Palm Coast - What Should we know? (Jacksonville, Orlando: appointed, foreclosure)

[I_n_K]

Our daughter got accepted to FSU (just graduated High School)and we've always loved Florida, so now we're pondering relocating here. We wanted to stay w/in 3.5 hours of Tallahassee and initially had settled on the St Augustine area and after arriving yesterday we've been exploring the Palm Coast area and really like it.

We have a son who starts high school this year (we figured if we were going to relocate, we wanted to do it before it starts for him) and took him to both Matanzas and Flagler Palm Coast high schools and he liked them, albeit he's still a little nervous. He's played football where we currently live in NH and wants to play here also. Not sure if any parents can provide insight on the programs, but if you can we'd appreciate it.

Otherwise save for the lack of employment in the city itself, how do you feel about the area in terms of safety, overall community, etc? Overall it seems pretty nice but those who live around here or nearby are the ones I'm curious to hear from.

Thank you in advance

[FLgirl727]

If you're planning a move to Palm Coast, either plan to bring your source of income with you, or you will have a long commute to find one. The area and community is nice, the schools are good, (FPC has a very competitive athletic program), but it's location is remote and the unemployment rate for Flagler County has always been higher than the surrounding ones.

BTW, FSU is a long ways from Palm Coast, more like 4 1/2 hours. Not too bad a ride but it will depend on how often you plan to visit.

[Robyn55]

Regarding work:

https://www.city-data.com/forum/flori...l#post30304575

I think the drive from Palm Coast to Tallahassee is perhaps 4 hours - give or take.

And Florida high school football is nothing like football up north. Unless your son is a great player in a position like QB - and/or a really big guy - or/all a really fast guy - stuff like that - he probably doesn't stand a chance of playing first string on a decent Florida high school team. I would call the team coaches at the schools you're interested in - and see what the story is with them.

Robyn

[I_n_K]

Originally Posted by Robyn55

Regarding work:

https://www.city-data.com/forum/flori...l#post30304575

I think the drive from Palm Coast to Tallahassee is perhaps 4 hours - give or take.

And Florida high school football is nothing like football up north. Unless your son is a great player in a position like QB - and/or a really big guy - or/all a really fast guy - stuff like that - he probably doesn't stand a chance of playing first string on a decent Florida high school team. I would call the team coaches at the schools you're interested in - and see what the story is with them.

Robyn

I was going to just ignore this post, but with all due respect Robyn, that's a pretty ignorant comment to throw out there in a post more geared toward asking for information about an area and community. My son is 6'2" at 14 and has already played three years where we are and has done pretty well. I've already told him that if we move here, his freshman year will be about learning the system and getting acclimated and focusing on carving out a role heading into his sophomore year. If he does well, then great. If not, we'll deal with it then. I'm fully aware of how competitive things are down here. But I'm not going to tell him not to bother because football in Florida is "nothing like football up north" and that he "probably doesn't stand a chance."

I'm a little disappointed in you considering you've generally been fairly insightful in your other posts. Not sure about your thought process there...

Meanwhile, anything you'd like to tell me about Palm Coast other than the employment issue, I'm more interested in safety, crime rate, places to shop, etc. So if anyone can fill me in more there I'd appreciate it

[ssclulow]

Palm Coast is a very safe area to live. You indicated that you are currently in the area looking around. What you see, is what you get for shopping. Not sure what kinds of shopping you are referring to. For "big mall" shopping, you will need to go to Orlando or Jacksonville. There's a large "outlet" shopping area on I-95 at St. Augustine. The biggest draw for most people who move to Palm Coast is home price and home rental affordability. If saving a little money on housing isn't a high priority, I would recommend looking in St. Johns County first. A high percentage of housing in Palm Coast is occupied by renters and snow-birds. This drives down resale values which is something to consider. If you plan on enjoying the beach often, IMO, St Johns County beaches are far nicer than those in Flagler County. The same is true for entertainment & restaurant options.

[I_n_K]

Shopping isn't a priority, although I guess my biggest question would be which grocery stores tend to give the best value (Publix vs Winn Dixie, etc.) as well as any other suggestions.

