QUESTION: if i moved to northern fla/st augustine area... (Orlando: homeowners insurance, crime)

[backtofla]

would i be hearing as many new yorkers and spanish ppl? i live in east orlando, and i like it for the most part, but my 1st choice was northern fla, particularly the st aug., jax. bch. areas... not palm coast.

i live in orlando, and i feel like a minority. even in my neighborhood where homes are 300k and up... i like a variety of ppl, but i dont feel like i'm in "old florida." i want to be back in old fla again, maybe in a few yrs, ......... is st. aug area right up my alley?

ps- this isnt to offend anyone. just a question...

also, is northern fla too cold for the snowbirds, and is that maybe why not a lot of yankees are up there compared to other coastal cities???

[mom2ten]

Check out Suwannee County. Rural areas are abundant, people are friendly, prices are good (relatively of course!), traffic is nearly non-existent...
"Old Florida" is exactly how we are described. We have the popular Suwannee River Music Park which draws big names. We're less than an hour from Wild Adventures theme park in Valdosta, Ga.,speaking of which....a SEASON pass is under $70.00
A big bonus is that we're less than an hour from the Ga. border, with the gas prices that average 15 to 20 cents a gallon cheaper.
We're about 1.5 to 2 hours from either coast with the beaches, but far enough inland that hurricanes aren't the threat they are on the coast. This makes for less expensive HomeOwners Insurance as well.
Gainesville is an hour away with all the benfits of a college town. Arts, museums, shopping, fine dining, etc.
Drive down, enjoy the benefits (without the costs) and escape back to your rural paradise.

[backtofla]

thanks for the reply... i was thinking more st aug/ponte vedra/jax areas... any thoughts? i know there are good parts and bad parts of jax, just like any other big city...

[FLPL75]

backtofla
the Southside/Intercoastal areas of Jax as well as the Ponte Vedra are are really nice areas.
St Aug is a large area with many many new developments going up. A lot of these new subdivisions come with "hefty" CDD fees.
Where will you be working you might want to take that into consideration in chosing the area to live.
I moved here 15 years ago and love it.
We do have a mix of people from the north. But from reading some of the posts on the Orlando thread. We do not experience the "issues" they have there.
We do not have a "snowbird" influx here either.
Give me an idea of what kind of commute you are looking for and your price range on a house and I may be able to suggest some specific areas
Karla

[riveree]

Originally Posted by backtofla

would i be hearing as many new yorkers and spanish ppl? i live in east orlando, and i like it for the most part, but my 1st choice was northern fla, particularly the st aug., jax. bch. areas... not palm coast.

i live in orlando, and i feel like a minority. even in my neighborhood where homes are 300k and up... i like a variety of ppl, but i dont feel like i'm in "old florida." i want to be back in old fla again, maybe in a few yrs, ......... is st. aug area right up my alley?

ps- this isnt to offend anyone. just a question...

also, is northern fla too cold for the snowbirds, and is that maybe why not a lot of yankees are up there compared to other coastal cities???

There ARE a lot of New Yorkers in North Florida and more coming, so if you're wanting to get away from us, maybe you should try living out in the sticks.....Middleburg, Green Cove, Keystone Heights.....I avoid these places like the plague, you won't run into me there.

All the places you mentioned are multi-cultural - the closer to the beach you get, the more multi-cultural it is...it's actually embraced by those who live there, it doesn't sound like it is for you.

Take a look at your original post again...how can you expect not to offend? You like a variety of people, just not NYers or Latinos?

[backtofla]

(QUOTE):"Take a look at your original post again...how can you expect not to offend? You like a variety of people, just not NYers or Latinos?"

no, either you are reading too much into it, or perhaps i wrote it in a way i shouldnt have...

i'm not going to explain myself, i think myfask or someone else would be better to answer the question...i want to return to my florida, the state i was BORN IN and not feel like i am the only one left. i hate it that so many floridians have been forced to leave due to high prices, crime brought in my the huge influx of ppl moving here, ... etc.

so........ is st aug full of spanish and ny'ers??? maybe i am the only one that's noticed, but when ppl are rude to me or cut me off in traffic it usually has a "ny yankees" logo or a "puerto rico" symbol of some sort. is n fla like this too?

