[koryosiveness]

So i am going to give some details of my situation I am a 32 year old RN nurse and was given custody of my sisters kids (she was involved with drugs and well you know how that goes) who are 16 and 14 and both girls. My fiancée,who is a teacher, and the girls have decided it would be a good thing to moved and give the girls a fresh start.

Were looking for nice places in the south and decided to give a look at places in the South

1. my income right now is about 53,000 my fiancée's is around 46,000
2. are price range would be a maximum of 360k but if needed wed go to 400k
3. a big city isnt something were interested in but somewhere close to a city would be wonderful.
4. i do not want a tiny town i just cant stand them! This sounds very picky but i just want somewhere populated but not overcrowed, you know?
5. obviously near a hospital it can be 30 min a way if necessary
6. safe or at least a lower crime-rate, nowhere is perfectly safe but somewhere to raise teenagers

and also its not too important but to be near the beach would be lovely, we live on the CT shoreline right now and i love it. But if there arent any then well deal.

thank you so much

[90sman]

The outer suburbs of Tampa seem like a likely choice.

Wesley Chapel, Lutz, Brandon, Westchase and the areas in southern Pasco (along the Pasco/Hillsborough county line) would be good places to check out.

[kyle19125]

Check out the towns of Palm Harbor, East Lake and Safety Harbor, all in Northern Pinellas County. The public schools are all excellent (A rated and score of 9/10 from GreatSchools), plenty of quality housing stock in your price range, there's very low crime and you're close to Tampa/St Petersburg for work/leisure.

https://www.city-data.com/city/Safety...r-Florida.html
https://www.city-data.com/city/East-Lake-Florida.html
https://www.city-data.com/city/Palm-Harbor-Florida.html

http://www.bayfront.org/about_bayfront.php
http://www.stanthonys.com/default.cfm
http://www.baypines.va.gov/
http://www.palmspasadena.com/about/facts/
http://www.mpmhealth.com/body.cfm?id=421
http://www.mpmhealth.com/body.cfm?id=824
http://largomedical.com/about/main-campus.dot

[RMD3819]

I agree with the other posters.

Tampa/St. Pete will have many options for you.

Nursing will be no problem; teaching jobs will be difficult to find.

[Probably going to be ok.]

Me too,i agree.

[SoFLGal]

I suggest you look into the Sarasota area.

Siesta Key Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world with it's power white sand, which is nearly 100% quartz. I know some people would disagree but I'd much rather have powder white sand in the winter than powder white snow. No matter where you are in Florida you're never more than 2 hours or so from the beach.

I love all the sunshine, warmth and bright sunny days. You know that the local paper used to give out free papers if the sun didn't shine. They didn't have to give out too many.

Florida is full of tropical foliage and is a great place for gardeners, year round. People can also enjoy outdoor sports all year long-hiking, biking, walking, kayaking, golfing, etc We have the huge Legacy Trail for walking and biking.

In southern Sarasota county there's Warm Mineral Springs and Little Salt Spring. Warm Mineral Springs is one of the oldest tourist attractions in FL and people come from all over the world to visit.

This area has a wonderful art community with Towles Court Artist Colony, the many art galleries around, every town has a local art center, there are art festivals going on almost weekly, Ringling School of Art & Design and many resources for artists.

For all you sports enthusiast Sarasota has Ed Smith Stadium: Ed Smith Stadium - Baltimore Orioles Spring Training and Charlotte Sports Park: Charlotte Sports Park - Tampa Bay Rays Spring Training

There are many cultural activities, festivals and music events in the area. Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, Asolo Theater, The Sarasota Opera, Concerts, Ringling Museum (which I believe is free on Monday's), Golden Apple Dinner Theater, Circus Sarasota, Sarasota Ballet are some of the many venues and events. Siesta Key and Nokomis Beach both have drum circles on various nights in the evening. Sarasota county has free summer concerts in the park.

Punta Gorda has the Florida Airshow where the Blue Angles fly. The Hibiscus Festival, The Redfish Fish Tournament many craft shows. Every city has their own farmer's market.

