Moving to Florida-Florida Real Estate Network-Living plus Relocating

Edgewater, Florida
Volusia County
Population: 21,415

Edgewater is a remarkable, one-of-a-kind waterfront village. Located west of Interstate 95 on the Indian River Lagoon, it is celebrated as a unique underground rainforest. Edgewater is home to many species of fish, dolphins, birds, and manatee.

If outdoor life is exciting to you, this is the perfect community for you to live. 15 parks and recreational facilities abound! Enjoy the 3.5 mile sidewalk meandering alongside the Indian River.
Edgewater is popular for it’s retirement homes. Residents here haven’t really retired; they simply enhanced their way of life!

Oak Hill Florida is located just south of Edgewater and living here is centered on historical homes and riverfront property.

A quiet, peaceful community awaits you. You will love the natural setting that surrounds the abundance of wildlife, from fish to birds. Boating and fishing are the top choice of recreation, so if you love water, you’ll love Edgewater!

General Information
• Average age: 42
• Average Household income: $46,968
• Median house or condo valued at $184,097
• Cost of living index 85.3
• 9.97 square miles of landmass
• Time zone: Eastern Time
• Average property taxes: $1,029
• Average summer temperature: 82 degrees
• Average winter temperature: 68 degrees
• Yearly precipitation: 49 inches

Employment Industries

• Construction (15%)
• Accommodation and food services (8%)
• Public administration (7%)
• Administrative and support and waste management services (6%)
• Transportation equipment (6%)
• Repair and maintenance (5%)
• Arts, entertainment, and recreation (4%)

Employment Occupations
• Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations (6%)
• Vehicle and mobile equipment mechanics, installers, and repairers (6%)
• Retail sales workers except cashiers (4%)
• Other management occupations except farmers and farm managers (4%)
• Electrical equipment mechanics and other installation, maintenance, and repair occupations including supervisors (4%)
• Driver/sales workers and truck drivers (4%)
• Carpenters (4%)

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Destin, Florida
Okaloosa County
Population: 12,563

White sandy beaches beckon you to stay awhile in sunny Destin! A true paradise awaits you as you stroll the sugar colored beaches and enjoy the emerald green waters. This beautiful city offers everything a person could ever imagine, and then some. Entertainment abounds in this fabulous place, from fishing, to boating, to snorkeling. If you don’t like to spend every waking minute in the water, there’s plenty to do on land. Shops, gardens, museums, and recreation centers abound, just to list a few. Do you enjoy weekly games of golf? There are 14 golf courses to choose from.

Local weather is warm and cheery.

Housing choices are abundant here in Destin. Quiet neighborhoods, beach front property, condominiums, and state-of-the-art custom built homes are but a few of the choices available. How would you like to live on the water? A house boat would be perfect for this area!

Health care services are covered with Destin Emergency Care Center and Fort Walton Beach Medical Center. Both offer a wide and complete range of medical care. Dentists, chiropractors, therapists, and spas are also located in the city.

Area education centers and schools have consistently received A+ scores, which make them an excellent choice for your child’s education. An exceptional library, arts and humanities, and many sports to choose from add to your children’s learning experience.

General information-
- Average Summer temperature 88 degrees
- Winter temperature 52 degrees
- Average yearly precipitation 62 inches
- Population 12,563
- Median Household income $71,732
- Median House value $303,747
- Average Rent $2,763
- Median Age rage 42

Employment industries-

Construction (14%)
Accommodation and food services (13%)
Professional, scientific, and technical services (8%)
Real estate and rental and leasing (7%)
Public administration (6%)
Arts, entertainment, and recreation (5%)
Other transportation, and support activities, and couriers (5%)
In conclusion, Destin is a perfect choice for vacation or residential living. Destin offers beautiful beaches, plenty of shopping, fishing, boating, and fun. Stop by and stay awhile. Stay a lifetime!

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Charlotte County
Population 16,343

Punta Gorda juts out into Charlotte Harbor, one of the United States biggest natural harbors. This quaint little town is an undiscovered treasure, centrally located between the cities of Sarasota and Fort Myers. Punta Gorda is also an easy drive to Miami or Orlando and only 100 miles south of Tampa, which makes living here a great choice for weekend trips to bigger cities.

Sunshine reigns all year in this historic village and offers many enticing amenities to locals as well as tourists. Whether you like to shop, sun bathe, enjoy sailing and fishing, or want to simply relax and do nothing, Punta Gorda offers something for everyone. You will be impressed with the friendly and welcome environment that encircles the downtown businesses and shops.

Everywhere you go in Florida has the reputation of tropical paradise and Punta Gorda is no exception! Residents delight in acres and acres of waterfront property while they bask in unending sunshine. Intertwined within the landscape is over 70 miles of canals, all fronted by the prestigious Charlotte Harbor.

