If you are watching a video like this..... to decide if you will move here or not.... do not bother we do not want you here..... as for the bad driving that is all the transplants.....
And by the way...... these are not small towns they are holes in the wall... go ahead move to these "towns" with a family and you will be moving back to where you come from..in the first 2 years.... cause most children will go nuts in these places..... there are alot of great towns to live in.....
Lots of people think Florida is Disney World, beaches and the Everglades. Florida is RURAL !! Flat pastures, cows and palm trees !! LOL Lots of fishing holes, including the biggest one, Lake Okeechobee ♥️
Florida can be as rural as it could possibly be and it's still shit...I live in Florida and nature here sucks big time... Nothing like the west of United States!
That’s what I keep telling people, heck I just found out we had all these caves up in central Fl with stalagmites, waterfalls and beautiful clear grottos then we a huge prairie called Payne Prairie that had wild stallions and buffalo.
Interesting fact: Blountstown and Bristol are only like 2 and a half miles apart but have a 1 hour time difference because the Eastern/Central time zone splits them.
I just moved from Keystone Heights after living there for nearly 5 years. It is a great little town that has all of the small town things. People are very friendly and it's one of the few Florida places I have been where the people were mostly from the area. Parades for the holidays, closed off roads in town on halloween, most things closed on Sunday, churches outnumber liquor stores by about 8:1, very family oriented, has a retirement community, and even hosts a large youth camp. However, the population is about to expand there by leaps and bounds within the next 5-10 years. Lots of development coming down towards Keystone Heights from the Middleburg area, and Camp Blanding takes up one side of the highway for most of the trip between Middleburg and Keystone Heights (approx. 20 miles). Housing and land prices doubled just in the short time I lived there. Many waterfront houses with large lots (.5 to over 1 ac) to be had for under $400k still. Lots of parks and farms in surrounding area. So many places nearby to drop a fishing line in at, and the St. Johns river is only 30 minutes away in Palatka. Wildlife is abundant in area. Eagles, hawks, flocks of sandhill cranes, owls, armadillos, quail. Lots of birds migrate to/through area in winter. Several places with well protected areas for bicyclists in and around town. Plenty of good deals on fresh seafood from Roger not far from nearby Melrose on the side of the road. Internet is spotty once you get just outside of town, with the only really viable option being a local company called Fastnet. 25 MB service. Fast enough to stream, video chat, or surf, but not all games will run at top performance with the lower bandwidth. Lots of stars and bars flying around. It is definitely Trump country. Expect everyone you meet to be packing a hand cannon. Keystone Heights needs some really good restaurants in a really bad way, but I'm certain they will be along soon. One red light in the middle of town and one more at commercial circle that is only on in the day time. There's also a race track at the town airport called The Firm, where you can take your own car out on a F-1 style race track or even go out on an offroad/enduro track. And after you break your car, you can take it to Williams to get it fixed. Most everything is closed up by 8 or 9 pm. The police, and in reality the people, don't put up with much if any bullshit there. Most children mind their manners. Negotiations can often be settled with a handshake. Most people still take pride in themselves and their work. In the time I lived there I could count all of the bad things that happened nearby on one hand, and with a finger leftover. Problem people are effectively ran out of town. Hard to say that about most any place nowadays. Some of the yards/houses look like they are straight out of a Jeff Foxworthy skit, but are becoming farther and fewer between as prices have risen sharply and people have sold. Insurance is very reasonable as it is a very low risk area by Florida standards provided you are not in a flood zone. Not criticizing or complaining, just painting a realistic picture for those interested.
I live in Palatka and had thought about moving to Keystone Heights. For some it'll be a great town but I am not that religious. The hurricanes on the west coast of Florida make me very nervous. The hurricanes on the east coast of Florida seem to swing away whereas on the west coast they get stuck in the Gulf.
Insurance is not very reasonable in Florida. It has doubled in the last couple years due to the hurricanes. Insurance companies are dropping people and pulling out of state and some have filed for bankruptcy. Also housing prices have increase by 30% in the last year alone. I’ve lived in the state since 1970 and it’s become a hot mess. Getting out in the next couple years.
@@linrae1181 "by Florida standards". No insurance is cheap here, agreed. However, I paid less than half in Keystone than I did in Ft. Lauderdale and that was for more than twice the home too. If you want to have a little fun sometime find an insurance calculator that will give you an instant quote and plug in some random addresses and watch the numbers bounce around as you move from area to area.
