Northern Florida Guys (several questions)

[RoadrashPaul]

My wife and I just got back from Ft Walton Beach area and are again talking about moving there. We cannot afford to live on the beach so we are thinking about 30-45mins inland. We have found a ton of houses in Crestview and surrounding areas. Have not looked a lot. What are some other places that you guys would suggest to look at/live in. Also what are some real world numbers on insurance (home,auto, health etc.), jobs, cost of living. My wife is a teacher and is in the process of checking out how to get certified in FL to teach. I am in building supply sales but have done a lot of different things. Thanks for any help and info guys

[Manatee Mauler]

Personnally, looking at it from a standpoint of someone who was born and raised here in North Florida the traffic has inceased, pollution has sky rocketed ( the river now turns green in the summer). Increased population has drained the aquifer to the point where the lakes are permantly low, boat ramps are over crowded and there are way too many subdivisions and malls. Taxes have inceased with less services. Roads , sewage plants and infastructure constantly have to be updated because of the population boom. Due to the population boom of Florida they are now wanting to pull MILLIONS OF GALLONS of water from the St. Johns to "quinch the thrist " of central Florida. Why cant they place a fee on any resident that wants to move here that would go towards a DESALINAZATION plant. I mean the ocean is only another 25 miles east. Why place the burden on people who "grew up here"? As a local or native to this area we didn't ask for all the increase in : taxes, traffic, polltion and degraded water clarity. Did I mention any time an area "booms" so does the crime rate.

I just put out there the difference between when I grew up and now. Unfortunatly, whether people want to hear it or not the truth is Florida CAN NOT sustain the current growth rate without causing major consequences to our natural resources. There is too much pavement and not enough land. Concrete, asphalt and other structures impedes the natural flow of water into the ground that replenishes the aquifer.

If the next 20 years are like the last 20 years we will all be fishing the same waters because the smaller lakes will be dry. To launch your boat you will have to take a number. They have already started numbering the amnt of TX's that can go on at one time from a certain point. Once again, this never used to happen when I was growing up. It was alot nicer not having to compete for space. Should you move here I hope you find an area that isnt over crowded, little if any pollution and free of traffic and subdivisions (with no association fees). After all, 20 years ago this was easy to find. Now damn contractors have turned our state into a concete jungle full of empty strip malls and gated communities.

[mikepags]

its great and I would bet you will love it to...........slammed right now but should be able to get some free time in the first part of next week and can get more detialed then

[RoadrashPaul]

Thanks for the replies guys

[knowphish]

I just moved to Niceville. It's called that for a reason. Don't worry about the water, there's millions of miles of saltwater. Nice thing about living here you can catch a Redfish, Speckled Trout, Brim and Bass all from the same place. I'm diggin' it!!!!!!!!!! Shoot me an IM, I'm always looking for someone to go fishing with.

[BennyFLa]

My brother who retired as a Major in the USAF in 2008, lives in 'Shalimar'. He still works at Eglin AFB as a civillian contractor. He and his family love it there. It is next to 'Niceville' and 'Ft. Walton Beach'. 'Destin' is right down the road a piece.

[FloridaEd]

Hey A.J. you missing your Buddy MudFish???

[big_b16]

Depends if you have kids or not. Schools in this area are hit or miss (Niceville = good, Crest-tucky = not as good). There is nothing that the guy from Jacksonville said that pertains to your questions. He just ranted for the sake of ranting. I'm in Niceville solely for the schools (and work of course). If you don't have kids, you can get a bunch more house for the money up near Crest-tucky. Traffic between Crestview and FWB/Niceville is not good in the morning or evening (lots of people on one of the 2 roads that connect I-10 to Hwy 20). Off peak times are fine. Homeowners and auto policies are higher than most of the country (little hurricane problems). Lots of homeowners who purchased in 2006 or so bought houses for double what they're worth and not wanting to sell for fair market value. So...lots of forclosures or short sales that take forever to close. Some people are taking the hits and selling for what they're offered. There's a bunch more people coming to work at Duke Field (between Niceville and Crestview) so the homes will be getting picked up in the near future. Good luck. I've been here around a year and don't plan on leaving. As far as other places to live...the further east you go, the shorter the drive to Seminole, Eufaula, and Talquin. If good bass fishing matters. If you're set on this area, get used to fishing rivers and brackish water.

[knowphish]

I saw the Mudfish yesterday!! I had to come back for a couple of things. I think he's waiting till it cools off to come up. Unless, of course, there's a get together at Appalach. He'd be up here in a minute.

[RoadrashPaul]

Thanks for all the info guys. At this point, we have no idea what we want to do. We want to move there but we would be leaving all of our family and friends. We would basically be alone down there until we met some people. It doesn't bother me as much as it does her. I don't have a lot of family around here, most of it is her family. Anyway..... thanks again

[BennyFLa]

I'll sell you my house in Inverness... Then you'll have "FloridaEd" and "George" as friends in the same area. I'd like to start fishing more and currently I am 7 minutes from the lake Ed lives on. With my back it makes launching solo a real pain. I'd like to make that 7 min. 'commute' and labor about 45 sec. and untying a rope.

If you play golf it would be perfect as I live off the 17th fairway. I'll leave you my 05 ClubCar.. The high speed model The Country Club is a Driver and 8 iron away. Pool, Hot Tub, fenced in double lot, new roof, new a/c my wife's Red Snapper (mower, not the 'other thing')

If your wife wants a job in the "medical field" my wife is a Director at a local re-hab center.

[ol man river]

" my wife's red snapper"