looking at Gulfport, fl. want a quiet place and close to the water. thanks for any info...bill.. UPDATE...leaving vegas 8-22 , will be driving my jeep with my 2 rotts should be fun >

This message has been edited. Last edited by: taz95dog,

I live in southwest FL. I hate it.

Its hot. Often times its 10 degree hotter at my house than my sister in laws house in Jacksonville, FL. It could be 64 at her house, but 75 at mine, during the night. Its humid. The mosquitoes are so thick from May to October, I cant go outside recreationally. I am litterly a prisoner of my own house where I live.

I cannot wait to get out of this damn swamp. Even north Florida would be a huge upgrade from here.

The county sprays for mosquitoes every other night it seems like, and it does nothing. Just a trip to the mailbox will have 5 mosquitoes on you. Strap two toddlers into their car seats and the car will have 10 mosquitoes flying around inside terrorizing the screaming kids. Fun fun fun.

Muddy says it all

Gulfport is a small affluent town on the west gulf shore in Pinellas County. Pinellas County is the most densely populated county in Florida. You are about an hour from Tampa. Its a great place to live if you like the beach,, boating , fishing, lots of people and traffic. Hurricanes and home insurance can be a problem.

I live in NE Florida and I love it.

If you want a quiet place on the water consider further north along the gulf where the bend is or on the Atlantic coast of South Carolina, Georgia, or North Florida.

I live about 100 miles north of Gulfport in Citrus County. I am about 15 miles from the water (Kings Bay) and my house is 90 ft. above sea level which is above the 500ft flood plain.
The topography is rolling hills, predominantly Live Oak and Long Leaf Pine. Mosquitos are few and very slow.
Waterfront property is much more expensive even in Citrus County and is prone to flooding so most houses near the water are raised.
I have nearly 6 acres and the property cost less than a small waterfront lot would have.

The boundary between North and South Florida is generally considered to be State Road 50, by that reckoning, Gulfport is in South Florida.

Personally I would not want to live there but plenty of people do like it.

Edited to add that it is quiet here.

Been in the panhandle for 45 years.

I like it, but it's getting busy around here.

I live 3 miles north of Gulfport in central St Petersburg and I can tell you that my family and I absolutely love this area. We have lived here for 13 years, having been born and raised in Illinois.

Gulfport is a nice area, but some of the crime in South St Pete has worked its way into Gulfport. There are some better areas to live just a short distance away from Gulfport.

There is a wonderful 'foodie' culture here with spectacular restaurants, a great downtown in St Pete, some of the nation's finest beaches, and a wonderful arts community (which is necessary for my employment).

The school district is fantastic (which I can say unbiased as an employee), there's great healthcare, great law enforcement agencies and fire/rescue, and a very second amendment-friendly atmosphere almost everywhere.

Spiritual life is alive and well with many large, affluent churches (again, one of which employs me), with many different mainstream denominations or smaller independent churches to choose.

Yes, it's swampy hot. But that's why the good Lord invented air conditioning. Plus when we are walking on the beach in January, we can send pictures to our relatives in the Midwest while they suffer though a snowstorm.

If you visit the area this summer and would like someone to show you around, feel free to drop me an email. I'd be happy to.

Thank you for the replies. I do like boating and fishing I don't want to be cold. Please keep them coming thanks Bill

quote:

Originally posted by taz95dog:
Thank you for the replies. I do like boating and fishing I don't want to be cold. Please keep them coming thanks Bill

Check out the Stuart/Ft. Pierce area. Lot's of inshore saltwater fishing and offshore. Nice, somewhat laid back, nice restaurants and people. Ft. Pierce has less traffic than Stuart....

I was born and raised in Virginia Beach, Daytona Beach, Fort Lauderdale ,Clearwater and then pass a Grille way in St Pete Beach. Humidity is rough and I don't like mosquitoes but they like me. I'm not locked in anywhere. But I want to be close to the water and I don't want cold Winters thanks again bedtime for me

This message has been edited. Last edited by: taz95dog,

Panhandle winters are not too bad.

Typical 40s and low 50s from November to March.

But it we also have 70s into December.

A few cold snaps and occasional hard freeze, but only a day or two every few weeks in Jan-Mar.

This past year we almost skipped winter altogether.

It sounds like a job isn't required? Retired?

If I was moving to FL it would be somewhere in the 'panhandle'. I can't see myself full timing it in FL though, just not the type.

We winter in Stuart FL.and are very happy with the area. My wife likes the Ocean, I like to kayak fish on the river. Climate is great.

cool topic as we are looking at Hobe Sound when i retire in three years. kayak fishing? sounds like a winner!

I have not heard of that one yet I'll have to look into it thanks Bill

We are out on Hutchinson Island so the Indian River is out back. I throw the kayak on the car and go down to st Lucie Inlet. A nice Kayak trail down there. I'm semi retired so we split our time between MD and FL.

Florida was funny- no one was actually from there.

Since 1971 31.2% of Florida's population is native, a statistic constant to today. Fl went from 3 to 21 million in my lifetime, about to tip over like Guam.

Don't forget to check out the property taxes, flood and windstorm insurance rates. I don't know what you are used to paying but when I left Florida a little over 2 years ago we were paying around $7500.00 for the above.
We lived in Ft. Pierce, Port St. Lucie, Jupiter and Stuart/Palm City during our 35 years in Florida. This area is very nice with a lot of beach access but the area has been having water quality issues because of the fresh water dumps from Lake Okeechobee. Both indoor and outdoor ranges available in the area. Fishing, kayaking and sailing are popular on the inland waters. The inlet can be quite nasty at times if you like to go offshore but the fishing is great at times. The area got a little to crowded for us.