Where to move to in Florida!!!

[Poorman]

For lack of a better place to post this here it is.

In the near future we will be moving to Florida. Where we don't know. Our criteria would be, a nice community,not too far from WDW,but not in Orlando. We were thinking half way between Tampa and Orlando ,maybe closer to the Gulf side. If anyone knows of areas that we may consider please post, and post some reasons. We are going down in July to specifically look for areas that we may want to re-locate to. Jobs would not be an issue as we probably would be retired.
Thanks for any input.


Rich

 

[Cindy'sCastle]

If I could move close to Disney, I think I would really consider moving to Celebrations. I seen the houses on the website and they are beautiful. It seems like such a wonderful community.

 

[LindaR]

Coastal Living magazine just did a story on this! Actually it was a story on all the coasts. There is lots of info on Florida........pick up a copy or look in the library!

(I used to live in the panhandle but that was 22 years ago!!)

 

[Poorman]

We really don't want to do Celebration,too pricey.

LindaR, we lived it Fort Walton Beach in the late 60's, we loved it but is too far from WDW.

Keep the suggestions coming.


Thanks.

 

[floridafam]

Winter Haven. We have friends here. It seems nice.

Clermont. A growing community. Fairly close to Disney.

On the Gulf Coast:

Palm Harbor
Tarpon Springs
Port Richey

Clearwater
Indian Rocks Beach

We used to live in Holiday which is North of Clearwater. It was nice. I'm sure it has a lot more development now. It was within 2 hours of Disney.

What exactly are you looking for?

 

[Dax]

Polk County Fl...

Sounds funny, but is a growing community....getting bigger every year. Is halfway between Orlando and Tampa. Great location. I love it here. Let me know if you have any other questions

 

[Poorman]

Keep them coming guys.

We are looking for a quiet, safe community,not too far from Tampa and Orlando. Not too far from the beaches. We have been looking online at communities such as Hudson, Holiday,Spring Hill, New Port Richey, Clermont, Wesley Chapel ,and some others.

If you have negatives on any of these places you could PM me as not to offend anyone.

floridafam, I am looking for a place to show off the DVC backpack!!!! What are the positives of the places you are suggesting? How are the Beaches around Holiday and Hudson?

Thanks.

 

[floridafam]

We wish that we still lived in Holiday.

We enjoyed it. We were never far from the beach and it was a nice community with nice grocery stores, restaurants, etc. We did not have a school aged child at the time so I can't tell you much about the school.

They did build a high school while we were living there, I think near Seven Springs Road.

I worked at the Y part time and they built a huge brand new one with nice pools and all new equipment.

My husband worked in Holiday, Tarpon Springs, Port Richey, New Port Richey and Hudson. Sure, it's busy on Hwy 19 but there are several communities where you can get a decent sized house for a good price. There are also nice homes by the water and several condo complexes.

Most of the people we met while living down there were from Michigan, New York or New Jersey. Everyone was from somewhere else. People were always nice and pleasant.

I remember taking my son to the Dunkin Donuts in Hudson for his first donut and chocolate milk and he looked at me with his face covered in powdered sugar and said "this is good."

I'm trying to think of what else I can tell you about the area. We lived near Hwy 19 and Moog Road.

 

[JustHolly]

I second the Polk County area. Close enough to WDW, but halfway to Tampa. Lakeland is huge, but has some nice areas. Winter Haven has some "icky" areas, especially in downtown, but there are DOZENS of lakes, and plenty of affordable waterfront housing. We are actually looking at the Auburndale area.

I have been told Lake Wales is a wonderful, small town community. It is about 45 minutes from WDW. Lots of Lakes and more land with the houses. Anything in Osceola county is expensive and not much land. Even in Celebration, you don't get very much land.

I'm working in the Polk County School system and I must say, I'm very impressed so far!

 

[Dax]

Yes I really like it here....I have lived here for 3yrs now and wouldnt move back to Orlando. Actually I was trying to decide what area of the county to get my next house in. There are TONS of lakes, as stated. Also some rural areas too if you are into that. The area is developing very quickly and you also wont have to pay as high in property taxes as you will in some of the other mentioned areas. I wouldnt mind living in Auberndale, or even Cleremont, but thats pushing it as in distance.

 

[AKQJ10]

Naples in southwest Florida on the Gulf is beautiful!!! There are great communities, shopping, nightlife, etc., and is one of the fastest growing areas in the nation. Plus, if you have a few million to spend, youcan get a nice little "shack" on the water!

 

[ducklite]

I'm building in Clermont, and spent a lot of time researching that area before settling on a builder/community. Ask if you have any questions.

Anne

 

[Disney Doll]

My friend's parents live in Hudson. It seems like a very nice area, close to Port Richey. About 45 minutes from Tampa. About 2 hours from WDW. Close to Tarpon Spings, which has a very interesting area that is a Greek sponge fishing village, with little shops etc.

On the east coast, my DSIL lives in a town called Barefoot Bay, which is between melbourne and Vero Beach...very nice as well, near the Indian River, about 1.5 hours southeast of WDW.

 

[geffric]

We haven't started to seriously look but we are thinking about Lakeland. area.

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

Does anyone have any opinions on the Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood area vs the Ft. Myers/Naples area? Is Ft. Lauderdale too crazy? And, is Ft. Myers too quiet?

Can't wait to move to FL someday! Maybe next year will be the year!

 

[flyinglizard]

Ducklite-

Would you please tell me the name of your developement?

 

[AKQJ10]

California,

The Naples areal, especially downtown, is absolutely amazing, and is one of the wealthiest areas of the nation. Fort Myers, which is not too far away, I don't know too much about, but is clearly not up to the "craziness" of Ft. Lauderdale, a summer and Spring Break mecca. I personally enjoy the West coast of Florida more (we have a place in Marco Island, right next to Naples). The Gulf is cleaner and warmer than the Atlantic, and it is much less touristy.

Plus, Naples is only about 3 hrs. from WDW (a little far, but a heck a lot closer than Jersey!!) You can go to www.discovernaples.com for more information about it.

 

[ladycollector]

Hi there.

You really ought to check out Fort walton beach/Destin again.

its grown so much since the 60's you wont recognize a thing! Its a major vacation spot and ive seen the area on tv numerous times this yr.

 

[Poorman]

Originally posted by ladycollector
Hi there.

You really ought to check out Fort walton beach/Destin again.

its grown so much since the 60's you wont recognize a thing! Its a major vacation spot and ive seen the area on tv numerous times this yr.

When I was in the Air Force in the 60's we were stationed at Eglin AFB. We really loved the area and considered staying after I got out but family ties brought us home. Wished we had stayed, the beaches around destin are the prettiest I have ever seen. Maybe I will look into homes there. We were in a little town called Mary Ester. I have often wondered how much it has grown.


Any one else have some suggestions?

Thanks,
Rich

 

[A Mickeyfan]

Originally posted by CaliforniaDreaming
Does anyone have any opinions on the Ft. Lauderdale/Hollywood area vs the Ft. Myers/Naples area? Is Ft. Lauderdale too crazy? And, is Ft. Myers too quiet?

Can't wait to move to FL someday! Maybe next year will be the year!

I live one town away from Ft Myers... and CPM lives there.... depending on what you mean by quiet... I use to live 25 minutes out of Manhattan...and yes .... Ft Myers is quiet compared to there. My mom & sister live in Palm Coast Fl.... and Ft Myers is hopping compared to there... I live in Cape Coral...and we are quiet compared to Ft Myers.....