[riveree]

no, either you are reading too much into it, or perhaps i wrote it in a way i shouldnt have...

i'm not going to explain myself, i think myfask or someone else would be better to answer the question...i want to return to my florida, the state i was BORN IN and not feel like i am the only one left. i hate it that so many floridians have been forced to leave due to high prices, crime brought in my the huge influx of ppl moving here, ... etc.

so........ is st aug full of spanish and ny'ers??? maybe i am the only one that's noticed, but when ppl are rude to me or cut me off in traffic it usually has a "ny yankees" logo or a "puerto rico" symbol of some sort. is n fla like this too?[/quote]

It is an open forum, so anyone can reply, sorry, can't pick and choose just because it makes you uncomfortable.

St. Augustine, which was a Spanish settled territory (loaded with Spanish history), has a lot of NY/NJ people, many of whom are Latino. I was not kidding when I said 'the closer you get to the beach the more multi-cultural'. I told you the truth and gave you the answer in my post...really and truly the areas you mentioned are not for you if you want to be surrounded by "born" Floridians...out in the sticks of Jax, where most Coastal NorthEasterners would not want to live, you'll find plenty of "born" Floridians, so of course, it is crimeless...a bonus!

The NY Yankees are a sports team, plenty of born and bred Southerners wear NY Yankees gear.

For "Old Florida", I'm afraid you'll need a time machine!

[backtofla]

It is an open forum, so anyone can reply, sorry, can't pick and choose just because it makes you uncomfortable.

St. Augustine, which was a Spanish settled territory (loaded with Spanish history), has a lot of NY/NJ people, many of whom are Latino. I was not kidding when I said 'the closer you get to the beach the more multi-cultural'. I told you the truth and gave you the answer in my post...really and truly the areas you mentioned are not for you if you want to be surrounded by "born" Floridians...out in the sticks of Jax, where most Coastal NorthEasterners would not want to live, you'll find plenty of "born" Floridians, so of course, it is crimeless...a bonus!

The NY Yankees are a sports team, plenty of born and bred Southerners wear NY Yankees gear.

For "Old Florida", I'm afraid you'll need a time machine![/quote]



i wasnt feeling uncomfortable, i just wasnt sure you could provide me with an unbiased answer as you are from ny, and perhaps were offended (not my intent). but anyway, i looked it up, and st aug. is mostly caucasian (about 86% or so, as of 2005 i think the data read), with a mix of others. where i live now, whites are about 50-something percent. it is not wrong for me, or anyone else to want to live where they would feel more comfortable.

it is my observation, that when ppl are rude, driving like idiots, or committing crimes in the orlando area, there is usually a certain pattern. i would like to avoid some of these idiots for myself and more importantly my family. i just wish all of my family would move northward to st aug area. i really like the area, and prices and hurricane occurance is less there. that's certainly a good thing as well.

i will find a great place to live for me and my family, i am just not sure orlando is that place. northern fla's slower pace, less transient, less hurricane prone is very attractive. i hope to remain in fla, and not be pushed out, as far too many already have. thanks for reading.

[riveree]

Backtofla,

You must realize, we hear it a lot. There is a lot of NY bashing by Native Floridians and I just really don't understand why.

Immigrant bashing goes on everywhere and that really bugs me too. Both of my parents are immigrants and they worked their butts off so they could live their dream and retire to Florida.

So, forgive me if I got a little hot, but it sounds like you want to isolate yourself from the reality of the way things are. People are on the move, state to state, city to city, we have a lot of immigrants trying to live the American dream, and they tend to land on the coasts...this is just the way things are now. To try to avoid it could keep you running from city to city.

Out in the rural areas of Jax, they are holding strong to these "Old Florida" ideals, and I have to say (and I'm talking about my in-laws here), I see it as being fear-based.

Sometimes we have to face our fears and dislikes straight in the face. I just did.

No harm done, this is only a forum of opinions, I wish you the best in whatever you are searching for.

[backtofla]

thanks for the response riveree. anyone else have any opinions on the subject?

i am wondering what the stats are for st aug., ponte vedra, jax areas... does it have more of an "old fla" feel to it? as a caucasian, i feel like a minority in east orlando, and in a few yrs, thinking of moving to ne fla...