Panama City Florida

[drivencrazy]

What can you tell me about Panama City Florida, or surrounding areas??

We maybe moving there and would like to know what and where we should look for. We need good schools, we will have one in Elementary, one in Middle School and one in High School. We would like a good neighborhood that is safe and one the kids will enjoy

Hubby would be working at Tyndall Air Force Base so I guess military housing would be an option (if avaible)...

Any and all info very welcome!

Thanks!

 

[SereneOne]

The beach is beautiful, there are some fantastic seafood restaurants and that is about it of the good things I could say about it.

I lived there for eighteen years. The schools are not that good and there is not much to do as a family. The towns are rundown and the beaches have mostly a party atmosphere. They are suppose to be trying to clean it up, but when I was visiting family in November, it looked the same other than more high-rise hotels and less mom and pop hotels. Destin is beautiful, Mexico beach is beautiful.

Just my opinion. I hope you like it better.

Now that I think about it, I did like the base. We lived there twice. The first time my father was stationed there when I was a preteen. The second time I had graduated high school and my parents eventually retired there. On base, they have private beach access. Great place to get sand dollars and such.

 

[drivencrazy]

Thanks for the reply...

When looking up houses, I noticed that ALOT of them didn't look so nice. But there are LOTS of new homes going in from what I am finding.

Schools are very important to us and from what I have seen, the schools are pretty small. And also have small classes. Not sure if that is a good thing or not.

Not sure if we would live on base or not... it looks like it could be an option, but doesn't seem like they have very many houses.

So much to try and figure out and so far from it all!!

Thanks

 

[SereneOne]

I really wished I could be more positive.

The weather is wonderful most times of the year. To my understanding, they are trying to make it less of a spring break town and more of a family oriented town.

Pier Park is nice. There is a children's museum, Ripley's BION museum, and it is close to Destin.

The housing is ridiculous. So little house and land for so little money. We moved to Greenville, SC and we love it...sigh.

They have a Mardi Gra parade...

 

[Maridw]

We have been here 16 years and love it. We moved here from Riverside, CA. (talk about culture shock!!!).

My DH was AF when we moved here and then changed to Active Air National Guard. With this change my DD had a stable school life. She was able to have friends from kindergarten through High School. She went to Cherry Street Elementary, Jinks Middle School & Bay High. Bay High also has different academies beside the normal schedule. Here is their website: http://www.bayschools.com/SCHOOLS/Default.aspx?alias=www.bayschools.com/schools/bhs

Here is the main school district website:
http://www.bay.k12.fl.us/departments/Default.aspx?alias=www.bay.k12.fl.us/departments/newsite

If you have any other questions, please feel free to PM me.

 

[SereneOne]

Cherry Street is an excellent elementary school. When I lived there Jinks Middle School was not considered a good school. Bay is fine. My kids went to Patronis, my mind has gone blank for the middle school and they attended the new high school on the beach. It was okay.

If you love the outdoors they have the perfect weather for it...fishing, boating,etc. Not good for surfing...Daytona Beach is better for that.


We lived in Palm Bay on the beach, which is a decent neighborhood and my parents live on Jenks Avenue in town, which is a nice neighborhood. There used to be a lot of topless bars, but I did not notice them when we visited at Thanksgiving. There are a lot of businesses that have closed. I know on the corner of Jenks and 23rd, there used to be three gas stations, only one is open now. Many closed down stores on the beach and it is hard to see the beach from the road, when you used to be able to drive and see the beach down the main strip.

I am not trying to make you feel discouraged, I am just trying to be honest. There are a lot worse places to live and the beach is beautiful.

 

[Feeln'Froggy]

Panama City is a nice place to live. It is a small town and there is not much to do but it is nice. Home prices are CRAZY. I liked it and wished we were still there.
My kids went to Northside and Jinks but not for long, so no help there.
Stay away from PC Beach during spring break season.
I will tell you that my co-workers(locals) were the best people that I have ever met. Truely great people.
Oh there is a resturant called Sweet Magnolinas best cheesey potato soup ever! YUMMY! and I really don't like soup.

