[Fr. Frank]

You can still get a smaller 3/2 in southern Okaloosa County Florida for $70-90K, within 10 minutes of a boat ramp leading to the Gulf of Mexico. I'm talking about a site-built home, 40-60 years old, with a 1-car garage or carport. The house behind me here in Shalimar sold in August for $79K: a brick 3/2/1, 1198 sq. ft. built in '78, less than 2 miles from a boat ramp on Choctawhatchee Bay.

This is the panhandle of Florida, between Panama City and Pensacola; the home of Destin, Fort Walton Beach, and Eglin AFB. USAF Special Ops is here at Hurlburt Field, as are the Army 6th and 7th Ranger Battalions on the Eglin range.

Go farther east to Port St. Joe, and you can buy a 3/2/2 for under $100K in a waterfront community. 10 mile run to the Gulf, though, through St. Joseph bay. But if you like redfish, spotted sea-trout, gag grouper, etcetera, they can all be had right there in the bay.

And the woods in that area around Wewahitchka, Tate's Hell, and Apalachicola is some of the most heavily populated with white-tail deer in all of the south. They're just not real big. A 150 lb. buck is pretty good-sized.

It's true. If you avoid the "traditional" retirement communities, you can still buy houses here in Florida for around $75K. Buy between Port St. Joe and Crawfordville, and you an get a house with 5+ acres for under $100K, and still be within 15 minutes of a boat ramp to the Gulf.