[Chromedome]

Originally Posted by 121804

Sanibel is NOT Flort Myers. It is a solely a vacation destination & you need to take a bridge to get there if you want to stop by on the weekends. The people who do live on Sanibel are filthy rich.

Again, Sanibel is not Fort Myers. It is a nice place to go to every once in awhile.

If you have kids, I HIGHLY reccomend ruling out SW FL. It is not the place to raise a family. Schools in Lee County are awful & based on school choice.

Actually, the environment of SW FL is not welcoming unless one is 65+ & wants to ride around in a golf cart all day. Very little in terms of a family environment. There are some VERY serious issues plauging this part of FL that mainly have to do with the housing bust, employment, schools, & illegal immigrants. Crime is nothing out of the ordinary. Cost of living here is not ridiculous either. It's all the other crap that will get to you & your kids will be miserable living here b/c this is a retirement city, not a young city. The young people who are moving here are single & without children, working at a chain restaurant & Target to pay rent.

There are better places in Florida.

co-sign this

[Sueilp]

Originally Posted by T27taylor

I want to relocate to florida from the desert (I'm sick of this dry oven heat, I like humidity!). I'm trying to do as much research as I can. I'm getting mixed reviews. I know to just come check it out for myself ( which I'm doing in Oct.) but know I wanted to get more input on one coast from the other. I was considering Port St. Lucie for it's proximity to the beach and cost of living. I know property taxes aren't the best. I was thinking about Wellington, also. Then, "best places to live " shows areas around Orlando. We want to be by the beach ( or close enough). I saw beautiful pictures of Sanibel- Fort Myers area. I've heard its more humid on the Gulf side than the East Coast. I work in a hospital and have children, so hospitals and good schools are a major factor in my choices. I'd appreciate anyone's input on th is matter. Thanks in advance.

Hi, Vero Beach is a great place to live and I agree with member Verobeach that the temperature doesnt seem to get any higher than the low 90's (for the most part). it gets humid here lots and lots so that would suit you!!!!

I work at Indian River Medical Center in Vero Beach and it is a great place to work. www.irmh.com if you want to have a look. We have great doctors there. if you want more info please PM me.

The schools there are mostly grade A's.
District Home

People here ARE VERY FRIENDLY too

[philly76er]

I recently moved to Delray Beach, which is on the east coast, just north of Boca Raton. I love this area (it reminds me of a Jersey shore town). From what I've heard, the east coast of florida has a northeatern feel (fast paced and lots of money) and the west coast is more rural and slow paced.

I'm from Philly, this area fits me well. I've made friends from all over (boston, North Jersey, Wisconsin) and I haven't been down here that long...everyone has been cool.

Also, don't believe everything you read on this message board. I believe a lot of the opinions posted here are by people that are jaded for one reason or another. By reading this board you would think that Florida is a third world country, which certainly isn't the case. If you come down here with a positive outlook you will be fine. Good luck

[MiamiRob]

T27 the east coast of Florida has a sea breeze & many are correct in temps never getting over 100 degrees throughout the majority of the state.Forget central Florida/Orlando since it bakes like an oven! Fall & Winter are wonderful though with it being dry & cool!

[riveree]

I'm partial to the Ocean rather than the Gulf, myself .

Some cities you might want to look into:

St. Augustine

Amelia Island/Fernandina Beach

Both are beautiful and right on the Ocean .

I'm in Jax (also on the Ocean) which is a cool city if you're into a city of this size (getting bigger by the day!). We have hospitals galore and also Mayo.

[rootseye]

the best part of living in florida is the day you are fortunate enofugh to move out !

[rootseye]

I would think real hard about moving here It is no paradise

[T27taylor]

Hi Sueilp,
Thanks for the info. I briefly looked into Vero Beach. I like the area north of Jupiter from everything I've read and pix I've seen. It looks beautiful. I've only read positive post about Vero. My best friend lives in West Palm Beach, but it's too much for me. I want my kids in a safer area and to be able to get more for my money. I checked out the hospital website you enclosed briefly, does it have a NICU? If so, is it level III? Thanks for help.

[Jareb]

Indian River Medical Center has a NICU, but I believe it is a level 2 unit. They do have a brand new open heart and interventional cardiac program that is affiliated with Duke University. I set up the interventional cardiac cath lab and it is state of the art. Vero is a great town to raise a family-you really should visit before you make a final decision.

[deckardc]

I've lived all over Florida and I far prefer the Gulf to the Atlantic. Since no one else has suggested it, I will recommend the panhandle. Particularly the western panhandle. It is known as the Emerald Coast.

The beaches in this area are always on the top 10 list nationally. The sand is snow white and the water is clear. You can walk barefoot on the sand in the middle of the afternoon in July and you can be in chest-deep water and look down and see your toes. It's nice to see what is in the water with you and snorkeling is a popular local pastime. The Gulf also has little wave action on most days so it can be a little easier for young kids to play in.

Overall, schools in Florida are not good. Florida schools rank 48th out of 50 in the US so choosing a good school district is important. The number 1 & 2 school districts in the state are Okaloosa County and Santa Rosa County. They are neighbors on the panhandle. The main cities in Okaloosa are Destin, Fort Walton Beach, and Crestview. The main cities in Santa Rosa are Navarre and Gulf Breeze.

There are relatively small hospitals in both of the above counties but there are large hospitals in Pensacola. Baptist Hospital and Sacred Heart which has a children's hospital with a NICU. Both Baptist and Sacred Heart are considered two of the top employers in the US. Pensacola is a nice place to live but the schools in that county, Escambia, aren't as good as the other two counties I mentioned. If you could get a job in Pensacola and commute from Gulf Breeze (15 min) or Navarre (35 min) it would be more ideal.

Housing in this part of FL is affordable, especially compared to Vegas and other parts of FL. This area has relatively small towns and they are pretty conservative. A lot of people feel that is a better environment to raise kids but if you are pretty liberal, it can get on your nerves. It is predominantly white and there is little ethnic diversity. There are several military bases on the panhandle as well, the two largest are Pensacola Naval Air Station and Eglin Air Force Base in Ft. Walton Beach.

All of Florida is humid, there is no escaping it. I personally don't think the Gulf is any more humid than the Atlantic but it is much more humid in the southernmost third of the state. We get a lot of sea breezes on the panhandle. July and August are the two most he!!ish months here. In the north part of FL you get more seasonal change than any other part of the state. We have deciduous trees here which means that their leaves turn colors in the Fall and they lose their leaves in the Winter. We also have live oaks and pine trees so it does stay somewhat green year round. Summer lasts from May through Sept with temperatures averaging 90 during the day. July and August are usually above 90 and the heat index can be over 100. Oct through Dec it is usually in the 70s-80s during the day and 50s-60s or even upper 40s at night. Jan and Feb are Winter with temps in the 50s-60s during the day and 30s-40s at night. March through April is usually 70s-80s during the day, 50s-60s at night. Most people around here run their A/C from late April to October and only run their heat at night during Dec, Jan, and Feb. We go for several months without running either A/C or heat.

Taxes in FL are probably not much worse than Nevada. Each county has a different millage rate so taxes can vary. Homeowners insurance can be bad due to the hurricane risk. There is no escaping hurricanes in any part of the state but some areas are more likely to get hit than others.