 

[Maridw]

Don't forget Tom's Hot Dogs on Harrison. Best hot dogs for a great price. Lunchtime is always packed. Jinks MS is doing better than it used to. Some people like Mowat MS. Since you are military, you need to know that if you live on the beach side of the Hathaway Bridge it is a bit of a commute to the base. Tyndall AFB is on the other side of Panama City from Panama City Beach. My DD used to commute from near the base to the west end of Panama City Beach and even working mids she would leave at least 45 minutes prior to her work time. Traffic going to the beach in the evening isn't too bad, but coming from TAFB is a bit heavy until you get to the bridge.

Also don't confuse Panama City with Panama City Beach. The Hathaway Bridge separates the two cities. While the beach is hectic and crazy during spring break, PC isn't as bad. The two main drags through town, Highway 98 and 23rd Street can have heavy traffic heading to the beach.

Also the Community College is pretty good from when your HS student graduates.

I like the small town atmosphere. Once you get to know people, it seems you always run into them somewhere. My DD (22yo) laughs that she can't walk into Wal-Mart without running into at least 3 people that she knows or even that she hasn't seen for awhile.

My best friend is a dance teacher and we have been friends since I moved here. Our girls are best friends and only 11 months apart in age. Being involved with the dance school I have seen kids grow up and get married and have kids of their own. You really get to be a family with the people around here.

 

[Maridw]

Oh, one other thing. The schools have a dress code now. They all are on a modified uniform type policy. They can wear certain color polos (usually school colors) and pants, knee length skirts for HS. The Dress code is on the District webpage as well as each of the different school websites. They started this in 2007. I was kind of glad to see it go into effect, but also glad they waited until after my DD had graduated.

At least it cut down on the guys wearing their pants below their butt. Which the district tried to do prior to the uniform policy, but it wasn't enforced enough and the guys got away with it by wearing long jersey's so teachers couldn't tell that's where their pants were. I mean who wants to see someone's underwear?

I think it looks ridiculous, just like girls wearing bootie shorts, small tank tops and short winter coats with knee high boots. If you are cold, then why don't you put some clothes on.

 

[drivencrazy]

I did see that their are dress codes at the schools. I'm on the fence on that one, I know that it can be a good thing, just not use to it! There are lots of schools around here with the same kind of dress code, we just don't go to them so haven't had to deal with it!

My oldest is in 8th grade now... so going to HS next year. I want to make sure she goes to a good HS that she can get all the credits that she needs... if we stay where we are and she keeps up with her work, she will be getting college credits while still in HS. She took the ACT this year for one of the classes she has... her score was 18... she is a smart cookie and needs to be pushed so she won't just shut down with it being to easy...... kids!

Sounds like there are good eats there! We may just have to take a trip to see what it's like... not sure if that is going to be in the budget though... really now since I am trying to plan a Disney trip!!! But we'll see!

Hubby said that lots of the people that he talked to (military guys) live in Lynn Haven... so I guess I shall check into that a bit more as well!

Thanks!

Keep the info coming if you think of more!!

 

[SereneOne]

She is right. There is a difference between PC and PCB. I lived in Lynn Haven at one point, Springfield and Parker too. Lynn Haven is really growing!

Capt. Anderson's is very good, but expensive. Canopie's is nice for a romantic dinner...fantastic shecrab soup! House of Chan's is fun, you pick out your meats and veggies and they cook it while you watch. Has Allen's been rebuilt? Boar's Head is delicious and I know Angelo's and Treasure Ship are considered touristy but they are good. You can go on a Pirate Ship for the kids, that was always fun...

I would recommend Lynn Haven.

 

[Maridw]

I was going to suggest Lynn Haven. Bay High does have what they called Duel Enrolled classes. If you take these classes, you also get college credit. My DD had 12 college credits when she finished HS with these classes. Bay also has the AICE program, which is a type of advanced study classes.

