Again...Help with St John's River areas to stay.?

I posted this on the off topic and got a few good responses. But looking for a little more insight, so I'm posting it here.
I'm 55 and in a pretty good position to retire before I'm 60. We mainly may be snowbirding, but maybe more. From Missouri. I love outdoors, hunting and fishing. Wife hates the cold and loves the beach. I can't spend multiple days on the beach, so we are looking at the St. John's river area. I have narrowed down our looks at the Astor area up to the Federal Point area. I will be trying to spend a few weeks in these areas to see what the best fit is. But Astor, Lake George, Georgetown, Welaka, Satsuma, Palatka, San Mateo, Federal Point are my areas.
I'm looking for a fishing community with a slight upscale type vibe. WalMart not terribly far away and neighbors that we can have a drink in the evening and share a game plan for the next day's fishing. My wife wants to take pontoon rides and I want to catch lots of fish.
North of Lake George is intriguing due to the variety of fish that can be caught, but world class crappie and bass are king. South of Lake George is interesting for the abundance of crappie and serious fisherman.
I would love to make great friends who we can help each other and watch each other's place to keep everything safe.
Bonus would be wildlife sightings like deer, turkey, birds, outdoor access and other lake access.

Give some starting points if you have them.

Thanks,

CH

I'll throw in my .02...about 8 yrs ago we started looking for a place from Astor up also, including various lakes around. after all said and done, we found a place in Satsuma off Dunns Creek.. The fishing is great: bass, bluegill, crappie( my main target),and catfish..
we also catch the occasional red, flounder, mullet, and others
Summer we throw out the crab pots and usually around mid August start shrimping for a couple months..
I fish from the rodman canal to Palatka on the river and down Dunns to Crescent...beautiful scenery and great fishing..
its not far from there to hit St Augustine either

Thanks. That gives me some great feedback. I will definitely be looking at that area as a main target. Would love to meet you someday.

when you come down looking let me know..
my side gig is a realtor, so I can help you narrow some down

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Originally Posted by ChrisHill

Thanks. That gives me some great feedback. I will definitely be looking at that area as a main target. Would love to meet you someday.

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Look at my Dora

Dora on the Harris chain

Sent from my Pixel 7 Pro using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

I’m another fan of the Astor area but I also like crescent city. I’ve been here since the 80’s and I’m real close to Lake Monroe. The Deland area is very busy on the weekends and a good destination for a good dinner and a cocktail. I also can’t argue with what Orion said. That area is much more laid back than Deland and not far from anywhere of interest. You’ll be in a good area no matter where you choose from the choices you listed. It’s kinda crazy to be throwing a Rattletrap on lake George and have a redfish suck it up and head north. Hope it’s a good experience for y’all.