As of 2007, over 17,000 residents make Charlotte County their home. The average value of owned homes is $97,000.
Voted the best place to live in the south, Charlotte County boasts unlimited opportunity for living the dream of a lifetime! Pristine beaches connect major cities to Punta Gorda, including Interstate 75 north to Tampa and east to Miami.

General Information
· 14.2 square miles with a population density of 1154 people per square mile
· Average summer temperature 92 degrees
· Average winter temperature 52 degrees
· Average annual precipitation 48 inches
· Population 16,343 with a growth of 13.9% since 2000
· Median household income $62,396, up from $48, 916 in 2000
· Median house or condo value in 2008 $406,494
· Average cost of a house $97,000 in Charlotte County
· Average cost to rent $677
· Median age is 63
· Average travel time to work between 10 and 20 minutes
· 3 hospital and medical centers within easy and a quick driving distance

Employment Industry Opportunities

• Construction (13%)
• Accommodation and food services (8%)
• Professional, scientific, and technical services (7%)
• Arts, entertainment, and recreation (7%)
• Finance and insurance (7%)
• Health care (6%)
• Real estate and rental and leasing (5%)

In conclusion, Punta Gorda is a great place to live, work, and play. Close to larger cities, but far enough away for peace and seclusion, this small, best-kept secret of southern Florida is the perfect town to enjoy life to the fullest!

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Vero Beach is a beautiful town on the beach with the ability to add health benefits to any lifestyle. As a town literally on the beach, you will never be short of gorgeous sunshine and the benefits it offers such as vitamin D.

This article will also outline other health benefits, as well as local attractions to keep you busy while living in Vero Beach.

As a town on the beach, there are many opportunities for athletics on the beach. As a resident, you can join one of many local volleyball teams on the beach or join a beach running club. Other popular athletic activities include kayaking and simply swimming in the ocean. Swimming and running in particular are great forms of cardiac exercise. Doctors recommend the average American receive at least 3-4 hours of intense cardiac exercise a week.

If you are an older citizen, do not be dissuaded from living in here. There are many activities for older residents as well. Some local senior citizens organizations host walks on the beach, in which senior citizens can pair up with buddies and walk the gorgeous Beaches. Walking can improve one’s heart rate, as well as build muscle strength, two health benefits incredibly important for senior citizens.

Indian River County provides the best shopping in Vero Beach. The downtown hosts charming shops and boutiques that are independently owned. You can also find shopping centers with more corporate stores just a couple miles away. At those shopping centers, you can find favorite stores like Marshalls, Target, and Barnes & Noble. A quality shopping experience is just one of the other many benefits that the area can bring to you as a new resident.

The educational system in Vero Beach is also one of the best in Florida, and that is for all ages. Vero Beach is home to many elementary, high schools, community colleges, as well as Universities. For interested parents, there is even The Indian River Home Schooler’s Association for parents wishing to home school their children. Some great local Universities include Barry University and Florida Institute of Technology.

For people interested in religion, there are also many churches here. Many Christian churches like Our Savior Lutheran Church can be found in the area, but there are also places of worship for other religions.

Overall, Vero Beach presents many benefits to residents. A gorgeous beach, a plethora of activities, and great educational system all make for great reasons to move to Vero Beach.

If you are interested in relocating to Vero Beach see http://www.verobeachislandrealestate.com for everything about Vero Beach Real Estate

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Jacksonville and Duval County Education
Northeast Florida has some of the best schools in the country.
Two were ranked second and third best high schools in the nation by Newsweek magazine in 2003.

Four area schools made the list of “America’s Best High Schools” and Duval County was the only school
district to have two schools ranked in the Top Ten.

There are more than 200,500 students, 11,600 teachers, 8,600 support staff and 291 schools in
the six counties that make up Northeast Florida. All have earned accreditation from the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools. More information on each of the counties’ public schools can be
obtained by phone or from their Web sites. For a comparison of schools and school districts on a variety
of criteria, view Florida School Indicators Reports at the Florida Department of Education’s Web site.
http://www.fldoe.org/

Jacksonville school specifics:

105 Elementary Schools
27 Middle Schools
20 High Schools
16 Private Schools
3 Exceptional Student Centers
5 Alternative Schools
5 Charter Schools. For more specifics on what a Charter schools is and enrollment details etc go to http://www.educationcentral.org/schools/schchart.asp
Higher Education-Colleges and trade Schools
24 in all, teaching everything from Law, Health care to Business.
Two year facilities

Florida Community College
St. Johns River Community College
Lake City Community College
Santa Fe Community College
Four-year facilities

Bethune-Cookman
the University of North Florida
Jacksonville University
Webster University
Jones College
Edward Waters College
University of St. Augustine
In the Entire Northeastern section of the state, there are 90 educational facilities offering over
700 programs.

