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Pensacola Discussion Forum » General Discussion » West Pensacola/Lillian Questions

West Pensacola/Lillian Questions

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Floridatexan
Hallmarkgard
2seaoat
JohnSilver
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1West Pensacola/Lillian Questions Empty West Pensacola/Lillian Questions 10/31/2016, 2:05 pm

JohnSilver



We're planning to move to Lillian within a year and would like to get as much information about the area as possible. Specifically, how is Highway 98 between Lillian and downtown Pensacola? Is there much traffic? Are there better ways to get to the downtown area than 98? We're also interested in shopping centers and grocery stores close to Lillian but on the Florida side. Are there nice ones that are well stocked and clean? And lastly, are there any areas we should stay away from in West Pensacola or along 98 into Pensacola?

We are in our 60s and will be retiring on Perdido Bay hopefully. We are not interested in any drama when we go to gas up the car or when taking a leisurely drive into town. We are retired Air Force so a strong military presence is fine, but gangs hanging around the front of a shopping mall is not.

Thanks in advance for any insight!

2seaoat



I wish I could help you, but my experience is in Santa Rosa County and Navarre. We do have forum members who will hopefully help you with some information, but I am curious how you found the forum. We are always looking for new members.

Guest


Guest

I've been out there plenty... but I wouldn't know it like someone that lives there. The Walmart seems fine... and there's a grocery just before the bridge that seems fine too. Never had any problems over there. Good luck.

Hallmarkgard



I live very close to Dog track road on 98, not very far from Lillian.  Traffic is getting worse on 98 but manageable.  There no "Quality" shopping centers on the west side. But we do have a nice Target and Wal Mart not too far away.
 No gangs hanging out in front of stores but there some rough areas.  Much of the Westside is working class folk sprinkled with some very nice areas.  98 is about the only way to down town.  Personally I go to Foley a lot but traffic in the summer can be an issue.  The Commissary is not too far away from you on 98(About 11 miles from the Lillian bridge)   I am a native so my perception may  differ from others..Welcome to the area...

JohnSilver



2seaoat wrote:I wish I could help you, but my experience is in Santa Rosa County and Navarre. We do have forum members who will hopefully help you with some information, but I am curious how you found the forum. We are always looking for new members.

I googled "pensacola forum" and this forum came up in the top two.

JohnSilver



Thank you all. We will be coming to the area every few months to look at houses and to just get a feel for it all. We looked at the Mobile area last month and we weren't too impressed with the west side of the bay, and the east side was overpriced. On the last day we decided to drive to Pensacola (on I-10) and drive back through Lillian, Foley, etc.. We really didn't stop anywhere to talk to people and that's the key to getting the pulse of an area. We did look at some houses in Lillian and the Alabama property taxes seem a lot more reasonable than Florida's, so we want to try to stay in AL. We don't have much income so that's not an advantage to living in FL.

Hallmarkgard



Something to think about is Health care. If you have to Alabama Health care, the nearest big hospital in Fairhope. Foley has a hospital but it isn't very big. Lillian/Elbreta is a great area to live. It is just a pain to get to anything. Baldwin County is booming. Come and stay awhile. I bet you will not leave.. Take care, and let me know if I can help with any other questions...

JohnSilver



Hallmarkgard wrote:Something to think about is Health care. If you have to Alabama Health care, the nearest big hospital in Fairhope. Foley has a hospital but it isn't very big. Lillian/Elbreta is a great area to live. It is just a pain to get to anything. Baldwin County is booming. Come and stay awhile. I bet you will not leave.. Take care, and let me know if I can help with any other questions...

Thanks Hallmark. We've researched the available health care and all doctors and hospitals in Florida and Alabama are accessible to us. The TRICARE (military retiree health plan) zone includes the entire southeast and it looks like Pensacola has excellent hospitals along with Fairhope and Mobile.

Floridatexan

Floridatexan


Lillian is beautiful and has some great farms. I would personally prefer to stay in Florida...so Innerarity Point or Perdido Key might be good alternatives. I don't think any of these areas are high crime.

Guest


Guest

Where do you presently live? Might give some perspective into what you will or will not find in the Pensacola area.

Welcome to the forum.

JohnSilver



SheWrites wrote:Where do you presently live? Might give some perspective into what you will or will not find in the Pensacola area.

Welcome to the forum.

Thank you She.

We have lived just about everywhere and decided to try rural, so we are currently in north central Arkansas. We've been here 10 years and we seriously overshot the "getting away from it all" thing. All the doctors/specialists in the area have retired or moved (partly because of ObamaCare), and there aren't a lot of people in the area to provide services such as house/grounds maintenance, etc. As we get older, we will not be able to do many of the things we'll need to do and will have to hire people to do basics such as lawn maintenance, etc. Of course as we get older we'll also have a greater need for quality health care, and as I said above, that is on the downswing here.

We also like to go out from time to time. Here, there is only one restaurant we have gone to more than once, and it really isn't that great. The closest entertainment is in Branson, MO, 110 miles away, and there really isn't anything there we are interested in.

