[bamboosmom]

I met somebody that just moved to the villages and he loves it

[suzarm]

Gulfport is the most unique little town in Florida...right in the middle of everything that is happening but small quiet very close to the beach and art district.....

If you want more info on this unique place let me know if you are still looking?????

[HernandoLuxuryHomes]

Originally Posted by piper62j

We're planning our move in 2007 to a nice town just southwest of Ocala.. Spring Hill.. Property prices are good (and rising) and we want to build. People are friendly and the area is building up with communities, shopping malls, a new hospital and a good sized local airport.

Good luck...

I'm a transplant to Spring Hill from Massachusetts. Moved here a bit over a year ago and though I miss familiy/friends...I wouldn't go back - It's just too nice here (and I'm done shoveling snow! hooray!)

Do you already have a builder in mind for your new home? There are a lot of different builders down here - and it's good to know who you're dealing with. If you have any questions about builder reputations/quality, or specific neighborhoods (they DO vary quite a bit within Spring Hill), please feel free to ask.

-Josh

[grumpy]

that,s two of us.
Jupiter

[darkdragonsaint]

De Funiak Springs! We are a small town of 5,000 but dont let that make you go blah. We are growing quite fast. We have a new Walgreens coming in soon and just got a few banks and a sonics and wataburgers. We are soon gone to get a small mall. But life here is slow. And we have the second roundest lake in the world the other is in Switzerland.

[daedalo]

Fernandina Beach, is a superb small town perhaps the best in all of Florida in terms of its character, but is growing so fast outside Fernandina in central Nassau County that unless a development has proven with a traffic study that it will not contribute to the vehicle overload it must pay $3k per car in addition to approximately a $10k impact fee.

[FLNomad]

Flagler county is the fastest growing county in the nation. Population just over 100,000. Palm Coast is still very small, but developers are doing it right. We have the ocean and canals as well, but not nearly as large or as expensive as Naples. Great sign ordinances so town is very attractive.

[MisspookieH]

Not sure of the populations any more but here goes: Martin County is great, with a lot of character (some of it's been updated or removed but still there) St. Lucie County is also lovely and small townish; I love Tallahassee and Gainesville, too; Howey in the Hills is nice. Depends what you're looking for. I am not a huge fan of Pasco, Hernando or Citrus, although prices are not as astronomical throughout that area ... I think there's a real Jerry Springer/trailer park vein running through there (I know a guy who combs the courthouse records for leads for that show), and the crime to go with it. But everywhere in Florida, previously unknown, quaint pockets are getting discovered and strip-malled and mall-malled and gated community's. And more expensive, of course! Just one slightly cynical opinion from a 26-year resident who has criss-crossed the state many times over.

[simplistic007]

Originally Posted by Prymaat

Hardly. We have a cute-ish downtown, not the cute redo that so many places have. It is, I hate to tell you all, a great place to live, however. The countryside is BEAUTIFUL, rolling hills, ancient oaks w/Spanish moss, horse farms, misty mornings.... The place is burgeoning with growth, unfortunately. (The weather is great) New restaurants coming in all the time...we have 3 ! Thai restaurants, a terrific community theater, the sets of which rival those of some big cities. Gainesville is 40 min. away, with lots of performing arts and some indie movies that we don't get here. (Nice weather, though) And U of Florida which is well regarded in the college ratings crowd. A new mall is coming, too, a little more upscale than what we have now.

The schools are, as in most of Florida, second rate. We moved here the first year of middle school for our son. (The weather is great.) Where we came from on Long Island, he had a choice of Spanish, French, or Latin. Here there was no consistent language at all....other than the Ebonics spoken by some of the teachers which seems to be acceptable....what college was that they attended? How you want to speak on your own time is fine with me, but not in a classroom where you are a role model and TEACHER to my children. I've run across a little racism here, not too much that I can detect. Then again, I am white. And Rosewood is just down the street from here... (Did I mention the weather is great?) I think people who live in Florida treasure their leisure time, i.e., Gator games, fishing, golf, etc., and really don't want their kids to be spending too much time on schoolwork on weekends. If your kids are motivated and you can supplement a little at home, they'll do okay, but if you expect the schools here to keep up w/northern or midwestern schools, sorry. Some kids do get accepted to Ivy League colleges, but they really have to work at it and it's not really what people think about. Actually, Florida makes it very inexpensive for good students to go to college here with liberal scholarships (in-state only).(Incidentally, the weather is great.)

Yeah, yeah, we did have a couple of hurricanes come through....new houses should hold up better and better to enjoy enjoy those big oaks and pines out in a field somewhere, not right on top of your home where they drop big limbs though the roof into your kids' bedroom. (Otherwise, the weather is great).

Other bonus in Florida is that newcomers can actually make friends, unlike Midwest or Nothern states where everyone has lived there all their lives and has their family and friends from kindergarten there. They don't usually need new friends. Here there are lots of "People who need People"....

So,yes, basically I love it here. I've lived in lots of places, too. Good luck with your decision and move.

Prymat,

Good to know that there is room to make friends. I am currently selling my home as I have mentioned before and one of my main concerns is my son is coming with me, of course, and I am so afraid of him feeling lost without friends. He is 19 years old and I want him to experience a new life outside of Massachusetts. I have plan for him to do full time trade school vs. working full time as he is now. He is so young I want him to do something besides work so young. I am ready for the move, I am 39 years old, but I just am concerned about him feeling lonely too. Hearing you say that there are so many people looking to make friends in Florida, makes me feel good. Do you have any ideas for our age range that is safe, upper middle class, but yet we enjoy young living too. Thank you.

[backtofla]

jerry springer guests from citrus/pasco counties??? man, if you think those counties could supply some guests, try visiting western nc