@@n0validusername Obviously the closer you are to the coastline the more you’re going to pay, the risk is much higher for hurricane damage so why Ft Lauderdale is so expensive. I’m on the Gulf Coast, West Central Florida. I’m familiar with Keystone Heights and Middleburg I used to live in Jacksonville.
@@linrae1181 although I don't have property in Florida, my car insurance is double what it was in Virginia Beach Virginia! And I'm someone who's not had an accident or any of the other reasons given for the high cost!
The "Panhandle" and the "beaches" are two different things. The "Panhandle" is generally considered the I-10 corridor from Pensacola over to I-75. Highway 98 to the South is the "beaches".
@@elliebellie7816 that’s an interesting way to look at it but even people who live right on the gulf in Destin and Fort Walton Beach say that they live in the panhandle.
We were just talking with our daughter about settling in a nice small town in Florida. We live on the Treasure Coast, but this once small town is growing rapidly bc everyone wants to move here! We LOVE Florida! Thx for the info!
It’s always a joy to see in my notifications a video from you, Briggs. It always makes my day. It helps me when I’m depressed to find some joy in watching these videos you made. I don’t know why, they just make me happier. You are informative and funny at the same time!
Trouble with rural Florida is that there's not much of it left anymore. I can remember when I first moved here I'd talk to people who came down right after WW2 and they'd tell me about all the changes that took place in the years prior to my family's arrival. I was 13 then and remember those conversations vividly. Fast forward 43 years later and at 56 I can't begin to tell you all the changes I've witnessed over the years. Most of it in the form of high density housing, apartment complexes and repeats of corporate brands all over. The days of mom & pop have disappeared long ago and the few that remain will soon vanish as well. I beg to disagree with Briggs on Keystone Heights where he said it's going to stay under 2000 for quite some time. I've traveled all around Florida myself from Lake Okeechobee to Jacksonville and to the extreme western part of the panhandle. In just the last five years alone I've seen places you'd never think would catch the interest of a developer and then suddenly boom the houses start popping up like mushrooms with no amenities around them. But then the corporate brands come in afterwards to fill in the gaps between subdivisions and it becomes on big happy stretch of urban sprawl! Too many people and the infrastructure can hardly keep up. The roads are always under construction expanding to try and handle the increased growth. Soon the people will out number the bugs and that's too much for me to stomach. After 43 years I feel I've paid my dues but I'm just ready to turn a new leaf someplace else...hopefully some fall leaves at that!😉 Though I had a difference of opinion with you on this one I still thank you Briggs for your videos. I will continue to watch your content, give a thumbs up and subscribe. Keep up the good work.👍
I agree with you, I moved in my little town 35 years ago, because was charming with old town houses and shops. Those shops are gone, replaced by big name stores who keep closing for lack of business. The charming houses being replaced by huge communities, but the roads and streets still not available. Traffic increased about 300% since 1992, making it crazy to go anywhere. I miss my little town so much.
You gotta think our bodies in Florida are used to 80 degree humid weather 10 months out of the year, so when it does get to the 60’s or 50’s thats freezing. Live here for atleast 5 years and you’ll see
I'm loving this series. Making me homesick for Florida, in the best of ways. Walking along drainage ditches behind peoples yards in the cool of the morning to the forest area, grabbing some fruit to eat from peoples trees along the way. Arriving at the swampy forest and relaxing. Eating kumquats and oranges. Ah. Florida. 😁😍
hello anna, i'm Jorge, a pilot from Lima peru, working with LATAM airline. i came across your page here through the utube suggestion for me so i thought to write to you. where are you from? Write me when you can and do have a nice day and may God bless you .
These used to be great areas to live, now half of America has moved to Florida bringing all of their rude inconsiderate selfish ways. Forests are going down faster than you can drive by them. Towns are growing and housing development is out of sight. Everyone moves to Florida for freedom But by everyone moving here it’s really taking away the freedom from everyone that’s been here forever
Love to see these Florida videos!! I've lived in Florida my whole life, and I can agree that we drive fast here lol. The roads are like the Daytona 500. I would have recommended other towns, but they have grown so much recently that I can't even really call them towns anymore. My mentions would be: St. Augustine, Ocala, DeLand, Naples, Destin, and Mt. Dora (the smallest). Maybe those would be good for a best small cities of FL video?
