Relocating from New England--suggestions appreciated! (Country Club, St. Augustine: for sale, HOA, custom home)

[NortheastMama]

My family and I are considering relocating to the St. Augustine area due to my husband's new job. We can technically locate anywhere in the southeast and plan to visit the Charlotte, Raleigh, and St. Augustine areas. (However, we despise winter so my inclination is to skip the Carolinas and go right to FL!)
We have three kids who are currently in 3rd, 5th, and 7th grades who enjoy lacrosse, golf, and basketball--the 7th grader will come kicking and screaming. Currently we live in a great town with excellent schools and I have a good job in healthcare recruiting--I would love to find a similar position.

We'd love to move to a neighborhood with amenities like a community pool and golf not only because we love these activities but so our kids can meet other kids--please see above comment about kicking and screaming. Obviously we want to be in a great school district. We also love the beach. Would love to stay under $500,000 if possible--realize we have to make some compromises and can't get everything we want.

In looking online, we thought St. John's Golf and Country Club looks wonderful and also Nocatee. Any suggestions would be welcome....once we hone down some areas we plan to visit in the next month or so.

Thank you in advance for your input!

[Jax2PVB]

Palencia - sounds like a possible fit for your family. I recommend that particular area because the schools are great, they have amazing amenities - you will hear people tell you Nocatee no doubt, but there is no golf course in Nocatee and although the original 1995 plan was approved to have one, the developers have no intention of ever putting one in. They just got it approved at the drawing board, but it IS NOT a golf community. Nocatee is famous for a water park and surrounding amenities, but sadly it is going so large that many of its own families don't go much to the Splash park anymore (fighting for a lounge chair is not always fun) and they are expecting another 7,000 homes to be built - clearly a MASSIVE planned community, it is the biggest out here.

Back to Palencia - there are two sides, Palencia North which is a Lennar community so more "cookie cutter" though very good prices for the square feet. The rest is off the North and South Loop Parkways and although many are 10-15 years old, they are custom homes and there are some great deals down there! The community is beautiful and close to historical St. Augustine but commutable to I-95 and even JAX airport.

World Golf village is another option, you would want to stay in King and Bear which has its own golf course and beautiful homes. Also good schools! ;-)

Both of these areas went about dark for a while after the recession but since Publix is building a new store in Palencia and WGV has Murabella shopping - these areas are both booming again!

Another consideration may be St. Johns Golf and Country Club - really nice 1,000 home neighborhood with greta schools, lovely homes, a golf course and lower fees than Palencia. Great resale as it is closer to the beaches (easy to reach by taking 210 all the way out to Ponte Vedra)

I would be more than happy to message you more info - we lived in Nocatee for two years and ran a business in both Palencia and Nocatee and have lots of insight.

Your kids will only kick and scream for the drive here - then they will fall in love. Everyone is great and the schools are awesome.
We have four kids - preschool to HS and they all adjusted great here. ;-)

[Gromicide]

Why do you want to relocate?

[Florida2014]

I would second Palencia as a good choice for your family. It's sort of it's own little town - has it's own golf course, amenity center, baseball and basketball, parks, restaurants, Publix, etc. Close to the beaches and within your budget and has excellent schools.

[ShakenStirred]

All the above suggestions are great. Just pick your builder with care. Lots of good ones, many more bad ones.

SS

[ilfaith]

Thought I would put in another plug for Palencia. As others have already said, it is a great, family-oriented neighborhood, with great schools (the k-5 elementary is right in the neighborhood) plenty of activities for the kids...including LAX at the fields adjacent to the school (baseball and rec soccer leagues play there too).

We have lived in Palencia about six years, and we love it. My three boys are in 8th and 6th grade (at Pacetti Bay, a great, albeit somewhat overcrowded, middle school) and my youngest in in 3rd at Palencia Elementary. We've been very happy with the education the boys have gotten (and both my husband and I grew up in excellent school systems in the northeast.)

My kids don't play lacrosse, but I believe Ohana Lacrosse (in conjunction with Villages Athletic Association) is the organization that runs the local league that practices and plays at Palencia (and possibly nearby World Golf Village as well).
Ohana Lacrosse Company

My boys have done basketball camp at Flagler college, and I know there are basketball programs through the Y as well as through the city of St. Augustine.

For years everyone's main complaint has been the lack of a supermarket in the neighborhood (it has been about a 20 minute drive to the nearest Publix or Winn Dixie)...but a Publix is finally under construction and due to open later this year. We are also getting several new restaurants, a 24 gym (although our community fitness center is impressive...and included in the HOA fee), and a few other shops. The other issue was that Litestream had a monopoly on our cable and internet, and there service was sometimes less than stellar. But there are other options for most of the neighborhood.

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.

[sithlord72]

Originally Posted by Gromicide

Why do you want to relocate?

OP said her husband got a new job and they hate the cold winters.


I'd stay away from St Johns Golf & Country Club. I'm always reading about break-ins there of cars and it is too easy to get to I-95 for these thieves. As an earlier post said, I'd go with Palencia even though it is off US 1 and in the middle of nowhere but I'm sure some stores will start coming into that area

[squarpeg]

I do not normally invite people to Fernandina Beach as there are too many coming as it is..but you are a family and I will make an exception, we should have more of it is families. Check out our town on amelia island. It is a small town, you are right on or near the ocean, family oriented, good school and you have enough money to buy a nice place here. Good luck.

[kyle19125]

I would second the World Golf Village area west of I-95. There are some beautiful homes that provide a lot for your price range and are near all the amenities you could want. MLS Property Search Results | Homes for Sale in World Golf Village

[Peter the Brit]

The whole area is getting very crowded because of our good schools. Problem I see as a parent of a school teacher in Ponte Vedra is that until they open the new schools the current schools are overcrowded. Palencia is a great school but Pacetti Bay
MS is too crowded . I would look at Nocatee and the new KK school opening next year but only at Elementary for the first year