What are the pros and cons of living in the city of Palm Coast?
Pros
For one thing, Palm Coast was named the 2022 number one town in the USA for retirees by Retirement Living Magazine. It has also been rated Florida’s second safest city by UpHomes just behind The Villages. Palm Coast is the newest city in Florida, incorporated in 1999. The oldest homes were built in the mid 1970’s. The current average resident’s age is 49.3, so we have a varied population, not just retirees.
For another thing, there is our city’s well designed flood control system. All of the roads, the swales next to the road, every yard, the freshwater and saltwater canals, lakes and ponds are designed and connected to take water away from the homes for up to 11 inches of rain in an hour. Before a storm is expected, the lakes, canals and ponds are drained down to absorb the excess water. Houses also have to be built a foot above the roads. We have had minimal flooding in the city proper as of yet, even with over 20 inches of rain in an hour. There are, however, unincorporated county areas that are served by the Palm Coast Regional Post Office that are not in the city proper and are subject to flooding. Also homes on the salt water canals can flood over their docks, but most of those homes are well above flood level.
Most roads are large circles or ovals connecting to other streets, so you will mostly only see your neighbors cars and the occasional delivery vehicle. The exceptions are the streets named Drive. These are through streets, so there will be more traffic. Lanes are generally large circles, Places and Courts are cul-de-sacs. Small HOA communities within neighborhoods do not necessarily follow these rules, but they are built to code in Palm Coast.
There are many city, county, state and national parks in town and nearby, including beach parks. See my blog on The Great Outdoors and Other Parks.
St. Augustine and Daytona Beach are about a 30 minute drive. Orlando, about 90 minutes. You can catch a major airline flight from thRay Hightowere small Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB) to connect in Orlando (MCO)or Atlanta (ATL) to fly anywhere. The Jacksonville Airport (JAX) is about an hour north. Both JAX and DAB are much closer and easier to navigate than the massive MCO in South Orlando. Cruise Ports are in Jacksonville, Port Canaveral, Tampa and Miami.
There are many and varied good restaurants in Palm Coast, Bunnell and Flagler Beach. Check my blog on Local Restaurants with clickable links.
We have most of the national chain stores and big box stores. BJ’s Wholsale Club is building a store here, Sam’s is 20 minutes south off I-95 at the Tanger Mall Area and Costco is about 45 minutes north off I-95 in World Golf Village. There is a new Costco at One Daytona in Daytona Beach. Publix, Aldi, Winn Dixie, Wal Mart and Super Target are the major grocery chains, but there are several small ethnic grocery stores also. See my blog on Shopping with clickable links.
Into fishing and boating? Check out my blog on that.
Golf, you bet. click here.
There are over 130 miles of hard surface fitness trails. There are several hike/bike trails, hard surface and overland, one recently repaired and extended by the city. See my blog on Other Parks with clickable links.
Did I mention that it’s a short drive to Flagler Beach and other beach parks? Florida is the number one vacation state. Living here is like living on vacation.
Trash pickup is twice per week, recycle and yard waste once per week. Door knockers have to have a permit from the city.
The city has an phone app, Palm Coast Connect, where you can report problems and track results.
Cons (maybe)
There is no downtown. What was originally created to be a downtown area in Town Center is now zoned for housing subdivisions and apartments. The closest we have to a downtown is at European Village.
The way the roads were designed, there will never be mass transportation, because large buses cannot travel on the roads which are designed to move water as well as traffic.
There are covenants and restrictions in place to keep the city nice. Yards and lots have to be maintained. Boats and RV’s, as well as marked business vehicles, are not allowed in driveways for more than 3 days. Residential fences cannot be higher than 6 feet. If your home has certain frontage, like on a lake or a golf course, that dictates what kind of fence, if any, you can put up.
You will need city permits for any work in and on your house and yard. Work has to be done by a licensed contractor, installer or handyman. This is helping you with your home insurance and resaleability in the event your home goes on the market.
Well, now you know. This is what to expect if you move to Palm Coast. Please contact us if you have any more questions.
Want to check out more? Read my other blogs.
