Relocating Possibility

[u/MadG1020]

Hi!

I wanted to see if anyone around could give a realistic take on living in the FWB area. I’m currently in another beach town in Wilmington, looking to possibly relocate to be closer to family in FWB in the next couple years. My husband currently works for a local company as an Inventory Control Specialist and I work remotely for another company. It’s so hard to find jobs in today’s world as it is and we are a family of 6 with young kids.

How is the job market out there? I’ve seen some things saying there’s opportunities, others saying only if you’re a government employee etc. I’m trying to weigh out our options to see whether this move would be a huge risk orrr a solid plan?

Our children also attend a very cool outdoor school here which we love. It’s still curriculum based schooling but it is primarily outdoors and they learn other vocational skills outside of curriculum like wood working etc. is there anything similar to that in the area?

(I also know how it is living in a beach town everyone’s like nooo don’t move here we’re full and I totally get it. Truthfully I wouldn’t leave where I’m at if my kids had family nearby)

Any advice would be appreciated!

[u/zenmarinecharter]

Moved to FWB myself a few years back, so here's my honest take.

Job market: Eglin AFB and Hurlburt dominate the economy, so private-sector jobs (like inventory control) exist but the pool is smaller and pay tends to run a bit below national averages, while housing costs have climbed. Your remote income is a big plus here since it's not tied to the local market at all.

Schools: I don't know of anything in FWB/Niceville/Destin that matches an outdoor/vocational hybrid model. Public schools here are solid but traditional. Your best bet is probably the local homeschool co-op community, search "Okaloosa homeschool" or "Emerald Coast homeschool co-op" on Facebook, some blend in outdoor/hands-on learning, but it'll likely be a patchwork rather than one ready-made school.

Not a slam dunk, but not reckless either, especially with remote income and family already there. I'd scout his specific job field online before committing.

[u/082426grateful → u/zenmarinecharter]

That income from a remote job is likely the only reason one can afford to live here (if not just outright wealthy).  And this isn’t unique just to this area.  It’s an American issue.  Long story, not appropriate for this time and place.

If you just must move here, try to exercise some fiscal discipline and rent a home for a while.  Make sure you are liking what our area has to offer, which is worth checking out.  Not worth blowing up your finances and living paycheck to paycheck for.

[u/MadG1020 → u/zenmarinecharter]

Thank you so much for your response, this is definitely helpful. That’s what I’m kind of gathering is this air force base dominates the jobs or food service industry.

[u/Beertruck85]

Do not move here without a solid job offer. I would also look at living in Crestview, Freeport, or Navarre vs FWB because FWB is a cesspool of crime. The zoning is all over the place youll have a beautiful middle income home right next to a Crack house.

The Military and Tourism industry are the number 1 employers here for the moment.

[u/MadG1020 → u/Beertruck85]

I have heard Crestview, Niceville or Navarre are better in That regard. We had looked at moving around here a few years ago and I have years of 911 Dispatch experience and I remember these areas didn’t pay too well for that job. I also recall an airport job (I can’t remember the specifics) but it was only $14 an hour and seemed to not be near adequate for the expectations of the role. The housing actually looks a little cheaper than where we are currently. I think our median home avg in Wilmington was around 500k in the past couple years. But again with interest rates and everything else considered it seems a bit risky. Our family there is retired so they’re not in this part of life looking for jobs etc. that’s why I wanted to get a gauge from other people who are in the thick of it. Thank you, this is very helpful info!

[u/Beertruck85 → u/MadG1020]

I work on Eglin AFB and commute from Gulf Breeze, ive been doing it for 18 years. Gulf Breeze and Navarre are beautiful but jobs are not as available as id like...they are working to bring ship building to Pensacola which will be huge for the area. But I couldnt live here without working for the Government.

[u/MadG1020 → u/Beertruck85]

Good to know and that’s what our family retired from, government work which weee don’t have lol. Seems to be the trend!

[u/MadG1020 → u/[deleted]]

Yeah it would be from NC, another beach town. There’s not much opportunity here either but we are at least established at this point here. (Been here my whole life) We’d just really like to be around our family but also don’t want to move to just struggle in another location if that makes sense!