These 2 Pedestrian-Friendly Cities Offer a High Quality of Life and Promote Better Health
Can you live in Florida without a car?
Studies show that people who live the longest healthiest lives have one thing in common. They get plenty of exercise every day, and they don’t even own exercise equipment. They don’t belong to a gym either. They do live in communities where walking almost everywhere they want to go is just a natural part of their every day life. If they need to go to the store, they walk there. To visit friends, they walk.
So these people are getting the required daily exercise for excellent health that doctors are always preaching about, without even having to think about it. If you live in the typical American suburb, this is impossible to do, so you usually must buy exercise equipment (that usually just collects dust) or you join a gym (and then never go). If you’re going to move to Florida, or anywhere really, why not choose a community where you could live without having to use your car? It would be better for the planet and your waistline.
We have identified towns in Florida where you can get your daily exercise, naturally, by walking or biking instead of driving everywhere, and hopefully you’ll live a longer healthier life like the people in those studies. Our criteria was simple. The town must have a good mix of residential and commercial properties, so that residents can safely walk almost every where they need to go on a daily basis. The town also must be safe. Unfortunately, Florida’s violent crime rate is higher than in most our states. Regularly walking in towns with high crime rates is not something that I would suggest my family and friends do. So I don’t want you to do that either. High crime rates disqualified many possible walkable towns and cities from making this list.
Florida’s Most Pedestrian-Friendly Towns and Crime
The Florida towns and cities that may be walkable, but did not make my list because of higher crime rates are: Delray Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood Beach, Key West, Pensacola and St Augustine. If you’re a business person in one of these towns that believes this is unfair because only part of the town has a crime problem, I understand your perspective. You have a business interest in people relocating to your town. BUT, look at it from a buyers perspective. If there are multiple towns that offer similar benefits, but some have lower crime rates and some higher, why should anyone move to a town with a higher crime rate? Especially if they’re going to be out there walking around every day.
Here Are Florida’s 2 Best Most Walkable Downtown’s with Videos!
In no special order…
#1 Dunedin, Florida
This great little area just north of Tampa and St Petersburg has made just about every positive list we’ve put out lately. The data for this area is just so positive compared to other places in Florida, including affordability.
However, in a small town like this with fewer properties for sale, it wouldn’t take much of an increase in interest to boost prices. Dunedin is a small safe friendly town with a sense of community, which is rare in the extremely transient state of Florida.
This area has received numerous awards from national publications such as “Best Walkable Small Town” and “#1 Best Beach in America”. This pedestrian and pet friendly town should be at the top of your list if you want to live in one of Florida’s most walkable towns.
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#2 Fernandina Beach, Florida
When a town has “beach” right in the name and it’s being called out for having a wonderful walkable downtown, you know it’s something special. What more could you want in a place to live in Florida than to be by the beach, with a thriving walkable down town, and just a short driven to big city amenities? This great little place in Florida is just over the border from Georgia, so road trips back home for holidays are less of a hassle. The cost of living is about average for the sunshine state so it’s not cheap, but I think it’s a bargain compared to what you have to pay to live in many other similar locations in Florida. If you’re driving to Florida to scout out new places to live and are looking for a great downtown, why not spend the first night here ?
Yes We have a Video of Fernandina Beach Florida for You Too!
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Ron Stack “That Best Places Guy”
- Want to be certain if moving to Florida is right for you or your family? You’ll know after reading the Florida Move Guide.
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Where Are the Best Places to Live in Florida for Just About Everyone?