So we are looking to get back to civilization but not too urban. Lillian has the appeal of quiet, but fairly close to the things we want. We want good restaurants, to go to an IMAX from time to time or the occasional aquarium or museum. We want to be able to solicit bids for things as simple as sealing a driveway or cutting the grass, and actually have at least one person come out to give us a price, and then actually show up to do the work.

We like the water and plan to spend time on it (but not on the beach). We are holding out for a house on Perdido Bay (with a pier, so we can pull crabs or fish right off of it). We also like to fly and will keep a plane at Ferguson if there is hangar space there.

We dislike too much government/regulations/high taxes. Property Taxes on equivalent Florida property runs about 5 times higher than on the Alabama side. Sales taxes are better in FL (none on groceries as I understand), and while income taxes exist in Alabama we don't have much income so that isn't an issue.

Does Lillian sound like the right place for us?

JohnSilver



Floridatexan wrote:
Lillian is beautiful and has some great farms. I would personally prefer to stay in Florida...so Innerarity Point or Perdido Key might be good alternatives. I don't think any of these areas are high crime.

Appreciate the tip Florida. I like the areas you mention but the property taxes might be a show stopper. Certainly worth another look though.

By the way, your avitar caught my eye - I thought for a second it was the "It's a Beautiful Day" album cover from the late 60's, so I googled Max Parrish (who I had not heard of) and really like his work. Thanks!

Guest


Guest

JohnSilver wrote:
SheWrites wrote:Where do you presently live?  Might give some perspective into what you will or will not find in the Pensacola area.  

Welcome to the forum.

Thank you She.

We have lived just about everywhere and decided to try rural, so we are currently in north central Arkansas.  We've been here 10 years and we seriously overshot the "getting away from it all" thing.  All the doctors/specialists in the area have retired or moved (partly because of ObamaCare), and there aren't a lot of people in the area to provide services such as house/grounds maintenance, etc.  As we get older, we will not be able to do many of the things we'll need to do and will have to hire people to do basics such as lawn maintenance, etc.  Of course as we get older we'll also have a greater need for quality health care, and as I said above, that is on the downswing here.

We also like to go out from time to time.  Here, there is only one restaurant we have gone to more than once, and it really isn't that great.  The closest entertainment is in Branson, MO, 110 miles away, and there really isn't anything there we are interested in.

So we are looking to get back to civilization but not too urban.  Lillian has the appeal of quiet, but fairly close to the things we want.  We want good restaurants, to go to an IMAX from time to time or the occasional aquarium or museum.  We want to be able to solicit bids for things as simple as sealing a driveway or cutting the grass, and actually have at least one person come out to give us a price, and then actually show up to do the work.

We like the water and plan to spend time on it (but not on the beach).  We are holding out for a house on Perdido Bay (with a pier, so we can pull crabs or fish right off of it).  We also like to fly and will keep a plane at Ferguson if there is hangar space there.

We dislike too much government/regulations/high taxes.  Property Taxes on equivalent Florida property runs about 5 times higher than on the Alabama side.  Sales taxes are better in FL (none on groceries as I understand), and while income taxes exist in Alabama we don't have much income so that isn't an issue.

Does Lillian sound like the right place for us?

If you have the flexibility, I'd come down and rent for a year and see how you like it.

Guest


Guest

That sounds like good advice to me. Mingle with the other retired folks and carefully choose.

JohnSilver



SheWrites wrote:If you have the flexibility, I'd come down and rent for a year and see how you like it.

If we find the perfect place, we'll probably buy it when it comes up, but it has to be perfect. Otherwise, the plan is to live here till our current home sells, then move down to the Pensacola area and rent, and then, as PkrBum suggests, mingle and choose carefully.

Hallmarkgard



You will note they aren't many boats in Perdido bay.   The bay is coming back but it has some serious issues...
http://friendsofperdidobay.com/

http://friendsofperdidobay.com/dioxin.htm

JohnSilver



Thank you for the links Hallmark. Very interesting.

Hallmarkgard wrote:You will note they aren't many boats in Perdido bay.   The bay is coming back but it has some serious issues...
http://friendsofperdidobay.com/

http://friendsofperdidobay.com/dioxin.htm

Guest


Guest

The inlet and surrounding grass flats are still pretty amazing. Redfish, trout, Spanish, jacks, ladyfish, sheephead... even tarpon, kings, cobia, and pompano at certain times of the year. Of course you can surf fish too... which is great too. It'll just take a little time to figure out the rigs and presentations.

RealLindaL



JohnSilver wrote:Thank you for the links Hallmark.  Very interesting.

Hallmarkgard wrote:You will note they aren't many boats in Perdido bay.   The bay is coming back but it has some serious issues...
http://friendsofperdidobay.com/

http://friendsofperdidobay.com/dioxin.htm

Glad you brought this up, Hallmark, as I was just about to do so.

JohnSilver, of course many of us on this forum are biased in favor of Florida, but we know you have to go where you want to be. I was just thinking today, though, as we received our property tax bill for the year, that -- if you haven't already -- you may want to consider doing a more in-depth look at property taxes, to see whether or not the bottom line would actually be that much different for you if you lived on Pensacola Bay (much cleaner!!) rather than Perdido Bay. I say that because in this area there are quite a few property tax exemptions available that may not exist in Alabama -- just don't know.