@@linrae1181 so true 😅😂. I have definitely been in a few scary situations on the road here 😅😂. The issue is, that since everyone is driving like hell on wheels, you have to as well, because then you'll just get wrecked by idiots going 100 mph in a 60 mph zone. When I lived in the more rural part of FL, I would often catch people going twice the speed limit. Even cops here speed 🤣😂 I see them go at least 20 mph over speed limit when I do see them.
@@johnbetancourt59 It seems to have gotten worse since the pandemic. I drive I 75 five days a week and it’s crazy what you see people doing. So reckless at very high rates of speed. Everyone just seems angry…
Frostproof Florida as mentioned in this video in southern Polk County is one of those off the beaten path towns waiting to be discovered with 2 beautiful large lakes surrounding their charming downtown with great fishing especially bass fishing.The town also has a golfcart ordinance where you're allowed to drive your golf cart anywhere within the city limits.Plenty o of affordable senior mobile home and rv parks for snowbirds and budget retirees looking for a slower pace of life.
Born and raised in Polk Co. Grew up in Davenport but have lived all over the county. I can testify that the fishing is great,especially if you are after largemouth bass. Never lived in Frostproof but Lake Wales and Babson Park are pretty close. Now I call Tennessee home.
I grew up in High Springs, the name comes from a small spring that is at the top of hill east and a bit south of the center of town. It is probably at least 40 feet above the mean altitude of the rest of the town. Even as a kid in the late 60's, we had no idea who owned the land. But it was situated behind a middle school about a 1/4 mile or so. It was a great little town back then, but the Greenie Yuppies have changed all that.
This was a lazy list. I can name u 15 better small rural towns that are low crime and great to live. Chipley, Vernon, bonifay, cottondale, graceville, altha, Sneads, grand ridge, port st. Joe, wewahitchka, freeport, ebro, greenhead, redhead, Bethlehem, Jay, Jacob city, campbelton, fountain, Ponce de Leon, Alford, Wausau, baker, Franklin, north view, Crestview, wild wood, Jacob, the list goes on. All these places are rural safe and small with average real-estate and decent internet, the travel distance to the nearest hospital is short less than 25 minutes in all cities. Low crimes rates and good schools. 👍
I grew up in Hosford, the next town east of Bristol. Very cool to see my old stomping grounds on RU-vid haha. Not good for bar hoppers, because Liberty county (Bristol) is a dry county and you have to go to Blountstown to find any restaurants/bar that serve alcohol
Thanks, Briggs. Didn't know Florida had these charming little towns!! Was living in Fort Myers a few years ago; moved to the NE part of the Country when COVID hit down there. Looking for a small town, low cost environment to retire this year, in Florida; miss the Sunshine State everyday. Love your videos!!
Born here raised here. Remember going out on Sunday. Everything closed might see one other vehicle on the road just taking the family for a drive. Knew most everybody in town, local IGA, post office. I miss it…
Briggs, you knocked it out of the park on this one. I live about an hour west of Blountstown (thank you for pronouncing it correctly, by the way), I have been to most of the towns on your list. You missed a couple up here in the Panhandle, though. Chipley, FL, Crestview, FL, even here in Marianna,, FL. Excellent job on what you did find. 13 thumbs up!!
All four of those places are nothing but disgusting sewers. My unfortunate family has lived along the I-10 corridor since 1900 and it's nothing but swamps, bugs, muggy sweaty humidity, insects, reptiles, nasty dirty creeks and rivers (don't get me started on the Chipola), uneducated people, poor schools, and black people still living in tar paper shacks. Thank god I left Marianna in 1997 and discovered there's a much better world out there than anywhere in Florida.
bought land near Brooksville, Florida. It’s beautiful there, to me the Gulf side it has the better weather. Also I could care less about my wifi connection lol that’s the point of a rural town. A sense of peace from the world
Native Floridian here and High Springs / Keystone Heights are lovely towns. To live in the panhandle, one needs to understand a serious southern accent. I lived most of my life just north of Miami and looked to the north when I retired. I ended up in the White Mountains of central New Hampshire, LOL.
I would sure like to hear a list about Florida cities from a true Floridian that would be the best other than that outsiders will never understand based on statistical views
Native Floridian here! Pahokee is by far the best town to move to! Cheap real estate! All out of state investors and those wanting a taste of FL should move there!!!!
