Good place to live in FL??? (Tampa, Boca Raton: house, neighborhood, best schools)

[AONE]

There are many great builders in town. I would suggest other parts of town for a home of that size, Oviedo, Windermere, Lake Mary.
Ken Anderson

[AONE]

In response to Suzie's comment about Insurance. if you own a home you may want to see this. Go Direct Insurance, Inc they are working on saving home owners 25% off their home owners policy. go register on the site and tell your friends.

[pezzy]

I am researching areas to relocate.I have 2 boys, ages 13 and 16.I am looking to be near water and warmer weather.We live near Chicago at the present time.Some of the states i am looking into are, Texas,Tennessee,Florida.Any help would be greatly appreciated!!Thank you..

[atlantis7]

I personally love CHICAGO. I don't know why you wish to move (except for the long months of cold) but none of these places you are considering will offer you more of a quality of life than where you are.

Florida used to be such a great place to live. Now it is on it's way to being as screwed up as California. I have lived in all parts and spent most of my life in the Tampa Bay area so I know from where I speak.

I am from Tennessee originally. The state is beautiful and abounds with nature but has inferior education systems and no jobs. The Chattanooga area is paradise but the old money there runs off companies like Toyota that could bring employment and prosperity for people who want to live there. The current plan is grooming it like a retirement and tourist park....nothing in that place is done to benefit locals. if I HAD money, it would be my choice because I could fairly ignore all of that like all the others with money and power do.

Regretfully, I recommend HOUSTON TEXAS as the place for you. It is where my wife and I moved to from Tennessee. It was the only place we could find work and is why most everyone is here. It sure isn't for the natural beauty!

BUT the sun shines as much as Florida. People say they love the weather although it is the closest thing to living in an oven that you'll ever get (and I have lived in Arizona too) BUT housing is cheap and (many) schools are superior.

My wife left Tennessee when she was 20 and drove to Houston. She had no money and no job. She stayed here 22 years and raised three kids, all of whom live here and have kids now. She credits Houston with saving her life.

There is big money in Houston and lots of culture on which to ween kids. My daughter in law is a teacher. Her husband is a principal and each of their three girls are involved in inter-cultural, art programs, and athletics at a level that takes them all over the states competitively.

Housing is cheap and plentiful here and the beaches are right down the road in Galveston.

In the screwed up economy that we have in America right now, HOUSTON is a highly desirable place to be . Good luck

[Granny Sue]

1st of all Florida is a very diverse state. Not all areas are the same. You'll find major differences between the large cities and even more differences between the smaller towns.
We could help you more if you could narrow it down. What's important to you...access to the beach? Inland living?
What are your interests outside of work?
Is urban nightlife important?

[KrisCole]

If schools are your priority, take a look at the cities in Seminole County. The county's school system has received straight A's since Florida strarted Keeping track of FCAT results. This is why my wife & I moved to Seminole County 11 years ago. It is also why I teach and coach basketball here. Also Lake Mary finished #4 in Money Magazine's Best Places to Live. Winter Springs finished #31. If you have any other questions about the schools or other issues, feel free to contact me.

[xgemaxmwahx]

Davenport is a tourist place to live, alot of rentals... Where are you looking to buy? Winter Garden, Clermont, Heathrow, are some nice places well under that budget. All depends where you want to live near.

[dcabrer1]

Originally Posted by bsmiles35

there is no such place in florida anymore,i lived in central florida all my life.it was good in the 70's and 80's.but now you could not pay me to live there .good luck

FYI - central florida sucks .. you should try looking at a place in or around the gulf coast. Thats what i call living.

[JSnFla]

moving to florida will be career suicide and horrifying for your children.

[bdpop]

Originally Posted by JSnFla

moving to florida will be career suicide and horrifying for your children.

This post is a little extreme, but I would say you should definately have a job secured before you move down here.

I made the mistake of moving down here without having a job first and I have literally hit a wall in my career. The longer I stay out of work in my field (human resources), the harder it is becoming to get back into my field. On the plus side, I have been using that time to go to school full time.