Key Considerations When Deciding Where in Florida You Should Live

If you are a mom living in Florida, you probably have plenty on your mind these days. Depending on your child’s age, or ages, if you have more than one, you must figure out where you and the family should live. At certain stages, your children need different things, and you should have quick and easy access.

We will discuss some considerations that should go into your decision right now. Florida has several cities and regions. You must pick the right one so you can feel you’re raising your kids properly.

Do Your Kids Like the Beach?

Florida has many beaches. You can find them up and down the state. You can find private ones easily, but also some very nice public one.

Before you start perusing new Smyrna Beach oceanfront condos for sale, though, you should consider the following question: do your kids like the beach? It seems unbelievable, but some kids don’t enjoy the beach very much. If that’s true, then you might find a home inland that’s not beach-adjacent.

Most Florida kids grow up loving the beach. They can swim, dip their toes in while walking across the sand, and even fish if there’s a convenient pier. If your kids don’t mind having no beach nearby, though, that opens up some other possibilities if you’re remaining in the Sunshine State.

How About the Schools?

Recently, the national media has talked about Florida’s school systems a lot. You probably feel like you should get your kids the best possible education. That likely means you should check out the nearby school district carefully.

If you find a school district that seems excellent, you might move and buy a house in that area. 

Obviously, you can’t decide using the school district as the entire determining factor. Still, you likely feel your kids need high-quality schooling, and you might think about that when looking at cities or regions where you can live.

Can You Get an Appropriate Job There?

As a child’s mother, you must also consider your work situation. If you’re a homemaker and you don’t work outside the house, this probably won’t matter all that much. If you work either full or part-time, though, you must think about your profession and what jobs you might get nearby.

If you can get work nearby, and your partner or spouse can as well, assuming you have one, then you can probably target that city or area. If you find that there’s nothing nearby that works and you need an additional income source, that might cause a move at some point.

What About Extracurricular Activities?

Depending on your child’s age, you might feel they should play some sports. Maybe you find they have an aptitude and can play baseball, soccer, volleyball, football, or something else. They might love it, and you may feel you should encourage them in that pursuit.

They might also paint or sculpt. Maybe they like music and play an instrument. Whatever they favor, you must find out whether they can do that where you live. If they can’t, perhaps you’ll move.

You might find a school district that funds art, music, sports, etc. If you find that the local district doesn’t have enough funding, or they don’t seem like they prioritize what your child likes, maybe you’ll find somewhere else that feels differently.

You can also see what extracurriculars your child likes that the school doesn’t offer. Maybe they like ballet or some other activity that the school doesn’t teach, but you can find a private tutor or academy nearby. If so, maybe your child can attend after school or on the weekends.

The Weather

You might have your child’s academics or their afterschool activities in mind, but what about the weather? Florida sees some nice weather regularly, but there’s also hurricane season every year, and you should consider that when buying or renting a house.

In Florida, some cities suffer frequent hurricane damage during the season. For instance, if you check out Northwest Florida, you will notice it’s at constant risk during the fall. Southwest and Southeast Florida don’t do much better.

You might move and buy a home elsewhere. The Central Florida region and the Northeastern section don’t see much yearly damage.  

How About Crime?

You must consider crime as well. Some Florida areas aren’t that bad, while others have a pretty poor reputation.

For instance, if you look at Riviera Beach's crime stats, you’ll see they’re very high. You will notice that with Cocoa Beach and Florida City as well. Daytona Beach and Lake Worth have high crime rates. So do Lauderhill, Tallahassee, and Orlando.

You can check out crime stats, but you should not immediately feel certain areas have high crime just because you see some horror stories on the news. You should also consider which crimes plague certain areas.

If you see a city that has a supposedly high crime rate, but those crimes include mostly things like vandalism or petty theft, that’s not exactly murder and mayhem. You might feel okay living somewhere with so-called nuisance crimes rather than the worse ones that should quickly get your attention.

Talk with Your Family

As you choose where in Florida you might live, you should value everyone’s thoughts. As the mom, your opinion carries some weight, but you should also bring in the other parent, assuming you’re coparenting.

You can talk about what the family most values and needs. If you still have very young kids, they won’t have any say. However, if you have some middle school or high school-aged kids, you might ask them what they want if you feel like moving makes sense.

Florida has many different cities and regions, and you should choose one that makes the most sense. Consider everything we’ve mentioned and any other factors that might come into play. Maybe you also want a house near the Disney theme parks. Nothing says that you can’t have that.