Did you check around the area of Rainbow Springs? The Salt springs area is wonderful, there's Ocala where some CA stars have compounds, Anthony, McIntosh, anywhere near Ocala National Forest, Spring Hill, Brooksville, Dade City, Sebring, Arcadia-lots of crime tho, I think you didn't check too far.
I recently went through a small town called Palatka and I’m sensitive to energy shifts. That place is mystical af! I thought I would feel this in St Augustine, but I felt it as soon as I entered that little town. Really interesting vibe. High Springs is cool, too.
As a 3rd generation Floridian I laughed out loud when you said we do a 20 min drive in 7 min! So true!!! It's getting harder and harder to do though since we're being over run by transplants from other states. Wish people would stay away and stop trying to change our quaint little small towns. I grew up in a sleepy little town called Parrish. Manatee County has seen so much growth in the last 15 years. It's got me looking at other little towns in Northern Florida to get away from all of the outsiders.
I have a granddaughter who lives in a new apartment building in Bradenton. It is very close to Parrish. Living in Polk county we go thru Parrish to see her. I commented to my husband how sad it is for Parrish residents that Bradenton is fastly growing into your territory. I feel for you all. Traffic can be a real problem. I was very pleased that she was on the outskirts of Bradenton and a very easy drive for us to see her. After your comment, I can very much see the flip of the situation. For Parrish I'm very sorry.
I prefer Hallandale Beach Florida beautiful beaches and, Gulf Stream Park the biggest Horse racing park in Florida, the Pegasus and Dragon Statue the second biggest statue in United States 🇺🇸, great restaurants and casinos, clubs, lounges, and your in between everything in South Florida, it’s not a small town but it’s the place to be.❤
Please do West Virginia. I live in rural town in West VA . I live in Hinton WV . It's beautiful here . The water and the mountains and it's beautiful in the spring and summer and fall and also winter here . But I used to live in Florida. I used to live in Ruskin FL.
A friend and I compared notes and discovered we'd both lived in Harper's Ferry, though at different times. We agreed that if we could afford it, we'd pack everything and leave tomorrow. As it is, I need to go to Kaiser for some genealogy work. Everywhere is just so nice in WV!
Keystone is good for better middle class but they are Clay county, where I live and it's building up fast, look up Middleburg, FL and realize that is way closer than Gainesville and there is a large hospital and they are building a highways 15 minutes down state road 21, or Blanding Blvd., that makes Jacksonville a 20 minute drive.. Keystone is going to grow alot in 15 to 20 years.. Also, maybe no violence but tons of drug
I love how Briggs can’t keep his anti-Florida bias out of his videos. He comes storming right out of the gates with a shot on FL. Saying that FLis not that bad is like saying that a super model is kind of pretty. Millions of people don’t move to a place that is “not that bad”. People to a place that is fantastic. Like, I don’t know, Crystal River, Sarasota, Winter Springs, Lake Mary, Jupiter, New Smyrna Beach et al.
My pops had a hunting camp in Blounstown ,met a girl with a son ,named Stacy,now we all Family, awesome ...Keystone Heights Clay Electric main headquarters. Love the Gap Bristol Blounstown time and drive quote
I moved to Keystone Heights when I was in the 6th grade. We left Jacksonville to move to a safer location. I absolutely hated living there when I was a teenager so I came back to Jacksonville for college and am still here. Now that I'm older, I'd go back in a heartbeat. I did see someone else comment that they lived there and there is only two stop lights. That's correct. They're only like a mile apart and the second one wasn't installed until like 2010.
Hey there, lived in Keystone Heights, FL all my life. Currently still do. They’re building rapidly! There still is two traffic lights, and hopefully it stays that way :-) Glad I have around 15 acres of land to keep a good buffer.
5 very solid choices!! Given the hurricane issue, I'd make sure to get a standby generator, and if gas wasn't available, I'd have a huge LPG tank on the property to power it. Guessing these areas are not high up on the priority list to get power restored from a large area storm knocking everything out. Other than that, really like these places.
What I like a Blountstown and Bristol they are four miles apart but in two separate time zones. The Apalachicola River is the demarcation between the East and Central times zones in Florida. I remember having a basketball game in Blountstown when I was in Jr High. Our coaches screwed up. They thought it was in the eastern time zone so we arrived an hour earlier than we needed. We sat in the gym for an hour waiting.
