Should I move to Pensacola (Warrington, Gonzalez: crime, lawyers, new home)

[Glada]

My husband and I are retiring and considering moving to Pensacola. We lived in Milton and moved in 1989. We just came back from Pensacola and we had some concerns. Even though we found some nice areas we were surprised to see so many homeless people panhandling and also how run down it's become in some areas. The Warrington area was bad whe we lived there before so that's no surprise.I am concerned about the schools as my daughter and her family with children may move with us too. What are the safe areas and where are the best schools. I've read a lot about crime in Pensacola so where are the safest areas? This will be our final move so I don't want to get there and be sorry. We love the beach and places like the Coffee Cup and the Oar House. I would welcome all opinions negative and positive.

[AJCWILSON]

We ended up in Gulf Breeze, it's safe, clean and family friendly. Our experience so far has been extremely amazing. The people here are super nice, and we have made a few friends in just the couple months we have been here. My husband works up and Pensacola, but had heard not the greatest things about Pensacola and the schools, we did all we could to end up here, Gulf Breeze schools are some of the best in all of Florida. My son loves it there. Not sure if your looking to be this far down or are looking for something a little farther north, but I do know that this has been the best choice for us. Best of luck. Any other questions let me know.
Amy

[moondoggy51]

Unfortunately, the homeless and panhandlers are prevalent in many communities not just the Pensacola Metro Area. Although there are many that are simply down on their luck, or have physical, mental or substance abuse issues that truly need our society's help, there are many that simply choose to live this lifestyle. So, in my opinion, I wouldn't necessarily assign the Pensacola Metro area a negative because of the homeless and the panhandlers because they're very prevalent everywhere. According to what I've been told the Pensacola Metro area also took in a lot of victims from hurricane Katrina that decided to stay in Pensacola vs. moving back to Louisiana and some of these people had nothing but a few possessions when they arrived so there may be some influence of this that your seeing as well. Education though, is one factor in particular that is causing a migration of people out of Escambia County to Santa Rosa County.

When we retired to the gulf coast over a year ago our realtor suggested that we look in Pace for a home. Why Pace? Pace has one of the top rated school systems in Florida and Pace is one of the fastest growing communities in the state as well. Pace is in Santa Rosa county between Milton and Pensacola and is not a town but an unincorporated community meaning that all services are provided by the county instead of a city government. Pace is still part of the Pensacola metro area if you want to shop in the stores in Pensacola but still far enough away that it's still a suburban environment. In Pace you will find that there are many nice subdivisions that still have lots available to build a new home and there are many homes to purchase if your looking to buy something existing. The other thing that I like is that there are many subdivisions in Pace that are far enough away from the coast that they're not considered in an evacuation zone for a hurricane. All of our kids are grown but we chose Pace because of the factors noted above as we feel that the resale value of our home will continue to increase because of the popularity of the community. If we want to go to the beach it's 45 minutes away and if we want to go shopping it's 20 minutes to the mall. Not to say that Gulf Breeze doesn't have great appeal as well but I think you should consider Pace as well.

[grampaTom]

I agree with the Gulf Breeze and Pace locations. Also look at the Beulah area. We live in the Gonzalez area (near Kingsfield and Chemstrand) which is also worth a look. There are lots of nice areas where you are still just minutes from the beach, the ball park, shopping, hospital etc.

[beachmouse]

Pace gives me the heebie jeebies- for some it's a nice modern community; to me it's bad urban planning/ cookie cutter urban sprawl hell.

[moondoggy51]

Originally Posted by beachmouse

Pace gives me the heebie jeebies- for some it's a nice modern community; to me it's bad urban planning/ cookie cutter urban sprawl hell.

Wow, I guess everyone's entitled to their own opinion but let's just say that I respectfully disagree. Sure, Pace is growing fast but I'm not sure I would use the same terms to describe it as you did. Personally, I live in a very nice, well planed and well maintained subdivision where the builder makes sure that the homes are not cookie cutter homes.

[ThadSapp77]

If y'all are willing to go a little ways from Pensacola, then I'd recommend hopping over to Santa Rosa county. Pace is alright, especially for a family, with good schools. Although a quality school, some people joke that Pace High is the "only public Christian high school."

Navarre is nice and close to some lovely beaches, but the commute can be tough if your daughter will be working in Escambia. Depending on traffic, it can be a long drive.

Gonzalez goes to Tate high school, which is the best public school in Escambia (IMO) discounting Gulf Breeze. The area is fine, no beggars but you will see some trailers. Its fairly rural, with a lot of older folks. Its about 30-40 minutes to Pensacola proper, the fish market, and the beach.

Gulf Breeze is very congested and expensive. While its a pretty area, there's a lot of traffic. The schools are good, but no better than Pace. I've heard there is a drug problem at the high school in Gulf Breeze, FYI. From my understanding, the community is mostly doctors, lawyers, and the like.