Would appreciate some advice about Crestview or Niceville areas (Pensacola: apartment complexes, rentals)

[GroovyGrandmomma]

We are moving due to health issues and are in the process of finding a business to buy. One that we are very interested in is near the Crestview\ Niceville area. We are 55 no children at home, like being out in nature are not huge partyers but enjoy evenings out with friends. We are looking to rent for 6 months to a yr to see what areas we like best. When we do decide to buy, our budget will be around 300k. Because of the health issues, we need to be relatively close to medical facilities. We would like to be within. An hour or so of the beach, and air quality is very important. Thank you in advance, any info appreciated.

[slduvall]

Not knowing the type of health issues you face, it is hard to determine if the local hospitals will suit your needs. There are great hospitals over in Pensacola, which is an hour away. I wouldn't go to the hospital in Crestview, it is actually one of the more expensive hospitals around and small, as is Twin Cities in Niceville, but FWB medical is decent sized. As for your comment about air quality, this area is fairly factory free whereas the communities to the West (Pensacola area) and East, (Panama City) have paper mills and other chemical plants. But if it is allergens that bother you, this area is terrible. Make sure that pine isn't a problem!

When you say business near Crestview/Niceville those are two fairly separate towns. I wouldn't live in Crestview and commute to Niceville, because that is the same commute as everyone else in Crestview does albeit to the Air Force Base, doing the opposite commute would just be boring! And as Crestview tends to be cheaper I would live in Crestview, if that was where my business is.

The big factor here on where to live here is driven by the schools, (Niceville being more desirable) and since that isn't an issue, I would concentrate on where the business is.

[Bayouliving]

I would pick a residence town in the same area as your business, whether it be Crestview or Niceville. The commute back and forth is brutal. Although not very far apart in miles, the traffic is bumper to bumper at rush hour. The two cities are pretty different. Crestview is much more rural. There are new businesses opening up all the time but still very small town. Very friendly, nice community. Niceville is a great place to live/work. Although it's a small town, great community, it is growing and is very close to the Mid Bay Bridge to Destin with lots of shopping and, of course the beaches. There is a nice hospital near Destin (Sacred Heart) also. For quality of life, I definitely would not want the commute. Housing and rental prices are less in Crestview.

[GroovyGrandmomma]

Thank you for the info on Crestview vs Niceville. We live in a rural area now, and like it! So, as long as it's not next to a pig farm, or a Early Rising Rooster, we're good. The health issue is that my husband has emphysema and i have had a couple of bouts with cancer. We usually see the our PCP every 3 months, so even if we had to drive 45 mins to an hour, it wouldn't be a deal breaker. Bumper to Bumper traffic definitely is. We live near Knoxville TN now, but we lived in Washington DC for 4 yrs, and that was about 3 and 1/2 yrs too long. So, would rather stay out of the traffic. It sounds like Crestview would be a nice community, as long as it was friendly and easy to make friends there. As i stated we are self employed, so work is not going to be an issue, but I am an artist who paints, and i would love to find a group where they get together to paint or knit or other creative things....Art classes would be great as would Spanish Classes, both things i would love to learn more about. I am excited about being close to the beach as we have never been closer than 4 hrs before. Especially for when the Grandkids come to visit! Could someone recommend apartment complexes in crestview? Also, I know this is a silly question, but do a lot of home have pools in that area of FL? It seems that they would! We would like to rent for at least 6 months to a year to get to know the area, but a pool would be lovely! That might be a bit naive though. Again thank you so much for the information to both of you!

[beachmouse]

You don't really get large scale hog farms in Florida due to the passage of the infamous 'pregnant pig' amendment in 2002. Which from an environmental standpoint is probably a very good thing. As Hurricane Flo makes landfall in North Carolina, many a hog waste lagoon up there is overflowing its banks and causing an ugly mess.

'Pregnant pig' amendment saved Florida's environment - News - Sarasota Herald-Tribune - Sarasota, FL

[Bayouliving]

A lot of homes do have pools here, but not so many rentals.... Art Classes and Spanish classes can most likely be found at the Northwest Florida College in Niceville (although they do have a small campus in Crestview) Very nice friendly people is what you will find all over this area. We are known for our Southern hospitality! You can find some beautiful areas to live in Crestview. Rentals go really fast so probably be best to look very close to the time you want to move. You can check out hotpads.com or there are several rental companies around also.

[GroovyGrandmomma]

Ty Bayou living! Actual, we are in crestview now, checking out the area. There are some nice areas that we have driven through and some not so nice, but it is that way anywhere. We are planning g to go by the chamber to orrow to s to if we can find some rental info, so we can get a better feel for what is available. Again ty for the input!

[TD*]

They dont call it Crestucky for nothing.

[danskgirl]

Ft Walton Beach has a nice arts center about 30 min from Niceville. I would personally live in Niceville or in Valparaiso (on side of bridge by base or on Bayshore drive). One of the main draws for living here is the water. I love going to parks and enjoying the water views. I love living minutes from the water. I don't see much reason for Crestview, unless you have a bunch of kids and can't afford a home elsewhere. I really don't like visiting Crestview or most of Ft Walton. I just find it full of riff Raff people. I don't like shopping there, prefer Destin because it's a more pleasant experience. Navarre or Gulf Breeze are nice and are a bit cheaper then Niceville and Pcola might have better hospitals for you. I would also consider condo life in Mirmar Beach, if Sacred Heart on Emarald Coast fit the bill for health needs. In fact, in your shoes that's where I would focus my search. The main draws of Niceville is the schools. When we were looking seemed you could get more bang for your buck in Navarre, and Gulf Breeze or even Mary Esther. We choose a smaller home in Valparaiso, over a larger home in Crestview. But your opinion may be different then mine. It's all about perspective. Visit the places and see how you feel.