Hello Briggs..Thank you so much for all your videos because they give us a lot of information on where we should move to or not move time especially when we’re retiring,Healthcare, or other important things that we should know about when it comes to certain towns and states or we just want a place to live that’s quiet than where we are at right now a place that is going to offer more for our money. I love your videos thank you so much its .very informative..Keep the videos coming have a good weekend👍👍👍
Good call on High Springs although the population is closer to 7500. As far as medical, North Florida hospital is 15 minutes from High springs and Shands (highly ranked Hospital) is about 25 minutes. High Springs has a 4 lane highway (441) that connects to interstate 75, putting Gainesville only 15 minutes away. Keystone heights is nice when the lakes have water in them but because of 2 lane roads and having to drive completely thru the city of Gainesville the before-mentioned hospital's are close to an hour away.
@@victorw2474 Yes this town was designed for horse and buggy the main streets are very small and when you get all the congestion of modern vehicles especially semi trucks it just doesn’t work and the sad thing is they can’t expand the roads because these are historic buildings of course we wouldn’t want them removed anyways just town is not designed For all this congestion I’m not sure what the solution is
My grandfather and Great uncle had orange groves in Florida. In frost proof they had a tar block plant. The tar block plant was a place that took old tires and made blocks of them that would be set in orange groves that would be lit on fire on freezing nights to protect the orange trees. I was always told they made smudge pots in Frostptoof to protect orange trees from freezes. So somehow as a Floridian kid I just assumed Frostproof was named Frostptoof because they made things to protect orange trees from frost.
You are way off about keystone heights Florida. I have lived there since 1987, crime is bad, tweeters everywhere, and there is nothing to do especially for younger people. Most residents under 35 have a criminal past so now none of them can get work, I would definitely research ia little bit more next time. Sorry I mean no offense I just had to speak up brah 😎👍✌️
You should talk to the FBI. They seem to think the crime rate is much lower, your local law enforcement says it's low as well. I'm not saying your wrong, but people have different experiences and it normally depends on who they associate with and what part of town they stay. What I have learned is whatever place I have ever done a video about half the locals say it sucks while the other half say it is great. That is why I trust the stats.
Conrad, get out of that trailer park off the side of SR 100 between town and the BP. The rest of the town is not like that, and if prices keep spiking, it won't be there too much longer either. BTW they are called tweakers, not tweeters. Meth heads are tweakers and that drug induced involuntary nervous condition they get while high on meth is called tweaking. Tweeters are those small speakers between the size of a quarter and a half dollar where all of your high frequency sounds are reproduced. You're welcome.
Conrad is right. This town is full of tweeking methheads and racist hillbillies. There are some nice people, but they are fast becoming fewer, and more far between. Nothing to do for the youth but booze, drugs and sex. Oh, and they don't care about you at the school unless you play sports. I feel bad for the teachers who actually care, because the school itself doesn't.
Ive lived in Keystone heights my whole life and its great but we are full lol they say we arnt growing bc our city limits are soo small but the rest of the town is where people live. The elementary school is great it is just soo full! We love our little town the way it is move to the other towns on the list lol
Keystone Heights just down the road from Melrose where my grandparents lived. I drove through there about 6 months ago didn't seem to have changed much from the 1960's. (The ambiance)
It’s soooo funny that you picked blountstown as the first to show bc I literally live there well I live in Altha like 10 mins from there and I was like no way this will be on the list at all
These informative videos are double edge swords. Good that is highlights little enclaves that offer good living. Bad because the influx of people that move to these town changes the charm. Traffic, construction, drugs, and other urban activities follow. Example In the mountains of NE north carolina was such a laid back cut. Boone, Mt Jefferson, Crumpler, that area. Now, geez Louise
Keystone Heights is a nice small town close to fishing...only jobs would be in Gainesville, if you don't mind the drive (30-40 min). Video doesn't mention it used to be a lake cottage destination, but most lakes are draining and nobody knows why, other than speculating on ag or Jax growth. Still, a nice community, next to smaller Melrose on very nice, Lake Santa Fe (not draining).
I can tell you why the lakes are all draining in one word: Nestle. This corporation has been sued all over the USA for draining the fresh water out of lakes to sell in bottles.
Yeah Keystone is nice. I live right outside of the town or small city. Everything is close and still not to crowded and the land is cheap alot of wildlife we have alot of the very large Pileated woodpeckers on our property including hawks owls cranes and many other smaller species of birds. One only bad thing is how inconsiderate all the people who own cats are. They just let them run loose everywhere getting into the garbage coming on other people's property killing native species. Now this is just if u live just outside the city where everyone has big lots and by the farm land. But still either way if u have a dog u would be getting in trouble if just ran loose just saying.