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Fort Walton and Okaloosa County
Fort Walton Beach is a great area for recreation and relaxation. The County is known for it’s beautiful aquamarine waters and 24 miles of white sand beaches, Fort Walton is unpretentious beautiful and radiates with a southern,down-home hospitality.
Some statistics

Population: 20,000
Over 190,000 in Okaloosa County or metro.
Median age: 38
Cost of living: 96.38 percent (U.S. average: 100 percent)
Median household effective buying income: $40,153(2000)
24 miles of beautiful beaches
Cost of living 101.5 per Accra-2nd quarter 2005
Per an MLS search (Oct 2005) The least expensive 2/2 homes started at $169,900
Entertainment and recreation

Museums,
Parks(4 Beach)
Diving
Golf
Snorkeling
Deep sea fishing!
Ft Walton is close to “The World’s Most Famous Fishing Village” located in Destin, Florida. http://www.destin-fwb.com/Activities/Water/?c=25
Weather

The sun shines 343 days a year.
Temperatures typically ranging between 70 and 92 degrees.
Average annual rainfall of 64.2 inches.
Health

4 Hospitals
11 Assisted Living facilities
9 skilled nursing facilities
240 total health facilities
To see all go to http://facilitylocator.floridahealthstat.com/
Job Market

Fort Walton Beach boasts one of the Southeast’s best concentrations of high tech employment, much of it focused around the aviation, aerospace and engineering businesses that call Fort Walton Beach home. Among the technology-based firms that have chosen to locate in Fort Walton Beach are

Boeing,
Lockheed-Martin
Raytheon.
With a well-trained and growing workforce, an attractive cost of doing business and a great quality of life, companies large and small find that Fort Walton Beach is a great place to do business.
http://www.floridasgreatnorthwest.com/FWBMSA.htm
Main employers.

Hurlburt AFB
Eglin Air Force Base
Together, the U.S. Department of Defense employs 23,000 people in the Fort Walton Beach area.
Industries providing employment:

Construction
Education & Health Services
Financial Activities
Information
Leisure & Hospitality
Manufacturing
Leading private employers include

Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort
Business Line: Resort
Hilton Sandestin Bech Resort
Business Line: Resort
ResortQuest International/Abbott Resorts
Business Line: Resort Property Management
Perdue Farms
Business Line: Poultry Processing
Wal-Mart
Business Line: Retail
Arvida/St. Joe Company
Business Line: Resort/Real Estate Development
HealthMark Regional Medical Center
Business Line: Hospital
Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast
Business Line: Hospital
Seaside Development Corporation
Business Line: Resort/Real Estate Development
Professional Products, Inc.
Business Line: Manufacturer of Orthopedic Devices
Source http://www.eflorida.com/profiles/CountyReport.asp?CountyID=22&Display=all
Schools(Okaloosa District)

1 University
1 Community College
46 elementary, middle and High schools
Extensive information about the schools in this area is online at the state’s Department of Education http://www.firn.edu/doe/doehome.htm

Transportation
Air
Okaloosa County Air Terminal on State Road 85, about a 25-minute drive north from Destin or Fort Walton Beach.
Amtrak stops in Crestview, north of Eglin Air Force Base (AFB).
Automobile
Interstate 10, the major east-west route across the Panhandle.
U.S. Highway 98 serves Fort Walton Beach, Destin and many of the resorts and small beach communities along the Gulf Coast of neighboring rural Walton County
In conclusion, this is a great small community that has lots to offer. Good job potential, affordable housing, and good weather make this one of the most affordable relocation spots in Florida.

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One of the best assets FT Myers and the surrounding communities of Bonita Beach, Sanibel, Cape Coral and Pine island have is their incredible natural resources. Wildlife literally flourishes in the parks and reserves.
Boating and Fishing opportunities are everywhere . If you love nature and all it’s beauty, this is the place.
Some things to see:

Caloosahatchee River
A well-liked destination for fishing, waterskiing, sight seeing, and taking in the wildlife.
Barrier Islands: North Captiva, Cayo Costa, Gasparilla Island
Popular with residents and tourists alike,
Sanibel and Captiva Islands
Beautiful barrier islands famous for shelling, fishing, and the J.N. “Ding” Darling Wildlife Preserve. A great place to se wildlife in a natural habitat.
Cape Coral
A sandy beach and a public fishing pier are open to residents and visitors year round..
Fort Myers Beach
The ultimate” Beach Town”, Fort Myers Beach combines family entertainment with fun and nightlife.
Lover’s Key
Lover’s Key. Carl E. Johnson Park, operated by Lee County Parks, has wide sandy beaches and is close to restaurants, galleries and luxury hotels.
Bonita Beach
A great beach for leisurely walks and taking in the natural beauty of the area..
With 16 Beach parks, including state and federal lands, Ft Myers offers recreational facilities that compare with the best in the nation.
Outdoor activities in Ft Myers and lee county.

