Moving to Florida...maybe (Jacksonville, Miami: low crime, house, neighborhood)

[ConnieandFrank]

Hey gals and guys, my family and I have been researching many states in order to make a move from AZ. I'm an RN in Behavioral Health and my husband is a Case Manager also in Behavioral Health. We have 4 kids ranging from High School age down to a 3 year old and we are Mexican American born and raised in AZ. We've been thinking about moving to San Diego, Ca and we've visited much; but as much as we think about it, it's extremely expensive! We are trying to give the state of Florida a chance, but where? We've liked Orlando, Tampa, and Miami. What do you guys think in regards to your city? Taking into consideration of desiring low crime rate, decent schools, racism, and things to do with the kids inside and out; which pretty much the "things to do" all 3 cities might be ok with huh?
Thanks a lot for your time and input
Connie and Frank

[kyle19125]

Hi Connie and Frank,

There are a few areas that come to mind that would be good options for you in terms of a low crime rate, good schools, lots of kid-friendly activities and limited/minimal racism. Best overall for you I think would be Safety Harbor. It's an extremely family-friendly community with a highly educated population and a small town feel which is unusual for the area, yet close-in convenient to most of the metro area. My best friend who happens to be gay moved to Safety Harbor six months ago and within a day or two had neighbors leaving cookies, inviting him to block parties, etc...this on a block full of families and a retiree or two. He's been to two Holiday parties, a NYE party and he hosted an Open House that was well attended by neighbors. It's a pretty amazing place in my opinion. Good luck!

Safety Harbor FL - Official Website

[amstel78]

Originally Posted by ConnieandFrank

Hey gals and guys, my family and I have been researching many states in order to make a move from AZ. I'm an RN in Behavioral Health and my husband is a Case Manager also in Behavioral Health. We have 4 kids ranging from High School age down to a 3 year old and we are Mexican American born and raised in AZ. We've been thinking about moving to San Diego, Ca and we've visited much; but as much as we think about it, it's extremely expensive! We are trying to give the state of Florida a chance, but where? We've liked Orlando, Tampa, and Miami. What do you guys think in regards to your city? Taking into consideration of desiring low crime rate, decent schools, racism, and things to do with the kids inside and out; which pretty much the "things to do" all 3 cities might be ok with huh?
Thanks a lot for your time and input
Connie and Frank

Florida is a great state. Sure it has problems as do all other states but it's manageable. I've lived in all 3 areas you've mentioned. Out of them, Miami is the most expensive. It's a great city to live in if you have the money. The amount of diversity in Miami is also high.

On the other hand, Tampa/Clearwater (Safety Harbor to be exact) is where I grew up and is also a fantastic place to live with good schools, fairly low crime rate (depending on neighborhood), and little racism. Downtown Clearwater has changed so much for the better over the years, and you also have Clearwater beach which was voted one of America's best white-sand beaches for many years.

Orlando is nice to visit, but is landlocked. You have a few large lakes but you're at least 1.5 to 2 hours away from either coast so keep that in mind. There isn't much to do in Orlando except for the theme parks, clubs, bars, and restaurants.

If you're worried about hurricanes and flooding, stay on the west side of the peninsula in the Tampa area. You've got St. Pete and Clearwater only a few miles from Tampa proper, and both are very nice places to live with good schools.

I'm not white and have never had a problem with people in Florida. I had a pretty diverse social network - some even most folks would consider to be 100% redneck. Surprisingly, the only time someone gave me an issue about my race was when I lived in Edison, New Jersey.

Also check out Ft. Lauderdale and Jacksonville as options. If you need any more info, don't hesitate to ask.

[amstel78]

Originally Posted by kyle19125

Hi Connie and Frank,

There are a few areas that come to mind that would be good options for you in terms of a low crime rate, good schools, lots of kid-friendly activities and limited/minimal racism. Best overall for you I think would be Safety Harbor. It's an extremely family-friendly community with a highly educated population and a small town feel which is unusual for the area, yet close-in convenient to most of the metro area. My best friend who happens to be gay moved to Safety Harbor six months ago and within a day or two had neighbors leaving cookies, inviting him to block parties, etc...this on a block full of families and a retiree or two. He's been to two Holiday parties, a NYE party and he hosted an Open House that was well attended by neighbors. It's a pretty amazing place in my opinion. Good luck!

Safety Harbor FL - Official Website

Safety Harbor is awesome. I lived there for many years. My parents still live in the Harbor except on the north side of Main St now. We had a house on 7th St South back in the day. I remember driving up 10th st from 590 and passing the orange juice factory on the right hand side. Whenever I'd roll by with windows down, I could always smell the citrus!

When I retire, I'm moving back.

[nickbosy]

as for Tampa, South Tampa is probably the most desirable if you want the following: low crime, good schools, and an active nightlife with plenty to do (beaches are across the bay 15-25 minutes away) and little racism. I've actually never encountered a racial problem in any of Tampa proper and have lived here for 11 years.

Miami, traffic traffic traffic, and very expensive, however, it is extremely fun if you can put up with its headaches.

I find Orlando to be a bit over-hyped, land-locked, tourists crowd the roads, and there really isn't much outside of Disney theme parks or a few bars and restaraunts, driving to a beach also takes a while.

I also agree that Safety Harbor is nice, drove through a few times and it is very pleasant.

Hope this helps! If you need more specifics, feel free to ask! We hope you give Florida a chance and I promise you'd be welcomed with open arms.

[stevo75]

We are making the move also and went back and forth with San Diego and Tampa area. In the end SD was expensive and we would live ok but Tampa seemed like the better choice in terms of finance, distance for family in MA and MD. We are moving to Palm Harbor but that general area (Dunedin, Palm Harbor, Safety Harbor) are all safe and have a good school system. The other draw for me is it is close to the beaches and a major city. My kids are 2 and 5.

Good Luck

[nickbosy]

Palm Harbor is nice (more so than New Port Richey), I have quite a few friends in the area and there are many great neighorhoods and it is in a very good school district. Good choice on your end.