Is Pensacola a good place for retiree's? (credit, subdivisions)

[moondoggy51]

Originally Posted by marjean

Moondoggy, have you considered just moving within sc? We are retired and looked a LOT around the area I'm guessing you live but we decided on greenville instead. We love greenville. Not a large city, but with everything a big city offers. We lived in pensacola for 23 years and I miss the beaches. Are you a beach person? To me that's the main advantage to the area. If not, why leave sc...cheaper taxes here. And, before you decide, spend time there in august. Many people hate the heat and humidity.

We didn't give much thought to relocating in SC as you're right that Greenville would offer most of the amenities we were used to in Bloomington, IL. Our reason for picking SC and Seneca in particular was the two nearby lakes (Keowee and Hartwell) and boating so if we couldn't be by the water then nothing was going to suit us. The reality is that we are beach people and boating on a large lake like Lake Keowee was just a substitute for Pensacola Beach anyway. Yes, I know what you mean about the heat and humidity but I think we'll be OK. We've vacationed many times in Pensacola during mid July and I lived in Ft Walton and Panama City when I was a kid so I somewhat know what I'm getting into. Besides, despite all the rain we had here in SC this year, it was pretty hot and muggy here in August. Thing is that they've had brutal weather in Illinois this winter and we kind happy that we're down south where it's warmer.

[moondoggy51]

Originally Posted by marjean

Btw...look into nature trail subdivision In pensacola. Beautiful. New homes. Most are more than your price but not all. Pensacola is pretty much built out so you have to really look for new homes.

Thanks for the advice. Based on some other comments we're going to look in a number of subdivisions in NW Pensacola, Cantonment and in Pace. We've been hearing a lot of nice things about Pace so it will be interesting to see what it has to offer when we pay a visit to go house hunting.

[southernnaturelover]

I don't recommend Cantonment. Much of it is run down and trashy and there's a huge paper mill right in the center of town that sometimes causes an odor.

Redevelopment Plan Approved For ‘Blighted’ Areas Of Cantonment : NorthEscambia.com

[JJAF]

Another thing I didn't see mentioned, but You are a short drive from Biloxi if you like to go to the casinos and you have 5 Flags Speedway and Mobile Speedway if you like Stock Car racing.

[Retro_p2]

Well, I think PCola could possibly be a great place to retire. I'm not too sure about PCola itself; I've never lived within the city limits. However, the Gulf Breeze area is a wonderful, quiet place, near to PCola and within driving distance to Alabama (west/north) and Destin (east). On a national scale, this place is very affordable for what you get. I grew up in LA county, and my current house in Midway (Gulf Breeze area) would easily go for triple what I paid for it where I grew up. It is warm most months here, but winters can get cold. As I've explained to many people, if Northwest Florida is the last stop on the Cold Air Express from up North. We've had winters that I could not differentiate from spring, and some that left me scratching my head. Just this winter, I've seen sub freezing temperatures on several nights, but two winters ago it was often in the high 60's low seventies during the days ... so ...

I'm not retired myself, but I hate paying taxes, and FL has no income tax, low sales tax, and low property tax in the PCola/Okaloosa County area. We've got some great hospitals, and a great middle class presence. Hope this helps some.

[Retro_p2]

Oh, and I forgot to mention, if you're into out doors stuff there is a lot to do here as well. The are is literally surrounded by the Gulf (obvious enough) and 100s of back water bodies, rivers and tributaries. You can get a range pass from the Jackson Guard and traverse/fish/hunt the open areas of the Eglin AFB test range. It is brutally hot in the summer months though, but if you're like me, you'll gladly take hot/humid over frigid cold.

[moondoggy51]

Well, I just wanted to let everyone know that I bought a home in Pace, FL which is a suburban community that's part of the Pensacola Metro area.

A few weeks ago my wife and I traveled to Pensacola and spent about a week looking for homes in Pensacola, Buelah, Cantonment and Pace. Quite honestly we thought that there were some very nice subdivisions with existing homes in them for sale and there were several very nice subdivisions that had newly constructed homes in them. When we asked people in real estate down there where people were moving to quite a number of them suggested Pace over all the other communities. Why Pace? The big reason was schools. Evidently, Pace is a very fast growing community and whomever is in charge of the school system has made Pace schools some of the best in the state of Florida and parents of children are looking for a community where their kids can get ahead in this world by having a quality education. Surprisingly enough, one would think that with a focus on education the taxes in Santa Rosa County would higher than in Escambia County but from what I've been told that's not the case. Now my wife and I are empty nesters but the way I look at it if education is a draw this will keep property values up and if the taxes are lower than Escambia County then that's a extra plus.

In addition to everything else we also thought that Pace was reasonably close to the airport, the mall, Kohl's, Sears, Penney's, Target, Walmart, Home Depot, etc. and only about 30 minutes to the beach. So, based on the location, taxes and schools we picked Pace. Hopefully, this might help others in their search for a place to retire.

[vipin04i]

I have been reading this thread since I'm also moving to the Pensacola, Fl. But the thing is, I have two kids (one in 7th grade and the other a senior). Currently, they go to a great public school district in central new jersey. From what I've seen online about the city the schools at Pensacola don't match up to par. So we are considering moving the kids to private school if we decide to move within Pensacola. Also, the neighbourhood Nature Trail is quite close to my job, about 4-5 minutes. The other option we have is to move to Pace and have them attend public school there but that would mean a longer commute for me, Both places sound great beside this factor, so where would you guys suggest moving? We are going to be moving there in about a month so I would appreciate quick responses.Thank You in advance.

[JJAF]

Working a 7:30 A.M. to 4 P.M. shift, how long would it roughly take to get from Some of the new popular subdivisions in Pace to the VA hospital in Pensacola for my work? Would this be a aggravating drive? Are there newer subdivisions on the western side of Pace to help make the commute quicker?

[racer84]

Pensacola has a good hospital system with 3 major hospitals, Baptist, Sacred Heart, and West Florida in Escambia county and Santa Rosa Medical Center in Santa Rosa (growing reputation, but did struggle for a while). Both Baptist and Sacred Heart have facilities in surrounding counties, as well as Primary Care doctors. West Florida has a Primary Care doctor group as well. I'm a lifetime Pensacola area resident, I've lived in both Escambia and Santa Rosa, and I know the area. There are places to live above I10 that are open a spacious, and places toward the water that are small and expensive. You're not really very far from shopping anywhere in the lower half of either county.
I work for Humana, the insurance company, and I have real estate, builder, and most any contact you might need. I'd be glad to talk to you about the area, a primary care doctor, or things to do. I'm 60, married, established in the area.
Kenny Thorpe 850-585-7845