Punta Gorda Farmers Market: http://www.puntagordashopping.com/farmersmarket.html
Sarasota Farmers Market: http://www.sarasotafarmersmarket.org/
Siesta Key Farmers Market: http://www.siestafarmersmarket.com/
Venice Farmers Market: http://venicefloridafarmersmarket.com/

Boca Grande has the world's richest Tarpon Tournament every year. With so much water everywhere there are tons of activities related. There are lots of fishing guides, kayak tours, etc

Here are some of the many festivals in the area:
JAN Southwest Florida Heritage Festival
JAN Sullivan Street Craft Festival
JAN Sarasota Native American Festival
JAN Manatee County Fair
JAN-FEB Sarasota Jazz Festival
FEB Kids Art Festival at Woodmere Park, Venice
FEB Annual Sarasota Festival of the Arts
FEB Annual Wine & Jazz Festival in Punta Gorda
FEB Bradenton Beer Festival
MAR Sarasota Fair
MAR Sarasota Folk Festival in Osprey
MAR Sarasota Shamrock Festival
MAR Peace River Celtic Festival
MAR Spring Fine Arts Festival in Englewood
MAR Peace River Seafood Festival and Redfish Tournament
MAR Englewood Music Festival
MAR Englewood Fine Arts Festival
MAR Manatee Heritage Days
MAR Florida International Air Show
MAR & DEC Anna Maria Islands Art League Winterfest & Springfest
APR Sarasota Film Festival (http://www.sarasotafilmfestival.com/2010/ - broken link)
APR Annual Siesta Fiesta
APR Charlotte Harbor Kayak & Wildlife Festival
APR Venice Shark Tooth Festival
APR Charlotte County Nautical Flea Market and Seafood Festival
APR DeSoto Heritage Festival Seafood Fest in Bradenton
APR Florida Heritage Festival and Riverfest in Bradenton
APR The Kayak and Outdoor Festival
APR-MAY Sarasota Wine Festival
MAY Giving Hunger the Blues in Southside Village
JUNE International Theater Festival In Venice
JUNE Hibiscus Festival In Punta Gorda
JUNE Boca Grande Tarpon Tournament
JUNE-JULY Sarasota Offshore Grand Prix
JULY Fourth of July Freedom Swim in Festival in Punta Gorda
JULY Wildlife Awareness Festival
SEPT Englewood Pioneer Days
OCT Sarasota Blues Festival
OCT Sarasota Chalk Festival
OCT Hunsader Farms Pumpkin Festival
NOV Sarasota Medieval Fair
NOV Annual Downtown Venice Art Festival
NOV Festival Of Trees in Punta Gorda
NOV Family Music Fest in Osprey
Annual St. Armand's Art Festival Something nearly every month

There are many other festivals and fairs just a short drive away.

Oscar Scherer State Park in Osprey has canoing, camping, hiking, birding, swimming. Myakkahatchee State Park in North Port has trails where you can bring your horses, you can hike along the trails. Myakka River State Park in Sarasota has tons of great FL wildlife, the Myakka Canopy Walk, which is a bridge that is suspended 25 feet off the ground. It extends 85 feet through the canopy and Myakka also has 38 miles of hiking trails. Manatee County has Little Manatee River State Park which runs right along the river. It has camping, hiking, canoing, etc. Don Pedro State Park you can only get to by boat and is like a private beach. I happened to have the great pleasure of living right beside it as a kid. Venice has Brohard Park (http://www.venicegov.com/Park_links/brohard.htm - broken link), one of the only dog friendly beaches around. Venice is also home to Woodmere Park a 36 acre park where you can let your pooch run and play under the big oak trees. These areas are a haven for photographers, bird watching and outdoor enthusiasts. Sarasota county has more than 200 parks, 109 athletic fields and 16 recreation and community centers.

Sarasota Parks: Parks and Recreation
Manatee County Parks: Manatee County Parks and Recreation - Manatee Chamber of Commerce
Charlotte County Parks: Community Services

Also for all the photographers and gardens, Selby Gardens is a must see. It has over 20,000 plants and displays and was named one of America's Top Ten Botanical Gardens.

