Are New Jerseyans now moving to this part of Florida?

It’s gotten so unaffordable to live here in the Garden State that many of us are looking for more economically feasible places to live. Of course, property taxes are a big issue, but other costs of living like food, housing, and income taxes are a big factor as well.

Lots of people have looked into the usual hotspots of the Tampa Bay Area, Vero Beach, the Orlando area, the Villages, which is the largest adult living community in the country, or further down the West Coast in the Fort Myers area.

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What they’re finding is rising real estate prices and property taxes that, in some cases, come close to what we have here in New Jersey. But some people are finding, and it’s just a very few at this point, that the panhandle of Florida offers very affordable living and is still a tax-friendly state.

Last week, I spent a few days visiting my son and his family in a town called Crestview, Florida. It’s about 35 minutes north of the beautiful beach town of Destin.

But it’s also about 30 minutes south of the Alabama state line. The vibe is much more like Alabama and the deep south than most of us would think Florida is all about. There are rolling Hills, lots of wilderness, and even bear crossing signs on the interstate.

It may not be considered the Bible belt, but it sure seems like it with signs for Christian churches everywhere you turn. The people are super friendly, and the pace of life is much slower than here in the northeast and New Jersey.

At this point, you don’t see a lot of New Jersey transplants like you would in North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and other parts of Florida. It is definitely uncharted territory for Jersey people.

Crestview is a town that has a lot of military and ex-military people living there since Eglin Air Force Base, which is one of the largest bases in the world, is just down the road. They are probably the largest employer in the area, other than retail and service jobs.

It is not tropical like South Florida or even the Orlando area, where winters are mild, and not the warm escape many people from the northeast are looking for in wintertime. Plus, the summers are HOT! But the beaches are beautiful.

The pace of life is slow, and it sure is a lot more affordable than just about anywhere here in New Jersey. It seems to be more of a stop for other Southerners or Midwestern people since it’s the first spot in Florida they hit on their journey southward.

You can fly into Fort Walton Beach with connections in Atlanta or direct into Pensacola or Tallahassee.

So, the answer to the headline is... no. There are not a lot of Jersey people in the panhandle, but there could be in the near future, as many of the other popular fleeing points are filling up fast and getting more expensive.

They have a saying in Florida that the further south you go, the more northern it is, and the further north you go, the more southern it is in that state. Well, from my experience last week, they are 100% right.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy only.

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