Relocating from Portland OR to Jupiter florida/South florida NEED HELP!! (Juno Beach: rent, house)

[szito11]

Hey All! We may be making a move from PDX to Jupiter Florida and I have several concerns about the area. We have a 3 year old and I want to live in a safe, family friendly community. My first concern is heat. We spend a lot of time outside in the NW whether sunny and 80 or raining and 40. the climate is temperate and I have gotten used to the rain and no sun Can you be outside everyday exploring nature? Not in a pool all the time? To kids spend time out in nature hiking and exploring?
Second is the culture. Is there a culture? I have read so many threads with people saying do not move to Florida period and if you have kids definitely do not. That is why we love Portland so much because there is such a diversity of people and lifestyles. People bike alot and recycle and live simply. NOt all of course but there is at least a community of like-minded individuals that love to get their kids outside every day, are vegan, recycle and do not spray nasty chemicals on their yards.
Can your kids play in the yard and run on hiking trails? or do you have to have them on a leash so they do not get eaten by a gator, attacked by fire ants or bitten by a poisonous snake. We love being able to let our son play in the backyard freely and run ahead on trails. I am not sure I would be comfortable letting him explore, jumping over rocks and just going outside without me having to go out there and search for anything with a rattle.
Cancer cluster in South florida? I hear that it may be due to water shortage short fixes in which they do not treat the water enough before sending it to the aquafiers. so all the pesticides and crap people spray in their yard and in their home end up in the water. Thoughts? I know we live in a toxic world but some places are more toxic.
Is there a homeschooling community in Jupiter?
Sorry for the long post! I am just so confused as I want to make a good decision for my son.
And any suggestion on other areas surrounding Jupiter that are family friendly would be great. We do not care for gated communities and would love to find a quaint family friendly town with local businesses and simple life. We are not into extravagance, chain restaurants and big shopping centers
OH and we are considering if we move moving to Jupiter Farms any thoughts on the area and commute time to Juno Beach during rush hour would be appreciated. Do you feel out there and isolated? Is there a sense of community at all and would you say people are accepting of biracial couples that eat vegan, recycle and try to live simply.

Thanks again!

[skylinet]

If you don't like heat don't move to Florida... You'll end up like the rest of the complainers whining about how hot it is even though five minutes of research will tell you it's hot most of the year.

Jupiter is a great area and it is closer to the water it's a little cooler during the summer, but it is still hot. I enjoy the heat, but if 80-90 every day for 6 months+ straight isn't your thing than Florida may not be the best choice. The Farms really isn't near the water though, you're looking at a 20 minute or so drive to the beach.
On the flipside when everywhere else is 30 (or below) and miserable, it's 75-80 here.

Everything else you mentioned you should have no problem finding in Jupiter and sounds like a decent fit for you.

[SAKIRAV]

I have to agree with SKY. If you don't like heat, even if you don't like heat a little bit, don't move to Florida. It's not only heat , it's humid humid humid. We like it, but it's not for everyone. Good luck to you.

[Sweetbottoms]

The issue with kids exploring in the woods etc is we have many predatory animals and poisonous ones. Its not really recommened they be playing in bushes , near water etc. Lots of snakes and spiders like bushes (snapping turtles and gators in ALL bodies of water here) and esp love the water. Our biggest offenders would be the water moccosin , cotton mouth, copper head and rattlesnake . Many people reach into bushes while gardening etc and are bitten or are walking by the lake and may have issues with the water moccosin, they're actually aggresive and will chase you to an extent (the gators are notorious for grabbing peoples dogs who walk to close those are on the news every year, we also have the cougars and cyotes that will come into neighborhoods or in rural areas to snatch house pets). Even if you were to go and look before he played they hide well and blend into the landscape they're fast and the damage would be done before you could even gasp.

We have nice communities but keep in mind Fla is a retirement state many old people here who aren't interested in vegan lifestyles and recyling they more or less wanna be left alone and don't wanna hear your kids screaming outside at their dinner time so make sure your community has kids.