Thanks for calling out Frostproof. I grew up and live close to there. It’s a nice small down without to much action. We don’t get a lot of positive light on central Fl very often!
My grandparents ran the Grove Motel in Lake Wales during the 60’s & 70’s, so we came down from IL every summer to visit! What’s not to like about a free tourist attraction named Spook Hill near the Bok Tower?! 😉
Ohhh, Briggs, Briggs, Briggs, yeah, ya kinda washed over one or two. My small city of Okeechobee. Great internet, good local economy, not a bedroom community, excellent Healthcare. 2.5hrs from Tamps/St Petersburg, 2hrs to Orlando, 1 hour from West Palm Beach, 1hr from Sebring. Huge lake with plenty of fish and Alligators walking on top of Alligators. More cows than humans. In winter months it's a Frank Capra movie. The rest is Doc Hollywood. Oh! and a yearly music festival that draws from across the region and further.
Good, but gosh you missed so many small rural towns in Central Florida, 30 miles from Orlando and 60 miles from Tampa. Small, welcoming, lots of lakes, good schools and even hospitals, low crime etc. I know because I live in one. Check out Howey in the Hills, Tavares, Mount Dora, Claremont, Wiersdale. So many.....
Lake Pan is pretty methed up, if ya know what I mean. Bushnell probably is too, but I only go there for the WalMart. Because we have nothing in Lake Pan. The internet is good though, lol.
Briggs, your videos are the best on RU-vid! You always make me laugh!😅 I'm sick of all the negative news. You are a breath of fresh air. Keep up the good work! Waiting for Idaho rural towns.😉
hello, i'm Jorge, a pilot from Lima peru, working with LATAM airline. i came across your page here through the utube suggestion for me so i thought to write to you. where are you from? Write me when you can and do have a nice day and may God bless you
there are some great towns that get left off this list because of essentially false advertising. plant city, for instance, is basically a small town, despite the fact that there is the name "city", there are no skyrises and there are no horrible traffic areas, it's just several subdivisions with a park area, "downtown" f region, and a bunch of small shops, as well as the regular Walmart and McDonald's along Alexander, along with a bunch of churches. the problem with this list and Florida is that most of the "small towns", as mentioned, is that most people live in towns and subdivisions which are technically part of metro areas, even though they definitely don't feel like it. sure, Kissimmee feels like it's attached to Orlando, but valrico and seffner do not feel like they are part of Tampa, you know?
Keystone Heights has a Hitchcock's and a Winn Dixie. Williams (mom & pop) is 10 minutes away,. Drive 20 minutes for Walmart and coming soon ... Aldi! 40 minutes in any direction gets you Publix and more.
Frostproof has 2 Dollar Generals..Family Dollar..Save A Lot..Ace Hardware..McDonalds..Subway..Hungry Howies..Watson Pharmacy..Anytime Fitness and a few Mom and Pop Restaurants. All 3 Convenience Stores in town are currently closed, but there are a couple within a 3 mile drive. Gas is currently $4.50 a gallon here. Closest Wal-Mart is a 10 mile Drive North or South.
I’ve lived in Florida since 1987 and I will never understand why people move here. Well, unless you’re an AARP member. Great place for old people, or so they’ve told me. Non-existent winters, no mountains, not even many hills, low taxes (but also low wages). They used to claim low cost of living but that hasn’t been true for a couple decades. And a heat index over 100 75% of the year.
I moved to Florida 5 years ago from Houston and I agree 100% with your message! Our cost of living in our town not far from Patrick AFB is higher than what we paid in Houston! Everybody here is on drugs and/or homeless…and this has been years before the pandemic! Crazy!
Florida has been on a downswing since the Great Recession. As more Boomers retire there, the state will get so much worse. You already see Florida's K-12 rankings sliding further down the list pretty much every year.
I’m fortunate because several years ago we found a dirt cheap place to rent in an expensive town with low crime and great schools. 20 minutes a way where I grew up it’s like another world. Retirees don’t want to pay taxes and they really don’t care about schools. A lot of people that move here stay because they simply can’t afford to leave. Wages are low and cost of living is average in a lot of places. The reality of right-to-work.
