SperlingViews - Milton, Florida

the recent collapse of the housing market has made the situation in the job market very dismal. there are some IT jobs thru clearwire that are new tho. If you think you are just going to move here and then find a job, please allow me to discourage you for now. Lot and lots of places are for sale but no buyers and still people will not lower the prices. I am praying to form a thrift shop in an area called east milton which is of mixed everything, economics, old and new residents, racial makeup and is still pretty rural in character. I would like to find a very serious business partner for this as the 2004 hurricanes destroyed many thrift shops and i feel it will do well. However, it is not a project i would try by myself. ITs really hot in the summers, relatively mild in winters and not such a bad place. It has rural southern issues, no public transportation, no hostels but fairly good bike lanes. so far little interest in solar power due to poor attitudes towards change[read more...]

My experience as a "newcomer" to the Milton area found welcoming business owners, Pensacola Junior College employees, county employees at many offices, and workers at most retail, restaurant, and chain stores, in addition to friendly church members. There are people of faith representing many denominations and congregations here: hardworking, family-oriented and concerned about the condition of their neighborhoods and community. The schools are top rated because teachers and administrators take their jobs seriously. We love and respect our military here as well. No community is perfect, but if you are looking for a community poised for growth that still maintains a small town feel, come on home to Milton. Join in the wide variety of activities, services, and recreational opportunities available for young and old alike.[read more...]

Very "born and raised", "born again" town. Not friendly to newcomers. Better if you belong to a Fundamentalist/Evangelical church. Otherwise, acceptance into the community is a struggle. It is know in Guiness Book of World Records as having the most churches per capita. This demonstrates, to me, an inability to get along with one another or compromise. Milton has a local radio station and it is a daily occurrence for those who do not subscribe to the mindset of those born and raised here in Santa Rosa County to be belittled. There are many groups not approved of by SRC residents e.g. Catholics, homosexuals, anyone who does not belong to a church with evangelical bent. I have lived all over the U.S. and in Europe. Never have I encountered yard signs warning of the wages of sin or heard of church memberships throwing church members out of the congregaions. My parents were thrown out of a church because my step-brother had lived with a woman for over 20 yrs. He could not provide her medical insurance which she received as a benefit from the government. Not only my parents bu my sister's family, my brother's family, his best friends who had been church members since the church was built. The schools have a high level of violence altough they score well on the FCAT which is a state govt tool that tests all grade children from elementary through H.S. annually for performance. As a result many parents complain that teachers are forced to teach FCAT preaparation rather than a rounded education. I would not recomend Milton or Santa Rosa County to anyone.[read more...]