Fireants come with the territory they are the reason a lot of floridians use chemicals on their yards that and we have a lot of crab grass issues etc. Its not like up there with the rain we have drought months where it may not rain for weeks on end and fire becomes an issue with open vacent lots.We have bugs galore down here so if you're not spraying on your grass your spraying something on you during the summer and sometime winter months to fend off noseeums and mosquitoes which carry things like west nile virus etc.

Also like they said if you don't like the heat stay away. Its oppresive and heavy with frequent numbers in the triple digits for many months on end (usually June -Sept even oct) plus 100% humidity. Depending on where you live don't be surprised if you don't turn ur A/C off till after christmas as an example we broke a heat record yesterday it was 86, in Jan no less.

As a child growing up here I can't really say our playtime involved much of anything that didn't involve water. We had a massive backyard and pool and we pretty much lived in our bathing suits as children and on the weekends we were in from sunrise to well past sunset.

While fla is an outdoor type place it revolves around water for obvious reasons, the extreme heat.

It sounds like its pretty nice where you are up there as for cultural diversity we have cuban, mexican , haitain, some european and puerto rican mostly.

[wireyourworld]

My, florida has quite the rep. Lol. I live in that cancer cluster, the acreage. Most people think its bs. That haven't found a link to the water and have failed to consider other possib. And if iliities like water bottles or cell phones. Jupiter farms is nice, without actually talking to your potential neighbors no one can answer the question on if the would be friendly or not. Fl attracts everyone from everywhere, all with their own hangups. On our street with have abbout six kids that grew up here playing in the dirt, heat and bugs and loving it. But yes the wildlife has its dangers. And yup, if you don't like 95 degrees with 80 percent humidity you stay inside during the heat of the day.

[szito11]

Thank you so much for your responses thus far! We lived in Nashville for 4 years, Does anyone know if it is like that? Thanks so much again this is all very helpful. I am worried about my little one exploring as he is able to do that freely here without much worry. of course we have the rattlesnake and cougars but those are out further and rare. There are so many parks within city limits that just do not have these dangerous things. We do have a dog too! I heard about dogs being eaten by gators...horrible.

[wireyourworld]

A simple fence keeps kids and dogs in and gators out. Wire mesh, buried so the dog can't dig out. We live right next to a canal, and I have seen a baby gator, we don't let the dogs run near the canal without supervision, the fenceline has to be 12 feet or so from it anyway, and the dogs can't get out.

[szito11]

Thanks for the tips! I think if we make the move we will try and rent first to see where we like. Maybe Evergrene? We want a kid-friendly community where my son and I can meet some other families and network. Thanks again for taking the time to help us out!

[THX 1138]

I would not suggest moving here if you never even been here especially in the Summer months, a lot of people can't handle but you have to give yourself time to adjust to the weather, some never do.

I can tell you this, you will not find the Pac NW lifestyle or weather here. Also hiking and outdoor life, aside from the beach, local parks and such there are places but you won't find this in your backyard typically and if you do it will often be a mosquito infested ordeal. If you never seen the Everglades then you will be in for a big surprise. If you don't like the ocean, beach, wildlife and life aquatica then do not move here.

There are places you can hike, but they are all spread out and you often have to drive.

Hiking in South Florida | Florida Hikes!

Since you mentioned Jupiter, Carlin Park is popular

Carlin Park

Also Gators, the whole thing is blown out of proportion but sure if you let your dog run loose near any body of water here ,and there are lot's of them, then your asking for it. Common sense stuff...also you don't let your kids go jump in lakes, rivers or canals.

[szito11]

Thanks so much for the hiking and park links and for the mosquito reminder. I forgot when visiting my mom that it was almost unbearable hiking at Mayakka and the bugs LOVE me. Thank you Thank you! I used to spend summers in florida and my mom lives there. I am just so acclimated to the cooler, drier weather that I am sure it would be difficult to adjust. I have grown to love the rain,especially with a three year old who LOVES splashing in puddles