Top 10 BEST PLACES to Live in Florida

[Music] do you love summer well what if i told you there's a tropical paradise in the u.s where it's basically summer all the time that's right hawaii actually we're talking about florida today and while it's technically not always summer here especially in the northern half it is the second fastest growing state by pure net migration with nearly 22 million residents now and there's a reason for that sure hawaii and southern california also have beautiful beaches and year-round warm weather but florida is a fraction of the cost has much warmer water and there's no state income tax the sunshine state is huge however so if you're thinking of moving here you might not know where to start that's where we come in we rank the following places mainly on their economy safety cost of living schools amenities and quality of life but this list isn't just going to be the cheapest home prices or lowest crime rates because while the statistics are relevant on their own they just give us a list of cookie-cutter suburbs with the personality of a shoelace so we made sure to include something for everyone and if you want to know which florida cities to avoid let's hit 5000 likes for a video on the 10 worst places to live here but these are the top 10 best places to live in florida number 10. naples although historically known as only a retirement and vacation destination this quaint little beach town has evolved into so much more than just a romantic getaway and golf paradise in fact it's one of the best places to raise a family with incredible schools literally no crime and a poverty rate of just 7.9 percent which is a big reason why the metro population has grown by 23.5 since 2010. now technically only around 22 000 people live in the city limits itself but that's probably because even the high median household income of 76 000 can't keep up with the home prices near the beach or downtown which are in the multi-millions the neighborhoods just outside of the city center however are much more affordable bringing the median home costs down to just 370 grand and while that still might seem like a lot when you consider the small town charm combined with fun museums and art galleries multiple zoos nature preserves botanical gardens a philharmonic cute cafes and amazing upscale restaurants it's more than a bargain especially since you get to watch stunning sunsets on the beautiful beaches every evening and although people of all ages do live here don't expect to find any raging nightlife because pretty much everything still closes by 10 p.m number nine orlando while naples has an early bedtime orlando knows how to party from tons of family-friendly theme parks and museums to pro sports to incredible restaurants and vibrant nightlife in the growing downtown areas there is so much fun to be had here and with some of the best suburbs in the nation tons of golf courses parks and nature preserves and the largest u.s university at ucf people of all ages want to live here so while sure there are plenty of tourists they're also pretty much non-existent outside of the theme parks and the metro population has actually grown by 25 since 2010 to nearly 2.7 million mainly due to the booming job market sure the median household income of sixty one thousand nine hundred dollars still might not be the best but wages have grown by eleven percent over the past three years and orlando has led the nation in total job creation for five of the last six and since orlando's located inland near the center of the state the cost of living's remained pretty affordable with a median home value of just 281 grand but that also means you're around an hour drive from the nearest beach number 8 sarasota while orlando is far from the ocean sarasota is right next to so many gorgeous beaches and keys with cs the key rated by many is the most beautiful beach in america this along with the affordable cost of living made it one of the most popular retirement destinations for many years but as the city continues to grow with tons of new developments all over town many college students families and young professionals have joined the retirees with the metro population of nearly 870 000 growing by 2 each year and for good reason sarasota is up and coming with so much art and culture and offers real city amenities like museums live theaters opera and orchestra and a cute downtown featuring diverse restaurants shops and even some nightlife but it still somehow manages to maintain a small town feel with fantastic schools low crime and an abundance of beautiful nearby nature offering all sorts of outdoor recreation although as a result of the city's growth sarasota isn't nearly as affordable as it used to be with a median home value now at 313 grand but at least the economy is also growing fast with wages having increased by 13.3 percent over the past three years to a median household income of sixty six thousand four hundred dollars number seven jacksonville jacksonville is not only the largest city in florida by population with nearly 930 000 residents it's also by far the largest city by total area in the contiguous united states as i'm sure you can guess this means the city is very spread out to the point where it feels more like a collection of towns and suburbs than any one true city but hey at least the lively and colorful downtown area offers a great art scene a decent music scene and some delicious seafood and barbecue okay so it's obviously not the most exciting city but jacksonville is a great place to raise a family as there's good schools the largest urban park system in the us and 22 miles of pristine beaches just a short drive away not to mention it's one of the best places to live and save money as the economy is booming with wages growing by 7.5 just this past year for a median household income of 66 000 and the median home value is only 221 grand but the winters here do get pretty cold well at least for florida number six melbourne located next to gorgeous beaches with some of the best waves on the east coast the artsy town of melbourne is just big enough to always have something to do while also never being overwhelming there is so much beautiful nature one of the best zoos in the nation a few art galleries and museums and two cute downtown areas with tons of shops restaurants cafes and even some bars and clubs