I think you can find explanations of the various exemptions available in Escambia County, FL here:

http://www.escpa.org/

Click on "General Information" and you'll see lots to explore as to the various exemptions, several of which may very well apply to you. Florida also has a cool provision called "Save Our Homes" for homesteaded properties (principal residences) that allows you to protect your property tax cost from severe escalation by limiting the increase in your property's valuation to a maximum of 3% a year or the actual market value increase, whichever is lower.

The Escambia County property appraiser's office is very friendly and helpful and, though they may be a bit busy right now since bills just went out, I'm thinking they could probably walk you through a couple of "what if" examples just to show you how many exemptions you'd likely be allowed based on your circumstances.

Just a thought. But I'll just add that if you're looking for close proximity to amenities and top notch medical care, the closer to Pensacola the better, I opine. We moved here to Pensacola Beach in 2000 after living in a rural wooded area in NW Connecticut for 13 years, and have never looked back.

Wish you the best with whatever you decide/wherever you land, and hope you'll keep in touch from time to time!

ZVUGKTUBM

ZVUGKTUBM

Note that "Friends of Perdido Bay" consists of an aging couple who live on Perdido Bay and no one else. Dr. Jackie Lane was a biology professor at Pensacola State College. She complains loudly once a month in the Pensacola News Journal about the impacts that International Paper has on the bay. The paper mill has been in Cantonment under several different owners since 1941. It has no doubt impacted the bay over the years. What Lane ignores is all of the other impacts to the bay, to include developments and living right on the shore line, which she does.

I have BA/MS in biology and worked locally and in the southeast in the environmental consulting field for 16 years. I went to grad school later in life (1991-1992) at UWF, and one of my professors there taught a course in Estuarine Ecology, and claimed that impacts from people (non-point sources) have had a worse effect on local area waters than industry (point sources) has. Runoff, development of watersheds/drainage basins, covering a shoreline with wall to wall houses (Bayou Texar), filling wetlands, paving everything upstream, etc. etc. etc. all affects our area waters very negatively. And, while industry is heavily regulated and covered by laws, non-point sources of pollution largely are not covered by laws. Dr. Lane wants to ignore every impact but the industrial ones, because she is a part of those other impacts.

http://www.best-electric-barbecue-grills.com

2seaoat



I do not know what you are budgeting for housing, but there are pretty reasonable rents in areas of Pensacola, and Santa Rosa County. Gulf Breeze, Navarre, and Milton all have some really affordable rents and housing. I have noticed a lot of homes are selling at market price as it appears the foreclosures have worked their way through the system. The Homestead exemption is great if you want to lower your property taxes, but all my family is from Alabama, and honestly being close to Pensacola gives you all kinds of access to the water. The Blackwater and Yellow River are amazing. You can check out Garcon point where you can get a five acre parcel and a home for next to nothing, but we would be remiss to not tell you that some areas need to be investigated as to how they did during Hurricane Ivan......it is no fun here or over in Alabama or MS when you are talking about Hurricanes.

Sal

Sal

JohnSilver wrote:
We have lived just about everywhere and decided to try rural, so we are currently in north central Arkansas.  

I was wondering from whence you might be hailing that would make the armpit of America look appealing.

I guess north central Arkansas would meet the criteria.

.

.

.

.

Gawd, I miss Bob.

Guest


Guest

Sal wrote:
JohnSilver wrote:
We have lived just about everywhere and decided to try rural, so we are currently in north central Arkansas.  

I was wondering from whence you might be hailing that would make the armpit of America look appealing.

I guess north central Arkansas would meet the criteria.

.

.

.

.

Gawd, I miss Bob.


He lives in the Sodom and Gomorrah of Florida... so take his opinion as a statue of salt.

JohnSilver



PkrBum wrote:The inlet and surrounding grass flats are still pretty amazing. Redfish, trout, Spanish, jacks, ladyfish, sheephead... even tarpon, kings, cobia, and pompano at certain times of the year. Of course you can surf fish too... which is great too. It'll just take a little time to figure out the rigs and presentations.

We lived in Homestead FL for 9 years and trout and spanish are about my favorite bay fish to catch, and to eat. My son lives in Ft Myers and has promised to visit often and teach me flats fishing. I look forward to the learning experience!

Guest


Guest

JohnSilver wrote:
PkrBum wrote:The inlet and surrounding grass flats are still pretty amazing. Redfish, trout, Spanish, jacks, ladyfish, sheephead... even tarpon, kings, cobia, and pompano at certain times of the year. Of course you can surf fish too... which is great too. It'll just take a little time to figure out the rigs and presentations.

We lived in Homestead FL for 9 years and trout and spanish are about my favorite bay fish to catch, and to eat.  My son lives in Ft Myers and has promised to visit often and teach me flats fishing.  I look forward to the learning experience!

I'm glad. I've fished the whole area since I was a kid. It's really special.

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