father personaly liked Coral Gables, which is also on the southern east coast. Oh and take a look at Key Biscayne too, its niiiice their. If their too expensive for you than look into St. Petersburg (near Tampa). Hope I helped

[Ameriquest1]

I am a Florida licensed real estate broker. I would be happy to assist you in your move to Florida. My services are free to buyers and we have no mortgage app fees. I know the area pretty good, I am also a Police Officer in Palm Beach county. Visit my website at URL removed. Have a good day.

[stevetogo]

On the east, Jupiter and Palm Beach Gardens is a nice area. It depends pretty much on what you're really looking for - more action, calm & peaceful, on the water or further west. It would probably be better to visit websites for different areas.

Did you ever wonder, how good can a realtor be if they have to resort to prowling the forums here to advertise?

[Summerbreeze]

Good one Stevetogo!! ....Anyway, I agree with the Jupiter Island location and surrounding towns. They are gorgeous, and warm all year round. The are right on the water and beautiful. Jupiter Island is for the ultra-Rich, but Jupiter, Hobe Sound and Stuart are all beautiful and have beautiful beaches and towns. Jupiter the town has stores and rests., Jupiter Island does not. These towns cater to money, and money obviously gets the better things and view. So there ya go!

[mrs1885]

I don't know about the east coast, but if you are looking at the southwest coast, Naples (they say) is nice. I have lived here my whole life and remember when everyone knew each other by name so I absolutely hate it and can't wait to move to Tennessee. The population has exploded and the housing prices have skyrocketed. BUT if you are upper middle class and don't have much debt you may be happy. There's not much to the night life here, but the beaches and restaurants are among the best in the state, and because of the cost of housing most companies are really upping the pay. The housing varies greatly - I am in an area that is very rural, but most of the county has gated communities everywhere. All depends on your lifestyle/preferences. We just like our privacy and the larger property size, so we suck it up and tolerate the hour drive to work.

Good luck!!

Oh yeh - the crime rate is very low. My husband has been with the Sheriff's Office here for 7 years. The sheriff is great and really keeps the area as crime free as it can be. Even with the population explosion the crime rate has still DROPPED!
Search for Naples or Collier County. Tons of info on the web. It has really become an extremely popular place in the last 5 to 10 years. Tons and tons of stuff to do and close to Ft Myers, Miami, and best of all has a ferry to Key West - drops you right off at the docks in Old Town. If you haven't been there you have got to go. It's got amazing architecture and the most relaxing atmosphere in the world.

[pmc36]

Is anyone familiar with Sunny Isles or Pompano Beach? Any feedback would be appreciated.

[sheilaramos]

Sunny Isles, Is not too far from North Miami Beach and Aventura Area. But the prices of homes are high everywhere. Alot of Snowbirds, elderly, and tourist reside in Aventura, which may be the same for Sunny Isles. I worked in that area 6 years ago, and was glad to be leaving. The traffic was horrible and the people are just rude (but that's everywhere here).

Im not too familar with Pompano Beach. But like Mrs1885 said, if your Middle Class and dont have too much debt, you may be okay. For myself and my family however, we are middle class, have excellent jobs, and have very low debt, but finding it very difficult to survive here with our 3 children.

Good luck to you.

[rpg703]

My wife and I are also planning a move to Florida, from NOVA, this summer hopefully. I lived in the Orlando area for a short stint in 2001 and we just completed an 8 day road trip of the west coast.

She is 26, me 31. No kids yet, but planning on the future. We're looking to get out of winter, the density, the traffic and hoping to find more affordable housing.

If you can tell me which city you live in, I can point you in the right direction.

Towns we liked, vis-a-vis Nova:

Orlando Area:
Winter Park [Small Old Town Alex]
Downtown Orlando Residential Neighborhood [Arlington bungalows, more nightlife]
Winderemere [Great Falls, McClean]
Seminole County = [FFX County]

Tampa - Clearwater - St. Pete Area
Major metro area. Anything you need. Think smaller DC, ARLINGTON, ALEX arrangement. Same variety of socio economic levels.

Tierra Verde = [Awesome IMHO. Upscale beachfront in St. Pete]
Ybor City = Revitalization [Think M-Street Gtown Party, Must See Nightlife]

St. Pete has multiple neighborhoods that wind their way through the water. Lots of little bridges to cross.

Sarasota / Bradenton
Bradenton - We drove through a 2 mile section during lunch hour, and that's about all we needed to see of Bradenton.

Think upscale NOVA today, in Bradenton & Sarasota. More baby boomers, families are moving to suburbs of that area due to high home costs.

Sarasota
Upscale, like NOVA. Didn't seem as congested as Bradenton. Although it's upscale to the point I'm afraid it's Reston or Ashburn soccer moms on steroids.

Venice (Sarasota Area)
****Front runner for us. Very laid back. On the water, all the amenities, beautiful downtown (beachfront if I remember) shopping and dining. Home prices were reasonable.

Punta Gorda / Port Charlotte
Think Manassas, VA on the water.

Cape Coral
Think Prince William County on the water

Ft. Meyers
Nice, especial the McGregor BLVD neighborhoods (near the historic landmarks of Edison's home/college, etc.. etc.)

[FlaMoose]

Without a doubt, go to St Cloud. It's in Osceola County, just outside Orlando. I lived there for 3 years, but I am now back home in Fredericksburg.
They have excellent schools, very low crime, and is very "small town" America, yet 15-30 minutes away from Orlando and everything there. And even though you are so close to Orlando, the traffic is nothing, especially compared to Northern Va. Go to stcloud.org or Osceola.org and check out their sites. You will LOVE St Cloud!