The Sarasota area is also very kid friendly. We have GWIZ a science museum that caters to kids. The Children's Garden, a whimsical outdoor play area for children. Then there's Jungle Gardens, which is one of the oldest attractions in FL and has flamingo feeding, bird shows, alligators and many other various animals. Spanish Point is a historical site where they have Indian mounds, early pioneer homes and a lots of summer activities for kids. There are YMCA's in every city from Bradenton to Port Charlotte. Sarasota has Mote Marine Aquarium, which gives a wonderful look at the native sea life. They also to a great job with rehabilitating injured animals and returning them back to the gulf. Bradenton has the South FL Museum, Bishop Planetarium and the Parker Aquarium. Stop by and say "hi" to SW FL's very own manatee, Snooty. The Big Cat Habitat in Sarasota is a wonderful place to visit and see the amazing job Rosaire's do with the animals.

Many restaurants offer waterfront dining all the way down the coast. Speaking of restaurants, this area has lots and lots of wonderful, restaurants for any taste. Many mom and pop restaurants. You could spend a whole day out on St Armand's Circle shopping, browsing and stopping in at Kilwin's for some great ice cream. St Armand's has more than 130 shops, restaurants and galleries.

Here are a few of my favorite restaurants in the area:
Pho Cali
Euphemia Haye
Ophelia's on the Bay
Capt Brian's
Two Senoritas
Columbia
Crab & Fin
Yoder's
Casey Key Fish House
Bijou Café
Joto's Japanese Steakhouse
Blasé Café
Pacific Rim
Mar Vista
Sign of the Mermaid
El Toro Bravo
Lazy Lobster
Ceviche
Mattison's

And I have to add Sweet Tomatoes (for the kids) and Ophelia's (http://local.yahoo.com/info-14608433-ophelia-s-pasta-house-nokomis - broken link) (special doggie dining on the porch).

Downtown Sarasota is another all day event with the many eclectic shops and quaint restaurants. There are also some great consignment & antique shops if you make your way downtown. If you're looking to snag a bargain you can try the Red Barn Flea Market in Bradenton, The Sun Flea Market in Port Charlotte or The Dome in Englewood.

Sarasota and Charlotte counties have some of the best schools in the state and also have Pine View School for the gifted, which is one of the top in the nation.

I have kids your kids ages and we spend a lot of time at the various beaches and kayaking.

Since you are a bit unsure about where you want to be I would suggest renting first.

Good luck with your move

[Merrymala]

I agree with the first one

[yamahastar]

While your income as a nurse will likely be as good or better in Florida, your fiance's income as a teacher will not. He'll be lucky to find a job. You can find a job easily. I'd suggest your fiance find a job before you make the move as it sounds like you'll need both incomes to afford the price range you quoted. Good Luck!

[Rabflmom]

Originally Posted by yamahastar

While your income as a nurse will likely be as good or better in Florida, your fiance's income as a teacher will not. He'll be lucky to find a job. You can find a job easily. I'd suggest your fiance find a job before you make the move as it sounds like you'll need both incomes to afford the price range you quoted. Good Luck!

I thought their price range that they are looking at is a little high for their income unless they have lots of savings or stock.
Having just purchased a house.....is the 3 times your income even something the banks use any more? It is harder to get a loan now and you have to put more money down than before . Here homes go under contract a lot, but then the people have a hard time finding a loan and you see the homes back on the market.
Looking at a $300,000 home you have to pay 20% down so that would be $60,000 down not including closing costs, taxes, and insurance which have to be paid up front. Not sure if any mortgages are being signed with less than 20% down now.

Teachers in Florida no longer have tenure so maybe some jobs will open up, but some school districts are even talking closing schools or going to a 4 day schedule because of the budget cuts.

That said, I just did a check for RN and local hospitals in Brevard County .There are RN vacancies so jobs are available. You can find houses over here on the coast at about half price of what they were 3 years ago so some good homes in the less than 200,000 range even beachside. Might be able to manage for a while just on a nurses salary. Total area(county) has about 1/2 million people but largest city is Palm Bay with about 105,000. Close enough to get to Orlando, Miami, Tampa, or Jacksonville to do things not available here.