making it a great place for people of all ages but particularly families since the schools are among the best in the nation and the vibe is very laid back with friendly residents few tourists and little traffic the best part about living in melbourne however is the incredibly low cost of living the median home value is just 264 grand and while sure the median household income of 57 300 isn't the best there are plenty of higher paying job opportunities in aerospace defense and communications with the kennedy space center being close by speaking of which if you've ever wanted to watch a rocket take off it's just a 40-minute drive away in cape canaveral number five miami wait what miami made your worst big cities to live in list how the heck is it on this one well yeah miami does have its fair share of problems and we already mentioned them in my 10 reasons not to move to miami video so check that out if you haven't already but if being in a diverse cosmopolitan city with tons of culture and endless amenities is important to you very few cities in this country can match what miami has to offer there are so many fun and unique neighborhoods featuring world-class food tons of concerts and shows incredible nightlife an abundance of art and museums high-end shopping professional sports and beautiful parks and beaches not to mention the city is undergoing huge renovations with many places like brickell edgewater wynwood midtown and of course downtown really cleaning up with tons of new urban developments the best part of all though is that it's a fraction of the cost of other big cities although it's still pretty expensive with a median home value of 407 grand and while the economy is improving with wages growing by four point nine percent just this past year the median household income is still just sixty thousand two hundred dollars which is the second lowest of the 25 largest metropolitan areas number four tampa while miami has the second lowest wages of any big city tampa actually has the lowest with a median household income of only fifty seven thousand nine hundred dollars despite a growing and diversified economy it more than makes up for it with affordability however is the median home value is just 290 grand although that's probably due to the fact that tampa isn't directly on the beach but hey at least you're only 30 minutes away from some of the most beautiful beaches in the country this makes it a great place for families especially since there's also tons of theme parks nature preserves pro sports unique museums historic neighborhoods good schools and incredibly low crime rates but that doesn't make tampa boring because the university of southern florida is here which means there's good nightlife with plenty of hip bars and clubs in the historic ibor city not to mention the great local restaurant and brewery scene of course it's not exactly on par with the excitement of miami but tampa is a thriving city in its own right and close to so many other fun smaller cities like lakeland clearwater and st petersburg number three saint augustine most of you are probably expecting this one at some point and yes while it is very small with a population just over 17 000 residents st augustine punches well above its weight founded in 1565 this lively town is actually the oldest u.s city and it hasn't lost any of its charm over the years as the streets are filled with cute shops restaurants bars and live music and the historic sites buildings and museums are rich with culture not to mention there's beautiful beaches and the schools are among the best in the state but not everything is perfect as the violent crime rate is actually 91 above the national average and since many people have recently discovered how amazing of a place to live st augustine is traffic's gotten pretty bad restaurants usually have wait times and the median home value has skyrocketed to 326 grand but that should be no sweat for most residents as the county's median household income is a whopping ninety thousand dollars and the unemployment rate is just three point three percent number two destin everybody who overlooks florida's panhandle is really missing out on some great cities and towns and out of all of them destin might just be the best sure panama city beach is a bit more affordable and flashier with all its spring break madness but it can't compete with this cute fishing town surrounded by gorgeous beaches on the emerald coast and the beautiful choctawhatchee bay destin is home to great local restaurants tons of live music and cute boutiques shops and art galleries and statistically it's one of the best places to raise a family the friendly tight-knit community has amazing schools literally no crime beautiful nature all around and tons of family-friendly attractions such as a water park go-karts mini golf and alligator park and even banana boat rides sure the spring and summertime tourists make traffic pretty bad but destin is worth every penny of its 464 thousand dollar median home cost which actually isn't that bad when you consider all the great job opportunities in the county with a median household income of 79 000 leading to a poverty rate of just 7.4 now before we get to number one make sure you leave a like subscribe and let me know what you think the best place to live in florida is but without further ado number one st petersburg while saint petersburg is technically part of the tampa metro area i'd be doing it a great disservice if i just clumped the two cities together because while st pete is smaller i'd argue that it actually has a lot more to offer than tampa does with friendlier residents and at a much cheaper price the median home value is just 267 grand while the median household income is four thousand dollars higher than it is in the tampa city limits and st pete's downtown area is incredibly lively and walkable with art and music everywhere in addition to the many museums galleries vintage shops restaurants bars clubs cafes and local events like the art walk not to mention there's over 2 300 acres of parks and nature preserves it's incredibly difficult not to fall in love with this charming city and while it was certainly close st petersburg is the best place to live in florida

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Id: kvacSvePJVY

Length: 13min 7sec (787 seconds)

Published: Sun May 16 2021