[shellbelle73]

My family and I will be moving to florida in about 2 years. We are in our mid 30's and have a 12 year old daughter. She will be starting high school by the time we move. Anyway, we were thinking about the palm coast/flagler beach area. Does anyone have any opinions about this area of florida (good or bad). We will be in florida in September for a cruise and have 2 days to spend looking at the area before the cruise. Thanks.

[EscAlaMike]

It kind of depends what you're looking for. The job market in Flagler county is bad, and has been for a while. If you are set on Flagler county, I would strongly recommend Flagler Beach or Bunnell over Palm Coast. PC is a depressing maze of almost identical stucco houses with no character and it has become much more transient. There are lots of streets in PC now that are almost all rentals. PC would just be a terrible place to grow up IMO. Nothing to do but get into trouble.

I would look into Ormond Beach. If you have a job lined up in Flagler county, it's an easy commute, and the town just has much more character. If a new house is a must, it may be over your budget, but there are good deals in Ormond right now on already existing homes.

You should at least look into Ormond. Try the neighborhoods off of Beach St and Ridgewood Ave close to the Halifax River.

P.S. The schools of Flagler county vs. Volusia county are similar in quality, though I would give Volusia the edge for high schools. If you lived in Ormond, your kid would go to either Seabreeze HS or Mainland HS, both of which are fine and have some great programs. In Flagler, you have Flager-Palm Coast HS and Matanzas HS.

[flaglerwrangler]

Bunnell is a crack haven.

[daytonadewd]

Originally Posted by shellbelle73

My family and I will be moving to florida in about 2 years. We are in our mid 30's and have a 12 year old daughter. She will be starting high school by the time we move. Anyway, we were thinking about the palm coast/flagler beach area. Does anyone have any opinions about this area of florida (good or bad). We will be in florida in September for a cruise and have 2 days to spend looking at the area before the cruise. Thanks.

Your OP doesn't specify where you're moving from. This is important to comapare schools. The schools/socializing will most likely be an issue for your daughter. Flagler has some good schools, but which one will you end up with?

Aside from the social/economic issues posted, as a "sweeping generalization," you'd probably be better in focusing on relocating to this area after your daughter has graduated and you're an "empty nester." That's what this area seems to focus on right now. (Not to say that ALL families relocating there face disasters either, as I know several families in Flagler Beach doing very well with their kids. But some are having problems too.)

IMHO, there's just a lot of pressure on the kids in this area, and not necessarily the resources/support available in the local community to assist them (as in other communities that you might live in), as the focus tends to be on retirees (who don't wish to pay for youth services/education anyway), because they already raised their families.

There are also not a lot of job opportunities right now for youth, as these traditional jobs for them are now being taken by adults who need them to support families.

This leaves the kids this summer, broke, disappointed and frustrated and may act-out out of boredom and anger.

[Sheepie2000]

Don't base any decision on what you read here. There is a very vocal group here that HATES Palm Coast. Personally, I love it. We've been here about a year and we are always busy doing something. My kids are younger, 8yrs and 4yrs, but they love it. There are plenty of activities for people of all ages. Last year, Flagler County was the only one in all of Florida to get an A rating for all of its public schools. This year it slipped a little, but we've been very happy with the school. My son's teacher was so involved, doing so much more than "teaching to the test", taking the initiatve to get a grant for a special year long nature project. There's no movie theater here, but they're getting ready to build one.

A lot depends on your expectations. We weren't looking for big city life, fancy restaurants and chic boutiques, although you will find some nice restaurants and shops, even more if you're willing to drive half an hour, and even more an hour away.

We were looking for a relaxed, family environment where we could establish our own routines and gift our children with a wonderful childhood. The town is beautiful. The people are friendly, waving and saying hi to strangers all the time. We've only been here a year, but we often run into people we know. I love that small town feel. Our church is active. There is an abundance of parks, nature preserves, and bike trails. There are the county fair, various festivals, and the little farmer's market at Flagler Beach. The beach is always a hit. There are opportunities to volunteer, say for Habitat for Humanity for example. We're involved with cub scouting now, but we just can't find time to participate in all their activities. There's actually more here to do than we have time for! There are a ton of organizations and clubs here for adults, and children can participate in some of them. The population seems quite diverse and I don't sense much racial tension here, although I could be oblivious to it.

It might not be right for you, but if you're interested, definitely come and check it out and decide for yourself. I think that a lot of people don't look within themselves and decide what matters to them before they move and then end up in the wrong place for them. They become angry and bitter...and then take out their frustrations on this forum!!

[blueridgerider]

Thanks Sheepie for sticking up for PC and great post. It has much to offer for ALL age groups. Flagler/Palm Coast is NOT just for retirees. I sent a DM to ShelleBelle due to the negative posts about PC. Whenever I've tried to post the good I would just get blasted. Gave you a rep. point.

[shellbelle73]

I appreciate all of the opinions. We are still planning on visiting the area and also St. Augustine in September. If we like what we see, we will make another trip out for a longer amount of time to get in depth feel of the palce.

[ssg II]

Originally Posted by flaglerwrangler

Bunnell is a crack haven.

Which part of Bunnell are you referring to? Downtown? Bunnell is not "crack haven." Yes, there is a concentrated area south of SR 100 by the "projects." There's a crack neighborhood in EVERY town. Though the police can't seem to stop the drug trade in those 2 or 3 blocks, it doesn't filter north.

The rest of Bunnell, north of 100, is a sleepy residential area with most of the residents having been here for decades. Unlike Palm Coast, we know who our neighbors are and we don't have break-ins, gangs or drive-by shootings.

[efarrelly]

not sure what is happening in palm coast. so many people are moving out and I don't know why. we own property there bought it high now can't sell it. 32 or more pages of forclosures on the internet printed off last night. I really liked it there when we purchased the property and planned to retire there now having 2nd thoughts. does anyone know what the problem there is. i heard home insurance is outrageous. please advise if anyone knows the skinny of palm coast.

[blueridgerider]

My home insurance for $255,000 on the dwelling is $938.66. Compare that to So. FL and other areas and I'd say it's a bargain. Check out Security First Insurance @ securityfirstflorida.com
This area got hit just like plenty of other places in CA, NV and AZ. Check out gotoby.com for additional info on Palm Coast. Plenty of info on there to give you the skinny. We're getting a new 14 screen movie theatre to be completed next year, ground breaking has already occurred as I went by it the other day at the Town Center.