fort pierce or vero beach

[Prettygyrl777]

Out of the two, Vero. If you know someone in this area, try going on a tour of both areas so you can see it up close and in person. Hutchinson is pretty small and like the others have already said, you will not be happy with Ft. Pierce. The only thing is, in between both places, there are little pockets of comfortable areas but it all depends on what you are willing to put up with. Happy Hunting!

[FtPierceGirl]

First of all let me say something about Fort Pierce. I was born and have lived here for the past 26 years. Now, I am giving back to the community by teaching.

Those of you bashing the town should come and check it out!! It is not a bad town. Yes, we have our fair share of crime and the last time I checked so does every other town in Florida. As for the gangs, they thrive in most towns and communities. Thats just a fact of life. To say that venturing past Hutchinson Island is a bad idea, wrong again. Our downtown has been totally revamped and we are getting new buildings and businesses all the time. Do you thing people would invest in the town if were a horrible place?! NO!!

There are many families in this town, old and new, that contribute a lot of money into the area. I am apart of one of those old families and am on various boards in the community. If I thought this town wasn't safe, I certainly wouldn't be raising a family here and putting them into the schools available!!

Yes, we have Avenue D, but so what. Every town usually has a section that has more crime in the area. Vero's bad section, Gifford, was once associated with the city but they no longer claim it. Funny, that they are ashamed of that part of town. Although, Gifford Middle is one of the best schools in the area!!

Anyway, you should really consider Fort Pierce. It's not bad at all and you can venture off the island without the fear of something happening to you. You can actually venture all the way to the turnpike and further west without fail!! There is a big group of young professionals here and they do very well in and outside of work. Take if from someone who has lived here their whole life and whose family has been here for a long time!!

Until, then don't listen to all the negative things people have to say about this town. It's a fact that most people who live here and go away to college, end up moving back!! Huh, funny for being such a gang ridden town!!!

[kwick release]

Ft Pierce is not bad at all. My favorite though is its inlet. Great shot to the Abacos...




Prodromos Borboroglu

[girlwriter]

Fort Pierce, also know as Port Fierce, takes patience and patience and some getting used to. I just moved here from the west coast, lived there for 7 years. I've lived in southern California, Portland, Oregon, and Seattle. Not to mention, Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN and Washington, D.C. I did live in Fort Pierce when I was 18, but moved out, did some traveling, went to college, and now at the age of 30, I'm back. And it's "different" than the rest of the country. Like CA, FL could also break off and float out into the ocean and be considered it's only little country. It's "different". Fort Piece is small, there are few job opportunities, and it's a bit boring for my taste. It's not very culturally diverse, not a rich influence of art (mostly tropical of course), and many people in this town are not college educated, and I'm finding, have a criminal record. Or maybe I just seem to attract these folks. But I'm a tolerant young woman and open-minded, so I don't care if you haven't been to college, had a run-in with the law, whatever. I would like to see and hear less bigotry in this town, in Florida, anywhere for that matter. It does get a bit old after a while. Fort Pierce has certainly changed since I lived here when I was 18. There are more black people! And Indian, and Thai! It is slowly becoming more culturally diverse, the downtown Fort Pierce area is looking better, new businesses, restaurants, art galleries, condos, etc. But we need more. Many of those downtown stores/offices are vacant. And I hear the rent is cheap! So, I plan to open a coffee shop/bakery one fine day. Give Fort Pierce a taste of what real espresso is, because it isn't Dunkin Honuts. Although, they have decent coffee, but have ya ever heard of Stumptown? Ever heard of French Press? Waiting more than 1 minute for the barista to make you a real cup-o-joe? Do you know what that means? I'm kidding, but that's what I mean about Fort Pierce, not your most eclectically, educated group of people. Sheltered more or less, unlike myself. I'm not a world traveler, but I have been out of the country. Okay, hopefully this post gave some of you a bit of real inside information. I want to give Fort Pierce some more time before I give up on it. I love the weather, conch fritters, fishing, boating, surfing, wearing sandals all year around, the idea of riding a motorcycle all year around if I should ever decide to buy one. That's why I came back. And it's very cheap to live here when compared to most places. And Miami isn't that far of a drive if I need a break from the boredom of this town. You will need a car. Oh! And about the gangs here. Gimmie a friggen break. Yes, most of it is on Avenue D. It's mainly concentrated, like citrus. Not like they're running all over the beach with AK 47's popping off tourists. Gangs are everywhere! Miami has the highest gang violence in the country, I think. (and it's fun to go visit when the gang violence in Fort Pierce becomes mundane). Listen, the gang violence isn't bad here and if you know anything about gang violence, well, they fight with each other. So unless you are planning on joining their group, you have nothing to worry about, and don't drive down Avenue D. Simple as that. Lots of police patrolling Fort Pierce if you're that concerned. I was mugged in Minneapolis walking back to my car from the Dome (Twins baseball game). Now there is a city you should worry about gang violence. Fort Pierce, I don't worry so much.

[VBmom]

Vero gets my vote as well. Sebastian has even less to offer than Vero. Wouldn't be my choice if I were single.

PM me if you would like a natives perspective on good places to live.

[FlaLadyB]

Here is a link to the Ft. Pierce Police Dept. Crime analysis for 2007. It's in a pdf format. You can judge for yourself.

Fort Pierce, Florida, Police Department -::- Welcome