Fishing-saltwater and freshwater
Boating-Ocean or Bay
Camping-over 3500 campsites
Diving-Ocean
Bike riding
Birding
Shelling
Photography
Tennis
Golf
Sailing
Kayaking http://www.fortmyers-sanibel.com/everything_to_do/water_rec/
Recreational Opportunities:

23 Community parks
12 regional parks-spring training ://www.leeparks.org
15 tennis courts
9 tennis centers
95 plus Golf Courses
58 Boat Ramps/marinas http://www.watersportsfl.com/boat-ramps.htm
50 miles of white sandy beaches
Pro sports facilities

The World Champion Boston Red Sox hold Spring Training in Fort Myers at the county operated City of Palms Park
The Minnesota Twins conduct Spring Training at the Lee County Sports Complex..
The Minnesota Twins’ Single-A minor league ball club, the Fort Myers Miracle play at the Bill Hammond Stadium.
The Fort Myers Skatiium is located on Broadway directly adjacent to the City of Palms Stadium. The Skatium is a 71,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility that houses two skating rinks, one regulation National Hockey League ice rink and one in-line skating rink.
The Edison Festival of Light 5K Classic, Held every winter.
Charlotte County Speedway, on Piper Road just East of I-75 in Punta Gorda, offers weekly stock-car and winged-sprint races
The Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Track on Bonita Beach Road in Bonita Springs has racing most days
Whether your recreational needs range from spectator to participant, FT Myers and it’s surrounding beaches and parks have it all

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Sanibel and Captiva Islands lie just across a bridge from Ft Myers. They are unique – really two islands now connected by a sandbar/bridge and a closed pass – and definitely a place that has its own character.
Both of these legendary islands are known the world over. They’re perceived as hard to buy into (nobody wants to leave, and Real Estate can be very expensive), but they are in fact accessible to all.

In Florida the beaches belong to everybody, so beach access is always the real issue. The Town of Sanibel has made a point of supporting a number of limited-parking access points, and two big ones at Bowman’s Beach and the Lighthouse.
And there is also great parking for the shopping and galleries and restaurants, and for the world class andworld-renowned wildlife refuge, Ding Darling. Sanibel-Captiva should be on everybody’s list of why to go to Southwest Florida, and what to do when you get there.

Sanibel means shelling, beaching and swimming in the totally placid waters of the Gulf of Mexico, birding trails and drives, great golfing and tennis and biking, incredibly diverse dining and shopping, and terrific galleries. There’s even decent theater. It can also mean kayaking, motor boating, tarpon fishing, and exploring the myriad islands of Pine Island Sound. There are lots of places to rent a boat or kayak.
The Sanibel experience, whether in private quarters, the large number of timeshares, or an excelent choice of hotels, tends to be a resort experience, albeit a very laid-back one.
There is also a quiet, very upscale residential experience, that features good government, great small town amenities, good schools, easy access to excelent health care and off-island shopping, etc.; but relatively few people see that side of it. Which is too bad—some parts of Sanibel are more affordable than people realize.

A few statistics
Demographics

Population: 6000 plus, and 3-4x seasonally
Median age: 60, younger with seasonal population
Median income: $80,000
Housing

As of Sept 2005, per an MLS search, a 2/2 home in Sanibel starts at $495,000. The same 2/2 in Captiva starts at $549,000.

Employment

Sanibel, like the mainland, is chiefly if not exclusively a services economy.
Many employed residents work on the island, since there is a reasonably good local economic base on Sanibel.
But obviously there is a much deeper job market and broader range of potential employment on the mainland, and that’s where most employed Sanibel residents work
More people come to Sanibel from Ft. Myers to work, than the other way round, so a lot of the service folks you encounter in the stores, etc., are not actually residents
Industries providing employment on Sanibel
· Tourist related (21.2%),
· Retail trade (13.9%),
· Business, Real Estate (13.5%),
· Professional, management services (12.6%).
In conclusion
if you can afford it, and love nature and yet want the additional amenities of a big city just a bridge away, this would be an incredible place to live. Here you really can have your cake and eat it too.

Here’s a suggestion for you. If you think you would be interested in relocating to Sanibel-Captiva, either full-time or seasonally, or perhaps opening a shop on the islands, try renting one of the many beautiful timeshare properties for a week. They are very reasonable, and it’s a terrific way to learn about the island, the world of real Estate there, and what it would be like to live there. My wife and I stayed with friends in the relaxed Sanibel Beach Club 1 this past June, and I can definitely recommend this approach.

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