I went to school down there with kids whose dads were felons. And as I'm sure you already know, it's the FX boiler room capital of the world.
Stay away from Dade county and Miami. It is a third word country as soon as you cross the boarder. Broward and Palm Beach county is where normal people end up. Also stay away from the beach areas. The dirty hidden secret is the beach areas have some serious crime even though there are million dollar homes and condos. Every junky that is sick of the cold end up moving to some place near the beach. People who live here typically live out west or inland.
Im looking at ocean front condos on palm beach--- well priced, peaceful area-- the only downside, I can see is the majority is elderly-- but at least the neighbors will be quiet. LOL!
Hilton Head is boring but Savannah is quite a feisty little town. Combination of old world charm, college town and history. It's the largest historic district in the US and it's downright beautiful. It's also not far from Cumberland Island and Jekyll Island, at one time both had the highest concentration of wealth in the country and still are a playground for uber wealthy. And not far from Augusta, home of the Masters and probably the most exclusive country club in the country. I guess what I'm trying to say is, there is an ungodly amount of wealth down there that has 100 times the class of south FL and far more charm.
Thanks. I must admit I only know Savannah as a tourist-- river walk area I think its called--- I appreciate the information!
South Florida is a big place! There is a place called Deerfield Beach that is clean and has a good mix of everything. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deerfield_Beach,_Florida It is right next to Boca and less then 10 minutes to many prop shops like Schonfeld, Echo Trade and T3. Oh yeah, don't buy anything here until you know that you can deal with the people. Most people get put through the ringer and go back to where they come from after they are broke. Don't worry everyone comes at you with a smile here... It takes a certain type of person to live in South Florida. I know there is something wrong with me to last 10 years here! Finally if you ever need a job we have no economy. South Florida's economy comes from people up north bringing their wealth here and loosing it to the locals.
Thanks for the location info. Still not 100% set on any one location in s fla. I have dealt with plenty of financial con artists in my business---don't think these smiley florida types can be any worse than the folks I have seen in NYC/NJ. surf