Yes, but only getting Fed-ex or UPS once a business day is something I manage to live with. :roll:
Thanks to growth over the last couple years, I can get most essential services w/in a 15-20 minute drive - which is less for some things than when I lived in a more urban area, so I think that's pretty darn good.
ER, dentist, doctor, library, grocery, bank, pharmacy, plant nursery, liquor store, art museum, hair salon, stock broker, post office, accountant, courthouse misc., wide variety of shops and restaurants are all within 20 minutes.
I do go further for special doctors, massages, airport, trips to target when I can't find it here on 30-A, but those are exceptions rather than the rule.
The priority overnight has only been an issue with business contacts. They get very annoyed when they pay for a service that doesn't actually work, so it's best to let them know! I don't mind waiting for our shipments if it's just shopping! Bear in mind, unlike the big city where we were very friendly with our local dellivery folks, here they throw the package at your door, hit the doorbell and run. I don't believe I've ever actually seen the UPS or FedEx delivery people
As for what to buy online, baby gear & clothing, kosher food, cosmetics, furniture, housewares, tech stuff. We usually check out local stores first too, but if you want something specific or a greater range of products, online is best.
There are plenty of "essential services" and they are all pretty convenient.
Where you have to make concessions are the areas that are often hard for families with children to adjust their standards- such as after school programs, education or medical care. it's still a very small full-time population that can't sustain things like a lacrosse team or toddler ballet classes
there is an ER, but for parents with children it's important to note, we don't have a certified trauma center in the area and any serious conditions must be lifeflighted to Pensacola (20 min). there's no pediatrician on-call and no pediatric or adolescent medicine specialists in the area. there is ONE board certified pediatrician in walton county. also, tough to get thimerosol free immunizations here, something that people from bigger cities might take for granted.
many docs aren't accepting new patients and there's still an old-school referral system here for the few specialists that practice here also be sure and double check the FL Dept of Health to see if the doc you're seeing is board certified.
the hospital here is beautiful, but we have seen more landscapers there than doctors. actually, after 3 visits there, we have never seen a doctor, even in passing which was worrisome. the one time we used the ER we did not see an MD, and RN or even an LPN, in the 4 hrs we were there, but a "Physician's Assistant"- who informed me the gross total of her education was a couple years at a local community college- who FAXED (you heard that right, not emailed a digital file, FAXED) a copy of my MRI to a radiologist.
these are things that may not bother locals in the least, but if you are accustomed to a different standard of care or have to take your children to the hospital, it might freak you out
