[mango23]

My wife said "s#it or get off the pot". She wants out of Fort Lauderdale in the worst way. I don't really know what advice anyone can give but I am open to anything. You never know someone may say something profound.
Mostly I want to just get a feel of a town, I may take a week of more driving around. I really like Chipley but it has some drawbacks. It is a dry county, I don't care about that I don't drink, but I don't think it has any pool rooms, I like to play pool.

I like the area around Tallahassee mainly west. I think that will be my focus. I am also going to give a quick look at Live Oak but for some reason it doesn't really attract me, I don't know why. There is certainly a lot for sale there and pretty cheap. Oh well, I am beginning to think I am going to die here in Fort Lauderdale if I don't do something soon, time has a way of just going by so fast. Another thing I notice as you get older are the things you wanted to do seem to fade away and are lost.

[Sunny-Days-in-Florida]

Mango, I would drive west on 8 to Pensacola and then drive back east on 30 to get a good feel for the panhandle.

You are used to all the Ft Lauderdale beauty but the panhandle surely can provide you with everything Fort Lauderdale has has for sure.

Check out Crestview and Niceville if Chipley does not work out for you. They might be too far west for you, but you never now.

[007.5]

The Panhandle is superb for the small town atmosphere but jobs are scarce here. If jobs arent a concern, then youll experience the most country-feel in the Panhandle. Check out Defuniak SPrings, Crestview , Niceville, Baker, Holt, Milton and Pace for small to medium size towns -- all are within an hour of really fine beaches / super restaurants along the coast / and shopping galore in Destin and Ft. Walton.... then you can return to a less crowded town to live in where home values are dirt cheap and property taxes are silly resonable. The people here are very outgoing, friendly, unpretentious, and God loving.

[lookingup]

Speaking of Chipley, FL..............can anyone tell me any current info? Like new stores....restuarants
....etc My daughter will soon have her degree in psycology. What about work there in that field? Does anyone know the nearest VA clinic? Any info would be helpful. Chipley is one of the areas we are considering moving to.

[mango23]

Originally Posted by lookingup

Speaking of Chipley, FL..............can anyone tell me any current info? Like new stores....restuarants
....etc My daughter will soon have her degree in psycology. What about work there in that field? Does anyone know the nearest VA clinic? Any info would be helpful. Chipley is one of the areas we are considering moving to.

I have been to Chipley a number of times. Things don't seem to change there much and the people like it that way. When a store opens and it could be something like a dog grooming shop the town does a grand opening with ribbon cutting and all. It is the closest thing I have found to a Mayberry town. I once called a guy on there who had posted on a news group. He gave enough info for me to guess who he was. When I got him on the phone to talk to him about what I was calling him about. He invited my to stop by when I was in the area, we talked for like a half hour.

Another time I called on a piece of property I thought was for sale. As it turned out it was the property next door. I had gotten the phone number by going to the property appraiser site and finding the owner then looked them up. Of course it was the wrong person but I told her why I was calling and she gave me the rundown on the property then went on to have a nice personal conversation with me. She told me she worked at the hospital and told me how good it was along with a lot of other stuff she liked about the town.

Where do you find people like this, not in Fort Lauderdale I can assure you. I love Chipley. In doing research I was looking at obituaries. It was interesting to read about the people. Many had lived there all their lives. Many had moved away for school and so on only to retire later to the place where they were born. I think that says a lot.
For me it has a few draw backs that keep getting in the way, Not serious but yet important to me. It still though is at the top of my list. I was there again only two weeks ago.

Here is an interesting site, it is sort of an online newspaper.
Chipley Bugle

I had to come back to add this, it is coming up next month.

http://www.panhandlewatermelonfestival.com/

[doggiebus]

mango23, what are some of the things you and your wife are looking for in this new place you are looking to move too? You said you wanted to be near some pool rooms, what else are you guys looking for?

[mango23]

Originally Posted by doggiebus

mango23, what are some of the things you and your wife are looking for in this new place you are looking to move too? You said you wanted to be near some pool rooms, what else are you guys looking for?

That pretty much is it. I have owned several bars and pool rooms over the years and have played since I was 8 years old. Although I have a billiard room in my home and would no matter where I went, I would like a public place to play. At my age I am seriously thinking about another place to have as sort of a retirement diversion/something to do.

Washington county is a dry county and somewhat conservative. Although I am sure I could open a place, (pool room), that could survive without a beverage license, I am not so sure that those type of people would accept the idea in any form, or me for that matter. I mentioned I owned a wise guy bar near the Hollywood dog track a while back, I also have a bit of the look and would certainly be a fish out of water in a place like that. I know those small towns are friendly but on the other hand they can decide they don't like you as well.

At a point you need to step back and take a reality check. What do I say when they ask me what church I attend? Do I tell them I think God is a fairy tail? As friendly as people like that can be, their ability to hate may be even greater. I experienced it when I worked for Obama and it was an eye opener. This country has a lot of hate in it. Just watch the comments I may get to this post. There is a lot to consider. It is what has steered us more towards Tallahassee. I would still highly recommend Chipley just maybe not for me 100%. I hope I have not offender anyone with my honest answer.

[beachmouse]

If you ever need a 'cover' religion, Unitarian Universalism is actually pretty popular among atheists who like the social justice, emphasis on living a moral life, and/or community aspects of a place of worship, but who don't like the dogma or requirement of believing in a deity proper.

[mango23]

Originally Posted by beachmouse

If you ever need a 'cover' religion, Unitarian Universalism is actually pretty popular among atheists who like the social justice, emphasis on living a moral life, and/or community aspects of a place of worship, but who don't like the dogma or requirement of believing in a deity proper.

I'm not an atheist, I'm not anything. Atheists crack me up, how do you make practice of something you don't believe in or care about and make it the center of your belief? Your belief is not believing, strange. They can be as bad as the thumper's because they require you must believe as them or it is a never ending argument. What is wrong with live and let live? I don't get it.
We have gotten off the subject of the thread though, but I needed to answer the question and it is probably a factor for some others as well, so it is not completely out of place with choosing a place to live.

[TD*]

mango, Im from Tallahassee and still here after 24 years... Its a fabulous place, you will like it.