We've primarily been looking at housing rentals and have been trying to stay in the Matanzas district. We like the idea of a smaller school since it's about the size of where we came from. At this point regardless of where we live we're probably going to make the request and then drive him to/from just so we're not restricted to a certain area.

Speaking of which, does anyone know much about which areas are more/less desirable? I know it's categorized by letter but we've only seen certain parts (the W's, etc.) so any insight there is also appreciated.

Thank you to all who have responded so far (including Robyn ) my family and I appreciate your insight

[vvega]

If you are OK with living in a condo/townhouse, I would start in Tidelands and Canopy Walk. These are gated communities with great amenities, walking/biking trails, lakes and views of the ICW. The rent will also cover the lawn maintenance, which is another big plus in Florida.
For a single family home, take a look at the Grand Haven subdivision and the “C” section. IMHO, these are the best areas of Palm Coast, but most parts of B and W sections are just fine too, and more affordable.

[Robyn55]

Originally Posted by I_n_K

I was going to just ignore this post, but with all due respect Robyn, that's a pretty ignorant comment to throw out there in a post more geared toward asking for information about an area and community. My son is 6'2" at 14 and has already played three years where we are and has done pretty well. I've already told him that if we move here, his freshman year will be about learning the system and getting acclimated and focusing on carving out a role heading into his sophomore year. If he does well, then great. If not, we'll deal with it then. I'm fully aware of how competitive things are down here. But I'm not going to tell him not to bother because football in Florida is "nothing like football up north" and that he "probably doesn't stand a chance."

I'm a little disappointed in you considering you've generally been fairly insightful in your other posts. Not sure about your thought process there...

Meanwhile, anything you'd like to tell me about Palm Coast other than the employment issue, I'm more interested in safety, crime rate, places to shop, etc. So if anyone can fill me in more there I'd appreciate it

Your son is 6'2" at 14? I rest my case (assuming he gets to 200+ pounds in high school if he's planning to play certain positions). You did note the qualifications in my message - like your son is a "really big guy"? I think 6'2" at 14 is really big. Do you disagree? Does anyone here disagree? Perhaps you come from a family of very tall people and his height at his age doesn't seem unusual. I happen to be 5'0" .

And - no matter how big your son is - if I were his mother - I wouldn't allow him to play high school football - here or anywhere else. Call me a traitor to high school football in Florida. I'm a retired lawyer and used to represent Riddell (the company that makes football helmets). Every time a kid got his neck broken playing football - Riddell got sued. I worked on a fair number of those cases. I honestly don't think it's a sane activity. Plus there are sports that are a lot safer that pay a lot more money if you're really great at them. Also - there are sports - like golf - where - even if you're very good - but not good enough to make a living at it - you can use your athletic ability in terms of business/clients in later years. Don't expect an answer from you on this. Just giving you some "food for thought".

In terms of Palm Coast - I've been around it since the 70's - when I was involved (as a lawyer) in the original mortgage foreclosure on the development. There's more there today than there was in the 70's for sure. But I still think of it as a place in the middle of nowhere for people without a lot of money who want to live near the east coast of Florida. I don't see anything there that would attract me - not even a place to eat lunch when we're driving to south Florida on I-95 (I like Dixie Crossroads in Titusville). What is attracting you? You're the most important person in this equation - you're the one who has to be happy and content. Robyn

[ssclulow]

Have you definitely decided on living in Palm Coast instead of St. Johns County? Here's a link to the highly rated Career Academy Programs and Accelerated Programs offered in the St. Johns County High Schools. St. Johns County School District - Blank Site Page

[tropicaldreams]

We moved to PC last August!! We love it here!! Originally from Connecticut. We have 3 children and all have settled well in school. We are loving the warm climate & friendly locals.
I am a nurse & had several job offers prior to moving here.
Good areas vs not so good areas??
Grand Haven- gated community, many amenities including community pool
Hidden Lakes- new homes, low HOA fees, community pool and clubhouse soon to be built
B, C, L, W, F, E, are good sections
***i would stay away from duplexes in any section
R and P seem to have a lot of rental properties, more crime there
Please PM me if you have any questions!!