Forest Park is another nice area. Callaway has some nice areas too, plus it is close to the base. In the Panama City area there are three main HS. Rutherford, Mosley & Bay. I have heard some good things about Rutherford and I know Bay is pretty good. I have heard some not so good things about Mosley. My best friend's hubby work with Dept of Juvenile Justice and has had alot of cases of drug use with kids from there.

Boar's Head is really nice. In the 16 years that I have been here I have never been to Angelo's, Capt Anderson's or Treasure Ship.

If you are planning a Disney trip, don't forget to check out the Military special they have right now. Also there is a code for 40% off of resorts. Check out Mousesavers.com. We just booked a moderate in October and added the Quick Service dining plan for a great deal. We are getting the Military Special ticket. With this special the military personnel get a complimentary ticket and they can buy up to 5 additional tickets for $99. You can add the park hopper option for $25 each and the water park fun & more option for $25. The complimentary ticket is a 5 day park hopper, water park fun & more ticket. So to get a matching companion ticket it would be $149.

One nice thing about PC is that it is only about 6 hours from Disney.

 

[SereneOne]

Oh! The best thing about living in Fl is the Florida resident discounts and May is resident month at Disney.

Well, not the best thing, lol. Oh! St Andrew's Bay Park is nice! And DO NOT go to the beach during Spring Break...which lasts about six weeks because of different colleges getting out at different times. You could still go to the beach on base which is better in my opinion anyways.

 

[SereneOne]

I think my parents live in Forrest Park...the neighborhood between 23rd and Baldwin? It is an older neighborhood, but nice and near everything!

 

[Maridw]

Definitely do not go to the beach during Spring Break! It will take you an hour to go about 5 miles down Front Beach Road, which is the road that runs closest to the beach. Plus it's hard to find anywhere to park.

Yes Forest Park is between 23rd & Baldwin.

 

[Kimberly]

Definitely do not go to the beach during Spring Break! It will take you an hour to go about 5 miles down Front Beach Road, which is the road that runs closest to the beach. Plus it's hard to find anywhere to park.

Yes Forest Park is between 23rd & Baldwin.

I was just about to say the same. I have a friend that I went to school with during undergrad that now lives there. Other than spring break, it's a nice place to visit, especially in the summer. It isn't quite as "steamy" as the rest of FL.

 

[SereneOne]

Not only the traffic during SB, but the things that go on during SB. People having sex right in front of you, verbally accosting you sexually, drinking, etc.

 

[Maridw]

That's why we usually steer clear on Front Beach Road during SB. If we are going to the beach, we usually use Back Beach Road.

It is funny that you can tell those that have been here for any amount of time. Those that have been here awhile call Back Beach Road just that, not the new Panama City Beach Parkway that it has been changed too. Also what was Middle Beach Road is now Hutchison Blvd, but locals, etc still call it Middle Beach Road. They actually thought about changing the name of Hathaway Bridge when the new one was built.

My DH & I like the new theatre at Pier Park, so we go there instead of the two in town. Just like the stadium type seating better. There is supposed to be a 8 screen theatre, bowling alley, sports bar complex being built in Callaway. FINALLY something on our end of town. Five Guys Burgers is supposed to be building another one in town (already one at Pier Park). I hope they select our area instead of on 23rd or Lynn Haven.

 

[drivencrazy]

I had looked at Lynn Haven in all of my looking... there are some pretty $$$$$$$ houses there. We are looking more for a $$$ house which I did see there as well. I will have to look into the other towns that you have mentioned and see what they have.

Good to know about the HS....... now I have heard some good things about Bay High I once again have hope that this maybe something we can do...

I have been looking into the Disney trip because of the military ticket and the $99 other tickets... and the 40% room discounts.... but now I am thinking that we could do the trip to Disney and rent a car and stay a day or 2 longer and go check out the Panama area! What a time that would be! We'll have to see about that!

Keep the info coming!!

Thanks