I grew up in DeFuniak and have watched it gentrify, from afar, with great interest. I would have a hard time going back there to live, but I think this is true with many people where their hometowns are involved. I mean, the town we now live in the Napa Valley is smaller than DeFuniak, although barely an hour from San Francisco. I think the pluses in DeFuniak are that it is a small place and people tend to care about each other a bit more in that setting. It is lacking amenities like good restaurants and theaters, but the people there socialize a lot and don't seem to miss those things. This is especially the case if you are a member of a church. The churches there are like country clubs. And I believe the area will continue to gentrify and improve as it grows. So a good investment opp there.
On the downside, small towns can be less than welcoming to newcomers. People can be judgemental. And there are parts of the town that look poverty-stricken (like the old Highway 90 corridor). There is a lot of poverty in the North County, because there are a lot of uneducated people, many of whom seem disabled, and there are few job opportunities. There are meph labs in those woods and more than a few people hooked on prescription painkillers for ailments that are often the result of unhealthy lifestyle more than anything else. I don't know that the schools are good. A trip to the Walmart or Winn Dixie there can be a bit alarming.
Many people who grew up in DeFuniak stayed there and others who left returned. It is very rare that I talk with anyone living there who isn't happy to be there. Lake DeFuniak and the historic little public library (the oldest continuously operating library in the State) are wonderful, and I think there are some beaches a mere 30-minute drive away :funn: that are the world's most beautiful. There's something to be said for proximity! :clap_1:
On the downside, small towns can be less than welcoming to newcomers. People can be judgemental. And there are parts of the town that look poverty-stricken (like the old Highway 90 corridor). There is a lot of poverty in the North County, because there are a lot of uneducated people, many of whom seem disabled, and there are few job opportunities. There are meph labs in those woods and more than a few people hooked on prescription painkillers for ailments that are often the result of unhealthy lifestyle more than anything else. I don't know that the schools are good. A trip to the Walmart or Winn Dixie there can be a bit alarming.
Many people who grew up in DeFuniak stayed there and others who left returned. It is very rare that I talk with anyone living there who isn't happy to be there. Lake DeFuniak and the historic little public library (the oldest continuously operating library in the State) are wonderful, and I think there are some beaches a mere 30-minute drive away :funn: that are the world's most beautiful. There's something to be said for proximity! :clap_1:
We have been driving through for years and never stopped in. This past Thanksgiving (we always do Thanksgiving at the beach) we had heard about the Christmas lights forever and drove up Thanksgiving night...what a blast! I never knew about that beautiful lake and old homes existed. Everyone was so nice. The people were so friendly. 
