Quote:
Originally Posted by Rec_player
Perfect timing on this thread. Wife and I are looking to move down within 6-8 months. Pretty much selling everything and relocating. She will be telecommuting, but I'm taking a year off and playing (yolo and awesome wife!) We were down at St Pete Beach around xmas and I played at DL twice while I was there. Went late so I didnt get a good visual on the area driving in.
When I go back to real work, it will possibly be at the AFB, so I'm looking at South Tampa as it looks good as a mid point between DL and THR, but also keeps me close to the AFB. Looking a little further out, any info on the area around Gandy? Not interested in city living, so we ruled out St Pete downtown area. Probably buying a house so we will be making a few more trips down to look around more before we pull the trigger. Any other areas worth looking at? Any areas specifically in St Pete to avoid? Thanks for any info.
What do you mean by "city living"? Do you want countryside only, or suburbs okay? Nothing in Pinellas County is rural - all city or suburbs, but many nice neighborhoods - gated or deed-restricted communities are your best bet. Same with the immediate Tampa area - you have to stretch outside the suburbs if you want countryside.
Much of St. Pete south of downtown is bad territory. On the Pinellas County side, your best bet is the Feather Sound neighborhood and surrounds. On the Tampa side, look in the areas south of the Hard Rock: Brandon, Riverview, etc. The further south you go, the more rural, but the further your commutes. East Tampa is probably not a place you will want to live. Palmetto Beach might be good, depending on your house budget. Also consider Temple Terrace and Carrollwood - you won't have the easy trip to Derby Lane, but fine for Hard Rock and the AFB.
Take any warnings about commute times with a grain of salt. How bad you find it depends on where you originate from. Compared to congested areas like L.A., Chicago, NYC, etc., it's nothing. Rush hour traffic might add 30 to 60 minutes commute time at the worst times, or less depending on your route.