Moving from AZ. to Florida , looking for small towns to raise horses in . Panhandle area but not to far north . (Tallahassee: low crime)

[maxman1]

Anyone have any ideas ? looking at a home in FT. White , how's the town ? people ? police ? crime? gangs? drugs? I know there is some of everything in every area , but wife and I are looking to retire in smaller town to raise horses. any input would be great on and area...

[mango23]

Originally Posted by maxman1

Anyone have any ideas ? looking at a home in FT. White , how's the town ? people ? police ? crime? gangs? drugs? I know there is some of everything in every area , but wife and I are looking to retire in smaller town to raise horses. any input would be great on and area...

Chipley, the closest thing to Mayberry you will find. Nothing hardley ever changes there. You will have to do your own research. A second idea is outside Tallahassee. You will have the best of both worlds. Nice modern city good hospitals and shopping, pretty much everything you may need, while just 15 minutes away you can be on your own 5 or 10 acres of rural living like you are a world away. I myself tend to lean toward being close to a real city. Going the "Green Acres" route for many is a disappointment. Small towns are small for a reason. There is usually not much there and people who like it that way. I have been to a lot of pretty unfriendly small towns where living could become a nightmare, maybe even frightening.

Religious issues can rear their ugly heads as well. You better have the right answers for many of those people if you want to get along but that is a whole other subject but "MUST" be considered when you are talking small towns.

[southernflfolk]

Originally Posted by maxman1

Anyone have any ideas ? looking at a home in FT. White , how's the town ? people ? police ? crime? gangs? drugs? I know there is some of everything in every area , but wife and I are looking to retire in smaller town to raise horses. any input would be great on and area...

I lived in Ft White a couple yrs ago and, I moved away. Simple small town living and, loved it but, the prices are even now exceptionally too high there and, way to far to go to Lake City or Gainesville just to shop etc..and, the home was $2k a mo. with about $400 in elec a month. Most areas in flood zones there.

I tried Live Oak for a yr and a half and left there,too. The majority of the city workers were mostly very very rude when my spouse was misdiagnosed from the VA and, died because of it and, the power company there in Suwannee county is a monopoly where it is one of the highest around. I had 1st rented a dbl wide in Live Oak then was gonna buy a home. The elec on the dbl wide was nearly $700 a month for only 2 folks????
I rented then a home in the country 15 mis from town. Perfect area but, No more choices of elec companies there and outskirts of town are horrible for internet. A monopoly there, too. County does not take care of roads well in Suwannee or in Columbia county in the country.
In the country I had to pay $300 a month for basic phone, cable and net and the net was sooo slow only right across the street it was great. The 1st place the net was ok, but, no tv signal and only about 5 minutes from town. I was told that it depends on which side of the road you live on and how many people ask for it before you can get it??? Unbelievable!
I am a friendly, compassionate, very well liked person normally. This town was not! It is a rude rude area if you don't know anyone for the most part and, very very unsupportive of military and Veterans even though there is a local National Guard unit there. I still love to visit there but, still looking for the old small town atmosphere in Florida with the great southern hospitality.I am an original Fl native and, I have traveled the world, (U.S. Army-OIF Veteran), the states (all but 6) and, all over Florida.
Central Florida east coast is wayyy too populated. It used to be I could ride horses there and, now it's so compacted there's even been 4 NEW CITIES that were built in the Space coast area alone within the past 20yrs! 2 in the past 5yrs! Traffic is miserable and, way too high of cost of living.
I am thinking of trying more to the outskirts of the panhandle and N. western areas since each time I went/go through there the people in the small towns are so very hospitable and helpful.
That's more like me

[Callie_D]

You might want to take a look at Citrus County, FL. I live in Inverness, and this town has very low crime, people are very friendly, and there is still a lot of places with land for your horses.

[SierraGirl]

I work in Tallahassee and live out in the country in Tallahassee. You said you didn't want to be to far north so it might not work for you. However, living here has given me the opportunity to live the dream of living on some land - 7 acres which is small for this area, and to have horses. You can't go down a road in Jefferson county without seeing a horse. The people are really nice here and we are close to Tallahassee and to Thomasville, GA. My neighbors are quiet, leave me alone, but would be there in a heartbeat if I needed anything. Plus there is a local horseman's association which puts on shows every month plus does the occassional clinic or group trail ride. If you wanted to be further south you could try Crawfordville area. Still close to Tallahassee, but only a few miles from the Gulf and lots of horses there too. Good Luck!

[southernflfolk]

Thank you so much. I actually have heard both of those places are very nice
I will be checking out quite a few areas within the next couple wks to make a decision where to move to. I would just like a small town with great friendly folk and, it sounds like Inverness and outskirts of Tallahassee may be 2 of my top choices. I do not want anything too expensive and only need about 5-10 acres.